A "Thank You!" Goes Out To:
Warning! Extreme Sappiness Ahead.
The following people have helped me greatly, in ways many and varied. They've all been important in some way to not only this website, but to me personally as well.
KRRAASSSSSHH!
Whoops. I think I just spilled the syrup. ^^;; If you don't like mushy sentiment, I'd suggest you hit the "back" button on your browser right now. Well, anyhow, I am indebted to the following people in one way or another:
First of all, my Mom and Dad. We may have had our (many) differences as I was growing up over the years. But we've all done a lot of growing and improving. Without you, I wouldn't be here today, and not be the individual I am. You've both tried to do the best you could in
raising me--and that's all that can be asked of any parent. ::hugs em both:: I love you, man!
"You're not getting any money out of us this way, Shawn."
Drat.... ;) Seriously...I love ya both!
Julie Chicarelli, and Snr. & Snra. Taylor-- Julie is my Official Surrogate Big Sister, and Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were kind enough to call me "sonny boy". Julie and her parents were kind enough to take me in when I was
homeless for a short time in the summer of '97. They helped me get a job and my feet back on the ground after I had hit rock bottom. I am
definitely indebted to you all.
Brittani Mullins-- My rock of support, fellow baby dragon raiser, and one of the
smartest cookies I know (mmm... cookies), always supporting me now matter how
big a pickle I'm in (mmm.... pickles...). If I didn't have her in my life,
my life would be the poorer for it .
Ryan Struck-- My cool younger brother. We used to fight like cats and dogs, but we've become really close in the past
f years. He is an extremely bright kid, and an absolute math whiz. He's also been instrumental in broadening my tastes in hip hop. "Hey, Beavis. We're on a bus full of chicks. 'Cool! We're gonna SCORE!' "
Amy Guthrie-- If you looked up "Illegal Cuteness" in the dictionary, you'd find her picture next to the definition. She shares my same bent take on the world, and occasional moments of trivial psychic-ness, but I think that's just a testament to how well we still know each other sometimes. She is a fellow Hamtaro fanatic, Tori devotée and BtVS quoter, and I've wiled away pleasant chunks of time talking and reconnecting.
David Frost-- He's been my best friend since sophomore year in high school. He has never wavered in our friendship together, and is one of the people whom I "click" with on a creative and emotional level. Always willing to listen. He's been supportive of me in both my life and (many) crises, and a creative genius in collaborating on projects together.. the largest of course, being Vendetta. A real pal and trooper, as well as music man. I don't know what I'd have done with out this dude around. He's also going to be my best man.. at whatever wedding I end up having...
Contribution(s) to this site: .jpg scan of my yearbook photo, senior year, Version 2 of Vendetta Title Theme.
Download Site of Mindless Horse Racing, and hosting for my website when SaucyBard went belly up.
Reginald Dizon-- My OTHER best friend from soph. year in high school.
Reggie is yet another one of my psychotic cohorts who who has completely screwed me up for-- er, I mean, has made a profound difference in my life. We share the same acerbic wit and hatred of Barry Manilow. The most happily twisted (in a good way, mind ya) guy I'll ever meet. He's always been ready to assist, whether it's been math tutoring or counseling or riffing on the musical merits of videogames... a dear, dear friend. And quite possibly certifiably insane. ;) No, wait, Reg... ^^;; That was a joke. Put the knife do--- HEY! I was only kidding, I swe--- AAAIIIIIEEE!!! And we'll always have Jose Texas... you know I'll always come over for good food. ^_~
Jeanette Frost-- Jeannie (or 'Nette, depending on my whim) besides being goofy and zany, has always manged to help me smile, even when things weren't going well herself. She has tuned me in to a whole world of cool music that I never knew existed.. and well as helping me (along with Dave and Reg) to explore my zany side!
BJ Chavez-- Or, The Artist Formerly Known as Lavos. ;) Through out the past year and a half, he's shown himself to be not only a very crafty and talented writer at the The Eblana Message Base and War Zone, but a very
trustworthy & knowledgeable friend. He's sort of been a guide to me as I walked down this murky road we call life. Besides helping me keep my writing skills sharp, he also is making sure that I don't give up on pursuing a higher education,
assisting my greatly in the search for financial aid, and unflagging moral support. A real mentor to me. He also helped me with my Latin in translating One Winged Angel into
English. When we met, I didn't get to fence against him, nor did I match wits with him in
Magic: The Gathering. And he kicked my ass in the puzzle game Bust-A-Move (the one with the dinosaurs from Bubble Bobble). But that's okay. I kicked his ass in MKT with Jax. And I'm the sole person responsible for launching his Bust-A-Groove obsession. Hah! And y'know, that Shaft is one baaaaaad
mother--"Shut yo' mouth!" But I was talkin' bout Shaft! "I can dig
it."
Contribution(s) to the site: Extensive help translating "One Winged Angel".
Michael Le-- Yet another talented young writer (I run into so many in my travels... lucky, I guess) and webmaster. He's also been a loyal friend, and I value him for not only his take-no-crap
positions, but also for the fact that he can temper his honesty (and badly needed reality checks that I need occasionally) with understanding. We've had MANY conversations late into the night, and morning (well, on MY side of the U.S., anyhow). We've both let each other freely rant and rave, as well as bounced writing ideas off each other. And his "conversations" with Toroth have got to be one of the most consistently funny running jokes I share with a friend. That reminds me... Ruffles? ;~) Send more poems my way; it's good stuff.
Scott Schneider (aka Kupek)-- One hell of an opinionated guy, and unflinchingly honest. He has absolute no qualms about speaking his
views plainly and bluntly. (As many of my friends can tell ya, there are times when I just need a good swift kick in the ass) He has been another one of my many friends that helped bolster my spirits when I was homeless last year. He's been one of my constant cheerleaders, and helped counteract all the negative b.s. about me spewed forth by others... and sometimes myself. Plus, he's the only person who was ever patient enough to not only LISTEN to my theory on the word "kupo", but actually RESPOND. One of my best on-line friends, and a fellow jellybelly
aficionado. Ever since I've started work at newspapers, we've been able to have some "shop talk" occasionally. Of course, I worked at a REAL newspaper. ;-) (Scott, that was a joke. No
mail bombs.) Oh, he's also the physical manifestation of my cynical side, I'm sure of it.
Lynnie-- A very sweet understanding and down-to-earth soul who did a lot to help me in times of trouble. She's offered encouragement, a gal perspective on things, wonderful reading material
(and... er, kindling when my fire went out.. ^^;; ). And though her web designs and ideas are one the the people that have me running scared, he's always been ready with encouragement and insight that always comes from the heart. And an ego boost or two. ::hugs her:: She was also kind enough to act on my behalf in securing space at saucybard
after I complained about the small webspace and increased forced use of ads at Angelfire. I really DO think you'll get published before hell freezes over-- maybe even before Meteor strikes the planet! Keep doing good in school, imoutochan! Or oniichan will send Toroth to eat you out of house and ham!
Colleen "Mac" Macnamara-- A former Saucy Reviewer (and my occasional partner in site-slamming crime), with writing wit SO sharp, her keyboard is a registered weapon. ^_^; She's been a good and loyal friend from my earliest days at saucybard, and we agree on many things-- from roses to sports teams. (Well, except for her love of the Steelers. Bwa hah hah.) A very good conversationalist who helped me shatter my personal record for longest phone conversation (I now have to beat 7 hours, 22 minutes), she always been ready to listen to me babble. ^^;
Rev. Scott Michael Wilson-- Founder and Publisher of The Mongoloid Moose, a wonderfully eclectic 'zine that ran the gamut from silly to insightful to just plain nucking futs. He has
also been someone I've been glad to call friend. Our exchanges of Cool Stuff and zines kept me going thru difficult times at home. We haven't written in a while, but now with AOL...I don't have much of an excuse. He always sends me a bunch of funny/interesting emails.. and these have become one of the highlight of my day. NOODLE! A joke a day keeps the sequitors away.
Andy "Matadin" Best.-- A very thoughtful and deep kid... and at the same time, really really goofy. Yet another person with whom I find myself happily chatting away with on ICQ. He's prodded me into really looking how I see the world around me, and others (What kind of plant are you? What about characters from Final Fantasy
games?) Andy's an intelligent kid with a big heart-- and from what I hear, will be quite the ladykiller! ;-) Also, someone who reminds me that I'm not just living in this world simply to "get by".. but to help others, too. Well-read and mature beyond his years. We're working on a large
fanific/ what-if/ SquareSoft serial together. One of my closest friends, who's also,
surprisingly, helped me look at life, Monty Python, and Pokemon in a new light, and never fails to remind me what I'm here for. The best role player of baby dragons I know. :) Oh yeah, he's also inspired my Pokemon devotion!
(Pika! Chuuuu!)
Andrew Sione Taumoefolau-- Quite a decent chap who has not hesitated to lend a helping hand when I moaned about how much work redoing my web page would be. Go see his handiwork on the Mindless Entertainment page. He did an incredible job. He's another person whom I'm trying to learn better web design from. An HTML god... And one funny guy-- we share the same dry wit. Yet another person I have had many engaging conversations with., and a true pal who has managed to
patiently help my HTMLing bugs and to bolster my spirits when needed. As well, as fire back with some good natured
ribbing. Also, is a Charter Member of the "I Post As My Real Name" Club. ;-) I also use "Cheers" and "bloody hell" a lot more often now. Thanks, Andrew. :Þ
Sal G.--aka RatKiller, Dachre Skunk, and FAR too many other to list. One cool grrrl that's been incredibly nice to me! See that cool "Celebrating 1,000 hits!" picture? She did that. She also drew two sketches of a character of mine in the War Zone... I hope to upload them soon. A cool person to talk to about anime, music, stuff in general. Heh... *chuckles* Moogle at a keyboard... *grins* She's now resurfaced after a period of abscence. Thank God, I was beginning to feel NORMAL.
Nicholas MARK Gerstenberger-- aka "Rohan". Another one of my buds from Eblana. He's not only a pleasant conversationalist, but a generous guy, too. Besides
(inadvertently) teaching me a bunch of 'net abbreviations, he has also offered support and encouragement and loyalty when I was going through rough times. His perspectives on relationships have been
invaluable. He's one o' the ppl (see, that means "people"-- I learn!) who gave of his support & encouragement-- never asking for anything in return. The least
I can do is be a friend back and thank him and link to his site. We try to hang
out as much as possible, and I have not yet suffered a horrible fate at the hands of
a) lousy driving or b) ostricthes. He has been an unwavering, supportive friend. He's also been very generous with his time and CD-R, providing me with a cool
custom made audio CD, and a backup CD when my 'puter crapped out on me. And he gave me a tape of our karaoke session, so I can't blackmail him without incriminating myself. ;-) Besides, I have to suck up to him now-- he loaned me all that cool anime. We're close enough friends and hang out
regularly enough that I can safely drop the " 'net" part of the friend description. A kuh-hool guy, even if he is rather
obsessed with Bryan Adams' music. But then, my obsession with dragons is rubbing off on him, so if you hear me humming "Summer of '69" a lot, IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, NICK!
Cameron Hamm, aka Tortolia, Tort, Cam. We first became acquainted with each other through the Mana Tree House, and our mutual dislike/frustration with a certain poster whose nickname can be arranged to spell "Hot Satan". But, as we found other things to discuss, we found that we agreed on many things (including our being rabid fans of the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy) He also was
invaluable with lifting me out of slumps by smacking me over the head with a dose of reality every now and then. But he's also been a good listener... and debater. In fact, while we grown to be close friends, there's only one thing I will not forgive him for. One word: Interceptor. I've leeched many an mp3 from his ftp. And been way too perky in the morning to him. ::grins::
Sarah Best-- Andy's (actual) older sister. A very creative, worldy and sweet person (well, to me anyway). Also has a a dry sense of humor, and a goofy, yet razor-sharp wit, and lryical, vivid writing. (must run in the family). During my times of doubt, she offered insipration and a smile. And Walt Whitman quotes. Also, she's one of the few friends I've had to connect on the same intellectual wavelength. And a VERY stylish flirter. ;-) Her page will be updated and fixed sometime before the end of the world. She's been busy with college, so we really don't chat much. Sigh. And I went and learned more Yiddish, too... We ALMOST got the chance to meet in NY, but, well, it's a long stoy. Maybe some other time. Hey, do I get a raincheck on that flaming s'more?
Manshoon-- Frequent poster on the Mana Tree House and Eblana. We have the same sense of offbeat humor, and I swear, the two of us can take a joke and run further with the premise than anyone...with the possible exception of Reggie and Dave. We're both into the same things, like D&D and RPGs and off beat music (thanks for the .wav and mp3's), and we both have promised each other to send mail and yet have yet to actually do so.. ^^;; Exteremly quick witted, and never fails to make me laugh. Nihongo wa sugo-i! ^_^ You STILL owe me a letter, dammit. ;)
Meghan-- Incredibly sweet girl who has always lended a wiulling ear and sound advice. She has a sense of humor that's as off-beat as mine. At times energetic and enthusiastic, and at other times deep and inspiring. Religion is very important to her, and she uses the perspective and centering it brings to her life to help others. She has been extremely caring-- she actually sent me money when I mentioned my budget crunch. She also mailed me a letter and the inspiring quote about fighting procrastination is now hanging up on my wall. We've also talked innumerable times, and they next time she's in Bayone, the pizza's on me. ;-)
If, by some strange twist of fate (or the more likely explanation of me working on this at 5 am and being too tired) has caused me to forget to list your name on this thank you page, then by all means,
kick my ass email me at the address at the bottom of this page.