DJDJ

I don't write a lot about the stupidity that surrounded my drinking booze very often. This is a special treat a day after Halloween.

Back in 1992, during my senior year of college at Mount Mercy College, there was a night when I drank a lot of beer and, after I had drank a lot of beer, a guy I knew named DJ almost caused a fight with the car behind us in the Taco John's drive-thru on First Avenue in Cedar Rapids by Lindale Mall. Because I had drank a lot of beer, and because I was not interested in being beaten up and because I had lost my inhibitions, I cursed DJ. When I was back in my apartment, my roommate Brian tells me that as I was falling asleep, I'd be quiet and then start muttering "DJ JD DJ, get me beat up because he's so f---ing stupid" and other phrases, after which Brian would tell me to shut up and go to sleep, which I would do, until all of a sudden, I start muttering "DJ JD DJ, get me beat up because he's so f---ing stupid" and other phrases, after which Brian would tell me to shut up and go to sleep, which I would do, until all of a sudden, I start muttering "DJ JD DJ, get me beat up because he's so f---ing stupid" and other phrases, after which Brian would tell me to shut up and go to sleep, until I finally fell asleep.

For years, Brian has teased me about that night and how annoying I was to him because of the way I acted. Keep in mind, I didn't really know Brian Rock prior to moving into that apartment we lived in as I had only talked to him one other time before we were roommates, which was on the night we signed up for housing, and when I asked him if he cared if I roomed with him, he said, "Shit, I don't care." What started out as a kind of unplanned situation has transformed over the years into one of my closest friendships on the planet. Brian was an usher in our wedding and when Brian married Jane, I was honored to be his best man.

Throughout our friendship, I've wanted to make a joke about that night and, at the expense of the former Maryland University head football coach, whose name is D.J. Durkin, I was able to do so. Last night, I sent Brian Rock a text message last night that reads "DJ JD DJ" with a link to this story: Maryland changes course, fires head coach D.J. Durkin, to which Brian wrote back, "Happy Halloween." Then I texted him, "Waited 20+ years to use that joke."