Karen and I met in college because we were dating the same guy - but neither of us knew it. He name was Marc and he was an RA in our Residence Hall, Read. One day, while I was in Marc's room and he left to take care of a a resident issue, I noticed his computer open to an email-in-progress,to a friend of his. In the email, he was lamenting that he had met not one, not two, but three lovely ladies and was currently dating them all but starting to feel a little big bad about this. I don't remember exactly how I tracked Karen down, but I vividly remember telling her what I had discovered in the Read cafeteria. We both decided to stop dating Marc and our friendship was born. She soon became my committee member for the Union Board Arts & Entertainment committee, lending her considerable talent as both actress and producer for a number of student-run theatrical events. And, the next year, took over the committee as Director. We frequently liked the same men and we joked that perhaps we should marry brothers considering our similar tastes. Our paths continued to cross throughout our lives, particularly in San Francisco. I stayed with her at her apartment near the ocean during my first ever visit to the city, and then later, after I'd been in SF for a few years, moved into her old room in a shared apartment when she moved away. During a business trip to New York when I missed my return flight home and couldn't get another one for three days, crashed with her and Todd, pre-kiddos, and we shared a lovely, impromptu long summer weekend on the one weekend that summer she and Todd had no plans. Yes, I think the universe conspired. I was lucky enough to spend a few days with her in February 2015, just hanging out and helping with her day-to-day life: picking up Zoe from school, taking Tate to an art class, shopping for costumes, and going to a Monday-night benefit. The last time I saw Karen was during a photo shoot at the hospital, Rocky themed. We posed for pictures, played the Rocky theme song, and laughed with her more theatrically-inclined friends. Her eyes sparkled, her laugh was contagious, and her energy boundless. That's how I'll always remember her.