What happens when you try to reach over the iron to unplug it. 

Editor’s note: Do not adjust your monitor, the HOTP’s arms really are that big. 

Getting my hair did by Joan of Arcardia. 

Amazing.

Easily the best film of 2010.  

Do yourself a favor and see this in the theater. 

To live in hearts we leave behind, is not to die.

It’s taken me two months to write this. I’m sorry it took this long. Part of me did not want to accept that Mark was gone too. It was just too much to process. Yesterday was the two month anniversary of Mark’s death. I thought of him throughout the day, reflected on our time together, listened to a few of his favorite songs, and laughed to myself over a few memorable stories. So here it goes…

Just one week after losing our friend and brother Greg in a car accident, Mark lost a long brave fight with a brain tumor. Mark was fiercely competitive, so I wasn’t surprised to hear that Mark and his family fought like hell to the very end.

Mark and I were always friends in school, but it was the lacrosse field where we really bonded. Mark was a gifted athlete and always a dominant force on the field. I witnessed that over and over again as we traveled across New England playing in camps, league games, and tournaments. Off the field, Mark was as friendly, funny, and genuine as anyone I’ve ever met. 

In high school Mark and I grew very close. There are so many funny and memorable moments from that time in my life, most of which I can’t write about here. There’s just not enough time in the day. Even if there was, most of those stories would lead to a concerned phone call from my mother. So I want to leave it this way. Mark and I had a lot of fun together….. and I know how to spin a Ford Thunderbird 180 degrees from reverse to first gear without missing a beat. 

His passing wasn’t sudden or shocking to me. It felt like a thunderstorm starting to rumble off in the distance and you know it’s just a matter of time before the dark skies close in and the rain starts to fall. Doesn’t take away the sadness or the pain though. He deserved much better.

Mark was one of the very rare, genuinely good people you get to meet in your life. I feel lucky and privileged to have known him.

I will always cherish the time we had together. Rest in peace my old friend.