A Very Few of (In No Particular Order)
	Carrel Pollard-Duvall is a Licensed Vocational Nurse in Oklahoma City, OK.   In an unrelated story, she is and always will be, the love of my life.   Why I'm not married to her is the result of both my own stupidity and her good judgement, but we remain dear friends to this day.   Carrel and I met in Lawton in 1979, while I was doing mornings for KSWO and working part time as a DJ for the Sound Stage Club.   She has two children from a previous marriage, Jared and Meagan, and is currently married to some guy named Tommy.
Bike Mechanic Extaordinaire, Club Jock and Goof-Ball Supreme, Tommy is one of the main people that made the seven years I spent in Lawton, OK, bearable.   The adventures and escapades that we shared during that period (The Gonzo, The Beer Olympics, Sound Stage and the Flip-Flop Funeral spring to mind) will remain among my most treasured memories until the day I die.   After relocating from Lawton to Oklahoma City, Tommy embarked on new careers as both an optical technician and an internet entrepreneur [Madison Avenue Imports].   He has a daughter, Alexis, from a previous marriage, and is currently married to the fox above.
	Donna White has interests in several businesses, including distributorships for imported wine and another for a multi-purpose cleaner called That Orange Stuff, in Grand Prairie, TX.  (This is not a commercial, but I use it -- it's good shit!)   I met Donna through her sister, Flora, who was a regular at Sound Stage in Lawton, sometime in the early 80's -- I'm really not sure.   While Flora was a great lady, Donna turned out to be a much closer friend.   She also holds down a full time job as a %^#(%&@$# for some company.
Sandy Sanders is an owner/founder of a telecommunications company (the one I work for, Foneco Business Systems) in Mesquite, TX, and an internet entrepreneur [The Card Collector].   Sandy and I ran into each other in 1971, flipping burgers at Mickey D's.   A mutual love of poker, parties, music and a shared belief that life should have a little looseness at the corners kick-started a friendship that has endured and grown for over 35 years.   We've dated together, lived together on numerous occasions, worked together and even married sisters.   Though, in the long run, that particular one didn't take for either of us.   My brother in spirit, if not flesh, Sandy is a fellow Beatle Freak, an excellent cook, a walking sports encyclopedia and creator of the "Ronald McDonald" character.   He is married to Karen, his wife of almost 15 years, and has 6 kids of the "yours, mine and ours" variety.
	One of the most precious souls on my planet, Jaxx is one of those rare people who simply accepts others as they are, without any desire to make them over into her own image.   We met on my birthday in 1995 and have been dear friends ever since.   There is very little of any importance that we haven't shared, from camping to ball games to a 2-week tour of Europe to hours upon hours of deeply satisfying conversation.   Wait, there is something we haven't shared -- a serious disagreement.   Jaxx has one son, Nick, from a previous marriag.e
Susie and Clay Maxwell are my best buds from Victoria, TX.   Clay is a welder by trade, but spends most of his time the past few years as a union rep and shuttles between Victoria and Washington, D.C. like most of us go to 7-11.   Susie is a homemaker who dabbles in both volunteer and paid positions in human resources and counseling.   I met them during my 5-year stay in Victoria, and would have had a tough time surviving that phase of my life without them and their support.   Their kids are Cody and Rachel, both from their current, and apparently unending, marriage.
	Jeanne Zabuska is a professional insurance underwriter in Dallas, TX.   We met during her posting to the Dallas branch of her company in the late 90's while she was still a resident of California.   We formed a fast friendship that continued to grow, despite our being 1000 miles apart, aided in no small part by the wonder of webcams and NetMeeting.   One of the most intelligent and articulate people I have ever known, Jeanne and I have shared more adventures, common interests and hours of conversation than many couples do in a lifetime.   A job opportunity brought her to Texas a few years ago, and she never misses the chance to tell people, "I live here now!"   She has two daughters from a previous marriage, April and Crystal, who live in Las Vegas.
Teresa Hopple is a homemaker and social activist in Rowlett, TX.   Her husband, Gary, followed her home one day, so she married him.   I think he does Scooby-Doo impressions for low-budget flicks, but I could be wrong.   Teresa and I met in the mid-90's when the real estate company she worked for was a client of Foneco.   She helped get me into a house in 1998 and I turned her on to Renaissance Faires, but that was all after we became very close friends.   She has two children from a previous marriage, James and Christy.
	I have been incredibly fortunate in my life to be blessed with far more than myshare of truly great friends.   It surpasses lottery odds that one of the most important should turn out to be my actual brother.   To those who know us, we are like day and night, yet our core ideals and values are almost identical.   Loren's talents are too numerous to attempt listing here, but I will note that, among other things, he's a professional musician and songwriter, and an excellent craftsman who makes his own guitars, high qulaity knives and the occasional piece of furniture.   Had I sat down and tried to design the PERFECT life-companion for my brother, my best efforts would have fallen woefully short of his wife, Brenda.   A professional executive of such a caliber that MCI and Sprint were in bidding wars for her services for years, she is nonetheless as warm and compassionate a person as the fabled Girl Next Door.   I suppose that being drop-dead gorgeous doesn't hurt the mix, either.   Loren has one daughter, Courtney, from a previous marriage.
It's always a rush when someone you care deeply about finds that one special person and makes a lifetime commitment with them.   When TWO people you feel that way about find each other, it makes even hard-core hippie-freaks get a little misty.   Michael is my climbing partner (which, if you know anythingabout rock-climbing, says VOLUMES), a hell of a nice guy and is both an artist and artisan of no small measure.   We met in the early 90's and connected in such a way that we were virtually instant paisans.   I've known Jery for close to three decades now, and in addition to being one of the most beautiful women on Earth, she is a special and treasured friend and true lady by anyone's definition.   Jery and Michael tied the knot in September of 1998 and was a reminder to everyone present that dreams cancome true.
	As comfortably at home amid the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas as she is hunkered over a campfire somewhere in the wilderness, Kirsten is truly a Lady for All Seasons.   We ran into each other in Lawton around a quarter of a century ago, and have been flinging jibes, support, one-liners and the occasional wildebeest mating call (mmrrmph!) at each other with regularity ever since.   I call her "Sparkle" because. . . well, she does!   She has one son, Christopher, from a previous marriage and lives in Wichita Falls, TX.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is my daughter, Joell.   She's the only one -- I figured this edition was pretty tough to improve upon, so I quit while I was ahead.   Thankfully, she got her looks from her mother!   As far as I can tell, the only genetic footprints I have left on her were the eyes and a strong "need to read."   At every point of her life, I have been nothing except egregiously proud of her, but never more so than on 4 December 1996, when she presented me (and the world) with my grandson, Taylor.   Her husband, Wayne, is a fellow sci-fi freak and a genuinely good guy all around.
	I ran into Lance & Kimber in the White Horse Tavern at Scarborough Faire in 2001.   Their renaissance garb was so intricate and beautiful that I couldn't resist approaching them and asking if I could take their picture.   The fact that Kimber is one of the most devastatingly gorgeous women I have ever met had nothing to do with it.   Really.   Over the next couple of years we became friends of the caliber who can literally share anything with each other.   Kimber posesses a joi d'vivre that I resonated strongly with the first time we ever spoke at length, and Lance is one of the most intelligent men I have ever known, with an insight into human nature that is so bang-on accurate that it's scary.   They are both the kind of warm, caring people that make you feel bereft when they leave.   To my continuing sorrow, Lance and Kimber live in Florida, and have an bizarre affinity for gnomes.
Though I've been attending Renaissance Faires for more than 2 decades, it was only after I met Leigh Ann in the mid-90's that I became acquainted with Faire's inner circle -- the "rennies" to whom Faire is not just an activity, but a lifestyle.   For some unknown reason, she took me under her wing and introduced me to dozens of people whose friendships I would have never enjoyed had it not been for her efforts.   As sensitive and compassionate as she is heartbreakingly beautiful, Leigh Ann is one of those rare individuals who wanders through life on the lookout for people she can help.   I don't presume to know what she weighs, but if it's 105 lbs. -- then 90 lbs. of it is her heart.   Her friendship and kindness will always be one of the true treasures of my life.