I'll keep my fingers crossed that his last visits were definitely actually all gallstones, which are much more fixable and less scary than angina. It is oddly nice, though I'm still grumpy at him for scaring you so badly, whatever the cause.

So what exactly does the gallbladder do, that it can be removed if necessary? Just how many not-so-necessary organs do we have floating around inside us, anyhow?

I forgot to add that I took the box the ashes were in, thinking to make some kind of art project/shadow box memorial thing out of it. I'm glad to have it, but uncomfortably so. The plastic baggie that contained the actual ashes is still crumpled up inside, with ash residue in it, and I'm vaguely fretting about it. Clearly, my Goth tendencies are much, much slighter than I'd previously thought.

Poor bitterbelle.

I knew someone here could identify the song.

Two of my grandparents were buried. The other two, science! Death is just weird all around.

JZ, that was really lovely to read. When was the ceremony?

At the risk of being all me-me-me, your description of the service has got me missing my own grandfather pretty fiercely. But it's pleasant, if also still very sad, to be reminded of his memorial service just a couple of months ago. Thank you.

A friend of mine, via a somewhat convoluted story I won't rehash here, acquired a set of Muppet glasses, the ones McDonalds gave out as a promo for The Great Muppet Caper.

Now, I want them. And they're cheap-cheap on EBay: [link]

That's very good to hear, Steph. My mother had her gallbladder removed many years ago, and it was no big deal at all.

I found this pic -- but maybe they'll try and sign Jilli up instead -- that'd be a sight, especially if they let her have a parasol and a purse. And I'm partial to this, sure, it's not flattering, but it does make me laugh. Also -- it's big enough that I can print a decent copy. That's my main concern -- most of the pics I have are sized for web, or dead links...

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! I should have something chosen and printed out for him tomorrow evening.

Hey, Kat! You have any high res of me at your nuptials?

Kate, it was Saturday, up at Lake Tahoe. It seems like a rare thing, a memorial that was actually true to the person's life and spirit, that felt sad but good and right. My grandfather would have enjoyed his hugely. Where was your grandfather's service, and what was it like? (Something good, I'm guessing, or it wouldn't be a pleasant memory for you.) Would it have made him happy?

I dunno. Maybe? gimme a sec.

I'm off to krav right now, so no rush rush.

You look like a glamazon in the first one listed as us, you and your boots. And the one after that is a closer shot.

What's this for again?

JZ, that sounds like a lovely ceremony.

Steph, I'm rooting for gall-bladder stuff for your dad, too. My maternal grandma, my mom, and my sister have all had theirs removed while in their 20s and recovered just fine. Apparently the scars got dramatically smaller with each generation.