It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.
-Marlene Dietrich-
I picked that quote for this post because, it fits. Because Frederick Lancaster has, in fact, called me up at 4 a.m.
Fred and I have known each other for years. Bickering like an old married couple, I honestly learned most of what I know about building from him. But you don’t bicker like that with just anyone. You bicker like that with someone you care about deeply, who means a great deal to you and whose opinion truly matters to you.
Fred has always, whether he intends to or not, raised the bar for me. He’s an absolutely brilliant builder with a fantastic aesthetic. He’s a smart, funny charming man. I’ve been at hand when he proposed to his wife. And while I couldn’t make the trip to his wedding (I was kind of in the wrong country at the time), I made sure to send him a little luxurious irony. (Hot pink bath towels from Egypt)
We jokingly refer to ourselves as Peanut Butter & Jelly; though we’ve never managed to figure out which one of us is which. Fact of the matter is, where one of us is, the other is within easy reach.
I didn’t really edit that shot much. I couldn’t. I was laughing too hard. He usually knows how to make me laugh, and most importantly? WHEN to make me laugh. All the same we’re just as comfortable saying nothing at all but pushing prims together to make some magic.
I have to admit, it felt weird taking on sim builds without him. Though I couldn’t be more thrilled with how he put Ansel Adams together. It’s typical Fred. Bringing the Fabulous.
You know, I think every designer in SL has one or two people they can tolerate working with. I think Fred is overall who I prefer to work with. Which still amazes me since we started out fighting. But it works. We work.
And Fred’s the kind of Giant who’s shadow isn’t a cold dark unfeeling place. It’s warm, because he really does shine just that brightly.
Fabulous tribute… and a wonderful blessing to you both. Lookin’ at your builds, it would hard to discern who was senpai, who was kohai. It’s been a privilege to get to know you Syngen, and…. most instructive.
(even if the bickering hasn’t really warmed up yet, lol)