I first became aware of Little Joe of Little Joe's Soapbox because Graumagus of Frizzen Sparks mentions him from time to time and posted a picture of him once. I read the Soapbox a few times to get an idea about him, but he's not a frequent poster, so there's only so much to learn. So I didn't really know what to expect when I met him.

Well, that's not quite true. He's a good friend of Grau's and Contagion's, so I assumed that there would be a certain... twistedness... to his sense of humor.

Turned out I assumed correctly.

What you DON'T know about Little Joe from his blog is what an imposing figure he is. Six foot six, 300+... he's easy to spot in a crowd. But like most imposing men, he's quite gentle & soft-spoken. Not the least bit threatening at all. Listening to him talk about how much he loves fuzzy kittens is almost comical for its contrast.

I sat & chatted with him for a good 9 hours and he's quite the entertainer. Good stories plus a wit that is both razor-sharp and lightning-quick. He can outquip me any day of the week, which is an all-too-scarce and pleasant feature in a person.

But the thing that impressed me most about Little Joe was his overwhelming and radiant sense of optimism. He's going through some VERY rough times right now. Marital strife and a debilitating medical condition. Yet his smiling good humor and cheerfulness were all that were apparent. Even when he discussed his problems, he'd shrug at the end like it was no big deal and he expected things to get better.

A fine example of a man.

So if you're holding a blogmeet, make sure Little Joe gets invited. Just have a lot of Coke and an extra large chair on hand. Then sit back & enjoy his company.

[Little Joe's version of events can be found here]

Posted by: Harvey at 09:23 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Growing up in a military family, we moved constatnly. I never had a friend for more than a few years. I think what has always had me in awe of Grau and LJ is the fact Grau remembers watching LJ's Mom bringing him home from the hospital as a baby. That just blows me away. It sounds trivial to others, but it is a big thing to me. And then to stick with each other through thick and thin like that...

Posted by: Boudicca at May 13, 2005 10:03 PM (z7nbM)

2 That's honestly one of my earliest memories. His folks were friends with mine, and his older sisters were friends with my older sis, etc. So when I call the guy family I'm not exaggerating. Sometimes I forget how goddamned blessed I am in the friend department.

Posted by: Graumagus at May 13, 2005 11:03 PM (Sg9HN)

3 Oh yeah, and I'm going to start a campaign to get Harvey to include Littlejoe's quote about him in his sidebar quotes. Read his blogmeet entry and you'll know exactly which one

Posted by: Graumagus at May 13, 2005 11:04 PM (Sg9HN)

4 Awww man, now I feel bad for making fun of you Harvey....bastard. Thank you for the compliments, I am all verklempt now.

Posted by: littlejoe at May 14, 2005 11:37 PM (QJRRo)

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