Mike and I started hanging out shortly after high school. He was living with Ponch on Osborne for stint and we were over there a lot back in the day. When I think about Mike back when I first met him it’s like a whole different person. This guy had the long skater hair and liked to party. When you went to the bar with Mike back then you travelled together, but once you actually got inside he was gone! I really don’t know where he went but I would catch a glimpse of him talking to a group of girls, or he would join the circle if we were out dancing to the Hip, but other than that I still don’t know where he would disappear to. On one of these nights he literally bumped into Tara and the rest is history for them.
We got a lot closer over the years and as we spent more time together I also fell in love with Mike’s family. I was invited to many dinners, camping trips, and parties at JD’s. In the morning JD would make us all breakfast. I was always treated like one of the family.
On the ice not so much. Mike and I have always clashed at hockey. He’s a good aggressive forward and I am a less skilled, heavier defenceman who doesn’t like to be walked. We have had some good battles over the years and luckily charges have never be pressed.
After hockey one day Mike informed me that Shannon was moving out of her apartment and subsequently the relationship that came with it. I was single at the time and responded simply “does she know me?” – I ended up helping Mike and JD move Shan out and now we are brothers! There was a little more to it than that and I respectfully asked Mike’s permission to pursue things with his sister that night she seduced me on the dance floor at the Tiajuana Night Club. But that is a story for another time.
Today, Mike is 50 and last week Tara lined up a wicked party at the Times Change Outdoor Patio. It was great to hang out with him there and celebrate his 50th birthday in style. Mike, I am so proud of the person you have become and wish you nothing but the best to come on your 50th birthday.
