Hooray for Arthur going home, Debett!

Beautiful poems.

My boss' funeral was at Green Street Mortuary. I finally visited his grave in Colma last year after taking my sister to SFO. First time since burial there. I miss him, really wish I could talk to him sometimes.

After my mother died, my sister & I found urns we liked a lot online, mostly from Maine or Vermont. Much better prices than via a mortuary out here. Poking around via googl e, lots of pretty wood boxes come up.

I'll organize a F2F if it's at McMenamins Edgefield. It's 9.7 miles east of PDX (the Portland Airport). It's popular for events, so finding a time, I assume next year, could be challenging but not impossible. DC was towards end of May 2004. Seattle was towards end of June 2006. How many people would show up? There's a thread for that, I know.

Looking up those dates, I had saved messages from Ed and Connie Neill and Deena [and Gus, grrrr] & a bunch with a bunch collectively chipping in to buy a Tivo + lifetime access for the Zmayhem wedding. Plus message #1, 2002 email to click into the Phoenix Board.

That's a long time. I remember the late shift chats also. I was on often. I was there very actively during the Pix welcome & let's bring Nilly night, ya know. The person who wrote a book about that was, I think, pissed off that I'd recently yelled at her for being a mean girl to someone & so I don't exist in the retelling.

Oddball segues. Sorry.

and they read it like "jessaaaayyyy" or similar and it makes me laugh every single time.

I heard it in the voice of the Fonz!

I have several tiaras and a house dress type thing that could pass for a caftan. I'm in!

I have no caftan, but I do have a silk house dress that belonged to Ginger's mom (I think) that I love. I'll wear that.

I have no caftan, but I do have a silk house dress that belonged to Ginger's mom (I think) that I love. I'll wear that.

That works!

So just talked to my niece who's with my sister in Northern Georgia.

I've booked a flight to Atlanta next Thursday. Spend the night, and drive up to McCaysville Friday. Spend Friday and Saturday with my sister, and then drive back to Atlanta early on Sunday and fly back to SF.

Not really what I wanted to do two weeks after my wife's death, but needs must.

David, that’s so hard. I wish it weren’t so, but like you say, need must.

It’s fucking too much now, but you won’t regret later. But it’s still fucking too much.

But it’s still fucking too much.

It fucking is!

On top of all this I have to schedule Jacqueline's church service funeral but I don't want it to land on (or near) Emmett & Matilda's birthdays (9/23 and 9/26 respectively).

But my MiL isn't available the first week of October, so...halfway to Halloween or something.

There's no way I'm putting her funeral anywhere near our kids birthdays though.

Oof. Yeah, no. Your & their future Augusts will weigh heavy enough.

It’s sorry, sad, STUPID calendar & heart math.

Ugh that is so tough David.

I am all for caftans and crowns. I didn’t even go dancing tonight because I looked at the clock at 730 (dancing is 8-10) and the thought of taking a shower and figuring out clothes and walking there all felt like too much.

All this talk of tiaras. I think I sent JZ a tiara during our tiara exchange. It had red stones, and the metal was kind of dark.

David, it's all so much. Please, friend, take care of yourself, too. I hope you have a good visit with your sister, and that you can find a good date for Jacqueline's funeral. The kids might want you to keep the services far from their birthdays, but they might surprise you and want the opposite. If you haven't already, talk to them about it. It's really hard to schedule everything, because it seems too final. But (and I know you already know this), sometimes doing all the things we do to mark a profound loss like this actually helps us choke it down.

Matilda and Emmett may make it easier than it seems in your mind right now.

(Signed, my Grampy died the day before my birthday, which was my dad and his late twin's birthday. My grandmother died on her birthday, which was Mother's Day. My other grandmother died right before Christmas. It's always sudden sucky.)

But (and I know you already know this), sometimes doing all the things we do to mark a profound loss like this actually helps us choke it down.

Yes. I'm sorry that you have to juggle so much when you have so little emotional energy fuel.

Listening to Breakfast of Champions now. I almost always forget on Friday morning, but catch it over the weekend at times.