You know, I think everyone needs a sidekick.  Batman had Robin, why can't we all have someone like that?  Sidekicks are so important because they serve a multitude of purposes: they are your best buddy, they are always quick with the witty banter, they get you into just enough trouble to make life interesting, and most importantly, they are always there when you need them. I mean, we are all superheroes at times, why not have a sidekick? The Lone Ranger had Tonto.  Lloyd Christmas had Harry Dunne.  Shoot, even Indiana Jones had that little Chinese whiz kid.  What about me?  Well... I have Mandy.

We've argued about who is actually Batman and who is Robin ever since that fateful day a little less than 2 1/2 years ago.  I had just graduated from school, and had NO idea what I was going to do with my life.  Fortunately for me, Mandy was gracious enough to give me a job on her promotions team at the oldies radio station driving around around one of four promotional VW beetles painted with the likenesses of the Beatles (I was always Ringo).  Now, you would think having one of your best friends as your boss would be strange.  Not so much.  The great thing about Mandy is she is the exact same person at work and away from it.  It never felt like I was working FOR her, more like doing favors for my friend.  It was during that summer that our secret lives as superheroes were suddenly exposed.

If my memory serves me correctly, it was The Ballard Seafood Festival.  Like the great marketing director she is, Mandy had scheduled for the Fab Four to make an appearance at said event, and for one reason or another (perhaps to check up on her promotions staff) she had decided to tag along.  Working events with Mandy was always a blast, because no matter how lame a situation we found ourselves in, the two of us could turn it into a party.  Lucky for us, the seafood festival was fun anyway, so all we had to do was hand out 97.3 KBSG stickers and enjoy the beautiful summer day.

So there we were, mingling with festival-goers and chatting/slightly screwing with the occasional diehard oldies fan, when this gay couple strolled over and struck up a conversation with the two of us.  As with every conversation I have EVER had while working an event for the oldies station, it started out with these two guys pointing out that we were way too young to like the oldies... to which one, or both (can't quite remember), of us shot back one of our usual canned responses ("You're never too young to love the oldies!") with over-exaggerated enthusiasm.  These guys were great, and Mandy and I were having a lot of fun chatting it up with them.  And then, out of the blue (or perhaps they just noticed how well she and I feed off each other), they called us out... "Man... you guys are quite the duo.  A dynamic duo!"  Oh no he didn't!  After they left, Mandy and I shared a high five and a laugh at the fact that we were now a dynamic duo!  From then on, it's been nothing but arguments as to who is really the sidekick.  I think I'm right, for the following reason.

What's the most important thing about a sidekick again?  They are there when you need them the most.  As soon as she found out I was hurt, Mandy was at my side.  While I've been told that more than 400 people came to see me that first week in the hospital, I remember only a few of them for literally seconds at a time.  Not Mandy.  We were talking about this not too long ago.  For some reason I can't recall half of what happened to me in the intensive care unit, but I remember most of things Mandy and I talked about while she was at my bedside.  One night particularly, I couldn't sleep and she told me to picture me and her hanging out on a beach somewhere.  I did, and finally slept... and she stayed by my side the entire night.  I couldn't tell you how many days I spent in that room, but I remember exactly what she was wearing that night.

I don't know how I would have survived those few weeks of hell in the intensive care unit of Harborview Medical Center if it were not for Mandy.  Though I'm sure she wasn't, it really felt like she was always there with me.  It seemed like every time I was having trouble, I would look to my left, and there she was.  No matter how miserable I was feeling, she could come in and crack some dorky and make me smile.  She's always been great at that.  I really think I would've gone crazy without her by my side.

This Christmas, she got me the most fitting gift a sidekick could give... a Batman and Robin T-shirt that says "Dynamic Duo" across the top.  You rock, lady.