I finally made it to Angels Crest on my bike this past weekend. I can hardly believe this is 15 to 20 minutes from my door step. I also can't believe the speed at wich some of the riders are taking the corners at 6500 foot. Pretty great to stop and watch all of the fancy cars and bikes hugging corners.

Our friend Jake was just in town for the final 48 hour film festival. We got to hang a little in Silver Lake, where we noticed Aaron Rose sitting across the way from us. This or course lunched our conversation of artists that we love and have been inspired by.

Jake turned me on to this documentary that somehow had made it under my radar until just now. The fact that I have been inspired and in love with the work this guy has done since I was 5 years old, but didn't know about him until now IS embarrassing. Well not really, but I am stoked on this. Behold my most recent hero.

So many memories come flooding back when you lose someone. My memories of Lee are that of a fun loving, lovable, witty and hilarious human being. It's hard to imagine that St. Louis social scene with out Lee prancing around, being the life of the party. Facebook without his hilarious dramatic posts and unpredictable nature, never knowing what will come out of his mouth. His entourage of ladies and his camera draped over his shoulder at all times.



Lee was a true staple of that social scene, a mascot if you will. I directly associate Lee with many fun and free spirited adventures. Someone that you were incapable of saying bad things about. Someone with a genuine spirit, bursting with positivity. Lee was so magnetic to everyone he meets, you couldn't walk away from meeting him with out later becoming his friend. When he showed up to an event, you knew he was going to say or do something entertaining.

I met Lee at a time in my life that I was starting over. So much of that time was spent making new friends and discovering new places. That time period of discovery took me back to my years as a teenager. A time when my priorities revolved around art, music, and spending time with friends. It was an exciting and chaotic time, full of unpredictable adventures. I associate Lee, Monica, and a few others as being monumental figures that will forever stand out during that chapter of my life.

I still remember when Corey first introducing him to me at the Pageant. I thought he was a girl then and the next three times we were around each other. This was of corse something he loved and it became an ongoing joke. I also recall introducing him to Monica when we ran into him and his little group at Upstairs Lounge. I believe Monica spent the next two weeks after that running around with Lee and Krista, taking photos and calling Noodle a "kitty cat." I remember traveling and receiving excited texts from Cami that she "met Lee and needs to know everything about him." It was as if they were separated at birth from then on.

Looking through old photos from that time period brings back a lot of memories from what seems like a lifetime ago. This has ignited my first feelings of being a little homesick. I wish I could be around those folks to whom I had bonded with during those years. I really miss you guys and didn't see many of you before we moved.

Lee, I really wish that Monica and I could be at your memorial this week. You were a great person and I hope you feel the love up there, because you sure have a lot of people sending it your direction from down here.