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BRIAN

3 October 2000, 01:00

I have always known that to be truly happy is to have around you people who are worth knowing. We all have definitions and expectations of people we desire to have as friends. I’ve been lucky enough in life to have many people fill these needs and exceed my expectations, thusly truly enriching my life and making me a better person.

One of these people, who, by just being there and sharing of himself, and being my friend has made me better. He’s a big brained dude I work with named Brian. And he’s leaving us for other opportunities.

When I first began my job eight months ago, Brian was a friendly and knowledgeable and best of all, approachable. I found that he was professional and funny and shared his wisdom and wit. I found that we had an enormous amount in common. He was not above giving a good guffaw or a tibit of trivia, and many times we shared long conversation. He taught me a buttload about prepress, about software, about Macintosh, and about ***shutter*** the PeeCee. We shared similar outlooks, and I hope that I contributed a little joy to his day as he has contributed in a large way to mine.

My contributions? Welllll. I got him hooked on Starburst and told him about the weirdest sites on the web, and sold him a CD burner. Boy. And what did he do for me? He corrected my booboos, increased vastly my knowledge of the programs, and more importantly, gave me the confidence to ask questions and use my skills. Instead of feeling like the newcomer, newbee and the new little brain, he made me feel that I had something important to contribute intellectually. He made me feel valued for what I know and what I could do, and not just because I was a warm body available to tote the barge and lift the bale.

I think it is our loss, because he really cared about contributing to the advancement of the company and did his best to use his big brain to keep things efficient and up-to-date. He was always willing to lend me a hand, and help me plod through most situations. And he was STILL willing to answer my question no matter how many times I had asked it and forgotten the answer. He was STILL willing to assist me no matter what the eye rolling situation I had gotten myself into. He was even willing to STILL think I had working brain cells when I did or said incredibly dumb things. He never made me feel stupid or in the way. For that, I can’t thank him enough. For that, I got him hooked on fruit chews.

Most of his problem solving skills, hopefully, have rubbed off on me. And by making me never doubt myself and my own skills, he has given me the tools to investigate and find the answers on my own. And his good nature just made me feel good and made me feel more comfortable at work. We shared common professional interests and surprisingly a couple of personal interests (the first real live person I know who has the same admiration for Dr. Who and the same love for Babylon 5). And, most of all, with his help, I learned not to totally despise the PeeCee. A miracle indeedy.

Hopefully, we will still keep in touch, and be friends for a long time. You just don’t find that many people that. The kind that make you better. The kind that makes the world seem better.

GOOD LUCK, BRIAN. I JUST THINK YOU’RE SWELL.