In the beginning of 2001, I was reunited with more old friends of mine then ever before. In just a few months – I got reacquainted to more people from so many different chapters of my life then at any other point in my existence. And after what happened at last night’s party – it appears that the trend is continuing.

Last week – and out of nowhere, I got a call from Potato – who’s real name is Ed and who is not only my friend – but he is my other friend Brian’s brother. Potato, Brian, myself and many other people hung out virtually daily in the Summer of 1998. So much in fact – that there were days when I would come home from work – and find friends at my door waiting for me.

That Summer was by far one of – if not thee greatest Summer of my life. For the first time as an adult, my Summer was spent much like it was in my youth – laughing with friends, enjoying many good times – and experiencing as much of what life had to offer as possible. The main reason why that Summer was so special was not the place I lived, or the things I did – it was the people that enjoyed that Summer along with me. From Brian, to Potato to Jay to Chris to Paul Roe to Joe Testa to Karen To Rie and to a dozen or so others – each one of those amazing and unforgettable people in their own unique way helped me live one of the most pleasurable times of my life.

When the Summer of 1998 came to a close – so did that chapter of my life. I had moved in with Lisa and closed Paulie’s – much to the dismay of my friends. My self-inflicted departure ended in March of 1999 when I moved back in with my mother – and back into “hangout mode”. Then once again in June of 1999 – I met Sandy and said goodbye to my new found old friends – which once again found me missing their company.

So for me to now be involved in a relationship with Christine and have Potato call me proved two things – it proved that once again this amazing year has brought me another gift – and that the third time is indeed the charm.

This was the third time I was going to see my old friends again after losing contact with them. Like the last two times we got reunited, I was very excited about seeing them again. Potato told me that he would invite some of the old crew and I told him to please make sure that he would – because this would be the first time they were in my new house – the perfect place for a reunion.

When the door opened and I heard Potato’s voice – I knew this would be a night to remember. His happy personality and ability to make me laugh is something I had missed since the last time I was in this man’s company and was eager to experience again. Potato – besides bringing himself and a twelve pack – brought a guest with him – Paul Roe.

A reserved and intelligent man who reminds me of Finch from American Pie, Paul Roe always refers to me as “Mr. Wein” and shows me nothing but the utmost respect. Seeing Paul Roe was an added bonus to getting to see Potato again. But while seeing the two of them was great – it was the next three guests to arrive that truly made last night a reunion.

As I was grabbing something out of the fridge – I saw a familiar face coming up my stairs – Jay. Jay is a man who quickly became one of my closest friends in the Summer of 1998. A man who visited me when I was in the hospital that Summer every single night. A man that always called me during the times we did not hang out just to say hello – and a man who I have dearly missed since I last saw him.

Immediately behind Jay was Brian. Brian and I were like brothers that Summer. It seemed that everything that I did, he did with me. From TV shoots that took us to the Jacob Javits Center for the Cigar Expo, to Roseland Ballroom for the Tattoo Convention – to aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid for a charity tug of war as part of the WWF’s Summerslam weekend – to a trip that took us all the way to Atlantic Beach, North Carolina – we spent the whole Summer doing nothing but having a good time.

Chris rounds out the third member of the three of the closest friends I had that Summer – and the third person who was coming up my stairs behind Jay and Brian last night. Frequently, Brian, Jay, myself and Chris would hang out in his room and listen to music while we played video games, surfed the web – download something called MP3s – and watched a brand new TV show called South Park. Those days in Chris’ house were always a blast.

And now they were in my house – together – for the first time ever. And for the first time in a long time – we were all hanging out again.

From the first moments, it was evident that we were happy to see each other again. But the difference between this reunion and our last two was that there was more happiness, more camaraderie – and more of a resemblance to the times that we shared in 1998. It was Jay that discovered what the reason for this was – Christine.

When I met this crew in 1998, I was single – and whenever I wasn’t – they never seemed to like who I loved. When they met Christine – they liked her immediately. For the first time since I had a girl on my arm in their company – they liked the girl I was with. So much in fact – that after I passed out – Christine hung out with Jay, Brian and Chris until four in the morning. In the time I have known these men – there has not been one girl I have ever dated that they wanted to hang out with when I was not around – until now. And when Jay left, he told Christine that for the first time since the Summer of 1998 – I was acting like my old self again – relaxed, fulfilled – and happy. Jay then told Christine that he thinks the reason for this is because of her.

And because of Potato – the bar is back in business – and the boys are back in town – and this time – there will be no fourth reunion.

Welcome home boys.