Dan. Dan is a funny guy. I mean that in all ways possible. He is literally funny. He is sometimes hard to understand. He is goofy and obnoxious and rarely acts the same way to the same kinds of situations. He is predictably unpredictable, if you catch my drift. He is beyond all else, an amazing friend who has helped me in so many ways become who I am today.

Honestly, I don't really know where to start with Dan. So I guess the beginning will suffice. Matt Natti initially introduced me to Dan. I remember the day well... we (me and Matt) skated from downtown Marblehead all the way to Dan's place. Matt said that he wanted me to meet this guy, and he wanted to see if he wanted to come out skating with us. Dan's place was much farther out than I had imagined and we skated for a while to get there. Of course, a "while" in Marblehead - insofar as distance is concerned - is like saying it takes a long time to cross a shoebox. But we got there - and frankly, I remember nothing more than this - Matt telling me that we had arrived. Us both going to the side door in the driveway. Knocking. Waiting. Ringing the doorbell... waiting. Me becoming more and more nervous (you must remember that I was a loser and these people were all older than me). Knocking again. More waiting (and me becoming more and more relieved that I wasn't going to have to meet this guy)... and then [door opens] "Oh, Hey Matt!" Matt introduces us, and Dan instantly makes me feel comfortable and welcome. And another great friendship begins. Dan brings us upstairs to the attic - a place that will go down in the infamy of my younger years and in the book of 'best places to party ever'. Over the years to come, that attic became a second home. SO many great times were had there.

Which brings me to my next point. I think that it was ultimately Dan who taught me how to throw a party. His parties were and are LEGENDARY. I mean it. Like I have fading memories of highschool and those days. I mean, I remember a good deal about all of the things that mattered most (see: Matt Natti, Dan Shuman, Danielle Lemieux, Kate Ferris, Yan Campbell, Melissa Knight and Skateboarding), but mostly everything else is kind of a blur. Time will do that I guess. So will UMass, if you catch my drift. But I remember Dan's - or rather - The Shaggy Parties with remarkable clarity. I think alot of that had to do with the fact that I paid a fair amount of attention and care towards people driving drunk. So I would purposely NOT drink at all for the entirety of the night, and instead give people rides home. And once everyone was home, I would come back, get stupid with whomever was left and pass out. But these parties... They certainly rivaled any party you see in these teen movies like American Pie and whatever Freddy Prinze Jr. flicks ever existed. Except, replace all of the stupid jock-types with really sincerely down-to-earth folks who you absolutely would want to spend a night of drinking and socializing with. They were great. And the fact that much of the time spent at those parties was in the attic, it all felt like home.

Anyways, Dan and I have had a great friendship for a very long time. Often we don't see eye to eye, and on more thna one occasion, things have been said or done that have been taken the wrong way and feeling have been hurt. But, as any good friends do, we soldier on, accept our shortcomings and learn from our mistakes and make the friendship even stronger as a result. He is a wildly creative, entertaining, knowledgable, and charming in an entirely dorky way kind of guy. I owe him a lot towards the person I have become and have had way too many great times with him to count. I know that despite the situation, he will always be there for me if I need him and I do truly hope that he knows I would be there for him as well.