This is the toast I gave at Mitch and Naoko's wedding...September 24th, 2011 after only two beers and one sake....

Mitch and I had a lot in common in high school. We were both tall, skinny white dudes into classic rock and "alternative" music.

We were both kind of awkward. Kind of.

We both drove boats for cars. Mine was a 1984 Oldsmobile Delta 88. Which seemed big until you saw Mitch's car: a Lincoln Town Car.

Have you ever seen a Lincoln Town Car from the 80s?

It was immense. The hood stretched out forever in front like a California King mattress.

And this was before they'd changed the car's shape to be more rounded. So it was just one. big. rectangle. Tremendous and imposing. Like a battleship. Forcing Texas trucks out of the way throughout our flat, suburban Houston landscape.

Often Mitch drove. And it always surprised me how effortlessly he'd pull that monster into a parking spot. Me all wincing in the passenger seat. Him all cool. Non-flinching.


The other thing I've always admired about Mitch, aside from his ability to drive a big car, is his memory. He always had the ability to recall things—little tid-bits of information that most people forget. It made him great at trivial pursuit.

Today, I use Google as my memory, but back in high school my Google was Mitch.

When did the Beatles form? What was the Stone's drummer's name?

He even helped me remember things that only I knew.

Like what I did last week.

Or...last night.

Or, you know, who that guy was in that movie I just saw yesterday, which I already can't remember the name of ...you know, the one everybody's talking about... with that guy...who was in that other movie.

Mitch would know.


I'm sure all of Mitch's friends would say that Mitch, aside from being an excellent repository of information, is also an excellent friend. He's always been somebody I knew I could count on. And somebody I could talk to about just about anything. The bad. And the good.

I have had the good fortune to hang out with Mitch and Naoko twice. Once when they visited C and me in DC and another time when we visited them in Japan. And based on those visits, it seems like Naoko is the same kind of person Mitch is: Warm. Generous. Easy to talk to and to be with.

It's clear to me they make an excellent couple. And that they both admire and respect each other.

Naoko, one thing I know is that you will always be able to depend on Mitch during good times and bad. To help. Or just to listen and be there.

Or to park a big car into a small space.

Or as you get older, to remind you what you did yesterday. Or what you had for lunch.

I wish you both a long happy life together.

Category: Nada