Matt Corwine and I go back. Way back. All the way back to CMU 486: Internet Technology & Research at the Udub, Spring of 1996. I was a brand new raver. Matt’s name was all over Hyperreal’s website and when roll was called on the first day of class, I recognized his moniker and decided that we were friends. He might not have been sure at first, but I was a persistent little twinkly-eyed raver, and no-one can resist the adoration of an e-tard for long.

Matt was the first one to tell me about Burning Man. Matt introduced me to ExistDance. Matt ridiculed me for my love of breakbeat (he thought it was cheesy, I still think it’s the best). We went to the Orbital show at Union Station years before Paul Allen bought the neighborhood and made it fit for consumption.

It’s five years later now, and Matt and I still keep in touch, see eachother around, and compare notes about what it is to be a writer. He’s a ghostwriter at Microsoft these days, and (I just learned) keeps a blog.