Crystal Bryant...

I'm in no position or condition to be eloquent or articulate, but:

I knew Crystal Bryant long before I ever even met her face to face. Back at the advent of MySpace, when it was a legitimate social networking site, Crystal and I became friends due to the fact that we lived in the same area. We shared a handful of mutual acquaintances and, as we came to discover in the future, an intersecting core group of close friends. I think it was nearly 5 months after first talking to Crystal that we first physically met when we almost literally ran into one another at Barnes and Noble.

None of the awkward "so this is you in real life" was present. She just up and hugged me with a confident " 'Sup Myles?" and invited me to play wiffle ball.

Let me tell you, Crystal lays down a mean hug. Each and every one was a bear hug of surprising strength considering the fact she's proportionate to the size of a pixie.

If I were forced to describe Crystal in one word, and, given the circumstance, I feel I am, it would be: dedicated. That girl had incalculable passion. Most of all she loved music and film. She put 110% of her efforts into both.

Early in our friendship, many of my nights were spent trying to deter her attempts to convince me over AIM that (insert band name here) was worth covering for my music column in the newspaper, much to my chagrin. Crystal made friends with many a band and tried her damnedest to get them all the promotion and attendance she could. The one time I remember caving was when a hardcore band called Knucklepuck came to Ground Zero. I felt a band using Disney's The Mighty Ducks films as the source material for their lyrics and name was too hilariously fun an opportunity to pass up.

When our friend Daniel Hagerman fronted The Rocket Boys, Crystal spray painted her own merch to come support them. That's the kind of girl she was.

I don't think Crystal was aware of this, but when she finally got up and moved to Georgia pursuing film school, we were all so fucking proud of her. I never told her. I just figured she knew. And the smile that lit up her face as she recalled her experiences when she came home was priceless. It was a ballsy move and was in no way easy for her, but she took it in stride.

And stride she did. She nearly won the 93.3 The Planet commercial contest. Her commercial ended up falling short at the end to an entry that pretty much only won due to T&A and bad photoshopping. Her commercial featuring Daniel Hagerman and Laurie Wood is the only reason I've paid 93.3 any attention over the last decade. It was well executed and hysterical. Most of all, it was clear Crystal was quickly learning the elements to successfully shoot on film. The girl was destined to go places.

I can spend all day discussing memories of Crystal. I hate to think of phrases along the lines such as "full of life." Referring to Cystral in the past tense seems...unfair. Wrong. I hate it.

I even tried avoid the gravity of the situation...as if it was a terrible thing, but not one that wholly touched me. But there's no way I could avoid it. I know better. And Crystal always was just as damn loud as I was. Impossible to ignore.

Crystal was a true friend. She was loyal, through and through. Regrettably, we admittedly haven't been the close friends I like to remember us as in about an year. Our lives took us in slightly different directions so that we really only spent sparse quality time together over summers and holidays. We both led busy lives in different cities. I understand how that goes. That doesn't make us any less good friends nor does that mean she had little impact on my life.

Crystal Bryant was a spastic, energetic runt of a girl and I loved her for it. One of the very few people I know that tried to make every coming day the new best day of her life. And while it may be far too hard and perhaps a bit morbid to realize it, consider this: Crystal died as she lived. This is a girl who pursued her interests and the things she loved every single day of her life. The Crystal that I know would have seen it like this. You can bet your bottom dollar that this fiery little girl would have preferred to go out living.

Short as it was, Crystal Bryant lived a lifetime. There's a consistent line in Galaxy Quest Hagerman and I love to scream at random. Crystal always thought it hilarious and found herself shouting the same thing at the top of her lungs with us at last year's Christmas party: "Never give up. Never surrender." And she never did. Not once.

Goodbye, my friend. I love you, and you'll never be forgotten.

P.S. Crystal, don't you dare think this gets you out of the 25 bucks you owe me for kissing your then boyfriend on New Years Eve.