Heck....

This was my friend Heck... David Smyth... Heck passed on may 10th, 2014, from cancer. He was only 31. He was laid to rest a few hours ago in Dublin.

I took this picture in 2002, on the seacoast near Wexford town, while spending the weekend with a group of my crazy, loving, wonderful friends in Ireland.

I miss you man.

A Year Gone

My mother passed a year ago today.

http://anarchangel.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-mother-is-gone.html

It's been a bad... Decade... but a bad month, and a bad week before it...

This on top... not having a good day.

Lost Another Friend I'd Never Met

On July 19th, 2010, Charles H. Sawders known widely as "Straightarrow" to the gunblogger community passed away.

Charles Sawders
65, of Doddridge, Ark., died Monday, July 19, 2010, in Vivian, La.

Mr. Sawders was born March 4, 1945, in Bakersfield, Calif. He was a pipe fitter and a Baptist.

Survivors include his wife, Cathy Williams Sawders of Doddridge; three sons, Hunter Sawders of New Jersey, Christopher Sawders of Brownswood, Texas, and Steven Turner of Doddridge; three daughters, Shelly Bowen of East Dorsett, Vt., Veronica Jenkins of Comanche, Okla., and April Doeppers of Omaha, Neb.; his mother, Fran Boon of Duncan, Okla.; one brother, Jack Boon of Florida; one sister, Cherri Quinn of Portales, N.M.; 12 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a number of other relatives.

Services will be 10 a.m. Friday at Olive Branch Methodist Church, Doddridge, with the Rev. Walter Burnett officiating. Burial will be in Olive Branch Cemetery under the direction of Hanner Funeral Service.

Visitation will be 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

One can visit the funeral homes registration book online.

I have been talking with, and participating in this community with, Straightarrow since something like 2002 or 2003. A good man. Strong opinions well argued. 

Rest in Peace Straightarrow.

With A Child's Heart

Michael Jackson passed on, just a few minutes ago; not quite 51 in chronological age, and never more than a child at heart.

It's funny, the first song I can consciously remember playing on the radio, was a Jackson 5 song "I want you back".

The very first piece of recorded music I ever owned, was Michael Jacksons best album (yes, I absolutely stand by this statement. No solo artist ever produced a better blending of R&B, soul, funk, and pure dance pop), "Off the Wall".

Then, I was in elementary school when Thriller took over the world. You cannot believe how pervasive Jackson was in pop culture at the time. Forget Britney, Jackson was on t-shirts, lunch boxes, leather jackets, studded gloves... Everyone had thriller (our house probably had three copies), everyone had Michael Jackson merchandise (I even had a "beat it" jacket for a few months 'til I outgrew it) and most importantly he was coming out of EVERY radio, 24x7.

When I was young, Michael Jackson WAS pop music.

Unfortunately he was also a deeply troubled, disturbed, abusive, and clearly mentally and physically ill man.

Sometimes, it is so clear that an abuser is a victim himself, that you can't help but feel sad... perhaps not for the abuser, but certainly for the tragedy of it all.

In my opinion, Jackson never intended to be an abuser of children. He never intended any real impropriety. He never thought he was abusing, or hurting anyone. If he had thought so, I am almost cretain he would have taken his own life long ago.

And yet, it seems clear that he had inappropriate sexual, or at the least intimate, contact with prepubescent and adolescent boys and girls.

In his own heart, in his mind, in his development; he never matured past early adolescence. He lived out that stage of awkward sexual development, live for the world to see, 20 to 30 years after it should have happened.

Yes, it was horribly wrong, but you can see the tragedy of it.

Michael Jackson never had a chance. With that family, with that upbringing, with that damaged sensitive, arrested adolescence...

It is a shame that all the great music he made, is overshadowed by the damage he suffered, and caused.

However, there is still a legacy of 20 years of great pop music, (and perhaps the best male non ballet dancing put to film since Fred Astaire) before the demons caught up with him... and the almost 25 years since... perhaps we can't forgive that, but we can at least understand it.

Rest in Peace, Michael Joseph Jackson

Captain Chaos breathes his last

Dom DeLouise died yesterday; he was 75 years old.

He was one of the funniest men who ever lived. I think no more need be said.

Aw hell....

One of our cats needs to be put down.

She has a cystic growth that can't be controlled. The vet has excised it before, but it grew back, and there's really nothing for it. He didn't call it a tumor, but rapid uncontrolled tissue growth... the distinction is lost on me I suppose.

We've been hoping it would either stop growing, or slow down enough that excising it every few months would work (a few months back the vet suggested it may possible to do so); but it's just grown too far too fast. Two weeks ago she was OK, but as of today the cyst has completely filled her sinus passages and has grown out one ear canal.

She can no longer breath through her nose, or hear properly; and she's disoriented a lot, She's also constantly scratching at it, and opening it up to bleed. At this point it would be cruel not to put her down.

The thing is, Mac, our older dog, he's about to the point where we need to put him down too (arthritis, and yes we've been treating him, and it worked for a few months, but he's just old). And the girls only lost their grandmother a few months ago...

We were hoping it would at least be a few more months... past Christmas maybe, for the girls sake.

just damn... I hate this.

We Need Another Timmy

Don Herbert has just died, at the age of 90. If you don't know who he is, you've probably heard his other name "Mr. Wizard".

Here's the official announcement from his web site:

"It is with deep sadness that we regret to announce the passing of Don Herbert - the one and only "Mr. Wizard". Don lost his battle with cancer today, June 12, 2007, at 9 AM Pacific Daylight Time - slightly more than one month shy of his 90th birthday. He was lovingly surrounded by his family, who are at once, saddened by his passing, and relieved that he is no longer suffering.

We all feel extremely lucky to have had him in our lives and to have known and worked with Don over the years. We have also been tremendously honored to carry on his legacy as an original and truly legendary figure in the worlds of both Television and Science Education. He has been inspirational and influential in so many ways and on so many lives and we are comforted in the fact that his ground breaking work and legacy will continue to inspire many more people for years to come.

Thank you so much to all of you for your support and sympathy.

Sincerely, The Family

Growing up I, like millions of other kids, absolutely loved Mr. Wizard; in my case through the "Mr. Wizards World" TV show on Nickelodeon. I learned more about science watching Mr. Wizard than I did all the way up until AP chemistry and Physics in High School.

Rest in peace Mr. Wizard.

Has Anybody Here, Seen My Good Friend...

A friend of mine killed himself yesterday. He apparently went out to the beach just before dawn, watched the sun come up over the ocean, and popped himself.

He just turned 21 two weeks ago, he was in a high pressure college program, had a rocky relationship with his "redneck/traditional asian" parents, uncertain relationships with friends and women, but there were no indications of this coming...

It's almost a cliche really; he's the demographic suicide...

God it's offensive to say that, but it's true.

He was known for proposing these wildly bad ideas, like bullpup pump shotguns with riot triggers, or fire on bolt close mode for barrage fire rifles or other somesuch crap; jsut as thought excercises.

We all used to make fun of him for it, even coming up with a term for it, the "Bad Idea Thread".

A few days ago he came up with such a stinker I rponounced it his "worst idea yet, and tha'ts saying something...

Well, I changed my mind. Frank, this was your worst idea ever; and that's saying something.

We grieve, not for the dead who are beyond the pull of grief; but for the living.

Let us not grieve; but celebrate the life of those who have left us, and take joy in what they have done, and how they have touched our lives.

Rest in peace, Frank Chen, 1986-2007