And last, but absolutely not least...
Ok, I'm ready to finish up these senior/seen-ya spotlights with my 35th today. It's been an interesting time of reflection and all, but I gotta move on.
So to get to it, my last spotlight is on a good friend of mine since day 1 at BHS. I must ask him, "Can you paint all the colors of the wind yet?" Yeah, that's right, I turn off the spotlight today, but not before I shine it brightly on...
On the first day of school freshman year, I looked for a place in the cafeteria to sit down at lunch time. All the tables with kids that I had met from soccer seemed full, but I saw Henry Miller sitting with Tim Au and Andrew, so I decided to sit with them. It was a good move on my part, for once Brent and crew joined, it became a fun table.
One thing I learned quick about Andrew was that he and I had a similar interest in video games. Throughout all four years that I've known him, we've played many different video games together, often with George and Brent in the earlier years. I would pwn at Super Smash Brothers Melee. In return, he'd pwn at Medal of Honor. We had many fun times screwing around on 007 Nightfire and all the Burnout games. There was the occasional time he and I would play Halo/Halo 2, whether it was system-link or playing mind games with random strangers on Xbox Live, both of which were always entertaining.
In the years that I've known Andrew, there's been very little that he isn't game for. However, you couldn't offer him a million dollars to go sledding in the winter. Ever. Lol...
But seriously, as I look back on the years, I've witnessed Andrew grow, mature, and change significantly for the better. While some may think it odd, I think fencing lit the fuse for his personal growth. He was never really athletic before, and this was his first team sport to get involved in. Yeah, he was enraptured in that cult until the fencing season ended junior year, but hey, he seemed to enjoy it. I remember I went to a fencing match against Voorhees High School junior year to support Andrew, Brian, and George. Despite my friendly efforts, I would probably be pinned as a bad luck charm for that game as they lost. But hey, I tried.
Junior year though, Andrew finally started to express himself to more than me and his original group of friends as he became an editor-in-chief of The Crimson. His writing abilities definitely shined bright in his editor's note of each issue. Although I didn't see him too often the following summer, I had to admire the fact that he was travelling into NYC daily to work an internship at the NY Sun offices and dip his feet into the journalism pond. After continuing his editorial duties this past year, I'm excited to see where he will take his journalistic abilities when he heads off to the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern next year.
A lot of people will have to agree with me on what I consider to be the most memorable moment of Andrew at BHS. At the end of junior year, Andrew ran against JD for class president. While Francesca and Liz were waging a poster war for Student Council, Andrew had the most clever and amusing campaign anyone has ever witnessed. I can't recall exactly what each little slogan he came up with read, but they were definitely amusing.
Yet when it came to the day where the speeches were given, that's when Andrew truly shined. As the then-junior class sat on the bleachers, Andrew quietly and awkwardly walked down, and turned around, ready to give his speech. He glanced down at a paper that had his speech on it and looked up at his fellow classmates. The normally quiet Andrew then loudly and confidently proclaimed, "I don't need to read a speech on paper!!!" (Something along those lines.) He then crumpled up the paper, threw it on the ground, and proceeded with his speech. He won over a lot of people that day, as I couldn't have been happier or prouder for my great friend.
So Andrew, I'm so grateful for getting to know you and for having you as a friend. You definitely made physics, history, and homeroom entertaining. Your sarcasm throughout the years has been amusing, from the times when you called me Sexas and enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies that my mom made to your quips during the funniest night of senior year. (Although Krystallmatz still has to be the weirdest day that I've had.) I know I can never make you look bad, for you can easily turn it against me in a worse way... like what happened at HMC this year, lol. But despite the joking around, you are always someone I can talk to about whatever for you're always one to be supportive or to offer constructive criticism. I'll also never forget how you helped me pull through one college rejection after another by telling me your witty remarks on your Northwestern application. I know you have my best interests in mind, or else you wouldn't have invited me to see The Early November concert and stop at the Menlo Park Diner last night.
As your friend, I'll do whatever I can to make sure I always keep in touch with you. May you continue enjoying the times spent with Moira, and may we continue to have fun until Father Time dies of a heart attack. Peace out man, and take care.
PS - Get that artwork off your pool table! :P
So to get to it, my last spotlight is on a good friend of mine since day 1 at BHS. I must ask him, "Can you paint all the colors of the wind yet?" Yeah, that's right, I turn off the spotlight today, but not before I shine it brightly on...
On the first day of school freshman year, I looked for a place in the cafeteria to sit down at lunch time. All the tables with kids that I had met from soccer seemed full, but I saw Henry Miller sitting with Tim Au and Andrew, so I decided to sit with them. It was a good move on my part, for once Brent and crew joined, it became a fun table.
One thing I learned quick about Andrew was that he and I had a similar interest in video games. Throughout all four years that I've known him, we've played many different video games together, often with George and Brent in the earlier years. I would pwn at Super Smash Brothers Melee. In return, he'd pwn at Medal of Honor. We had many fun times screwing around on 007 Nightfire and all the Burnout games. There was the occasional time he and I would play Halo/Halo 2, whether it was system-link or playing mind games with random strangers on Xbox Live, both of which were always entertaining.
In the years that I've known Andrew, there's been very little that he isn't game for. However, you couldn't offer him a million dollars to go sledding in the winter. Ever. Lol...
But seriously, as I look back on the years, I've witnessed Andrew grow, mature, and change significantly for the better. While some may think it odd, I think fencing lit the fuse for his personal growth. He was never really athletic before, and this was his first team sport to get involved in. Yeah, he was enraptured in that cult until the fencing season ended junior year, but hey, he seemed to enjoy it. I remember I went to a fencing match against Voorhees High School junior year to support Andrew, Brian, and George. Despite my friendly efforts, I would probably be pinned as a bad luck charm for that game as they lost. But hey, I tried.
Junior year though, Andrew finally started to express himself to more than me and his original group of friends as he became an editor-in-chief of The Crimson. His writing abilities definitely shined bright in his editor's note of each issue. Although I didn't see him too often the following summer, I had to admire the fact that he was travelling into NYC daily to work an internship at the NY Sun offices and dip his feet into the journalism pond. After continuing his editorial duties this past year, I'm excited to see where he will take his journalistic abilities when he heads off to the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern next year.
A lot of people will have to agree with me on what I consider to be the most memorable moment of Andrew at BHS. At the end of junior year, Andrew ran against JD for class president. While Francesca and Liz were waging a poster war for Student Council, Andrew had the most clever and amusing campaign anyone has ever witnessed. I can't recall exactly what each little slogan he came up with read, but they were definitely amusing.
Yet when it came to the day where the speeches were given, that's when Andrew truly shined. As the then-junior class sat on the bleachers, Andrew quietly and awkwardly walked down, and turned around, ready to give his speech. He glanced down at a paper that had his speech on it and looked up at his fellow classmates. The normally quiet Andrew then loudly and confidently proclaimed, "I don't need to read a speech on paper!!!" (Something along those lines.) He then crumpled up the paper, threw it on the ground, and proceeded with his speech. He won over a lot of people that day, as I couldn't have been happier or prouder for my great friend.
So Andrew, I'm so grateful for getting to know you and for having you as a friend. You definitely made physics, history, and homeroom entertaining. Your sarcasm throughout the years has been amusing, from the times when you called me Sexas and enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies that my mom made to your quips during the funniest night of senior year. (Although Krystallmatz still has to be the weirdest day that I've had.) I know I can never make you look bad, for you can easily turn it against me in a worse way... like what happened at HMC this year, lol. But despite the joking around, you are always someone I can talk to about whatever for you're always one to be supportive or to offer constructive criticism. I'll also never forget how you helped me pull through one college rejection after another by telling me your witty remarks on your Northwestern application. I know you have my best interests in mind, or else you wouldn't have invited me to see The Early November concert and stop at the Menlo Park Diner last night.
As your friend, I'll do whatever I can to make sure I always keep in touch with you. May you continue enjoying the times spent with Moira, and may we continue to have fun until Father Time dies of a heart attack. Peace out man, and take care.
PS - Get that artwork off your pool table! :P