I bought a memory book early this year.  It’s the kind that doesn’t have days, only dates, so you can use it for years, filling in the special memories that you have.  If one were to look in that memory book, they would see a single entry marking the end of May.  It’s the day I met the group fondly called the Chatty Cheekers.  It started simply.  I had recently added Cheeks on myspace, and was still discovering how talented he really was, when I saw that people were commenting on his myspace status, carrying on conversations.  They seemed like they had known each other and Cheeks forever!  I worked up the courage to start talking with them and discovered that they were fairly new to the Cheeks world as well.  We held long conversations, Cheeks occasionally commenting, and each time he posted a new status update, we would move the conversation up the page.  When it was announced that the forum had a chatbox, we convened there, forming fast friendships and sharing things we don’t share with most people in real life. 

We come from all over the country, all over the world.  We’re different ages, live different lifestyles, enjoy different things.  But one thing brought us together, and that was Cheeks.  The more we talked, the more we learned that we all had things in common.  We’re all free spirits, or at least we desire to be.  We believe in a freedom of expression and openness that I have witnessed in few people in my everyday life.  But Cheeks is one of those people that brings out the best, the strongest personality traits, and makes you want to own them, be proud of them.  He has reminded us that “you control your sparkle”, that it’s up to each and every one of us individually to believe in ourselves.  That’s what has formed the basis of these friendships.  We remind each other to be amazing, to step outside the boundaries of what we’re comfortable with, and enjoy doing so.

Cheeks… he’s an incredible person.  I don’t think I’ve seen or heard a negative remark from him.  Snarky, yes. Sad, yes. Negative, no.  His videos  are the type that are good for a laugh if you need one, but when you watch them a few times and see beyond the initial comedy, they really challenge you to think and to see a deeper meaning in what’s being said.  He’s incredibly intelligent, and his insight into life is sometimes shocking.  It’s easy to forget he’s only two years older than me; he just has such an amazing vision of the world.  And I’m sure I’ve only seen a small fraction of it.

My entire summer was spent with the Cheeks peeps, through ups and downs, tweeterwall all-nighters, craziness, giddiness, and excitement when we managed to succeed and get through to people.  Cheeks and this wonderful group of peeps really opened up a different world, one in which I can be me, no excuses, no apologies, and we all have fun.  There’s never a dull moment with them (if there is, someone fills it with something hilarious or thought-provoking or just down-right silly), and getting to know them has been an amazing experience.  The first time we chatted with Cheeks, I was in shock, excited and nervous, and not knowing what to say.  But now I’ve grown comfortable, so that I have no trouble teasing him and asking if we get to plan the Cheeky Cotillion.

Other than that, I’m not sure what to say.  My summer took a dramatic turn for the better when I discovered Cheeks by being nosy on Myspace, and I look forward to continuing to support, interact with, and be inspired by such an incredible artist.  I’ll be spreading the Cheeks like crazy. :D

All my love to Cheeks and the peeps,

Tribyen