One of my oldest friends turned 50 today.
Nelson Wong and I first met under forgotten circumstances when we were 7 years old, in Mrs. Sinton’s 2nd grade class at Longfellow Elementary School. In 3rd grade we were placed in separate mixed grade (2nd and 3rd) classes, and while we were supposed to attend the same school in 4th and 5th grades, the campus was under renovation for both of those school years.
We were reunited in 6th grade at Luther Burbank Middle (Jr High) School. We then both went to Lowell High School, and then college, he at CCSF, me at SFSU. Eventually Nelson transferred to SFSU as well.
Our post-college careers took us along different paths, though we did keep in touch, until I started working for the Judicial Branch of California, where Nelson had already been working for a couple of years. He was the one who actually recruited me for this job. And we’ve been working at the same place ever since.
Over the years we’ve made a habit of watching Star Wars films together, specifically premieres or at least our first viewings of each film. This started in 1980 with The Empire Strikes Back, though we just planned to be there with school friends and family. This has continued through last month, when Rogue One premiered. We attended our first sci-fi conventions together back in high school, and made a few geek road trips to San Diego Comic-Con and Star Wars Celebration.
Our interest in games are similar, as we played the same tabletop RPGs in high school, and as we later played the same online RPGs over the past few years. We still get together with friends for monthly Games Days, and occasionally play a board/card game at work with coworkers, during lunch.
I sometimes joke that he’s one of the few people that probably knows me better than I know myself. As I get older myself, this may or may not be more true. Memory is the first to go, y’know.
Happy Birthday, Nelson. Thanks for being there for me over the years, and for being such a great friend. The Force is with you, and you are one with the Force.