The best thing about March is, of course, St. Patrick's Day. The worst part? Shane's birthday. It is the one day of the year where we must acknowledge Shane's wit, athletic prowess, intelligence, determination, and ability to drink more than any of us during the daytime.
Murray has been a rival of mine since middle school: St. Michael's vs. St. Peter's/ Tybee Island vs. Pond Island. We've had memorable debates on topics ranging from politics to intramural sports. In aspects of life where there is a clear winner, I've enjoyed around a .900 winning percentage against him in one-on-one basketball games. Unfortunately, I've had to witness him hit 8 3 pointers in a high school team and be the captain/leader of one of the best basketball teams in Benedictine history.
The days of riding bikes to the Quarter on weeknights are gone. Shane's moved on from Stingray's, and I'm done with the Sandcastle, at least for now. Playing with the Drain at JCB and at the Tybee Gym has been put on hold, and I'm not sure when or if it'll happen again. I constantly feel like there's not enough time in the day, and I'm not selling 401k's while getting my Master's(in something real) in a town away from my family, girlfriend, and buddies.
Shane's the wittiest guy I've ever met. He finds the good in everyone, and has an astounding amount of culture for someone raised so close to the county's largest dump. He'll be wildly successful in the business world, but that's fine because much of his money will be donated to BC and spent on drinks for us.
I don't hang out with Shane nearly as much as I used to. He was the best teammate I had at BC, and I'll always use him as an example to the boys on my team. If Shane moved to Hong Kong (flat income tax) tomorrow and stayed for 10 years, I know we'd meet up for a drink sometime when he came back and be best friends.
Happy Birthday, Shane.
