Singing Rory's Praises

An ode to all things wonderful in my favourite Ford friend...(Think that's gonna cause controversy? I doubt anyone will notice.)

What can be said about Rory Burns? Only good things of course. And that must mean something because I very rarely have anything remotely positive to say; let alone nothing but good things. So, Rory, this post is for you.

My first memory of you is from the week you were training. Dennis and I were talking and you came up and asked Dennis if there was a y in penny. I was heart broken that you didn't ask me. But now, do you know what one of my favourite things about you is? You ask for my help and advice with things like grammar and vocab...no one else ever wants to listen to me when I start talking about that stuff. You are the only person I've ever met that has patiently sat through my CVC lecture [Sidebar: For those of you who don't know, the CVC rule is the consonant-vowel-consonant rule. It pertains to whether or not you have to double the consonant when adding a suffix. For more on this, consult Rory because he is such an excellent pupil.] Better than that, we spent like an hour one night discussing how to use big words in sentences properly to sound old fashioned. AND you remembered that we did that and made me teach you more last night. You're fantastic!

On top of all that, you're convinced that I know everything there is to know about every book that was ever written. You tell me what you're reading with beaming pride that is unmatched anywhere in the world. You have so much faith in my literary expertise I could never possibly live up to your expectations, but you never seem to be disappointed by my ineptitude. You're wonderful!

But it gets better. Not only do you speak to the English student in me, you're also the only person at Ford that readily agreed to come to my wedding. In fact, you were excited about getting the invitation and even more excited when I said you could bring a guest. Everyone else either told me not to get married or said they'd only come if the reception was open bar. You're the epitome of dedication!

And there's still more...you give me advice and I take it. That almost never happens. Advice from anyone else seems harsh and unrealistic. You could tell me that it's a good idea to dance naked on the roof during an ice storm and I would probably do it because you've never steered me wrong in the past. Plus, your advice doesn't come out as advice; it's more like...opinion. You just state the facts in a way that can't be contradicted. Have you considered a career in law? People who can persuade people to do things without sounding persuasive make the best and most loved lawyers....You would be an awesome lawyer!

Do you know when you really won my heart though? It was the cinnabon day. You said that your brother got free cinnabons from work, and promised to save the first two for me. Your follow through was incredible. To make it all the better, you made me promise to heat it up before I ate it because it wouldn't be as good otherwise. We spent at least two weeks discussing nothing but the wonder of cinnabons. That is two weeks of my life I will never get back--nor do I want to. Your buns were delicious!

And finally, the number one reason why you are my favourite Ford friend, is because on the hostilest of Wednesdays (ie yesterday), you were the only person who made me smile. You're the antithesis of everything I claim to believe in, and I love you all the more for it. And as with Jean, this post was all your idea. God bless you for your modesty.