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"Hurry up!" "Walk faster!" "Keep up with me!" I was really looking forward to many more years of his complaining during our travels.
Of course I'm speaking of our friend Biff - known to many on this board as Witling. I met Biff in November 2003, when CRT held their 1st Thanksgiving get-together in Costa Rica. My friend Tim and I had flown down from Los Angeles. We all hung out together and were even on the same flight home. E-mail addresses were exchanged and communication began shortly thereafter. And I do mean shortly - within a week, he was talking about making another trip.
We ended up taking lots of trips . . . to Costa Rica, Thailand, Vegas. He even stopped by my place in San Diego a few times. Of course, hanging with Biff meant you got to hear about his travels - and he had many. He wanted to be the one to tell you about a bar, club, hotel or restaurant for the first time. And if he could take you there and show you around, that was even better. I have a hard time remembering all the places he showed me, and the people he introduced me to during the years. For example, on the 2015 Thailand trip, Biff arranged to get us a tour of Utapao airport. That was a treat for me because forty years earlier, I had flown through what was then Utapao AFB on my way to and from my first Navy duty station. On the flip side, I was happy to show him places and people I knew. On his first trip to San Diego, we met up with Tim and headed down to Tijuana where we showed him around our old haunts. And on his last trip to my place, I took him down to the marina and we got a tour of an 87 foot yacht by the captain, who happened to be my brother's girlfriend.
Many of his domestic trips were planned around casinos - earning points and getting perks. He would tell me about getting free meals, rooms, shows, cruises and more. One trip, he was comped rooms in 2 different hotels on the strip, so that I could stay in one while he was in the other. Sometimes he would try to teach me blackjack, or I would show him the craps table. But we would usually end up on poker slot machines, just talking and enjoying life. On one of the Vegas trips, I even took photos and video of his (4th?) wedding. What happens in Vegas . . .
Biff was a computer geek. He spent hours every day staring at a monitor - whether it was at work or at home. During his work hours, he would have a lot of down time - which he spent scouring the CRT forums. Let me give you an example. I once posted a humorous article about getting up the nerve to speak with a cute bartender (Carolina) at the Key Largo - and I laid out my 10-year plan. One of the responses was from Admin 1, who included a private message. I immediately received the CRT e-mail alerting me to his message. But before I could log into CRT, I received a phone call from Biff, "Dude, if he sent a picture, you have to forward it to me!!"
He also loved sports. He was a Nebraska boy, and a big fan of the Cornhuskers. After he moved to Thailand, he flew back once a year scheduled around their football season. If he couldn't see them play at the stadium, he wanted to be in a neighborhood bar with his old pals. He was always complaining about trying to watch live sports from the U.S. due to the time difference in Thailand. Monday Night Football actually takes place early Tuesday morning. He would often stay up all night watching college games. His nickname (Biff) came from a Nebraska football coach, Lawrence (Biff) Jones. If you have seen any of his "special lady" pictures on the forum, they were probably wearing a red t-shirt with a large N on the front.
I was fortunate to be able to spend a couple weeks last November in Pattaya hanging with Biff and his girlfriend. Tim even joined us for part of the time. My connecting flight in Japan was delayed for over 4 hours, so Biff alerted my Bangkok airport ride before I could. He then followed the flight online, telling me later that the pilot was flying "balls out" in order to make up time. Didn't I tell you he spent hours in front of the monitor? While in Pattaya, he took me around to some of his favorite bars where he introduced me to the owners (and the girls). We gathered with a bunch of ex-pats to raise a toast and share a meal on Veteran's Day. The next day we met a bunch of the same group for Taco Tuesday. Biff introduced me to his dentist so I could get a couple crowns replaced. He gave me a tour of their condo and showed me some new restaurants in that neighborhood. We also visited a couple of my old favorites - I do like the Pattaya Beer Garden. He showed me his girlfriend's massage shop, which I then visited a few times. On my last day, we met at Kinnaree Place for a late lunch and entertainment along with another friend. Who would have thought that later as darkness fell, and we were standing out front saying our good-byes, that it would be the last time I saw him in person. He hired a motorbike back to his condo, while I headed the other way back to my hotel. We had a few video chats since then, but the last of those was mid-March. Biff was already on medication, but was able to tell me about the cancer and that he really wanted to make it to football season.
I'm going to miss you old friend. But I hope when my time comes, that I'll find you just inside those pearly gates yelling, "Danny Danny, follow me and keep up! I've got lots of places to show you!" Rest peacefully good buddy.
_________________
Why do I like Costa Rica? It's the Beatty factor.
To the girls in CR - I'm Warren Beatty.
To the girls in the US - I'm Ned Beatty.
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