56. Andrew

 Most people think Leonardo da Vinci was the last person to know everything, but those people have not met Andrew.

When I want to know what computer to buy, I ask Andrew. And when I want to know a great novel to read, I ask Andrew. And when I have a question about the general theory of relativity, I ask Andrew. 

What else does Andrew know?

How to code computers, all current events currently happening, where Australia is, the latest bill passing through congress, what state has the highest vaccination rate, what’s playing at the Kennedy Center, how to raise chickens, the entire Pink lexicon, what happened on any date in history, how to reattach a slipped chain, all the prime numbers, the best technique for painting trim, how to fell a tree, The lifecycle of a cicada, and where Waldo is.

I first met Andrew when he sauntered into 4GL in 2001. I say sauntered because Andrew never seems stressed or in a hurry. That’s not to say he can’t move quickly when he wants to. They guy has actually completed an Ironman Triathlon, and he’ll bike across Maryland just because he has nothing better to do. But in the office he saunters.

So anyway, he sauntered in to 4GL, and I instantly liked him

I liked that he was really Smart.

And that he had an uncanny ability to the match the right person for the right job.

And that his brain was on a different plane from mine. While I was busy getting work done, he was busy asking if it was even the right work to be doing.

And I especially loved how supportive he was. He would often stroll into my office (that was when he didn’t feel like sauntering) and let me know some little tidbit he’d been thinking about that was the perfectly right thing for me to know.

Andrew is self-assured, steady, funny, kind, a good conversationalist, and a great friend.