Tuesday was strange

I voted. That felt great. It was the first time I'd ever voted in a booth with levers. It was totally old school and awesome.

I found out that a friend passed away on Monday. That felt devastating. Bobby Oliver was my favorite person in the cast of an off-Broadway show I occasionally did wardrobe for when the wardrobe mistress needed a sub. He was kind and hilarious and sharp as a tack. He had a heart attack and it killed him. I got to see him just before New Year's and I'm very thankful for that. I only knew him for a year and a half, but he was one of those people who made you feel like you'd been friends for ages. He was a hugger. A good hugger, real hugs, not those fake pat on the back kind that don't mean much. He was a joker and a comedian. He loved his family and his friends. He'd share his sandwich with you even when you didn't ask. He listened closely and asked questions. He was a vibrant person. He worked in the theatre his whole life. He was the quintessential example of a working actor in New York City. He made the whole show light up. He was always the first person to talk to the audience after the show. Kids loved him. He scared a little girl in the front row one night because he plays a pirate at one point and it startled her. He made a point to go find her as soon as the show was over to let her see that he was just an actor and there was nothing to fear.

Writing about him in the past tense is very difficult. He was my friend.

That's him on the right. And yes, that's the guy from Americal Idol in the center.