Life Goes On

I arrived at work to find my inbox filled with Out of Office messages. My cubemate came in, but has gone off to her kickboxing class. It is hard for me to settle down to work. Even harder than usual, I mean.

Julie's memorial service went well as such things go, I suppose. My daughter was able to express and work through some of her grief, which is very good. For my part I am a bit numb. 9/11 affected my ability to deal with death on a retail scale. Walking home that day I realized that we are, all of us, locked in a struggle between life and death. Julie was on the side of life. When the pain of breathing was too great for her to continue the battle here, she was recalled from the front. From this front, at least.

Julie was black, and her family feels no doubt that her life was transformed, not ended, and no embarassment about expressing that conviction. There was none of that pathetic pretence one feels around so many white folks in the face of death and I was glad of that. I hope that Americans of African and mixed descent don't lose their basic orientation to reality, though I am not overhopeful.

And it is Good

I am now expecting a belated birthday present, that is, one I expect to arrive some time after my natal day, MP3 files of many of the radio broadcasts of Jean Shepherd, best known now for A Christmas Story, broadcasts which opened the eyes of the ears of my arguably (in part) misspent youth.

As I say, life is good.

And I still hope that some more of you, many, most, even all of you, will join me on Tribe.net, which hosts many virtual communities of greater and lesser respectability. The one I created for friends of the Frankster is undoubtedly one of the classier.

To join Tribe, click here. If you are already a member, please join my tribe here.

In other news:

Dr Michael Jones, an acclaimed historical biographer, believes he has proved a vital fact that should bring shudders to the Queen and her family: their right to rule is based on a lie that has been perpetuated for more than 500 years. It comes down to the fact that King Edward IV, who reigned from 1461 to 1483, was not of royal blood - he was the illegitimate son of a French archer.

The true King was evidently George, Duke of Clarence. Somebody more learned than I will have to tell us whether this is the fellow allegedly drowned in sweet Greek wine by the much maligned Richard III. (What a way to go!)

Speaking of the Last Plantagenet, and Richard, King or not, villain or not, was surely a Plantagenet, I hope you have all read The Daughter of Time, which gives me a certain perspective on what I read in the newspapers these days.