Ben
Known Since: 1990
Resides In: Placentia, CA
I met Ben through Joel, who I met through Aaron...you know, one of those Kevin Bacon things? Ben was a student (like Joel and Aaron) at SDSU at the time, working campus security and enjoying tossing drunk frat boys down the stairs (long story). Ben was a history major, which is perfect for him, because he always amazes me with his near photographic memory. Ben's family is of Texas origin, so Ben is an endless wellspring of redneck jokes. And all kinds of jokes, actually. Ben's just a funny guy. And a talented guy, too. Both an artist and writer, Ben has worked in the comic book industry, and most recently has moved into the computer game field, where he's worked on many games you probably own or know. In one of those wacky group-of- friends moments, Ben actually ended up married to my friend Kaye, and they now live in Orange County with their two sons, Robert and Cameron.
Random Me and Ben Memory: Filming that trailer for Witness 2 (don't ask), and Ben was holding my real-looking pellet gun, and a cop showed up. See, it's funny now, because Ben didn't actually get shot.
Kaye
Known Since: 1987
Resides In: Placentia, CA
I met Kaye though K.C., and I'd say we got along great from the start. I think the draw was that she just filled a void that was missing in other friends of mine at the time...a little more intellectually stimulating conversation. Not to say all my dude friends were nitwits or anything, but we were all 18 and 19, for crying out loud. Most of our conversations were about who we could get to buy booze for us for later in the evening. Kaye was a handful of years older than me, extremely well-read (being a librarian, one would hope so!), and could talk on any number of subjects. This, as I said, was the draw, but it was her personality that made the friendship. Sly sense of humor, shared my love of fiction and drama, and just loaded with really endearing quirks (in case you didn't know, older men are quite sexy. Now you know). But I think the one thing we most share is a love of writing. Kaye is an amazing writer. I love reading her stuff. We've both inspired each other over the years and had a lot of fun sharing our works. Thankfully, Kaye still manages to find time, while being a working mom, to write, and a lot of it ends up online. I'm looking forward to the day when she finally pursues publication and I can pick up her stuff in the stores.
Random Me and Kaye Memory: Jack. Miranda. A gun. She knows what I'm talking about.
Kaye and Robert (not shown - Cameron. I don't have any Cam shots!)