Flowers, photographs and candles on a public thoroughfare do nothing meaningful to memorialize the deceased. I think it's better to celebrate their life than the instant of their death.

I don't know. I'm not usually into the sentimalization of things, but this kind of touches me.

Celebrating their life is important - but we, the people in this neighborhood who are leaving the flowers, didn't know this man's life. At that corner was the place where his life and the life of the neigborhood briefly, tragically intersected. And I thing that's something worthy of note.

I also don't see these little impromtu memorials as something permanent, though, something to be tended. I find something sort of touching and even meaningful in their transience.

Happy birthday, Victor!

I dreamed that I came home, and the people in the apartment across the hall had just moved in and left us all of their boxes. It was beautiful.

The mover's fantasy! Good luck with that.

I am only mildly itchy this morning. So that's nice. Why does Benadryl have to have a hangover? That's not fair.

I also don't see these little impromtu memorials as something permanent, though, something to be tended. I find something sort of touching and even meaningful in their transience.

I guess the thing I wonder about is whether these people would try to do the same thing in the hospital room where granny died

Happy Birthday, Victor!!

Wow, I slept late. Coffee now.

How did Granny die in the hospital room?

In my experience, it's been sudden and accidental deaths that get memorialised -- some guy who keels over from a heart attack is a lot less likely to get a wreath on the sidewalk than the guy who was mown down in a cruel Segway accident.

Happy Birthday Victor!

I'm glad you are feeling less itchy, ita.

Do you build a memorial at the bottom of the basement stairs that little Bobby fell down and broke his neck on? To me it's too much like "I want to share my grief with the entire world!"

Ready for your road trip, Lee?

To me it's too much like "I want to share my grief with the entire world!"

I think it's unquestionably sharing -- but sharing that, in Brenda's example, is people reaching out to each other in shock and grief -- over someone they didn't even know.

What's wrong with sharing grief? When did that become bad?

the guy who was mown down in a cruel Segway accident.

Yes, but the cruelty of this scenario is mitigated somewhat by its comical factor.