Johnny's Mug

This is a nice coffee mug.  In my house it is known as "Mommy's cup" and is usually the first item I reach for in the quest to become functional each day.  It is a decent size, solid, and feels good in my hand.  The marbled blue is unlike anything else in my kitchen so it's easy to spot.  What you can no longer see is the stylized silver dragon design that once resided atop the sea of navy blue.  A beautifully done logo that became the unfortunate casualty to years of me wrapping my hands around it each day.  As you may have figured out about me by now, most of the things I keep have a story and this nondescript coffee cup is no exception.  It is a reminder of good experiences and good people, met in unusual circumstances and maintained to the present day.

I spent the better part of a decade ensconced in the computer gaming world.  First as a player and then as more.  As a result I met some wonderful people, from around the country and across the pond.  As is the way of such things, some became and remained friends and some faded when the last screen name was changed and the virtual cord was cut.

These are people I spent countless hours with, even if it was via the screen.  Who knew me as well as anyone else - knew what I liked, ate, what made me sad.  The faceless medium allows for such extremes in character that you can either build a person you're not, or be excruciatingly honest because there is nobody to see you cry. 

If you've never been involved in such things all I can say in this brief note is that yes, many of the stereotypes are true - watch enough "Big Bang Theory" and you'll be able to keep up,  These are people who are brilliant, with razor wits and depths of wicked creativity that are fathomless. To build entire worlds out of words, worlds that you can lose yourself in, imaginary realms that evoke visceral responses with a matter of sentences - no small feat.

Once a year this motley group of intellectuals would flock to St Louis for a conference - and for that brief period of time you would see the face behind the keys.  Granted, a lot of them got together and ... gamed in person.  (No innuendo there folks, it's a well known fact that if you put gamers together and add a board/video/card/dice game - they'll do it.  Quite pathological really.)  The costume ball is usually fabulous to watch and during the events you get to meet people who are just truly passionate about their chosen vice or career.  Not to mention the fact that it totally debunks the myth that gamers can't/don't socialize, they do too know how to - they just do it differently.  You haven't lived until you've drank from a day-glo test tube that came off the bandolier of a costumed Thief.  But I digress ...

Very late one night at one of these conferences a group of us were sitting in some random hotel hallway outside of the meeting rooms.  I no longer remember why we were hanging out on the floor, just one of those things.  But I can remember the carpet and the lighting and just leaning against the wall.  I was sitting next to my friend Johnny and laughing, but then again - you can't be around Johnny very long and *not* laugh.

Johnny is one of those wickedly smart people who also has a fabulous sense of humor and timing.  His virtual presence is as entertaining as his physical one and I always enjoyed time spent with him or interacting with him.  He feels things so strongly and dramatically, he doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve, it his whole tailored-to-fit designer jacket and it's the first thing he will hand you.  Especially if you need it.  That night was just one of those perfect storms, the mood was right and everyone was just sober enough to engage in hysterical conversation and I sat next to him and laughed until I was incapacitated.  It was an excellent way to end a great day.

The whole time, he was nursing the last of his coffee out of this navy blue mug with a beautiful silver Gemstone design on it.  I made mention that I thought it was gorgeous and without a second thought he handed it to me.  I protested of course, but he insisted and it came home with me and has been at my right hand ever since.

It is well over ten years since that night on the floor.  I left the gaming arena, though not everyone in it.  It wasn't until FB really that we intersected again and I get a regular window into his life.  He is still as funny and passionate as I remember and when he is having a rough time of things, like we all do, I wish there was something more I could do to bolster him up and remind him of that which is good - in him and because of him.  Sometimes we need a reminder of all the lives that we touch, even in small ways, as we go through our day doing what we think of as insignificant or unimportant things.

Our lives are different, we live in different worlds on different coasts and other than a few wisps of text each day there is not much tether between us.  Yet every day that I wrap my hands around my mug, appreciating the warmth that's transferred to my creaky joints, he crosses my mind - a friendly, familiar touch from my past that makes me smile and ultimately reminds me of all the other good things from that time too.

So Johnny ... this one's for you!