ad astra!

I wanted to post this, because I looked at the calendar last night and had a train of thoughts that ended with a pretty sad caboose. (And a shitty metaphor.)

My mom’s birthday was September 1st, and she always loved it that once in awhile her birthday would fall over Memorial Day weekend. This year is one of those weekends; that occurred to me tonight—I’m sure it occurs in a particular calendar cycle but I’ve never taken the time to figure it out since she died, but I remember she always thought of it as a special treat.

Here is something I’ve been meaning to make for a long time. I’ve posted this song before. It sort of has a story to it… I went to Meijer the night my mom died, to pick something up—I don’t remember what, but it understandably may have been Jack Daniels—and this song was playing. I remember I thought it would be a good song to play with her memorial slideshow-picture-thingy, but having just heard it for the first time I didn’t know who sang it or what the song title was, so in the haste of throwing a funeral together it was pretty hard to figure that out and it didn’t end up being included. Here is an abbreviated version, smaller and crappier than I would like it to be as I don’t have the original pictures (or all that I’d want to include) but the thought’s the same. Someday soon I should get all those pictures and make the slideshow/video that I really want. (Do you have them, Jim?)

Also, I remember picking out this poem to put on the back of the folder we passed out for her memorial service; it is kind of crappy and sentimental, but I liked it at the time anyway. I think I still like it, because it kind of says how I feel.

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn’s rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quite birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

And then there’s Dylan Thomas.

Previsouly: here lies dust

Tonight was open mic night at Bilbo’s. We didn’t go there for that, we went for the $1.50 pints; but I did hear a band do a rather wonderful cover of Pete Yorn’s Life on a Chain, and I remembered I’d forgotten how great a song it is and what a great album that comes from. The album’s name is Musicforthemorningafter (on iTunes of course) and I must say it’s been the soundtrack to several mornings after, for different reasons.

Link to Youtube video (they won’t let me embed it here for some reason).

Hey, at least we know when it starts.

Click for the full image! (which i think is damned clever)

Turn around, bright eyes…

HIM: What they got you teaching here, young sergeant?
HER: Edged weapons, sir. Knife fighting.
HIM: Don’t you teach them knife fighting. Teach ‘em to kill. That way they meet some son-of-a-bitch studied knife fighting… they send his soul to hell.
[beat] It’s all in the mind, sergeant. That’s where the battle’s won.

Spartan (2004) written and directed by David Mamet

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Here’s my current favorite, Jay Brannon, from the awesome movie Shortbus. He talks a lot, and then he sings.

I found some box art of toys that Patrick and I remembered having.
They were called SKY Commanders and their thing was you clipped a string (or in some cases a track) to two table edges and the action figures slid up and down…

I had the Cable Cannon

Patrick and I both had the Battle Track.

Parolee – Held under custody (07/30/2007)

Patrick O’Brien is an independent/freelance filmaker/artist who was diagnosed with ALS in 2005. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, attacks the body’s motor neurons (nerve cells) and is usually fatal within an average of two to five years. As motor neurons are destroyed, a person with ALS loses his or her ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe.

O’Brien decided to make a documentary of his disease, proceeds of which go to his foundation set up to fight the disease. The film is being released August 13th.

I tried to embed a clip, but it didn’t work out, so please go here to see them. I especially like “Believe”.

As some of my readers know, I had a very close friend die from this disease, so it’s great to see stuff like this.