Thanks, Gary

First, let me apologize for the lateness of this. I won't bother making excuses, because there aren't any good enough.

Some of the best times of my life were spent rolling dice. Role playing games gave me what everyone wants: friends that create moments, moments that the simplest things can remind us of. A word, a gesture, an expression on someone's face that carries a connotation to you, and takes you back to those intensely personal experiences. Each night we gave life to brave warriors, powerful sorcerers, sly rogues. The idealized visions of ourselves that most are worried to reveal. We who craft stories show them plainly. The little lies we tell ourselves, tell others, the ones covering our insecurities and fears, come out in the tortured hero. We explored each other. We explored ourselves. Is it simply escape? Can something so simple inspire so much love and passion in the young and creative mind? I think not. I think what gary gave us was not a way to escape ourselves, but a way to truly be ourselves, in every way that we cannot. Not to mention have a lot of fun along the way.

Thanks, Gary. I'll never forget what you did, and I'll miss you a whole lot.