Shiny Happy People

"Some people have large circles of friends while others have only friends they like." --George Santayana

An almost assuredly incomplete list of the important people in my life and a quote that either describes them or is otherwise appropriate...

(my apologies--or warning--to U of C friends...I have not updated this page with all of your dirty little secrets yet!)

Seth: Believe it or not, I love my brother! I can honestly say he is my favorite person in the world.

"Some people say that I must be a horrible person, but that's not true. I have the heart of a young boy...in a jar on my desk." --Stephen King

Jen: When we decided to share an apartment, I don't think either of us expected it to turn out as well as it did. Plenty of good times were had at good old Toftrees.

"Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? Thought I was the only one.' " --C.S. Lewis

Natalie: I've considered her my best friend for as long as I can remember, but lately I haven't been able to see her as much as I'd like. Good luck with Barrett...I hope someday I can find someone who cares about me as much as he does about you.

"Never shall I forget the time I spent with you. Please continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours." --Ludwig Van Beethoven

Rynell: I haven't seen her in over three years, but I think it is an amazing testament to our friendship that we have kept in touch throughout those years. She is the most admirable person I know, and I consider myself fortunate for having had the privilege of being her friend.

"One is taught by experience to put a premium on those few people who can appreciate you for what you are." --Gail Godwin

Jackie: She might not always agree with decisions I make, but she doesn't judge me for them, and I am very appreciative of that. Jackie is one of the few people that I feel truly cares about how I am feeling, and I think that although we may seem very different, in reality we have a lot in common.

"When a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it." --Edgar Watson Howe

Amanda: She and I have always marched to the beat of a different drummer, so I suppose it's only natural that we've become good friends. Maybe someday we'll find out if the truth really is out there.

"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." --Akiro Kurosawa

Jed: When I tell him about my problems, he says he understands, and I believe him. It's important to have people in your life with whom you can discuss anything, and he is one of those people.

"To be nobody but yourself--in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else--means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." --e.e. cummings

Chris: The self-proclaimed expert-on-all, he sometimes manages to hit the nail on the head, but for the most part I think that my psyche is more screwed up than he could even begin to explain...but that doesn't stop him from trying.

"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't." --Erica Jung

Pup: Sometimes--okay, a lot of the time--I feel like I could completely vanish and no one would really notice, but he tries his best to make me feel like I'm worth something. I believe he truly wants things to work out for me, and sometimes just knowing that someone cares is the most important thing.

"Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be." --William Hazlitt

Derik: I've caused myself a lot of anguish over him, but ultimately it's caused me to reevaluate the priorities in my life and finally come to terms with my own feelings of inferiority. Rarely in life do you find someone who seems to exist entirely on a plane congruent to your own.

"Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love." --Charlie Brown