Hey douche cake...

Dear FutureMe, Keep the music going. Even if you're not making enough from it alone to survive, keep it going. Don't ever stop for anything, that's your life, man. Play drums & guitar equally as often. Love the ones around you. Work as hard as you can at whatever you do. Find a good girl to love, and to love you. If you've already found one, love the crap outta her; she's beautiful, I know it. No matter how many screw-ups, you're never, ever a failure, until you've given up. Keep in touch with Thomas & the Cullitons & anyone else, they were great friends. You guys had some really great times. Thomas with his ridiculous hair & sideburns, absurd faces & phrases, raggedy yellow sweater, terrible guitar playing, & funny personality. Timothy, with his weird slogans that he exclaimed as loudly & obnoxiously or as quiet & calmly as he pleased, his love for indie music, his love for thoughtful & introspective lyrics; his drunken rantings, & his argumentative personality. Jeremy with his signature (or key, as he would have put it) expressions, argumentative personality (he & Timothy were an odd pair), & seemingly false arrogance, and a love for plays & musicals. Justin with his drunken stupors, woman problems, & county music-lovin ways. Kelsy with her sweet personality, the ease with which she gave compliments, the shyness she displayed when it came to her music & personal things, her beautiful smile, her want to confide in me over things, and her willingness to invite me on that trip to her grandmother's in the summer of 2008, when we started our drive at midnight; and she bought me 5 Rock Stars, a bag of Twizzlers, & a bag of Chex Mix. Sean with his never-ending but hilarious stories of his days of seemingly never-ending drunken stupors, his facial expressions that said a thousand words, the surprise & false heartbreak he showed at the smallest of issues (the time he said, "Thomas, break up with her now." in reference to Kelsy because she didn't have brownies and/or popcorn in her house), & his huge love for Bright Eyes, Rule 22 & Michael Moore. Sean & Dave Teporek, whom you never knew well, but they were real nice fellows to be around. John Houston, that 12 year old diabetic who played bass & loved McDonald's. Pete Morici, the kid you got along with well your Junior year, and whom you teamed up with to make fun of all the jocks and idiots in your gym class, especially that Keven Sabaii kid or whatever his name was; Petey passed far to soon, but he will never be forgotten. Everyone at the Fox Lake Community Church, who were your friends and family. Jimmy & Jacy Nicholas, Jimmy a great friend & Jacy so gorgeous. Mike Stowell, the only guy you ever crossed swords with, he was a great guy & hopefully you're not thinking back but looking forward to chillin with him in the next couple of days when you read this. Luke Temple, a great kid who was always willing to spot you if you had no money to see a movie or to buy a drink or something; you introduced him to some great music & he always had a joke or compliment. Rom, who was a funny & lovable guy, & great co-worker at one point (Beckit, Inc.), he was so kindhearted & genuinely friendly. T-Bone, who introduced you to a lot of the music that you love & that inspired your music & life; he was a really smart & funny guy, very friendly & laid back; he painted & drew beautifully. Peej, a fantastic leader & friend; always had words of wisdom & guidance to offer, or ears to listen to your thoughts or troubles; always fun to hang out with & play Rock Band or board games. Patrick Leathers, one of the funniest kids you knew in high school; you two always had fun in science with Ms. Rosanzki, you'd always tease her or ask dumb questions or mess with the bottle of Germ-X. Never forget the good and the bad moments you had, they made you who you are, whoever that is. Love... tGT... (that means the Glad Town, just in case you've forgotten that, too.)