This page is dedicated to people I will never forget. I've shared both good and bad experiences with every person I've ever known. But these people have formed who I am in a way I cannot describe. Thank you for making me, me. Here's to you!


Here's to Chuck.
The one who made me cry just by showing me his stories.
The one who drove me around Southern Illinois on a little scooter, and took my breath away.
The one who listens no matter what, and no matter how much I over-react.
The one who took me under his wing when I started coming out.
The one who warned me about bad choices, when I couldn't talk to my parents about them.
The one who invited me to Thanksgiving dinner.
The one whose simple e-mails about how he is doing highlight my day.
Here is to Chuck.

Here's to Nick.
The one who came to my job and sat in my booth and watched me work in my denim.
The one who scared me out of his house because he was drunk and aggressive.
The one who caused me to never look at other guys by my choice.
The one who made me know what it was like to cheat on someone and not care.
The one who made me know what it was like to be cheated on and really really care.
Here is to Nick.

Here's to Austin.
The one who provided to me the best day of my life.
The one who knew so much and shared so little.
The one who everyone hated and ostracized, yet I admired to no end.
The one who lived outside the boundaries of society, and didn't take me with him because he cared.
The one who was taken from me suddenly only to leave an eternal question in my heart.
The one who gave my naive self a little white pill.
The one who made me feel completely special one moment, then completely worthless the next.
The one I think about all the time.
Here is to Austin.

Here's to Josh.
The one who I regard as the first attractive gay male I ever met.
The one who came to visit me when I was in the hospital, and claimed to be my brother.
The one who picked me up in the middle of the night, with whom I would drive around Kansas City endlessly.
The one who was never reliable and always hours late.
The one who believed I stole his lover and threatened payback would be ten times worse.
The one who left a message, received by my mother, asking if I wanted to sneak out and fuck for hours.
The one always tries to make himself feel superior or others feel inferior.
Here is to Josh.

Here's to Gretchen.
The one who will be my soulmate until the day I die.
The one who I had a crush on in sixth grade, and caused me to buy the Friends Soundtrack just because she had it.
The one who knew me so well that our remarkably similar behaviors and inside jokes would earn millions of dollars if published into a book.
The one who went to a different college so that I could not help at all when she began suffering.
The one who is the most sensitive person I've ever met.
The one who walked next to me in the hallway when people called me "deepthroat" at school.
The one who I miss and think about everyday. (I love you Gretchen.)
Here is to Gretchen.

Here's to Curtis.
The one who introduced me to my favorite game, Mario Party.
The one who really made me realize what the college campus life is all about.
The one who always invited me, no matter who the company was.
The one who assisted in the formation of the semester that I drank most nights of the week.
The one who took care of me when I lived in an unfamiliar place.
The one who would always argue with me, even though we always made up the next day.
The one who gave me hope that I, too, could find a person with whom I fall in love and would have a real relationship.
Here is to Curtis.