Whenever fall rolls around, I remember my one Fall living in the East Coast out in State College, Pennsylvania. What I remember more than the colors changing, was the most retarded retreat I’ve ever been on called MBAction and meeting my future roommate and good friend, Jeff Nicholson, or as I like to call him Costanza. These days I just refer to him as “T-Bone”. What I remember most about MBAction was that it was announced that it was T-Bone’s birthday. So as we agonized over stupid team building activities for 5th graders, cleaning up a filthy lodge for slave labor, eating crappy hot dogs and sleeping on the floor, I constantly reminded T-Bone of his special occasion by repeating “Hey Jeff, Happy Birthday”. I also remember Schmidt & Pescherine NOT coming out to rescue us from this hell after several phone calls. I did finally manage to get out early, but at the cost of re-dislocating my shoulder on a retarded river crossing exercise requiring me to visit the hospital. After T-Bone volunteered to take me to the hospital, an MBAction leader asked me if I needed Jeff to stick around to help me. I said No and back to MBAction went T-Bone. I think that was the first of his many angry days. Our next two years at PSU would result in many more.

You see T-Bone didn’t always have the best of luck. He also is angry. In fact, at almost all times, he’ll either be ready to go postal or just have a distant stare, this probably from going to undergraduate in West Virginia. (I had to remind him that having affairs with his really hot blond sister was not acceptable.) The only times he does have a shit eating grin on his face is either when he’s playing good golf (remember in the East its only a 4 month sport and while good, he doesn’t always play good) or when he’s watching a 3+ hour Penguins game sitting in his rocking chair like a geriatric. T-Bone is also one of the main reasons I got thru my MBA or almost didn’t get thru. Like the time he almost got us kicked out of a class because I couldn’t stop laughing when he asks me while our Indian accent instructor is teaching “Did he say wheel or veal?”. The rest of that first year he hung around a new best friend, some dork who wore “Big Johnson” tee-shirts because his last name was Johnson. Why didn’t these guys hook up with more undergrads?? Or even one.

And since T-Bone is one of only two friends who never has come out to visit me in SD, (the other being Wes Smith, who’ll have his day in the sun very soon) and because he added that nice porn comment about me, I feel compelled to share my favorite story of T-Bone with no remorse. For the record, T-Bone is afraid of California, as he thinks everyone out here is so liberal and that homosexuals run around molesting straight guys. My favorite T-Bone story to this day is from our first year when we were both in the same study group along with a very smart, pretty girl, let’s call her Julie. Jeff was pining on and on about how much he liked her and wanted to ask her out making me sick on almost a daily basis. After several months and finally building up the courage, he decided to ask her out one Monday after a study session. As he made small talk for awhile building up to the right minute to ask, the conversation went something like this:

Jeff: “So what did you do this weekend?”
Julie: “Not much. I went home to upstate NY,…”
Jeff: “Julie, would you like to……”
Julie: “..oh, and I got engaged.”

Does it get any better than that?? I don’t know for sure, but that may have been the reason he studied in Australia the following semester. I went to Italy. And when we got back, we shared an apt together, cruising thru our last semester, drinking like our last time in school forever, and looking for jobs (after not getting one job, t-bone put his fist thru our glass top coffee table). Looking for jobs is still FUN.

Since our MBA, I’ve had the pleasure to attend his wedding (where I was the groomsman’s wives’ pimp), (where’s BeerGirl??), participate on one of his famous Murtle Beach Golf trips (4 full days of golf, drinking and adult entertainment), and attend his best friend’s wedding, Dave & Jackie Hogg (where a joking kick to the bride’s brother’s crotch caused a maylee). T- Bone went on to a banking career with PNC Bank in his hometown of Pittsburg, went on to marry the fantastic Kris and I’m happy to announce have recently had a baby boy and now lives in Altanta. He is sad that the famous strip club which catered to NBA stars is now closed. What else to know about T-bone?? There’s so many stories, I don’t even know where to begin. His favorite song is Destiny’s Child “say my name, say my name”, he knows more trivia about sports that could ever be useful or reflecting of a normal human being, and is one hell of a good guy and friend. I only hope to see him more often in the future and that he someday chooses San Diego for his yearly golf outing.