Feels like im never gonna be ready to say goodbye to him. These last few days have been so surreal. Mike was the heart and soul of The Council and he will continue to be so forever. He was the most light hearted and loving human being I ever met and the best friend I ever had. Sometimes Mike didn’t even feel real. Like how could such a fucked up world produce a guy that optimistic and loving and friendly. He was too good for this world. When I lived with him he had his dark times but even then he would bounce back so quick. It felt like everything would just roll off his back. When I would tell him how amazing i thought he was he was always so modest. That just added to how awesome he was. Connecting with people was his super power. When we lived together he would make friends with random people in the elevators. He made friends with our doorman. He even made friends with the people who ran the liquor store, to the point that they gave him free booze at Christmas time. Mike didn’t introduce me to The Council, the friend group that I consider my family, but he was the one I connected with the most right away. And he was the one who made me feel like part of the group. Growing up it wasn’t always easy for me to make friends but with Mike it was effortless. And he welcomed me with an open heart that was characteristic of him. We bonded over our shared love of comic books, tv shows, and video games and our friendship grew out of mutual admiration. I will always cherish the endless nights we spent together in his basement. When I think of highschool thats always my first thought. I love him as brother and I will never stop.
Mike gave me the spot to propose to my wife. When I first started getting interested in grapling, we would get drunk and wrestle (followed by me puking, but not him though because he was a god damn champion). In that way he gave me my introduction to one of my great passions in life. In our early 20s I tried DMT for the first and only time surrounded by him and all our friends. When fractals started filling my vision and the world started melting away I was amazed. But when my being started to slip away and merge with the universe I got scared. I don’t know if they could tell that in the room but as soon as it happened Mike put his hand on my shoulder and I insitictively grabbed a hold of his hand. He pulled me back to reality. He was my anchor. To reality and to our friend group and to enjoying life. In dark times I always knew I could rely on Mike to cheer me up. He was always there for me no matter what. I couldn’t possibly list or remember all of the beautiful things he gave me and the beautiful moments we shared. Im so thankful for the 3 years we got to share an apartment together. Soph (my wife) and I refer to that apartment as our “Friends” apartment where we got to experience young adulthood with our best friend (although Mike was a Seinfeld guy). He was the best roomate and the best friend I ever had. He was a perfect human being. Even his faults just made him that much more beautiful and perfect, like a beautiful vase where the cracks have been filled in with gold. He was a dynamo! I love you so much, brother. I know wherever you are you brought the party with you like you always did.
Feels like im never gonna be ready to say goodbye to him. These last few days have been so surreal. Mike was the heart and soul of The Council and he will continue to be so forever. He was the most light hearted and loving human being I ever met and the best friend I ever had. Sometimes Mike didn’t even feel real. Like how could such a fucked up world produce a guy that optimistic and loving and friendly. He was too good for this world. When I lived with him he had his dark times but even then he would bounce back so quick. It felt like everything would just roll off his back. When I would tell him how amazing i thought he was he was always so modest. That just added to how awesome he was. Connecting with people was his super power. When we lived together he would make friends with random people in the elevators. He made friends with our doorman. He even made friends with the people who ran the liquor store, to the point that they gave him free booze at Christmas time. Mike didn’t introduce me to The Council, the friend group that I consider my family, but he was the one I connected with the most right away. And he was the one who made me feel like part of the group. Growing up it wasn’t always easy for me to make friends but with Mike it was effortless. And he welcomed me with an open heart that was characteristic of him. We bonded over our shared love of comic books, tv shows, and video games and our friendship grew out of mutual admiration. I will always cherish the endless nights we spent together in his basement. When I think of highschool thats always my first thought. I love him as brother and I will never stop.
Mike gave me the spot to propose to my wife. When I first started getting interested in grapling, we would get drunk and wrestle (followed by me puking, but not him though because he was a god damn champion). In that way he gave me my introduction to one of my great passions in life. In our early 20s I tried DMT for the first and only time surrounded by him and all our friends. When fractals started filling my vision and the world started melting away I was amazed. But when my being started to slip away and merge with the universe I got scared. I don’t know if they could tell that in the room but as soon as it happened Mike put his hand on my shoulder and I insitictively grabbed a hold of his hand. He pulled me back to reality. He was my anchor. To reality and to our friend group and to enjoying life. In dark times I always knew I could rely on Mike to cheer me up. He was always there for me no matter what. I couldn’t possibly list or remember all of the beautiful things he gave me and the beautiful moments we shared. Im so thankful for the 3 years we got to share an apartment together. Soph (my wife) and I refer to that apartment as our “Friends” apartment where we got to experience young adulthood with our best friend (although Mike was a Seinfeld guy). He was the best roomate and the best friend I ever had. He was a perfect human being. Even his faults just made him that much more beautiful and perfect, like a beautiful vase where the cracks have been filled in with gold. He was a dynamo! I love you so much, brother. I know wherever you are you brought the party with you like you always did.