Yesterday, October 30'th was my buddy James' 37'th birthday.  Please drop by his blog and wish him a Happy Birthday!

(James Looking Quizzical)

 I met James in my freshman year of college about, oh, 19 years or so ago.  Just as I did with my wife, I met James via the VAX mainframe computer while looking for someone to chat with.  It turned out that the guy who was then calling himself "James Bond" was sitting at the terminal right next to me.

Knowing we were sitting next to each other however did not dissuade us from carrying out an hour-long conversation entirely via the VAX.  A normal person would have just turned to me, shook my hand, and carried on a verbal conversation.  As anyone who knows him will attest, there's nothing normal about James. 

I had a feeling he would be a great friend way back then, and I was right.  I feel especially lucky to have known him for so long.

Thanks James, for being my best friend. Happy birthday, man.