When James asked me to give a speech tonight - to toast him
- my first reaction was happiness, pleasure and pride. What an honour.
My second reaction was fear, timidity, impotence and,
yes, hate. How dare you ask me to try and sum up your diverse, wacky,
adventurous life. Ask me to eloquently summarize a true renaissance man in
five minutes? What a tool.
And he is a renaissance man. In the 13 years I've known him, James has been:
And he is a renaissance man. In the 13 years I've known him, James has been:
·
a legislative assistant
·
a pizza delivery bicyclist in Northern Ireland
·
security at a Scottish football club
·
a sandwich artist
·
a translator
·
a lecturer
·
a bankruptcy counsellor
·
a political candidate
·
a fry cook
·
an upholsterer
·
a furniture delivery man
·
an editor for a Korean airline's magazine
·
a trumpet player
·
an actor for stage and screen
·
a director
·
president for the Centre for the Advancement of
Steady State Economics
·
a master's student at Cambridge
·
and a concert pianist
And those are just occupations. Jobs. That list doesn't
include his travels, his hobbies, his many, many volunteer projects. The full
list is something I can only guess at. I think if the two of us were in a plane
crash together, in some remote part of the world, like Siberia, and we survived and made our way out
of the wreckage, some fur-covered man would find us in the snow, take off his
hood and go, "F---in' Jaaaaaaaaames!"
James told me when he applied to Cambridge and had to
list out his background, he included a note saying "You'd be forgiven for
thinking I'm an amateur addicted to novice pursuits. But what I actually like to do is learn something, conquer it, do it perfectly and then move on." That's pretty good.
But my favourite quote about James came from our university dance teacher.
Actually, it wasn't really a dance class. We didn't learn any dances or
choreography. It was a Movement for Actors class, where we learned to move
around a room theatrically. I can't explain it better than that.
James was having trouble getting the class, understanding
what the teacher wanted. So one day, during an exercise, he just let loose; he
did what he wanted, he vocalized and flailed and had fun. And when the exercise
was over, the room was quiet and the instructor looked at James and said,
"You are the victim of your own enthusiasm."
Perfect.
James is the victim of his own enthusiasm. His love for
action - for setting audacious goals, for achieving big things, for helping
people - has pushed his mind and body to the limit (sometimes further). James
is the victim of his own enthusiasm. And the world is better for it. And so are
the people, like me, who are lucky enough to have him in their life. I've seen
James, with 15 balls in the air, make time for me in his schedule, help me,
listen to me when I needed a friend. And when I'm done talking, he rushes off
to save the world or write a novel or perform a Chopin waltz. How can I
possibly sum a guy like that up?
James is a victim of his own enthusiasm and so are we,
the people who get swept along with him. Mel tells a story about when we were
all in university and James decided to go biking across Europe on a low budget.
The lowest budget. The "sleeping in a churchyard under cardboard in shifts
so the muggers don't stab us" budget. Mel was working at the same place as
Tristan, James' brother, and when they were on shift together, they would compare notes.
"Have you heard from James?' "Is he still alive?" "Should
we send him money so he can afford to eat more than just bananas?" We are all victims of your enthusiasm.
Kendra, you are about to become the chief victim. The
sacrificial lamb. I remember the first time I met Kendra, when she served me a
drink from a box of wine that had been heating nicely over a vent for several
hours. She looked at me, daring me to be upset and immature, assessing me,
analyzing me, forming an opinion of me when I was supposed to be forming an
opinion of her. When we were back in the car, James asked me what I thought and
I think I said something that sounded like "good luck." In a much
nicer way, of course, but I wasn't too sure about Kendra.
James, however, is not as timid as I am. So here we are
today. And I have found that Kendra's sharp mind is matched by a soft heart, a
passion for the arts - good choice - and a genuine concern for the people around
her. James, Kendra - you're both insane. And absolutely wonderful. I hope you
continue to be victims of each other's enthusiasm, plans, dreams and love for
the rest of your lives. It won't be easy, but it will be great.
If you'll all join me in a toast to one of the best
people I know.
To James.
