I'm so glad the wedding went well! I still can't believe your sister is married. I think about how she was when she was living with you in the months after I moved out to LA, and I'm boggled that she's all settled and hitched now.

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I'm so sorry you've been sick, Megan, but this?

So far, I'm not missing teaching at all. Of course, maybe that's because I still have to think about all the planning and pedagogy that I loved, while not having any actual grading!

Makes me hate you a little. Just a little. But still.

Otherwise I'm just very happy that you're happy. And yes, a trip north is overdue. I will come up as soon as I have time and money to do so.

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I am not a beautiful and unique snowflake. I immediately googled Dan Fogelburp Bloom County.

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I will come up as soon as I have time and money to do so.

Free place to stay, complete with all the geeky toys, comics, and games that ND could want!

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complete with all the geeky toys, comics, and games that ND could want!

Well...and you. Duh. Miss you, silly! Where in the city are you, again?

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It could be worse. My parents are in a box in my sister's basement because she can't bring herself to actually do something with the ashes.

Yep...my grandmother died about a year ago, and my mom was explaining to me that they were not planning a funeral (who would come, besides my mom and her sister and their husbands/kids? No point). But that we would probably scatter her ashes in Chicago in the spring, along with grandpa's. I was like "....isn't grandpa already somewhere??" and her response was "Yes. The back of your aunt's closet." (He'd been dead for...over ten years at that point??).

Of course, no ash-scattering has yet happened, so I have this sneaking suspicion that when my mom or aunt pass away, we'll be going through stuff and have to be all "Maaaan, I don't even know WHOSE ashes these are!"

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When I first got a life insurance policy through a job, I named my sister as beneficiary, on the grounds that she would likely be the one making arrangements anyway. My instructions to her were, "Dispose of the body as cheaply as you can, and have a big party with the rest of the money."

d and beth, thanks for the input on the issue I asked for help with. I'm leaning toward taking the position, knowing ahead of time it will be a whole lot less fun than my current situation. But I know I can do the work, and I believe I can find a way to deal with the extra stress. And I'm hoping that the rewards will be worth the fuss and bother.

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(He'd been dead for...over ten years at that point??).

That's the ridiculous thing. My mom's been dead for almost twenty years. My father died about eight years ago, so my sister has had both sets of ashes for that long. Crazy.

Kristin, I live in West Portal, the southwest section of the city, just on the other side of the mountains from downtown, but conveniently located on 3 MUNI lines.

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Glad to hear the wedding went well, Aimee!

My grandfather was cremated and his ashes were scattered up at his ranch. The horse my uncle was riding threw him and the ashes were strewn a bit less decorously than planned, but we all agreed that Grandpa would've gotten a kick out of that.

Grandma, also cremated, we buried under an oak sapling in the meadow my parents are restoring/managing. Unfortunately, the tree died, but presumably the ashes are still down there and we can put another one on top. Grandma would not be pleased, but what can you do?

We scattered some of my friend's ashes on the Mississippi during his wake. We also all ate some of his ashes. It seemed like a good idea at the time. This was after a lot of whiskey and singing and bagpipes, there was not a lot of rational thinking involved. I don't regret it, exactly, but I don't know that I'd choose to do it again.

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Ray Cole on The Wire had the Pogues. Something with "American"in the title. That was a beautiful moment. (/The Wire likes Irish Carrots)

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