Happy Birthday Daniel!

Speaking of old friends, it’s Daniel’s birthday today! Friday February 3rd. Happy Birthday Danielson!

(Yeah, I’m behind on my blog, but I’ll try and catch up this weekend.)

I got to meetup with Daniel today for all of 25 minutes while he downed a grilled cheese sandwich. The poor guy has been working himself to death with some impending trials.

I know Daniel reads my blog so this is a special shout out to my homeboy. Even if he didn’t read my blog, I must tell the world what a splendiferous friend he is.

When I think of someone who’s hard-working, I think of Daniel. Here is an inner-city kid from Oakland who went on to graduate from Cal, then get his law degree from Hastings, and now he’s fulfilled his dream of being a lawyer, really making a name for himself.

I will never forget all the nights we went to the UCSF library to study. He was already at Hastings, pouring through text books and taking meticulous notes. I was choosing ‘C’ for the majority of my answers on the GMAT exam. After 30 minutes, I was asking if he wanted to go get a snack. He shook his head no and persisted studying. After two hours, I said I was heading out and going home. He said he had at least a couple more hours of work to do.

Despite his workload, Daniel has never hesitated to be there when I needed him. I distinctly remember a time when I pretty much lost it because a guy I’d been dating decided to patch things up with his ex-girlfriend, ditch me, and resume their previous relationship. I was at a bar slurping my third or fourth drink, sobbing senselessly. At the time Daniel was living in the East Bay and he said, “Don’t move. I’m coming.” 35 minutes later he was patting my back and telling me it was going to be ok.

I get misty-eyed reliving that memory. How lucky am I to have a friend like that. I think my family has always been amazed at how I managed to collect the bestest of friends given I was such a temperamental beeatch.

Daniel, my friend, I am so proud of you. You did it! You accomplished exactly what you set out to do–a beautiful family and a worthwhile career. Not only do you deserve it, but you’ve earned all the joy that this world has to offer. Happy Birthday to the most honest, moral, clear-headed, hard-working, and loyal person I know.