rest in peace, Adam

Adam Finley and I never met and never spoke on the phone, but we worked together at TV Squad and communicated with each other via e-mail. So in that strange way that we can know people these days without ever really meeting them, I knew Adam, just a little bit.

Adam died on Thursday morning last week after he was hit by a bus while riding his bike. The news hit all of us at TV Squad pretty hard, and today, in Adam's memory, we're picking out our favorite posts of his and featuring them all day, as a memorial. Two of my favorites, Confab with Satan and Learn About Cans for Some Reason, illustrate what I liked the most about Adam: he was wickedly funny, and didn't take himself or anything else too seriously.

My thoughts are with Adam's friends and family, and I hope that our small tribute at TV Squad lets them know that Adam was given a unique voice, and he used it to touch a lot of people's lives.

Comments

[Hans Moleman]

Quite sad, for so many reasons. I'll be sure to revisit some of his posts that are being featured.

[shrednfred]

Whoa...this news sucks major! I'm sorry Wil. I've had the pleasure of reading some of Adam's posts usually after reading your TNG reviews and, as you said, he was wickedly funny. "Learn about cans for some reason" is hilarious and brilliant. Adam will be sorely missed

[MJBUtah]

This has been so hard, the saddest part of that story being that they had to ID him from his IPod registry because he had nothing else with him when he was hit. I read TVS daily and he had such a distinctive voice in his writing and was so funny. He will be sorely missed I am sure.

[paige]

:'(

From a person absolutely horrible with words.

It's always sad when someone dies.

[Bill]

My condolences on your loss, Wil. I'll be sure to check out the posts that commemorate him.

[starshine_diva]

This is very sad news. I hope he can, in death, continue to teach us, just as he did when he was writing away...

[Whistlebinky]

I am so sorry to hear about Adam. My thoughts are with you and his other friends, and of course his family. :-(

[Starr01]

that is really sad especially when he was really really funny. And too young.

[MrSpock]

My condolences to you Wil, and all of Adam's friends and family. It's always a shock to hear stories like this, as it could happen to anyone. I didn't know him at all, but I'll make sure to go read his work.

[kinikia07]

I send you my sympathy. You and his family and friends are in my thoughts and prayers. Hopefully it will be the happy memories of him that help each of you through this difficult time. Thank you for sharing your favorite posts of his with us. Take care.

[Athol_Wolverine]

Sincere condolences.

[mxley]

So tragic and so sad. My condolences to his family and his friends.

It happens in an instant, and it rips one apart for a life so cut short.
Mary

[kristinalead]

Sorry to hear you lost a friend and co-worker... even if you just communicat by email, you can still have a close relationship, especially if you are like-minded! (Funny and smart!)

[Nadia]

Oh wow. That is really sad. Condolences to his friends and family.
RIP, Adam.

[Bagelcat]

Such a loss. I'll be keeping his friends and family in my thoughts. Isn't is odd that the older you get the harder it seems to be to cope with death. I found it far more shocking when a chum from elementary school died then I did when my grandparents and great aunts died.

[brazos605]

A reminder that we don't know how long we have, so we'd better make the best use of every day while we can.

[gmknobl]

As a cyclist I am constantly reminded to be safe and to wear my helmet, etc. But I am also constantly aware of the fact that no matter how safe I am, I can't ever make up for the other guy. Even when you have eyes in the back of your head, like the old Dick Van Dyke "Walnut" episode, sometimes, there is nothing you can ever do, period.

I have had my run-ins with others while riding. For some reason, some people just go for bikers, not thinking or caring that a 1 ton+ vehicle can kill quicker than they can think. I've been scared, been angry (when I've had a chance to think just a little) and not even noticed when my life has come oh-so-close to ending. It's not just that riding a bike exposes you, it's that there are so many that don't even care in the least that you ride or find you an annoyance. To them, and I've heard this in so many words, that biker is "just in the way" or was "just taking chances for riding the thing in the first place." Our motor obsessed culture places a premium on our cars, trucks, even motorcycles, but not on bikes. And the cynic in me wonders whether there isn't some reason for this, conspiratorially, like the deliberate wiping out of LA's once excellent transit system (see Who Framed Roger Rabbit).

Well, enough gloom. I live in the country (Blacksburg, VA) so I've comparatively little to complain about - except for the shotgun wracked half-drunk truck drivers. I can't imagine riding in a big city regularly. God bless anyone who can. You're doing something good for you and the earth. To bad it seems like all of us are getting wiped out.