A.T.
Known Since: 1987
Resides In: Roseville, CA
A.T. is one of the original Mission Park boys, who I met through Kevin back when I was just out of high school and all of them were still seniors. He was then totally music obsessed and a serious dance club guy. Every weekend. Shoot, just about every night. He was also an amazing artist, and I used to love to see his stuff. The artist side of him didn't just show up on paper...it showed in his lifestyle, his fashion, changes in hair, everything. And he was a great guy to know. Hands-down on of the most immediately personable people you'll ever meet. He's a people magnet. It seemed everywhere I went, there was someone that A.T. knew. He was totally dialed in to Sacramento. And it also seemed there was someone everywhere A.T. had dated, too. I can't even think back on the long line of club girls I'd met that had been hooked up with him at one time or another.
His best friend was Chris, and it was through him that I met Chris, who became a friend of mine as well. Back then, at the start of things, we were living the Sacramento life. Young, adventurous, not shackled down with life's cares and responsibilities, not thinking past what we were doing the next weekend... It was a glorious time. We were always hanging out with our gang--including A.T.'s sister, Shannon, who became another lifelong friend of mine--and hitting the drive-in movie or clubs or hanging out in Mission Park or sitting around my place or A.T.'s apartment that he shared with Ken and Scott. We did a lot of drinking back then. A.T. was well known to be able to drink anything. It became kind of a challenge, handing him new stuff to try. A.T. had a number of typical Sacramento jobs (fast food) until he got a job at Tower Records and stayed there for many years. He's easily the one person I know who knows more about music than anyone on Earth. His CD collection is frightening. He later became a DJ, in fact, and ran a club for a while with a couple of other friends of ours. As if he already didn't know everyone in Sac.
We spent a lot of our post-teen growing up years together, A.T. and me, having excited conversations about creative things and movies and music. I fell in love and moved away to Arizona for a while there, but would soon return to Sacramento and move into a house with friends Tim and Rich. Aaron joined as as the forth roommate then, and one night we all came home and found A.T. waiting on our back porch with his belongings. A thankfully temporary breakup happened between him and his future wife, and he needed a place to stay until he figured out where he was going to go. For us, there was no question where he was going...we all agreed immediately that he should move in with us. A.T. then became the fifth Chico at La Casa de los Chicos Blancos, and a grand time began. Finally having A.T. as a roommate after so many years of us knowing each other was outstanding. He'd constantly be rearranging and redecorating the house, or cooking up something new in the kitchen. I swear, he could take anything in the cabinets or the fridge, no matter how unrelated, and make a meal out of it. We had a blast as roommates, and threw big parties that A.T. was always in the middle of organizing, from covering the walls with black garbage bags for the Halloween party to stringing together every sound component we had in the house to create a DJ booth.
Soon he and Lynn were back together, which made things even more fun for a time there, when we got to see a lot of her, too, before he (and Tim and Rich) moved out. Soon the two would marry, and I was honored to be in that wedding, too. Not long after, I was gone to San Diego, but we still get to see each other when one of us goes to either town to visit. A.T. is just someone you can't get enough of being around. He loves everyone, never seeing social or societal or age boundaries, and gets along with anyone lucky enough to meet him. He strangely has no idea what a great person he is most of the time, and we're all hoping he'll figure it out one of these days. He's fun, enthusiastic, uncontrollably honest, always searching on both the inner and outer journey, always 100% behind anything he gets excited about. And he's now lucky enough to have a wonderful family. In actuality, they're the lucky ones. As is everyone who has A.T. in their lives.
Random Me and A.T. Memory: That time we met Sarah from The Real World Miami. Of course we did...I was with A.T.!
Lynn
Known Since: 1994
Resides In: Roseville, CA
Lynn Divine. Is that a great name or what? Now it's Lynn Divine-Thompson. I met Lynn when I was back from Arizona for a few days for Kevin's wedding, and was introduced to A.T.'s new girlfriend. But I didn't see her again, and we didn't get a chance to become friends, until I moved back in 1995. With A.T. as a roommate of mine there for a while, I got the chance to spend a lot of time with her, and was so happy I did. What can I say about Lynn? Everybody loves Lynn! There should be a sitcom or something! A pop culture wizard and collector (big Marilyn fan. Monroe, not Manson, you freak...), and also a big movie and TV buff, Lynn is fun, patient, accepting (wouldn't she have to be to have inherited all of A.T.'s friends? Have you met any of us?) and wise. And she is, of course, a great mom as well.
Random Me and Lynn Memory: New Years Day at La Casa, 1/01/97. Just loafing, avoiding cleanup, and watching movies all day. And discovering Johnny Bravo!
A.T., Lynn, Parker and Harrison