death – Late to the Theater

“Somebody Take My Picture…”

Rather than leave things on a low note, I’d rather get things started. Let’s not let that elevator break us down.

This will be brief – there’s nothing I can write that someone else hasn’t already written, and far more eloquently.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL – FEBRUARY 04: Musician Prince performs during the “Pepsi Halftime Show” at Super Bowl XLI between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Deadspin has posted the entire 2007 Superbowl Halftime show, in which His Royal Badness says “Somebody take my picture with all this rain.” During a driving Miami rainstorm, he didn’t miss a beat. He displayed his legendary professionalism and dedication to performance and hit every note, brought everything to the table and held nothing back. My heart swelled when everyone ran out onto the field, and then again when that giant sheet went up.

He was a legend, one of the titans of modern pop music.

Rather than leave things on a low note, I’d rather get things started. Let’s not let that elevator break us down.

NO.

Actor Alan Rickman dead of Cancer at 69.

LET ME TELL YOU WHY THAT’S BULLSHIT.

Because there’s a secret club for magically awesome people, who when they reach A Certain Age, fake their own deaths and go off and have a wonderful time.

DAVID BOWIE AND ALAN RICKMAN ARE NOT DEAD. THEY ARE FINE. THEY ARE OFF SOMEWHERE HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME AND THAT IS ALL.

RIP, Thin White Duke

I choose to believe that, rather than dying, the Space Oddity went Home.

David Bowie: 1947-2016

I can’t deal with this at the moment. I just can’t.

Later in the week I’ll do a write up on my thoughts for The Hateful 8 and The Revenant, but today I’m just not in the mood.

I’d like to believe that, rather than dying, the Space Oddity went Home.

My thoughts are with his family and friends.

Say Hello To the Person In the Seat Next to You On the Burning Plane

So from me to you, I hope you’ll hear me and believe me when I say It’s going to be okay.

I’m still alive! Just busy.

I’ve been watching a lot of movies, but haven’t had time to blog about them. I’ve been working on fiction, and wrote up an entry on Mudder of Dragons about my trip to New York and I’m working on another one for tomorrow. Go check it out if you’re bored or stuck in traffic!

Patricksponaugle linked to an amazing Oatmeal comic on Twitter last night and reading it really gave me pause. Here it is:

It’s going to be okay.

You need to read it. Right now. Don’t save it for later, don’t scroll past and think ‘Oh I’ll read that later’ like I almost did, because I am NOTORIOUS for such and then forgetting. Just read it. It takes less than five minutes.

–Yeah.

If we are alive and reading this, we’re all on that burning plane RIGHT NOW, and we all have the opportunity to tell someone ‘It’s going to be okay.‘ Half of the act is saying it out loud – the other half is believing it yourself once you’ve said it.

It’s easy to gloss over the nuance of human suffering with what seems like a platitude… but really, it’s true. Holding on to hope in times of desperation is one of the best things about humanity – maybe that sounds like bullshit off a greeting card, and people say it all the time in situations when things AREN’T going to be okay and bad things happen anyway… but that isn’t what life’s about.

It actually reminded me of something that happened to me, one of my life’s great regrets.

The rest of this entry is behind a cut because it deals with the death of a family member and a personal failing on the part of the writer. I invite you to read it, but please be warned, it’s depressing.

Continue reading “Say Hello To the Person In the Seat Next to You On the Burning Plane”