By now, my comments in this situation are likely noticeably absent. I've spent most of the day questioning if it were real, if it actually happened. I actually stared at my CDR logs indicating the call. I hunted until I found proof that the data I was getting was legit. And ultimately I didn't feel any better about it.
Yesterday, I lost a good friend. The first guy I called when I got home from the FBI, the guy who would stop by and hang out, just to shoot the shit. It all started at RubiCon 4. I needed a room, and Dan posted to pen about having space to spare. I didn't know him, but I showed up with a DS3 test unit and a buttset, and he showed up with his own, much cooler buttset, as well as a punchdown block and several other things. I learned a lot about phone wiring that day. I knew the basics, sure, but when Dan teaches it, it's something entirely different. I had never seen someone use a punchdown tool to punch down a jack against their knee before. I tried, and, of course, hurt myself. But from that point forward, Dan and I were in contact. I remember a night when we were out on the town, making trouble. I think it was actually the night this userpic was taken:
He lost his phone where that photo was taken. The one in the photograph on the podium at his tribute site. We were almost done for the night when we realized he didn't have it. I think we met up with
I remember buying his truck of doom from him (I was desperate for a car, and he needed the cash, so we worked it out), and nearly killing us both with the failure of the new brake calipers I put on because I didn't tighten the brake line tight enough after bleeding the lines. oops.
I remember when he came back.
I remember the debacle with
the debacle with
and all of that.
I remember the last time I saw him. I remember the last time I talked to him. I remember the last email I got from him.
I sit tonight, feeling crushed on the inside. This guy was a great person, doing great things for people. He was happy, truly happy. We talked about his desire to be an EMT. I thought he'd be great at it. He would.
Dan was a great person, and was one of my inspirations for knowing as much about phones as I do today. The thought that we'll never talk again is deeply disturbing.
I leave this post with a memory I got today. Some may not think it's appropriate, but if they don't, they don't really know Dan. He'll laugh his ass off as soon as he figures out how to get internet access in heaven.
One of the things Dan exposed me to was futurama. In fact, he left his discs here because we'd inevitably watch them when he was here. I found them today. One of his favorite quotes was from an epsode called "A head in the polls", where bender pawns his body, and it's bought by the head of richard nixon.
Today, he proved to me that bodies are truly, as bender put it so succinctly, "for hookers and fat people", of which he is neither.
I still was honestly surprised that when dan was pulled from the water, he didn't get up, look around, and just say "haha, gotcha, fuckers.". He's a survivor.
No matter what I say here, I can't even begin to describe the loss the world has experienced today.
Rest in peace, my friend.
PS: Stop haunting my UPS. I'm sure you think it's funny, but it's fucking up my tivo.
PPS: I may not post much or be around much this week. It's not due to all of this (well, at least not mostly due to this), but instead my new job, which is likely to take quite a bit of my time as I get used to it and get everything together. Try not to worry about me. I'm taking this pretty hard, but I'll be okay.
Daniel
July 5, 1971 – May 28, 2006
