Rico Kinda-Suave

Yesterday was Richard's birthday. Unless I am mistaken, he was 27.

First, I have to admit that it wasn't until after lunch that I realized what the date was. I am unaccustomed to working two weeks straight, as we have done, and had lost track of the date and the day for that matter. All week it has felt like Friday... CRS is not like me.

Anyway, Richard and I normally play chess at our breaks and more often than not have lunch together. Lately, I have been tied up with the Bomber during our breaks so we have been missing our chess matches and our lunch breaks are normally filled with catching up on the present gossip and bitching. Yesterday was no different in the fact that we missed our first break and ate lunch together, though we missed our afternoon break.

Still, it wasn't until after lunch that I realized it was the 3rd, and had intended to wish him happy birthday the next time I saw him. Naturally, I did not see him in a setting that allowed my oddly eccentric though process to spit out the tidings. It wasn't until I got in the truck to leave that I remember that I had not told him.

I figured I would call him after he left work. I had to run an errand, to Verizon with mom, then I would give him a buzz. Naturally, our discussion got on the Bomber, and I left my Mom's house quite upset. In such a tizzy I was, that I ran out of gas on the way home because I was so blissfully unaware of anything besides my despair. By the time I got Becca to rescue me and got home it was 8pm, and finally got a chance to call him... Not home, DAMN IT!

So happy belated birthday my friend!

I met Richard in 1998, here at Cubic. He was a young, foolish, long haired hippie. At least he's still foolish!

We didn't exactly like each other very much at first, as we were working on FareBoxes for the NYC transit authority. He was a temp, and I had just returned after my "hiatus" and was hired in directly. I am sure there was some boss' son thoughts there.

It wasn't until we worked on Far East gates that we became friends, which was later in the year. I only saw him at breaks, to play chess on a cardboard chess board we colored with a sharpie and square cardboard pieces we made much the same way. Even though he was only 10 feet from me, I only saw him occasionally because I was swamping him with gates. I had a sea of gates through my station waiting on the next, I has kicking ass. I think that did as much to foster our friendship as anything. That and I picked him up for work each morning.

Through the years, Richard and I have drifted close and apart, but always remained a point of support for the other. Never have I met someone so infuriatingly like myself. Stubborn and totally relentless in being what he is... gotta love it.

So what if he lost the mullet.... and most the hair he had on top. And so what if snails have moved faster than him. He is one of my few friends, and one of my dearest.

So happy birthday you jackass, you know I love you.