death ← rumblestrip

Six Years Gone, and Good Riddance 10

Jun

2010

Six years ago this past week, my dad died. I think I’m finally coming to terms with it all, coming to terms with the fact that he was no father to me, that he literally left my sister & me to fend for ourselves almost twenty years prior to his death, when my sister & ...

James 1

May

2010

James was a little boy. Nine years old. We say “old”, as in “nine years old”, but nine years on earth is not a long time and does not make you old. Certainly not old enough to die. One of my former co-workers had a son. His name was James. I think you can tell ...

Emma: One Year 2

Jul

2008

Emma was Brenda’s pet cat. Well, that’s what she started out as. Brenda got her shortly after the two of us got together, and Emma immediately spent much of her time showing her displeasure at having to share Brenda with me (especially the first year, when I was finishing school and Brenda often left Emma ...

Sheldon Brown, R.I.P. 2

Feb

2008

Sheldon Brown is dead; he passed away today following a massive heart attack. The cycling world—particularly the bicycle mechanic world—has suffered a huge loss. Sheldon Brown’s cycling/technical pages are loaded with excellent information, and I refer to it (and other people to it) often. Bummer.

The Rough Road Ahead is Paved With Love 2

Aug

2007

Emma is gone, and there isn’t a damned thing we can do about it. I miss her; there are a hundred things a day that remind me she’s gone: the ingrained look-down before I take a step, for fear of stepping on her; the look to the bathroom to make sure she’s there, before I ...

Emma the Cat — 1990-2007 9

Jul

2007

She was loved, she was our child; she will be missed.

Richard Jeni, R.I.P. 5

Mar

2007

Richard Jeni, standup comedian, killed himself the other night. I always remembered him as one of those great comedians who sailed under the radar, one of those acts that you were proud to say “yeah, he’s great”, with the smug satisfaction of someone who was more plugged in to the comedy scene than the person ...

R.I.P., Molly Ivins 5

Jan

2007

Well, shit. Molly Ivins, my favorite Texan, has died. Losing her third battle with breast cancer, one of our greatest bastions of clear thinking and best practitioners of humorous-while-pissed-off writing is no longer around to comment on the bullshit that politicians do. I still remember reading one of Molly’s editorials in the Star-Ledger, back in ...