One of the best things about Derek was his inclination and ability to lighten the mood of a friend. Witness this example from Liz Stewart:
Derek, myself, truss perhaps, and other people were sitting at the wedgeterms (the current location, not the old location near the mailboxes), I assume waiting to log in. Derek and I were sitting in chairs, facing one another. I was ranting and raving about something or other, and is my usual, I got a bit...general with my cursings. "Yadda yadda yadda, yadda yadda yadda, people are assholes." Derek, upon hearing this, reaches over and takes my glasses off of my face. This was a bit unexpected, of course, so I watched him as he put my glasses on his face, leaned back in his chair, folded his arms over his chest and said, "People...are assholes!" At which point I just about fell out of my chair laughing because he looked so utterly ridiculous wearing my glasses while trying to imitate my ravings.Benjamin D. Hutchins