Life is Precious

In the span of just about 72 hours there were some significant events in both my immediate circle and in my circle of internet friends. Some of these events were wonderful and one has been heartbreaking.

Two sets of friends became engaged over the New Year. One couple's been together for a number of years and probably just got tired of getting asked when they were gonna get hitched. The other couple has a shorter "time served" but I think it was apparent pretty early on that they were moving in this direction. I couldn't be any happier for both couples unless the one couple makes the decision to stay on this coast and not move back to New England.

And some other good friends welcomed a brand new baby boy into the world. Not too many details as of yet and not even a name but he's healthy, his mom is healthy and the baby boy's big sister is looking forward to having someone to boss around.

And then on the other side of the coin, a long time friend and his wife were just over halfway through their pregnancy with twins when something caused her to go into labor. The twins, a tiny little boy and girl, were born 17 weeks early and given the slimmest of chances to survive. His little boy survived for just over two days before the myriad complications from such a premature birth overwhelmed his tiny systems and he passed on. I can only imagine the grief and sadness and, yes, anger in such a devastating and terrible loss. The little girl, for now, appears to be "making it". It is my deepest hope that she does for out of great pain and suffering can come the most exquisite beauty and joy. That and Ryan deserves some measure of peace.

Update: Ryan just tweeted to me that Zoey, the surviving twin sister, is doing well and might even be taken off the ventilator today. This is extremely great news!

There are plenty of other things going on these days, the first tottering steps of the new year. But I'll leave those for another post.

Life is precious. Life is fleeting and can end in the blink of an eye. Life can end even before its begun and still make an enormous impact on those around it. Life isn't fair nor does it pretend to be. Hold on to your loved ones, tell them that you love them, show them that you love them. Life is a precious gift that can be taken away too quickly.

Reality Can Be Sobering or a Wakeup Call

Why does it seem like Fall brings about a whole new host of fallen people along with the leaves dropping?

I can think of at least four people that I know or are good friends of people I know that have died in the last several weeks. Its a little disturbing and really sad to know that so many people in my circles are mourning losses.

Two mothers, a young father, a father in law.

The young father was a motorcyclist, like me. He was riding his V-Strom, like mine, home from his massage studio in Carmel to Aptos. There are some pretty bad parts of Highway 1 between Aptos and Monterey. Where Tim crashed and died is one such place.

It makes me sometimes really think about my decision to ride a motorcycle, my decision to take part in fairly dangerous mountain biking and other things that I do that make me happy but also expose me to risks. But it also makes me relish the time I do have, the time I get to spend with my little boys while they are still little.

We don't know how long we get to play around on this giant ball of rock. Life could end tomorrow, life could end in five minutes or life could end in 97 years. Its best to hedge your bets and get as much living in now while you can.

And its also invoked a renewed impetus to find a way out of the rat race that is a full-time job. I'm wasting the best years of my life working at a desk? Hell no, I need me an exit plan! And maybe some life insurance, yeah, definitely some life insurance.

A Bad Day

There were some unexpected changes in our neighborhood yesterday and I'd be hard pressed to say that I'm really all that sad about the more major of the changes. You see, our neighbor's maladjusted pit bull was playing a little too vigorously and accidentally broke the back of their old cat.

The old cat was close to 20 years old and was in declining health and had become less and less able to get out of the way. The other three dogs were pretty respectful of the old cat. But the pit bull had, well, it had attitude issues.

I learned last night that the pit had accidentally bitten one of the other dogs a couple of days prior. The bite was bad enough to need some surgery and a drainage tube installed.

The pit bull always creeped me out, it always looked at me with an expression of "Yeah, I could probably kill you if I wanted to" and would skulk around. I don't doubt that the dog was badly treated very, very early on its life and, as a result, had permanent issues. But that doesn't mean I enjoyed being around him. The pic there is of him as a puppy, already kind of spooked by much of his new world. But he was a pretty cute pup.

Oh yeah, side note, it probably didn't help that he hadn't been fixed and was swaggering around with a set of balls.

Anyway, the cat got its back broken and had to be taken to the vet to put him down and out of his misery. Already a really tough day. And then the mother next door made the decision that the pit had to go as well. Which, I think was the right thing to do.

But that doesn't make their hearts any lighter or their house any less emptier for the dual loss of both a long cherished cat and a dog that they had come to love but knew things were not going to improve and could get much, much worse.

I should also note now that the pit bull was not, as was first reported (and I posted here about) to me, responsible for the death of the other neighbor's chihuahua. The chi pup was accidentally stepped on by the largest of the four dogs next door and its back was accidentally broken. Which is a tragic accident for all concerned since the big black lab next door is just an over-sized sweetheart.

For my own part, I'm kind of relieved that this dangerous dog is no longer next door. That there will be no more battles through the fence with my dog. That I won't have to keep a close eye on my kids when we happened to be out front when the pit was around. I feel bad for my neighbors but I am happy that the maladjusted and unpleasant dog is no longer around.

The Passing of the Best Kind of Diva

Mama Africa Passes On

Miriam Makeba had one of those beautiful singing voices that could make a bad song good and a good song great. She was also a powerful voice for human rights in addition to just being a powerful voice.

With her voice gone, the silence is deafening.

Rest in Peace, Miriam. You have earned your rest a thousand times over.

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Now playing: Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks - Holilili Tula Baba Lullaby
via FoxyTunes

Rip George Carlin

One of the first of the new generation of comedians, a guy with a great creative mind, a funny wit and, from all appearances, was a kickass guy to know.

Thanks for all the laughs, George.

Deadly Week

This has turned into a rather grim week. One of the people I've been playing Skyrates with for the last year or so passed away the other day. Another player's father passed away as well.

And I just got word that one of the people in my department died from a cardiac arrest while hiking in Big Sur in the last day or two.

Very sobering news indeed. And very sad for their families.

Bo Don't Know Life

Rock pioneer Bo Diddley dies at age 79 and will be missed by all who love music.

He first came onto my radar back when Bo Jackson was the absolute shiz-nizzle in baseball and football and, I think it was, Nike ran a series of commercials featuring Bo and Bo. And Bo Diddley's famous line, "You don't know Diddley, Bo" and then Jackson went and learned how to play the guitar so he could say he did know Diddley. Good stuff!

Fare thee well, Bo.

Save the Money for Your Incarceration, Kill Yourself Now

Convicted Calif. Molester Jumps to Death because he was facing 20 hard years in prison for repeatedly molesting a young girl over a five year period.

I wish I could feel bad for the guy but he knew what he was doing, did it over a long period of time and was convicted of it. That he committed suicide rather than spend a long time getting his ass kicked in prison is really okay with me.

I hate to say it but the world is a better place without him. He was guilty, he was a disgusting pedophile and his suicide will actually save alot of money.

Some might consider his suicide a miscarriage of justice but I think its a speeded up sentencing and carrying out of that sentence.

I think that convicted criminals should be given the option to die rather than face a lifetime in prison. I think that suicide should be embraced as a respectable way to atone for your crimes. It certainly means you won't be a repeat offender.

I've always thought how odd it is that the police would fight to save him just to lock him in a room for 20 years. Why not skip right to the end and let him die? Is that cold of me? I can be colder, why not let his victim be the one that pushes him off the building?

Introspection

Here's an interesting exploration.

Think about the kinds of things you'd like to hear if you were able to attend your wake or funeral. Note, things you'd like to hear.

Now think about the things you think you would hear.

How far off are they? How far off is your passing? More than a day? Then there's time to make your life into what you'd like to hear.

Oh yeah, and go for a walk, run or bike ride.

When Heroes Pass

Gary Gygax, one of the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons, has passed away at the age of 69 after a long illness.

His impact on my life cannot be measured and his loss will be felt for a long, long time. Fare thee well, Good Sir Knight

Would You Trade Lower Insurance for An In-Car Breathalyzer?

Four friends killed in head-on collision in San Diego County

I've been wondering about drunk driving and how it could be addressed in a more proactive and preventive way. My latest idea comes as a result of reading the linked article above. The short story is a likely intoxicated guy veered into oncoming traffic in his Yukon (big ass truck) and killed four people in a Camry.

Why not offer lowered insurance rates for cars that get equipped with a breathalyzer that's connected to the ignition. Blow safe or the car doesn't start.

It'd be mandated for previous offenders but people who just wanted a break on rates and maybe prevent their drunker and dumber selves from killing four people.

How much would it have to save you per year before you'd let them install one?

Wasted Life

Redskins' Taylor Dies Day After Shooting after having his home invaded by robbers, now murderers.

What a waste of a life, of someone with great talent and, apparently, a pretty decent human being.

"This is the worst imaginable tragedy," Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Sean's family."

Redskins teammate Clinton Portis also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. He had sensed a new maturity in his close friend.

"It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight," Portis said. "But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child."

Okay, two thoughts, one, Daniel, if the single death of a single player is the worst thing you can imagine then I truly feel sorry for how tiny your little brain is. Why the first part of his quote was included in the article is beyond me. Second, Clinton Portis' quote is much more heartfelt and real.

I'm sorry for Sean Taylor's death, it didn't have to happen. Nobody should die because some scumbags decided to invade his home. You should be able to feel safe in your own home.

Dude, This is Pretty F*cked Up Right Here

Words don't often fail but.....

Body was struck by cars for an hour during morning commute on I-880

My WTF meter exploded, I replaced it with a sweet titanium one and that one exploded too.

[Update: He was hitchhiking and "stole" a ride by grabbing a handle on the back of a truck. He couldn't hold on and fell to his death and mess. Six lanes and 1000 feet of remains across the road. How awful.]

Mean in Life, Mean in Death

Leona Helmsley, a woman in desperate need of a reality check, got the ultimate reality check when she kicked the bucket (a golden bucket with gaudy ass diamonds all over it, I'm sure). And then got a final lashout from the great beyond when she hosed two grandkids and gave her freakin' dog $12 million.

But her legacy will also be that awful, awful picture of her, all scrunched up and mean and bitter and looking more toadlike than human. I'm sure she was thoroughly pissed off when she realized that all the money in the world can't keep you alive. Death does not discriminate even if she did.

Jerry Falwell: Good Riddance to a Bad Human Being

Read some of the assembled quotes from the late and unlamented Jerry Falwell. I'd forgotten some of the thoroughly despicable things he uttered. And its shocking to see such an assembly.

That this deeply hateful man considered himself a man of God is the most warped perversion of religion for one's own ends I could imagine.

Here are a few, some may end up having my comments because they are so unutterably wrong and evil:
"AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."

"Christians, like slaves and soldiers, ask no questions."

"I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!"

"The Bible is the inerrant ... word of the living God. It is absolutely infallible, without error in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as well as in areas such as geography, science, history, etcetera."

And people hung on this absolute fucking moron's every word like it was God's sweat beading on his pasty, fatty brow. I believe in every American's right to speak his mind and I certainly wouldn't want to have shut up a fool like Falwell but I will also very loudly exercise my right to shout at him and point out the fact that the man is a cowardly hater at his core. He hates what he does not know and what he does not know is damned near everything.

Good riddance, you disgusting old bag of fetid wind. I know you'll have a dozen fork tongued replacements by next week. But damn, your sorry carcass needed to die. It is a shame that your hateful words and actions will not die with you. Burn in hell for eternity, you evil bastard. And save a place for Dick Cheney, he'll be there before too long.

Also, Jack at the People's Republic has noted an attempt by the Right to repaint this scumbag's history and he is being favorably compared to Princess Di, Mother Teresa and JFK. Which is, of course, ridiculous and wrong. He found the news over at AmericaBlog. To allow his memory to be rewritten and just cross out all the evil parts is a monstrous disservice to us all. Never forget what an intolerant, hateful windbag he really was, never forget what unutterably stupid things he said and believed. Never forget that he didn't care about religious freedom, just his own religion having the freedom to stomp on anyone else and their beliefs.

This is not a man to remember fondly, this is a devil to be scorned forever.

VT Copycats? WTF?

It seems that Cho Seung-Hui has hit a chord with introverted, loner, stalker losers all over the country with numerous threats made by teens and young folks all across the nation.

So far they are just threats of violence and braggadacio (as an aside, I absolutely love that word). But it may progress to the point that somebody does try to open up their own can of whoop ass somewhere and take "revenge" or try to fulfill their holy mission of cleansing or whatever twisted jibber-jabber they use to rationalize their attack.

It is a pretty scary idea though, isn't it, a nation beset by random rampages on college and high school campuses? Who needs terrorism when we're raising our own here at home?

Also, I have actively started avoiding the news channels. I tapped out on insights into his life and the mashed up reality he existed in. He was quiet to a fault but it would appear that there was a raging storm of emotion and thought behind his intractable stoneface.

The saturation of the news with this story almost helped to drown out the angry and ugly beating Slimy Al Gonzales got by the Senators. Another GOP Senator has called for his resignation. He is much beleaugured but has outlasted my prediction of two weeks back in March 21st. Oh well, I don't mind being off by a week or two.

Tragedy's Aftermath

I happened to click onto CNN last night when they were interviewing two of Cho Seung Hui's previous roommates. The stories they related, the additional evidence presented and excerpts from his plays paint a pretty sad and lonely picture. Until you remember that this guy murdered 32 people.

And yet I still have a tinge of sympathy for him. He had no ability to make friends or didn't want them, he wanted to be with women but had no skills to interact with them so he stalked them. He had alot of problems and never knew that he could and should seek help.

The extreme nature of the murders and the anger evidenced illustrates just how isolated and alone someone can be with their demons. He shot each and every victim three times to do as much damage as he could. And when he'd spent his fury, he killed himself because he knew there was nothing but prison walls or the death penalty (does Virginia have capital punishment? I think so but its hard to remember).

Time will tell if his plays were glimpses inside his own history or whether he was just an angry, bitter kid. If his plays are his reality then he had a pretty awful upbringing that included beatings and sexual abuse. But that's neither here nor there and it doesn't, on any level, justify his murderous actions. Nothing can justify his murders. Nothing can justify his snuffing of 32 lives.

And for that he will very rightly be remembered as a monster.

Also, as an aside, people screaming for gun control reforms are trying to capitalize on this tragedy for their own ends. Gun control would have done nothing to prevent this tragedy, the guns were purchased legally and without incident. Also, rushing to legislate in the wake of tragedies is a stupid idea. Just look at the Patriot Act.

What a Waste

.

How terribly sad and completely avoidable.

[Update: We've seen the gunman (maybe gunboy is more appropriate?) but there is still very little to go on. I will go out on a limb and suggest that part of his rampage stems from anger or frustration over a girl. I could be wrong but that's my hunch here.

Update #2: Va. Tech Gunman Writings Raised Concerns

The gunman in the Virginia Tech massacre was a sullen loner who alarmed professors and classmates with his twisted, blood-drenched creative writing and left a rambling note in his dorm room raging against women and rich kids.

The Chicago Tribune reported on its Web site that the note railed against "rich kids,""debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans" on campus. ABC, citing law enforcement sources, said that the note, several pages long, explains Cho's actions and says, "You caused me to do this."

The article later points out that he went to Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va and that two of the women he killed went there as well. And all of the warning signs were there, he'd even been referred for counseling because of his nightmarish stories in creative writing.]

Fare Thee Well, Billy Pilgrim

Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. I hadn't known that he'd been seriously hurt not that long ago. And they just announced on the news that he's passed away. That makes me terribly, terribly sad. Such a mind to lose, his was a wit and perspective that the world will sorely miss for a long, long time.

The 24/7 Anna Nicole Smith's Body Channel

Did you know that there are probably three stations in your cable lineup this moment that are discussing the details of what to do with Anna Nicole Smith's body?

Normally the media circus goes away when a person like Anna Nicole dies but not now, now there's a two headed circus of ever-increasing lunacy. On the one hand is the fight to bury her body in Texas or in the Bahamas. Texas is favored by her mother whom she detested and had excommunicated from her life. On the other hand is the paternity of the baby.

Really, it is a much bigger story than Tyra looking chubby in her swimsuit. MUCH bigger. In spite of much screeching to the contrary from Ms. Crazyeyes herself.

Years from now people will talk about the OJ trial and the Anna Nicole's body trial in the same breath.

This sordid and slow motion freak show has served only one good interest so far, write a will. Write one out and then keep it updated.

I shouldn't care about the squabbling over her body but its just so grotesque that it is all but impossible to not pay a little bit of attention to it.