urn:wd:wdlabs.com:atom1:twilightThe Twilight ReportYour Home For Snappy Repartee應龍urn:wd:wdlabs.com:atom1:twilight:20040820.11142004-08-20T15:14:0006. ruiner2004-08-20T15:14:002004-08-20T15:14:00<p>Driving to work today I was reminded of a old friend way back from the days
when I was the Chief of a high school tribe by the name of FRIZ (always
spelled in all-caps). His name was and probably still is Nick Bishop. I
was listening to track 6 on the downward spiral (which I suppose is always
spelled in all-non-caps). Back in '94 or '95 I recommended halo eight to
Nick, not because I had particularly good taste in music at the time, and
more because I had found myself attached to the angry morbid musings of
Trent Reznor, and would have probably recommended anything with the NIN
label. I am always shocked and surprised when somebody enjoys something I
recommended, so when Nick came back a few days later saying that he
especially liked track 6, I was pleased with myself and filed the
information away so that I could relate it to you ten years later.</p>
<p>Of all my over achiever high school friends, and I mean over achiever in
the most annoying of all possible connotations, Nick was probably far and
away the most brilliant. Probably the only peer I've ever known who could
be fairly described as brilliant. He had an interest in aging and
developing the technology to halt it so that he could... as he would often
tell us... sell the technology to the fabulously wealthy. My best friend
of the FRIZ days - "gUe" - would often joke with Nick that he'd work
on the time travel device and Nick could work on developing a cure for
aging. We didn't realize until later that he wasn't really kidding. If
it can be done in my lifetime, Nick will probably be the one to do it, and
he will probably become fabulously wealthy off of it himself.</p>
<p>When I was in high school, I thought Nick was cool. I found myself, not
entirely subconsciously, picking up many of his verbal habits. I don't
suppose Nick was a bad or evil person, but I don't think Nick is a
particuarly nice person, and today I know he was not worthy of my
admiration.</p>
<p>I don't really know what ever happened to Nick. I know at one point he
was going to graduate school at MIT, because I sent an e-mail to him there,
and I got a curt response. As I do with all my old friends I invited him
to come visit me in New York, since he was so close, but I knew that he
wouldn't even keep my contact information and that unless I kept tabs on
him I would never see nor hear from him again.</p>