Fair winds, my friend, and following seas
It's been a while since I've written, I know. First off, I have had my hands full with the bundle of joy known as Franklin. He's been a real Hep Cat, and I wonder what life has in store for this little guy.
Secondly, our unit is preparing to deploy again this spring, and training has been a real bitch. Currently, I'm stuck at sea.
But I want to dedicate this writing to Chase Korte. A dear friend of ours who was killed recently in a violent car crash. The horrifying details of the incident do little to mar the bright memories I have of my dear friend, and I'm simply glad to know I was able to be part of his short and amazing life.
I got the news of the accident almost immediately as details unfolded. I may have been the second or third person to find out and took it upon myself to break the news to a handful of friends I had phoned earlier to find out if they knew Chase's whereabouts. This was an incredibly difficult task, and listening to the hearts break and jaws drop repeatidly over my phone that cold evening took it's toll and I went to sleep weary and sad. Perhaps in some way I did the right thing.
With my training schedule at full steam, and the priority of our mission, there was absolutely no way I could have flown to Minnesota for the memorial service. For this, Chase, I'm sorry. I coordinated with Dwyer that he read some comments for me, if he received them by email. I haven't yet found out if my words were spoken, but I hope they were. I've decided to post them here as well:
"I'm sorry I couldn't attend today and be here for my brother who was always there for everyone. I was fortunate to live close to Chase these years of his in Hollyweird. Needless to say, adventure always lurked where Chase was near. A true friend always, Chase was often excited about giving me a glimpse into his movie star lifestyle, living day-by-day in a chaotic metropolis with fellow actors, roaming the Sunset Strip and Venice Beach, cruising down the Coast Highway through Santa Monica and Beverly Hills with his window down and his hair whipping with the spring Pacific winds.
On occasion, Chase would drive down to San Diego and we'd hit the bars in Ocean Beach or party at my house. Never a stranger in a crowd, Chase stood out amongst many and was never less than the life of the party. At work on Mondays, people would approach me and ask about my "actor friend" and how his thousand-mile hike was going.
After my son was born, Chase and Jaime were some of the first guests to visit. Chase was a natural with the little Franklin, and some of the child's first giggles were with Chase's shining eyes.
I'll miss Chase for everything he was, smiling, funny, smart, loving, passionate, dramatic, strong and warm.
I have to mention that Chase and I were scheduled to get together briefly the day after the accident so I could get my Ray-Bans from him. They were in his glove box and the last time he came over we forgot to grab 'em. So … Chase, I hope you like my sunglasses bro. You're in a much cooler place now and you're gonna need 'em. Say hi to Jim Morrison for me.
Love Always,
Andy, Missy and baby Franklin".
The sunglasses thing is true. I'm glad they went with him.
I'm not sure the first time I met Chase. In seventh grade, we'd hang out on the pole vault mats with Taylor. In eighth grade, we hung out with mutual friend Dwyer. In ninth grade, we got stoned at Trunnels' and demanded mac and cheese. Here's a list of things that I will always remember about Chase:
Wrestling parties when everyone chipped in for WCW pay-per-view events.
Everything Piano.
The libertines (Chase, I still have that CD. Thanks. It's weird but everytime a friend dies I have one of thier CDs. I still have Clint Martin's Battle For Los Angeles)
His two shirts, one denim (that was his Dads) and one faded Army shirt.
The hat I wore at senior prom (which Chase paid for)
Isis.
Ishtar (a wierd Dustin Hoffman movie he insisted I watch)
Bingo
Intersection - a game in which kids slide down a snow slope and brawl after their sleds collide.
Absinthe - at my greaser party, Chase took two shots of this godawful stuff. It was 190 proof, no kidding, and Chase said he was hungover for two days.
Aghh. I wish I could convey everything but I can't. I can only hope as time passes, I can share more with friends who knew this guy. Krasean said he was beat, and damned if he weren't one of the beatest beats that ever did beat.
Ari and I and Matt Holly had a night on the town Tuesday before the memorial service and before we had to board the ship. We went to a piano bar and I sang "Golden Slumbers" for him. Later we went to Ari's place and played "Isis." Ari played guitar and I jammed the harmonica. It was reminiscent of just two weeks earlier when, at my house, we jammed the same tune, with Chase singing because he was the only one who knew all the words.
Fuck man.
Jaimie, I hope you're okay. Thanks for calling me as soon as you did.
That's it for now.
dipping: snuff
listening: RHCP - stadium arcadium disc one "jupiter"
reading: "strange adventures of the great lakes"
Secondly, our unit is preparing to deploy again this spring, and training has been a real bitch. Currently, I'm stuck at sea.
But I want to dedicate this writing to Chase Korte. A dear friend of ours who was killed recently in a violent car crash. The horrifying details of the incident do little to mar the bright memories I have of my dear friend, and I'm simply glad to know I was able to be part of his short and amazing life.
I got the news of the accident almost immediately as details unfolded. I may have been the second or third person to find out and took it upon myself to break the news to a handful of friends I had phoned earlier to find out if they knew Chase's whereabouts. This was an incredibly difficult task, and listening to the hearts break and jaws drop repeatidly over my phone that cold evening took it's toll and I went to sleep weary and sad. Perhaps in some way I did the right thing.
With my training schedule at full steam, and the priority of our mission, there was absolutely no way I could have flown to Minnesota for the memorial service. For this, Chase, I'm sorry. I coordinated with Dwyer that he read some comments for me, if he received them by email. I haven't yet found out if my words were spoken, but I hope they were. I've decided to post them here as well:
"I'm sorry I couldn't attend today and be here for my brother who was always there for everyone. I was fortunate to live close to Chase these years of his in Hollyweird. Needless to say, adventure always lurked where Chase was near. A true friend always, Chase was often excited about giving me a glimpse into his movie star lifestyle, living day-by-day in a chaotic metropolis with fellow actors, roaming the Sunset Strip and Venice Beach, cruising down the Coast Highway through Santa Monica and Beverly Hills with his window down and his hair whipping with the spring Pacific winds.
On occasion, Chase would drive down to San Diego and we'd hit the bars in Ocean Beach or party at my house. Never a stranger in a crowd, Chase stood out amongst many and was never less than the life of the party. At work on Mondays, people would approach me and ask about my "actor friend" and how his thousand-mile hike was going.
After my son was born, Chase and Jaime were some of the first guests to visit. Chase was a natural with the little Franklin, and some of the child's first giggles were with Chase's shining eyes.
I'll miss Chase for everything he was, smiling, funny, smart, loving, passionate, dramatic, strong and warm.
I have to mention that Chase and I were scheduled to get together briefly the day after the accident so I could get my Ray-Bans from him. They were in his glove box and the last time he came over we forgot to grab 'em. So … Chase, I hope you like my sunglasses bro. You're in a much cooler place now and you're gonna need 'em. Say hi to Jim Morrison for me.
Love Always,
Andy, Missy and baby Franklin".
The sunglasses thing is true. I'm glad they went with him.
I'm not sure the first time I met Chase. In seventh grade, we'd hang out on the pole vault mats with Taylor. In eighth grade, we hung out with mutual friend Dwyer. In ninth grade, we got stoned at Trunnels' and demanded mac and cheese. Here's a list of things that I will always remember about Chase:
Wrestling parties when everyone chipped in for WCW pay-per-view events.
Everything Piano.
The libertines (Chase, I still have that CD. Thanks. It's weird but everytime a friend dies I have one of thier CDs. I still have Clint Martin's Battle For Los Angeles)
His two shirts, one denim (that was his Dads) and one faded Army shirt.
The hat I wore at senior prom (which Chase paid for)
Isis.
Ishtar (a wierd Dustin Hoffman movie he insisted I watch)
Bingo
Intersection - a game in which kids slide down a snow slope and brawl after their sleds collide.
Absinthe - at my greaser party, Chase took two shots of this godawful stuff. It was 190 proof, no kidding, and Chase said he was hungover for two days.
Aghh. I wish I could convey everything but I can't. I can only hope as time passes, I can share more with friends who knew this guy. Krasean said he was beat, and damned if he weren't one of the beatest beats that ever did beat.
Ari and I and Matt Holly had a night on the town Tuesday before the memorial service and before we had to board the ship. We went to a piano bar and I sang "Golden Slumbers" for him. Later we went to Ari's place and played "Isis." Ari played guitar and I jammed the harmonica. It was reminiscent of just two weeks earlier when, at my house, we jammed the same tune, with Chase singing because he was the only one who knew all the words.
Fuck man.
Jaimie, I hope you're okay. Thanks for calling me as soon as you did.
That's it for now.
dipping: snuff
listening: RHCP - stadium arcadium disc one "jupiter"
reading: "strange adventures of the great lakes"
posted by Andromedi at 1:42 PM
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