time, where did you go? A year ago today I made a new friend. I'd seen Devin around and had spoken to him in passing, but this day was the day I trudged into J9 knowing I had just failed my Modern Government midterm. I really wanted to go drink beer. Given that it was also St. Patrick's Day, it seemed as good a day as any, so I announced to the three people in the room that that was my plan and invited all to join. Devin, being the good sport that he is, decided to join me.

The night consisted of numerous green beers, some very badly sung Irish karaoke, and culminated with some oh-so-nourishing poutine at the Village Grec. It is a year later and Devin and I are still drinking beer and eating poutine together. The image you see was taken late Monday night in the city of Montreal after Devin picked me up at the airport. We had decided to take advantage of some of Quebec's great offerings: bars open late and poutine served into the wee hours. It was 5:30 when we finally got to sleep that night.

As you know, these past couple weeks have been heartbreaking for Devin. I've seen the relationships he has with his parents and know that he is a good son and a real credit to his parents. It's obvious that he was raised with sensitivity and discipline, because he has been nothing short of respectful and generous in the time that I've known him. "Too nice" is how we sometimes describe Devin. He might not love that description, but there are worse things you could say about a person, don't you think...? I can't help but respect him for how he has handled himself.


Here's to many more beer-drinking evenings, skiing outings, Rocky mountain roadtrips, movie afternoons, diner breakfasts, St. Patrick's Days, and the dirty dirty pout.  | ¶ 6:18 p.m.