He was a cheapskate. That I know. He bought things on discount and in bulk. His family turned badly printed napkins inside out; they split one can of orange juice between 9 kids. They wore hand-me-downs clothes and cheap shoes.

He was a plant-person. He saw a plant, and he bought it. He stuck it randomly in the yard. He planted hundreds of pine trees and other evergreens.

He was intrigued by new inventions. He bought a portable telephone and kept in his car. But, to make sure nothing would happen to it, and because it cost money to make or receive a call, it was never ever used.

He loved words, but couldn't say them right. He used a hard 'g' in the word "gee" rather than a soft 'g'. And only stopped when his wife pointed out that "gee whiz" wasn't said with hard 'g'.

He loved to argue. He could drag out an argument for hours...and hours...and hours.

He loved to read aloud. His kids heard many, many stories from him, and then read them to their own children.

And then, he died of cancer. Leaving 9 kids between the ages of 19 and 2, and his wife behind him.

Yes, I know many, many things odd things about him, but much about his everyday life. I've imprinted everything I know about him in my memory, so that someday when we meet in heaven, I'll recognize him. I'll fling my arms around him, and tell him who I am.

Who was he?

My Grandpa.

And I never met him.

Music and glitter, what more could you want?

Velvet Goldmine is a fictional account based loosely on the alleged relationship between glam rock mega star David Bowie and garage rock bad boy Iggy Pop.

The film is set mostly in 1970's England when glam rock was taking the nation and turning them into glitter raving loonies.

The costumes are amazing, the soundtrack is epic, featuring songs by Roxy Music and Slade (yes, 'Merry Christmas Everyone Slade') and there is a stellar cast including Ewan McGregor, Christian Bale and Eddie Izzard.

The film deals unashamedly, yet at the same time sympathetically with themes of drugs (mis)use, alcoholism, bisexuality, adultery and fame.

Another point I would have to make is that one of the producers of the film is REM legend Michael Stipe.

90's rock band Placebo even show their pretty little faces faces (and their musical talent) during the movie.

In the whole of my life, I have only ever come across two other people who have seen the movie which is a sad fact, but does also make me feel special, like I'm in on a little glam rock secret that no one else knows about.

Velvet Goldmine was released in 1998 when the media didn't really know what to do with a film about men loving men and women and women loving women and men. Today, I can't help but feel, it would be a cult legend before it was even released.

Our parting was brief, and bitter like the ketchup I put on my omelette that morning - the same spicy ketchup you hate, that you choked on and spilled onto the checkered cloth.

You were going to some big-name school in California, where you would be hanging around with fancy, rich, kids - splashing around in their big pools and feeling the sizzling sun of LA on your bag.

I was staying here in our small east-coast town, standing at the bus stop in the frosty weather and swatting thoughts of you from my mind.

I would see you, for sure, on my 6” phone screen and probably on the news someday - but I would never know you like I did when we stood in my kitchen, laughing about cursed condiments.