2 B
Bob Weir is gone. He and Jerry Garcia were (at least to me) the sonic and vocal backbone of the Grateful Dead. He was less than two months younger than me. Jerry was older, but dead at 53. Phil Lesh made it to 84, dying in October 2024. Bill Kreutzmann is still with us at 79. Ron “Pigpen” McKernan croaked at 27. Mickey Hart’s still cookin’ at 82.
I didn’t see much of The Sopranos, but I remember hearing The Doors’ “When the Music’s Over” during one of the late episodes. The line in the lyrics following the title one is “Turn out the lights,” foreshadowing the ending of the whole show. It’s my favorite track on my favorite Doors album. Two of the band members, John Densmore and Robby Krieger, are still with us at 81 and 80, the milestone our President (who shall remain nameless, because algorithms) will hit in June, and I’ll hit two Julys later, if I’m still here.
Which brings me to a fact that might seem a theory: that death is not a state. One does not exist when dead, though to say one is dead suggests that it’s a state. When we die, we are gone. Existence for us has ceased, except in the hearts and minds of others, and in whatever works we have left among the living.
If death is a state, then life is the exception to it. But if life is a state, death is its absence, and no more.
To say one is no more is also to say life is nothing but more.
More breathing, more heartbeats, more thoughts, more of what Whitman celebrated.
Most of Whitman’s body was interred in Camden, New Jersey, in a house-like vault. His brain was removed for study and then either spoiled, went splat, or both. Hard to know.
In closing Song of Myself, Whitman says,
If you want me again look for me under your boot soles.
You will hardly know who I am or what I mean.
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless.
And filtre and fiber your blood.
Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged.
Missing me one place search another
I stop some where waiting for you.
He isn’t dead, because nobody is. He is just inaccessible in living form.
But here he is. Same as Bob and Jerry and Jim and Ray.
Fun epitaphs
I WAS ALMOST FINISHED
STEP TO THE LEFT PLEASE. THANK YOU.
THAT’S OKAY. I HAVE ANOTHER PLAN.
I NEVER DUG THIS
SORRY I’M ON MUTE
SHOULDN’T YOU BE SOMEWHERE?
THIS IS EARTH? NOT MARS?
WAIT FOR IT!
From the Dept. of Brevity
I think this short video by NotebookLM does a pretty good job of condensing an hour-long talk I gave at Indiana University about MyTerms.
TV or Not TV
Trying to watch the Patriots-Chargers game on NBC here. Logged in (we have NBC on Dish in our home system), but I just get the spinning spokes. Tried a different browser and that one is stuck in “Coverage will resume shortly.” Trying another browser… That one worked.
Until I saw this
I never cared much about Bohemian Rhapsody
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