Here's what I learned this week. Sorry, this may be a big downer.
I talk about my brother in the present tense. I had occasion to recall an event to some of the guys at work - the Massacre at the Avion, let's call it - and I kept talking about stuff he did and I would say stuff like, ". . . because that's just what he's like."
"He's a Ticats fan."
"Dude likes to have a drink."
and so on
It's not that I have forgotten he's gone but I guess using past tense takes some getting used to.