Me ‘n Seamus

There are definitely people here who knew Seamus better than I did.  People who knew him in real life for instance.  One of my big regrets in life, other than law school, is not having attended any DFOCons, where I would have met tWBS, as I understand he never missed any.  No, I only “knew” Seamus through this site, through what each of us wrote, (he far more than me), through our comments, and through the occasional DMs about various pet ailments.  He was not a family member, and he wasn’t a friend in the sense that the guys I survived Catholic grade school are, or the guys who stood up at my wedding are, or the various people that I’ve provided alibis for are, (really, what’s the big deal about “attempted” anything?  Call me when they succeed; until then, I’ll just slap them straight), but goddammit, he was, no IS, a friend.

Seamus was a funny guy.  He had opinions that could piss people off, and if I’m being honest on more than one occasion he wrote things that had me rolling my eyes so hard I fell over.  On other occasions he would write things that were laugh out loud funny, or he would make a comment that let you know that he cared.  Didn’t matter if he’d met you or not:  he knew you from your writing on this site and he had your back.  I remember one instance where I had said something about somone and Seamus responded instantly that if I was at all concerned he would take care of it.  As it happened I wasn’t concerned but I had not doubt then, or now, that if I had DM’d him and said that I was concerned the issue would have been taken care of and I would have been reaching yet again into my well-traveled bag of alibis for another friend.

Seamus, for those of you who don’t know, had worked as a veterinarian.  I was never really clear if he still was, but it was clear that the man knew his stuff.  On more than one occasion I reached out to him for advice:  “Why is my dog throwing up?  Why can my cat lick its ass and I can’t?  Why are my fish floating upside down?” and he always answered, and he never suggested that maybe I should stop getting pets, or at least read a goddamn book.  One time, and this is 100% true, I reached out to him when the dog my daughter was sitting for up and died.  He didn’t get back to me until the next day and apologized profusely, and I have no doubt sincerely, for not having responded immediately.  The dog died on Christmas, and Seamus still genuinely felt bad that he didn’t get back to me ASAP, because that’s the kind of guy he was.

You folks only know me through my writing here, (the two of you who have met me in IRL should just shut up, don’t ruin it for everyone else), as I only knew Seamus through his.  I do think, however, (as I am contractually obligated to as a a liberal arts major), that you can know someone very well through their writings, and it is on the basis on Seamus’s writings that I am proud to have known him, and proud to call him my friend.

Farewell Seamus.  I wish for you that the Orioles will win the World Series next year, that UNC will lose all their games for the next 5 seasons, and, stealing a line from Stephen King,  that I will meet you in the clearing in the forest where my path ends.  Vaya con Dios, mi amigo.

-Horatio-