To me.........Mitch was someone who took life the way it should be taken, living each day in spite of one's circumstances, living for the moment, and appreciating the little things that are often overlooked or taken for granted.  Little did I know how much he truly lived this way when I first met him, a little more than 5 years ago.  Mitch and I met in a bar........I know, a real stretch to imagine with Mitch huh?  :)  Ok, so it wasn't a real bar, but an online chat room kinda place.  I remember Mitch always being hysterically funny, full of energy, and just a joy to be around.  Often he would sing VOOOLAAAAARRRRRE at the top of his lungs, proclaim "I SMELL DRAMA!!!", talk about his accordian lessons that his cyber mom MADE him take, or twist his pinky ring and turn into super hero "Captain Midnite" when he was feeling particularly ornery.  Even for all of his antics......he was true blue when it came to friends, cared about and for you from the deepest places in his heart.  It was this and Mitch's warped sense of humor that drew me to him.  Enough that I "adopted" him as my cyber-son.  After all, someone had to keep him in line once in a while you know.  It was still even a while after that till he was able to tell me about his spinal injury that happened to him at the age of 19.  I remember his words being "I wanted you to know me for who I am, not what I am."  You see, Mitch chose not to feel sorry for himself and didn't let anyone else feel sorry for him either.  He was real stubborn about that fact.  That was another of the things I really admired about Mitch....his inner strength was amazing as well as contagious.  If everyone had even one tenth of the character Mitch did, the world would certainly be a better place.  Now, I am not saying Mitch was perfect......no one is, I understand he was quite the rebel in his time (but, man.....can he tell a great story) but again, that was part of his charm.
    As Erica said........Van Halen was one of Mitch's favorite bands.  SuperTramp was another.  "Bloody Well Right" and "Long Way Home" definitely remind me of Mitch in so many ways.  I have tried to dedicate these to Mitch while singing, but can never get through the song these days.  We had many conversations about music in the bar, all of them precious.  Even when we were arguing about Jon Secada.  LOL....I am sure wherever he is now, he is making a face about that!
    I know wherever Mitch is.......he is in a place that he can tan year round, not worry about even one snowflake, blast the stereo as loud as he wants as he is cruising the town in that favorite car of his while checking out the women, smiling that smart-ass smile because he figured out how to be younger than me, and that he is still making sure that the rest of us are keeping that positive outlook on life, whatever the circumstance may be.

  143 lil one.......I miss you dearly.

                B U H