Saturday, October 26, 2013

Episode 09 - A Chance Encounter at the Games Workshop - 10-26-2013

In last week's episode, Gamers Link Chicago was just getting off the ground, thanks to Eddie selling his car.  I remember much of what occurred afterwards, but this has been a long week for me, so I am having trouble recalling the proper chain of events.  With that said, I will delve into my deeper long term memories, and answer the question we get all the time: Where did Eddie and I meet?


Well, the story is simple enough, because we basically met at the Games Workshop store in Niles.  This was about four years ago or so, in 2008 or 2009.  Eddie played Warhammer 40K, and I had just gotten into the 40K side of GW after playing Fantasy Battle for about a year.  For those who don't know Eddie, he is a biker metalhead who you would never guess was a nerd.  I guess I am a little like that as well, but I was definitely in much better shape back then.  

The weird thing about Eddie is that he talks to people.  And isn't like... shy.  I don't really understand how that works or anything, but it factors heavily into the day we met.  We played a game of 40K at the GW, and afterwards, the store manager - the ultra awesome Anthony Nigrelli who is now a badass comedian in Hawaii - had a mandatory hour break where he had to close shop.  I had to go pick up my new glasses across the street at the Walmart, so I was like, "I am going to pick up my new glasses across the street to the Walmart."

Eddie was like, "Okay, I'll come with you."  Weird as hell, I know.  So this dude I just met is coming with me to pick up my new glasses, and is telling me stuff like, "Sweet!  All the drummers I meet are my best friends!"  That was a rough paraphrase, but yeah, the dude comes on strong.  Afterwards, Eddie invited me over to his place to play a game, and get hammered (we still do that today), so I went over to his place that was in Park Ridge, and we played 40K in his driveway.  

Now, this may all sound weird to you, but I am one that just goes with the flow.  What really cemented it for me was when the dude came to see my band, Cat or Mouse.  When you are someone like me who does a lot of stuff, it's nice to get positive feedback from people you know.  Most people tell you they will come to your show, but don't, so you learn to really appreciate the people that actually come to the show, and that is pretty much Eddie in a nutshell.  

Around that time, Anthony quit his job as manager, and with help from Eddie, planned a motorcycle trip around the country.  I mentioned that Anthony was a badass, right?  The guy that replaced Anthony was a total knob, and I never went back after meeting the new guy once.  This was pretty much the end of the regular Warhammer buying, and a few months later I would learn about EDH through my brother Kelsey.  I still hung out with Eddie off and on, getting completely wasted, and playing some Warhammer, but it was only once every couple of months.  Even after we moved to DeKalb a few years ago, I still made a point to visit Eddie's at least every three months.

Now, I see the dude every day.  It ain't too bad, I mostly get jealous of his ability to converse with people, and keep eye contact.  How the hell does he do that?  

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