The Epoch post

[zdashamber]

Well, goshdarnit, I've been letting broohaha down! A few weeks back, I was talking with her and Mike Sullivan about our respective blogs or lack thereof. Mike allows as how he only scans to see what we say about him (Damn you, Mike!), and I mention that I try to keep it down when blogging about people who can't defend themselves in a like medium... Well, maybe that qualifier got kinda left off. Anyway, there was a dare. I laid in wait to get him off-balance... Long enough that in fact I missed broohaha's birthday (Dangit! Dreadfully sorry. Happy birthday!). And thus it is a bit belated that I offer the requested "blog about Mike" post:

Let's start with the name. Names are another thing I always keep an eye on here. I can sure as hell be summoned by my name. Most of you are probably at least on the first page of results. (Testing this, I just found your ancient homepage, motleypolitico. You use the blink tag. I am right now rubbing my eyes, giggling, and saying oooh dear.) Not Michael Sullivan. The other thing? One of the musicals I did tech for in high school was "Bye Bye Birdie." Thus there's about a 1 in 7 chance, even after all these years, that seeing his name on an e-mail triggers in my mind a triumphant chorus of "Hymn for a Sunday Evening". Which ain't bad; it's not a half-bad tune. "Ed Sullivan! Ed Sullivan! We're going to be on Ed Sullivan!"

I seem to remember seeing Mike on the Amberlist before I met him... Because I seem to remember that I had the impression he was kindof an asshole. Clearly had a brain, of course, but I was somewhat trepidatious about meeting him in person. Looking back through my files, I started tracking him seriously after he sent an "Hey, I've moved to Mountain View and I might run a game if no one else will" email to the list. Interesting note: the next-oldest thing I have from him is an apology he made for unthinkingly revealing on the list secret info from some PBeM. Takes an appalling amount of decency to reply to a slightly snarky "a-hem, that was bad" sort of post with an "Oh shit, yes, that was bad, I'm sorry" sort of post to a whole mailing list.

So we got together for the first session of Many Paths around the end of 1999. On the way down, my car lost power in the middle of the highway... It was the first toll of the death knell for Buffy. I managed to roll down an offramp and off to the side of the road, where I looked at the engine (which looked engine-y) and checked all the fluids and tried to start her again, and she started, and I drove to a gas station and called my parents, who said I should turn back, but I didn't. I was, however, late, and had to call Mike for directions (while late) and I'm pretty sure he decided I was a flake.

Very successful campaign, though. Mike's a great GM. (On the way back from the first session Buffy died again, on the 880 flyway near the Port of Oakland, and she wouldn't start again, and finally a tow truck guy came and brought her to a garage and then gave me a lift back to my place even though I didn't have enough cash on me to pay him and I hadn't remembered the location of the garage with complete accuracy so we'd had to drive around narrow streets in circles...)

That first session of Many Paths I remember we were sitting on his floor, or on his bare mattress which was sitting on his floor... There might have been a couple plastic molded lawn chairs. There were no cups in his apartment, and I think no permanent flatware of any kind. Last fall, before he moved from his apartment with D, he was actually cooking dinner for people when he'd host gaming, which is a damn sight better than anything I do. It's interesting to know people long enough to see those kinds of changes.

He actually goes out dancing, which is something I'd not done before I met him, and which I greatly appreciate being introduced to. He made time to come on my "attempt to get drunk" night of post-election 2004, where he made a good point that Prop. 63, "funding mental health care by a tax on people making over a million a year," was unfair to a tiny minority who couldn't possibly defend themselves by voting. I don't buy it, but I'm still considering it.

Interesting fellow. Good guy to know.

Also, he needs to update the Civil Blood website.

After all that, seems to me I should perhaps throw the floor open to requests. Not that I necessarily intend to honor them...

Comments

[arrefmak.livejournal.com]

He always seemed like a nice guy in text.
:)

[zdashamber.livejournal.com]

Aw, have you forgotten all the gentlemanly disembowellings? Man's a freakin' menace, I'm tellin' ya. :D