Ted

I have nothing good to say about Ted!!!

Actually, there are plenty of things. When I was in fourth year, I went through this horrifying epoch in my life that involved some girl I was interested in. It was horrifying for many reasons but the point here is that shortly after the entire incident unfolded, I found myself at Ale House Canteen drinking (with Ted, of all people!). Up until that point in my life, I had really only regarded Ted as a giant, huggable... thing. After all, the most memorable event I had associated with Ted was that he gave me a giant hug at the end of first year despite not knowing me very well. Still, I was drinking and unhappy about my life so I decided to hint, delicately (or as delicately as I could in my drunken stupor) to Ted that my life was not going so well. Ted was surprisingly sympathetic and I think it was in that moment that I realized that maybe Ted was a pretty good guy after all.

Ted can solve a rubik's cube. You know... just throwing that out there...

One of my favorite things about Ted is that he laughs at dumb jokes. Of course, being an intellectual elitist, the floor for "dumb" in my estimation may be slightly higher than usual. Nonetheless, I find that Ted always laughs at things that I consider funny, which is great because it makes me sound funnier than I actually am. He also gets the smart jokes too! Basically, Ted can see the humor in anything! Having someone around with this great sense of humor is always a plus - especially if that humor applies to a wide band of subjects.

Along the same lines, Ted is constantly amazed by everything around him. Every time I stumble upon something interesting on the internet, I always feel the need to share my discoveries and it's comforting to know that Ted will usually find it interesting too. We were joking once about how people aren't as amazed at air-travel as they probably should be. After all, you're flying through the air... like a bird... and doing so at remarkably high speeds. Ted mentioned that he is one of the few people who finds flying cool.

I guess, at the heart of everything, is the fact that Ted is like a big kid. I've ranted before about how we lose touch with things as we grow older because we get used/become desensitized to all the amazing things that are happening around us. Ted, fortunately, has not lost touch with this sense of wonder and this makes him a lot of fun to be around. He's interesting because he is capable of being interest-ed in practically anything so long as he's introduced to it by the right person.

Ted is a very optimistic person. He's good at encouraging you and tries to get you see the positive side of things. At the same time, he is also sympathetic, which makes him a pretty good person to talk to if you're feeling horrible about your life. On top of that, he always seems like he's happy to see/hear from you - actually, a better word would be "excited." Ted always seems like he's excited to see/hear from you, and very often he is. I've always found it hilarious that his name is Teddy because he reminds me of a giant teddy bear (something he actually owns). He will make the conscious effort to visit you, even if he's living in some faraway land, and you have to appreciate any friend who will drive 6 hours to visit.

Personally, I've always appreciated how Ted is able to consistently schedule me into his week via skype. He is one of the few people whose done this consistently (weekly) and he never cancels without an offer to reschedule at some point. Considering my isolated existence this past year, I have really come to appreciate a friend who is willing to do this on a regular basis.

At the end of the day, Ted is simply a really good friend. If you went through and defined all the things you expect a friend to do Ted probably hits every mark. I have come to realize that this kind of friendship is rare in this day and age (or perhaps it has always been rare) and that is what makes me glad to know him.

Steve

Steve and a friend once joined me during breakfast, one morning in the cafeteria. I had no idea who his friend was but we all had breakfast together and engaged in your usual breakfast banter. Somewhere along the line, Steve mentioned that we know each other from the Queen's badminton club. His friend then asked me, "Are you better than Steve?" to which I laughed and replied, "Of course not." You see, Steve was once ranked something like 7th in all of Canada and had been training since he was 4. However, it was this junction that Steve shrugged and added, "We're not that far apart... Jon's probably the second or third best player in the club." To this day, I remember that conversation being the point in my life when I started to enjoy the sport to the extent that I do today.

Steve was one of those super-star kids back in school who was athletic, good-looking, smart, and had good taste in music and culture. The most significant thing about him, though, is that he manages to be all that while remaining friendly and level-headed. I've never known Steve to get mad at his partner on court, which is a lot harder than it sounds when you've made all the plays you're supposed to make, but find yourself losing games because of shoddy play from said partner. He'll lend his stuff out to people who forget to bring their own equipment and isn't an elitist about needing to use "his" racquet or playing with perfect shuttles.

I've always tried to emulate Steve's attitude towards the game because it's a style that maximizes the amount of fun he gets out of it. Playing with less than optimal equipment or playing under less than optimal environments never frustrates him - he just adjusts his shots accordingly and to be able to do that is something that I admire about him. Of course, the fact that he is able to make these adjustments so easily is a tribute to how good he is at the sport. To get to where he is must have taken years of practice and dedication and that is always something to respect in someone.