The Company You Keep, Part the First (A-C)

Partially stolen from murnkay, who traditionally does an end-of-year post in which he says something nice about everyone on his friends list, and partially inspired by the meme that's going around lately where one leaves a comment in someone's journal and then they tell you what they think of you. Phrasing stolen from the Badger Lord arkhamrefugee, because I liked the way it sounded.

I surround myself with interesting and intelligent people. For the most part, if you are on my friends list, it's because you are a cut above ordinary human beings. So here is what I think of all of you, and why I read your journals.

I'll be breaking these down by groups so they don't get too long.

The Company You Keep, A-C

abandoned_tito: I've only met the guy once, but he struck me as quirky and intelligent with a rapier wit. Just my sort of person. And he makes spiritchaser1 very very happy, so that makes him OK in my book. And I like the random quotes he ends each entry with.

abbiesjokes: Abbie is one of my new coworkers. She uses her journal as a repository for bad jokes, which should tell you something about her personality. She's sweet and I like her.

aeire: The creator of Queen of Wands, a long-running webcomic which is always thought-provoking and can be very emotionally wrenching. She paints interpersonal relationships with skill and splendor and has really come into her own as an artist.

ahtrap: One of the people I know solely through the Ytsejam mailing list, Partha's also, paradoxically, one of the people on this list I've known the longest. Smart as hell and with a sense of humor as dry and sharp as my own. Great guy, wish I knew him better.

akozorez: I discovered her existence through posts by Christopher Baldwin, creator of Bruno. Very talented writer, poet, and singer/songwriter. Her stories are very unique and always well written and her voice is lovely.

alliath: Ali can make me laugh harder than almost anything else. There's a reason I have a section in my Livejournal memories entitled "Alistories". She has an amazing turn of phrase, an unhealthy obsession with Linksama, and a coolness factor far beyond anything I will ever attain. Also, she introduced me to the wonderful Sars at Tomato Nation, for which she will have my undying thanks. I wish I knew her better, too.

amenquohi: I don't know Denise well, but she has a sweet and loving nature. She has been very friendly and supportive of me despite not knowing me well either. The world could do with more Denises.

aoniedesade: The Girl with the Cool Username, also known as Pixie, also known as the Goblin Princess. She doesn't post much, but when she does it is usually the sort of thing that prods your mind in new and interesting directions. She also gives great hugs.

ariedana: Dana has a wonderful warm, open, friendly nature. Within five minutes of meeting her, I was immediately comfortable in her presence. She is also one of those rare people who seems equally at home in a group of guys or a group of girls, and knows more about sports than I ever will.

arkhamrefugee: The mighty Badger Lord possesses an explosive temper and a staggeringly low tolerance for fools, both of which rival my own. I think that's why I get along so well with him. An amazingly talented cook, able to make websites dance to his tune, smart as hell, and knowledgeable about huge areas of gaming, fandom, sci-fi, fantasy, and comics....the guy's a Renaissance man of geeks. He has what some may term an unhealthy fascination with boobs but which I consider a healthy appreciation for the loveliness of the female form. :)

ashtreza: David is one of the smartest people I know and also one of the hardest-working. He puts forth huge amounts of effort publicizing the work of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, in addition to performing a multitude of tasks behind the scenes at ARTC including producing and directing live shows, voice acting, and CD production. He introduced me to Terry Pratchett, for which I owe him a debt of gratitude. His mind is keen and incisive and like me he has an extremely dry, scathing wit. A truer and more loyal friend one could not ask for and I am honored to know him.

birdofparadox: I will forever know Deirdra as the Faerie Badger Princess in Stompy Boots. If that doesn't tell you enough about her, she's a skilled storyteller, a beautiful writer, and a mind that is forever expanding itself. I have rarely seen anyone who lives life with so much vigor and energy. Like me, she possesses a prickly temper, but if you're lucky enough for her to call you friend, you can expect unswerving loyalty and total trust from her. Plus, she's hot. :)

branwynelf: Heh. I think a journal title I saw her use once sums her up nicely. "Caffeinated Hockey Elf". She definitely has elf-like qualities, including a disarming smile and pixie-ish features. But it's her devotion to the San Jose Sharks and hockey in general that drew me to her originally, and since that's unlikely to change anytime soon I'll be sticking around.

buxmama: I am still not sure how I stumbled upon her journal, but her stories of her everyday life keep me coming back for more. Maybe it's her warm personality, maybe it's her tales of life in a multi-part band...or maybe it's just that she looks really good in her userpics. :)

caltan: The Mighty Cal-Tan is one of alliath's friends and I don't know her well, but she has a warped sense of humor that absolutely brings me to my knees in laughter. It was she who originated the concept of "l33t h4xx0r th34tr3" (her rendition of "h4ml3t" is still a classic; it and others sit in my memories for a good reason) and her monthly commentary on the search string logs on her website (funnier than it sounds) is worth a read. Also, how can you not love somebody who Hitlerizes My Little Pony?

calypsobard: Another one of alliath's friends and shares a lot of the same traits with Ali. I like reading her stuff but don't know her nearly as well. She is Ali's partner in crime for many things, though.

cassieclaire: Creator of the Very Secret Diaries of the Fellowship. Hasn't posted in months, but her original posts are an Internet phenomenon, and deservedly so.

catharticflux: An ex-coworker that I still keep in touch with. That should tell you something about how cool he is. Responsible for getting me into home theatre and the only person I know who can outgeek me on some computer stuff.

chambleeboy: Geoffrey is the sort of person that you would want to hate and envy because he's better than you at everything.....that is, if he weren't so damned likeable. Incredibly talented as an actor, writer, and singer, a multitalented musician who can play virtually any instrument within a week of picking it up, dashingly handsome, and apparently possessed of an inexhaustible supply of energy....yeah, he really IS better than you at everything, but you'd never tell it from his demeanor. Amazingly gregarious and friendly, talks a mile a minute, and makes you feel like you're his best friend within three seconds of meeting you. Oh yes, and he is hopelessly devoted to his lovely and talented wife Fiona, who he really is like a second half of.

christine9600: Yeah, she's got a problem with drama appearing on her journal, but she looks great in PVC and chains, throws surprise parties for her husband out of nowhere, and is utterly devoted to her kids. Plus, she digs Henry Rollins, so that automatically makes her cool.

chrisv: Chris is a quiet one and posts infrequently, but when he does it usually makes me think in new directions. Well-written, too.

codyfrost: Creator of the online comic The Class Menagerie (now ended). A very talented artist and writer.

corvar: One of the founders of the Internet phenomenon known as TheOneRing.net, Corvar's incredibly smart, knows more than you or I will ever know about networking and mainframe stuff, and deserves endless praise and respect for founding and running one of the best sites on the Internet -- a site which is consistently full of useful information, cool stuff, and is generally one of the best Tolkien-related sites around. Thanks, Corvar.

creentmerveille: I think I discovered her through foxmagic. Whatever the reason, I stick around because her entries almost invariably make me think, and that's a good thing.

More entries to follow later.

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Currently playing: Kitaro -- Peace on Earth. Christmas album from the famed Japanese musician. First-rate.

The Company You Keep, Part the Second (D-G)

Partially stolen from murnkay, who traditionally does an end-of-year post in which he says something nice about everyone on his friends list, and partially inspired by the meme that's going around lately where one leaves a comment in someone's journal and then they tell you what they think of you. Phrasing stolen from the Badger Lord arkhamrefugee, because I liked the way it sounded.

I surround myself with interesting and intelligent people. For the most part, if you are on my friends list, it's because you are a cut above ordinary human beings. So here is what I think of all of you, and why I read your journals.

If you missed yourself, Part One (A-C) can be seen here.

Here is part two.

The Company You Keep, D-G

demonlet: Laris is yet another one of alliath's friends, and her compatriot in a lot of the evil they do together. Oops. I meant the fine works they plot together. I do not know her that well, though.

deza: Another one of those unfortunates for whom drama seems to have an unhealthy fascination, deza copes with it rather nicely, despite efforts by her abusive and foolish ex-husband to muddle the waters. She is, from all accounts, a wonderful and loving mother to her kids. She is currently attached to tall_man, who seems to treat her well, which is good. She's had far too little of that. She is also a Naughty Librarian (tm).

digitaldevil: A recent acquaintance, Andy's one of my new coworkers and is incredibly cool. Warped sense of humor and a very laid-back approach to life which I quite envy. It annoys me that I will not be working more with him because our schedules simply won't intersect.

digitylgoddess: The Goddess is fickle. The Goddess is fiery. The Goddess is intelligent and sarcastic and beautiful and (from all accounts) a talented singer, although I've not heard her sing. Above all, the Goddess is digityl. She is more geeky than thou and is proud of it. All must worship the Goddess.

drinxalot: At first glance, Kevin is the sort of person I usually hate: a frat boy type, slightly rednecky right-winger who drinks heavily. But I got to know him well during the many years I was in Athens and he's become quite a good friend to me. More proof that nothing is absolute and even people you usually dislike can be cool if you give them a chance.

dyanearden: I believe it was Diane's voracious love of reading that first connected me with her journal. I continue to read it because of her well-written entries, continuous suggestions of good reading, and entries that push me to think about things I normally find strange or objectionable. She also posts some lovely pictures infrequently.

elttobretaw: Posts so infrequently of late that I am not sure why I am still reading. Seems like a cool enough person when she does, though.

eminor9th: An amazingly talented guitarist and songwriter, Jason is the guitarist for Atlanta band RATL and has become quite a good friend to me in the past year due to his frequently accompanying us to trivia on Friday nights. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of music and is a steadfast and loyal friend once you get to know him. Inspiring to me not only because of his skill and energy displayed onstage, but also because he is always pushing himself to change and grow beyond what he is now.

errindel: Jeremy's another one of those people I met on the Ytsejam mailing list eons ago and finally met for the first time at ProgPower USA several years back. He has more devotion and iron will in his little finger than I will ever have in my entire body (the man is a running MACHINE) and impeccable taste in music. He's also damn smart, as he managed to snag the lovely sarbah77.

es: I don't know what ES does for a living, but she really ought to be considering a career as a psychologist or psychiatrist. I have seldom met someone with such a keen and thoughtful mind. ES has an amazing talent for asking interesting and thought-provoking questions and prodding you to explore new venues of mental activity. She's also amazingly even-tempered and seems to have an abiding affection for her partner the Badger Lord arkhamrefugee.

evilgerbil: Manda is another person I met on the Ytsejam mailing list (that or the IRC channel devoted to same). A talented artist and webdeveloper, I recently reconnected with her after several years when I had no idea what she was up to.

foldedsoup: The truly annoying thing about Dave is that I only really discovered how cool he was when he was about to move out of state. Before that he'd just been a friend of a friend, somebody I heard about periodically. I wasted a lot of years when I could have been hanging out with him, shooting the breeze about comics, pop culture, filmstuff, baseball, and geeky stuff, all of which he's got an encyclopedic knowledge of. Next time you're in town, man, make sure you look me up.

foxmagic: I have tremendous respect and admiration for Brian, who pulled up stakes in California and left a high-paying job to pursue his dreams, relocating across the country to settle in Celebration, Florida, a community on the outskirts of Disney World and (I believe) partially owned by the Mouse. It was reading about his journey and the diary he kept during said journey that first got me interested in his life. His knowledge of Disney is second to none, his talents as a photographer and documenter are extraordinary, and he's got a talent for spinning tales. He also introduced me to the wonderful webcomic Faux Pas, which I love.

ga_sunshine: Jen has a warm and giving spirit and an incredibly sweet nature. If she has a fault, that would be it: that she is too trusting and too quick to befriend those who might be unworthy of her time. Cross her and you'll regret it, but call her friend and you'll have somebody at your back till the end of time. Devoted to her kids and doing quite well as a single mother.

grunion: Jay is somebody I have known for more than fourteen years and is one of the best friends I have ever had. I roomed with him for years and there hasn't been a day that I've spent time with him that he hasn't had me laughing about something. Sardonic, quick-thinking, with a mind that jumps from point to point so fast you can barely follow, he's a true friend to me and somebody I am continuously grateful to have around to help keep me sane. He also taught me the joys of listening to Jimmy Buffett, got me hooked on Animaniacs, Band of Brothers, "Pirates! Gold" and Sid Meier's "Civilization", and has helped me thrash out tons of computer issues over the years. He is also one of the strongest people I know, having survived crap this past year that would have broken a lesser person. Also incredibly devoted to his wife jamietw and treats her like a queen. He's been at her side through every minute of the illnesses that have ravaged her for the past year. I would take a bullet for Jay without hesitation.

guigar: Brad is the creator/writer/artist of Greystone Inn, a well-written and -drawn online comic strip. I have the unofficial role of proofreader for his strip. When I met him a couple years ago at Dragon*Con he was very friendly and cool, and I see no reason to think that's changed.

gwynraven: Gwyn I continue to read because she posts interesting spiritual and pagan-related stuff that makes me think, though I really have little in common with her.

gypsy_dreams: Recommended to me by ashtreza, whose judgement of people is usually impeccable. Haven't known her long enough to say much, other than that she seems to have a keen intellect and a slightly warped view of life. Good enough for me.

I shall continue these tomorrow. If you're further down in the alphabet, be patient, your turn's coming. :)

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Currently playing: Jonn Serrie -- Upon a Midnight Clear. Currently this is probably my favorite Christmas album.