Freebird

2014 has been California's most severe recorded drought on record......It's been raining for 3 days straight since you passed. I drove by your house for the last 3 days but couldn't reach the front door, I'll see your mom tomorrow.                                        

It's kinda devastating when you wake up one morning to people telling you sorry for something you don't even know. I was parked when I first got the text you were gone. I calmly exited my car and began to walk. We were so tough when we were kids, guess I'm still trying to live up to that right now. Everyone that knew you is crushed but humbled by the impact you made on each individual who called you a friend. I guess you were everyone's best friend, pretty cool if you ask me. It comes on strong, the broken feeling of reminiscing. From the baggy jeans and chad muska shoes, to the liberty spikes and punk belts, Alf shirts and protests downtown, to the many phases and good times. The best phase that never went out of style was our friendship. It was Brandon, Mike, you, and I always up in the mix anyone of us was with one or the other at any given time. These were the times I'll cherish and relive for all the years to come. We were all over this town, pretty sure not many have had a life/childhood like we did. I know you'd make fun of me if I cried so the tears only touch the corners of my eyes followed by a sniffle or two. 18 years of friendship wasn't long enough but I'll take what I can get. Love you my man.                                                                                                    

          A few of my favorite memories and times spent together were the chicken hole with 40's, the fifteen show in poway and fighting for vance's honor and getting yelled at by Jeff Ott, Food for less the day we coined the term cp grind which led to your handle cp grinder, 360's in Mikes bug in the rain, all the infamous house party's at your place, every single time we skated together, writing A.S.K on walls, Big Rock hangouts/meet ups, Punk/hardcore/hip hop shows we attended together, Showing up to school late because we had to make potatoes in the morning and at 3 am, Ditching class to go to Pokez, Water ballooning at the mall, San Francisco trips, Cazadores after school trips, Punk rock tree at west hills, the stories and times shared are infinite. They live inside my mind and heart.                                                                                                                                                                  
You were the only person out of everyone I've ever been friends with who always stayed in contact with me. It was just a week or two ago we were in your room talking about how the hell did we work roofing together for so long. Now I can take that back breaking negative and look at it positively. Driving to pick you up every morning at 6 a.m. and waiting in the car for what seemed like an hour for you to get ready was taken for granted. We watched the sun rise everyday together and talked about love and everything else on earth on thousands of rooftops for years. We drove around in trucks all over your favorite city and weren't the unfortunate story of all the wasted talent our group of friends became. It's tragic what we sometimes take for granted. We were best friends who had girlfriends who were best friends in high school. Even though this is the toughest hit I've taken I don't get to play god. You know that saying only the good die young, well I think it's a cruel one. I never thought you'd fall into that category. Before I left the last time I saw you, you mentioned wanting kids and a family. I wish you would have lived to fulfill that, what a cool dad you would have been. We could have taught him/her to skate and watched them cringe at the dumb stories they'd hear about us. None of us get to see your hair turn grey or fall out, your belly to grow round, see you fall hopelessly and vulnerably in love with the love of your life, play with your grandchildren, or any of the next steps in your life......but the small and big things you instilled in all of us has shaped how everyone will approach all those things in their pursuit. You always built me and everyone up, all your girls were "dope" and all your boys were "the sickest". Thank you for being a lovely friend, my best friend. If you didn't know Carlos "CP grinder Pereira you missed out. Thanks for always trying to break me out of my shell, Thanks for the recent late night talks in your driveway when you had to be up early, even though the devastating blow of losing a best friend will always leave an unrepairable dent I'll try to appreciate the hug and poetic last words "alright love you D" "Love you too Carlos". Even If I knew that would be the last time we'd talk or see each other we couldn't have said it better. I'll never forget you, I'll always miss you and just in case you really can see me from wherever your energy is believe me I really honestly tried to keep my tears in for you, hope I didn't let you down friend. Love is all that I ever had.

                                                RIP CARLOS PEREIRA 12-22-82 -11-30-14