Hey Coz [Brian Costello],

One final Jim story- right now I am packing for my trip to NJ for Jim's funeral, and it reminds me of a few things.First, I woke up at 4am to make sure I had time to get everything done. This is atypical for me, but it's very much the kind of thing Jim would do. When I spoke to him a week ago, he mentioned that he was getting up at 4:30 so that he would be able to the gym before work.Second, Jim and I roomed on the road quite often, so I was more familiar with his packing habits than I probably should be. Jim HATED with a passion to check baggage. So even if we were going to a conference for a week, he would manage to get everything he needed into an overhead bag.I was the opposite- I tended to push the 100# limit with my bags. Somehow Jim would manage to squeeze in his suits for presentations, shirts, gym clothes, computer, etc into just 1 bag.Here is the funny part though- his other obsession was Clif Bars. In all of the stories about Jim, everyone talks about his boundless energy, and perhaps wonder what his secret was. The answer was Clif Bars. Jim always had a stash with him. I'm not talking about 1-2 bars. He bought a bike messenger bag that he would bring to work with him everyday. This was so he would always have a copy of Preston and Shapiro (and EMG book he had memorized) and about 20 Clif Bars with him. Jim was rarely late for meetings, but there were a few occasions we would have to stop at the local Walgreens so that he could resupply himself with Clif Bars. My apartment in Chicago had a more secure mail delivery than his apartment, so periodically I would receive packages for Jim to restock his Clif Bar inventory.Anyway, I am thinking of Jim now as I pack, because I am struggling to get all my stuff together for the funeral into a small overnight bag. Somehow, Jim was able to pack for a week at a time, and still have room in his luggage for about 50 Clif Bars. Jim's favorite meeting was American College of Sports Medicine meeting. If you asked him, he would say it was because of the quality of the speakers or that it's the first place he met Joel Press. On some level, though, I think it was because it was the only meeting that was sponsored by power bar suppliers, so that he was able to restock himself mid-trip.

Gary