Seems that Somara’s cooking overwhelmed my afternoon coffee and prevented me from posting about Paul’s birthday…for the third year in a row. Poor dude, he’s sick right now too. Everybody at his job was ill previously while he had been immune, or so he thought. I’m sure he’ll be feeling better soon, Paul always recovered faster from colds than I did in the dorms.
We’ve been friends for over 21 years now. Despite our rather inauspicious meeting through his roommate John Rossman, we became fast buddies. I think John’s skill with women helped; it made him frequently absent from their infamous dorm room in McCormick. How infamous? Besides being Bob Dukiet’s inaugural season with the Warriors, W10 L19, ask Paul about an empty bottle, an open window and a cold Friday evening in the middle of a Wisconsin Winter. So while John was away, I’d often hang out in 1019 since I had nothing in common with my floor, nice guys but Dull City and thanks to them, I despise Marillion even more.
Our various “misadventures” around Milwaukee were quite memorable, especially the one hitting a 20th anniversary. That incident demonstrated why the Milwaukee cops are some of the most inept and corrupt bullies to wear badges, also see Dahmer and Bembenek’s stories.
I think we also stuck together due to our mutual lack of success with women, as the cliche goes, misery loves company. We’d be adding Phil and Jose to our drum circle in another year. It wasn’t always so bleak and our friendship was a positive, encouraging relationship. Not some “enabling” w(h)ine and cheese fest. Besides, if John hadn’t dumped Paul and me together in order to chase Kim, I don’t know who else would’ve introduced Paul to Helen. OK, probably somebody from Chicago in Helen’s dorm that Paul could’ve asked but I had the best inside scoop on his future wife! Helen and I were classmates in COPA 001 which was a small course of 16 students. This was a better setting to gauge personalities than COPA 003 with a couple hundred or the COPA 003 discussion course they did have together. When I arranged their outing for the 10th Floor SYR (Screw Your Roommate, a mass blind date), I made the call on a speaker phone to re-assure Paul that Helen was a good sport; it’s always easier when it’s not your feelings on the line too.
My relationship with Paul encompassed many other things outside women matters. He introduced me to Heavy Metal bands that were actually good, namely Metallica, Queensryche, Megadeth and Pretty Maids; all before they were more popular. He even got me hooked on Def Leppard’s Hysteria so much, we went to their big concert in the round 20 years ago. Paul helped me with my writing since we were in ENGL 032 and 033 together yet I feel this skill refinement never appeared until I was working at GDW. For better or for worse, he helped me like beer more which I barely ever drank in high school; I can only recall maybe two at most because the taste was so awful. Other than Helen and meeting Metallica, I do need to ask him if there was anything positive I taught him, helped him with or influenced. I usually feel I only took from him and owe him much, even to this day.
If you know him, drop him a line. Wish him a happy birthday. He deserves it. Paul is still one of the best writers I’ve ever met and I don’t think I could’ve have improved without him helping me unlearn all the trash high school drums into everybody; namely draining the joy in writing.