friend time, the second

The "Grandma's Cooking" Syndrome:

knowing someone, often a grandmother, who cooks a certain dish so delicious that it defeats all other versions, leading you to compare all other versions of the dish to it and saying things like, "This shepherd's pie is good, but nothing compared to Grandma's!"

I'm always saying this. It's not just my grandmother's excellent cooking, either. Example: Whenever I see Philly Cheese Steak on a menu somewhere that isn't Philly, I don't even consider it. Living in said city for four years and visiting it regularly for six, I've found my favorite cheese steak, Jim's on South. I'm not really in a position to say it's the most authentic, but to me it's the best and most dependable. (There's the bit of life. Here comes the segue.) Last night, I had pizza for dinner, and the first thing out of my mouth was, "Jeff's is better."

.

Here's another friend of mine. His given name is Jeff Nelson, but others know him as "The Outstanding." His pizza his top-notch. He says there are a couple of better places in NYC, but I honestly have not had anything greater. He's also skilled at animation and related activities, showcased in his new reel:

Jeff Nelson Reel from Jeff Nelson on Vimeo.

Jeff and I were perhaps fated to share quarters in the Pine Correctional Dormitory four years ago, as we have been friends ever since. Capers have included MacGuyvering booby traps from furniture, walking in drive-thru lines in the middle of the night on a quest for nourishment, a Pirate Adventure to Gonesville (with Justin Cassano and one Captain Blacksocks), and many lightning-fast Whole Foods raids, just to name a few. Our longest conversations have focused on the inevitable future his pizza has in a chain of themed restaurants under his name. I cannot give any more detail if only to make what lies ahead all the more amazing.
We once almost died from laughing. Really. I don't know about him, but that was the only time my laughter transitioned to laughing with tears to simply crying and clutching my chest. Good times.

I helped him create his website, jeffnelson.co, but he filled it with so much neatness. Ye who click, be entertained!