Since becoming Moderator of the South Park Booster Club, I have corresponded with many of the people I have sent the Digest to. Be it over the telephone, through “snail mail” or via e-mail – and sometimes even in person – everyone I have communicated with has been a real pleasure to know. But of all the people that I have come to know from the South Park Booster Club – Arthur is one person that I am particularly happy to have become acquainted with.

Living in England, he is one of the Digest members that is unfortunately not in the same “loop” as the rest of us when it comes to South Park. He gets the new episodes months after we do, he can not participate in any of Comedy Central’s contests because they are only open to U.S. residents – and he is hours ahead of us and cannot participate in the South Park Chats because our afternoon is his evening. But amazingly – none of that stops him from being one of the most loyal, interesting – and inclusive members of the Digest. He is a member of many Factions, he doesn’t let a week go by without sending in a post – and he even made it to Colorado to join us for the First Annual South Park Convention.

But besides being a Digest member – he has become a good friend to me personally. He calls at least once a week to say hi, he always reads and comments on my columns – and he even called me to congratulate me on writing my three hundredth column. In fact, when we were in Colorado, he was of great assistance as I wrote the columns at the Convention. Sitting there with me as the words left my head and hit the page, he would let me know when a word was spelled incorrectly, or when something was left out – which I really enjoyed and appreciated.

As a person, he is friendly, funny and outgoing. Most people from America expects Britains to be a little arrogant and pompous – but Arthur was as cool as the kids I grew up with. And despite the fact that it took him close to two days time to get to Colorado, and that when we woke up – he was normally going to sleep – he never let that bother him. Instead, he was as inclusive in person as he was in the Digest. He was a Guest Moderator for a day, he played Kenny in our South Park play – and he read aloud the coronation of King Terry and Queen Wendi. If that is not participation enough, he spent a year of his time creating a South Park movie that was so close to the original – that he could easily animate an actual episode. In addition to the actual voices of the characters, himself and a few of his friends – he let me do a voice for the movie. Thanks to Arthur, I got to hear my own voice talking to the characters of my favorite show. And even when there was nothing to do but party – he seemed to always be right there having a good time.

Since I have left the Convention, I have missed that weekend so much that I would give anything to go back there, but even though I can not, I can still remember the times I had when I was there – and the good friends I made like Arthur.

Incidentally, When Arthur called me to congratulate me on three hundred columns, he informed me that since it only took me six months to write one hundred – he requested that I do the next hundred in only three months. He even sent me an e-mail the other day and informed me that I was “on-target” for one hundred in three months. So since he enjoys my writing so much – I figured I would write one about him – my good friend on the other side of the world.

Thanks for the friendship Arthur – only sixty-three more to go.