I was just thinking the other day about how after my family, the person i've lived with the most was Rory. Between the U of M dorms and 2004 Como, Rory and I lived together for 8 years. 8 out of the 30 years of my existence I spent with Rory. So I've seen both the good and the bad...and while I'll never fully understand the bad, the good times are something that i'll always cherish.

Rory and I would spend many a night up until 4 in the morning playing Nintendo 64, drinking Mountain Dew and eating pizza. I can't count how many Madden games we played over the years. We'd spend many nights cruising around in the convertible. I'd be driving and i'd make Rory yell things at unsuspecting pedestrians...most of which involved the fake dogs we had in the back seat. Or we'd stay up late playing stratomatic baseball or quizzing each other on random sports facts. I loved these moments...but what I loved even more were the times we'd spend having "Rory talks". I'm sure many of you have had a "Rory talk". Rory talks with me were serious in nature and usually revolved around girls. We would sit up all night and talk about if i should ask so and so out or what Rory thought of so and so. And he'd come back with the same questions for me. He was a person I always felt i could seriously open up to and I valued everything he said. These Rory talks are what I will always look back at fondly and take such pride in the fact that I got to be a part of so many.

You know, I always thought in the back of my mind that this day would inevitably come and it doesn't make this any easier.

To quote the great Jim Morrison,

This is the end, Beautiful friend

This is the end, My only friend, the end

It hurts to set you free.

Rest in Peace.