Remembering my friend......

Mark trying out a fried scorpion during a trip to China

I'm a pretty ordinary person.  I live an ordinary life and do ordinary things.  In spite of my boring claim to all things ordinary, there have been a few people in my life who believe me to be extraordinary in some regard.  Because their opinion of me is, for one reason or another, distorted, I'm careful not to say or do anything that might cause them to see me for the ordinary person I really am.  It's a great feeling to know that someone sees something in you worthy of admiration.

My friend and teacher, Mark, was one of those people.  I'm not sure why, but he thought I was a much better person than I really am.  He made me feel good about myself.  Today I received the sad news that he passed away.  And suddenly, with one less person thinking I'm special, I'm back to feeling ordinary.....

Mark was my music history professor.  I was terrified my first day in his class because I'd heard from other students that he was a miserable SOB and his class was very hard.  But I found this not to be true.  Mark brought humor and wit to his classroom; his knowledge of his field was extensive and his enthusiasm for his subject was infectious.  He was one of the best professors I've ever had; he sparked my curiosity about many things, leading me to pursue different courses of study outside the classroom, and he inspired me musically leading me to branch out into areas, such as recorder and harpsichord, that I previously had had no interest in.  He was the only one of my professors to attend my senior recital who wasn't required, as a member of my jury, to be there.

He was my professor for only two years, but he was my friend for almost 20!  Besides music, Mark and I shared a love of travel and a passion for food.  I loved sharing conversations with him about Indian vegetarian cuisine, or Moroccan cuisine (his personal favorite).  He had a wicked wit and a delightfully sarcastic sense of humor that I loved!  I never had a conversation with him or an email from him that didn't make me laugh (or at least chuckle!)

I relied on Mark for all sorts of information because it seemed there was almost nothing he didn't know something about!  When I wanted to know which was the best recording of early Italian madrigals, I called Mark.  When I wanted to know how to make preserved lemons, I asked Mark.  When I wondered if it was true that the Buddha's last words to his disciples were, "Work out your own salvation with diligence," I asked Mark.  He was a treasure trove of information, both useful and useless; a true "Modern Major General" in every sense of the word!

Mark introduced me to authors I'd never read, music I'd never heard, ideas I'd never thought of, food I'd never tasted.  But the thing I'm going to miss most with his passing is having someone to sound my philosophical ideas off of.  He was quite opinionated, but at the same time, open to discussion.  He stimulated me towards new ways of thinking and introduced ideas that were new to me. 

I am going to miss him in a million different ways!