I Heart San Francisco
While eating lunch today, I saw a woman wearing a shirt that had a big arrow pointing to her very pregnant belly. Above the arrow it said "I'm with stupid".
Howard Dean - President?
I once saw Bill Clinton give a speech, during his second presidental campaign. That man new a thing or two about public speeking. Especially in regards to politics. He made the whole thing seem effortless. Like a casual conversation between friends. He effortlessly dropped into his various key points. ...Giving them like they weren't rehearsed before hand. It left a very strong impression.
Yesterday, I listened to Howard Dean give a short speech. He's not as solid on the mike. While he never stumbled, the transition from just talking to soundbite was obvious. Painfully so in some parts. Yet it's really quite endearing. In person, he comes across very similar to the hype.... As a genuinely knowledgable man concerned for the directions our country is headed in. While I wish he was a bit more liberal (gun control is a very sore point).... he's the most clued in canidate I've seen for any office. He seems to generaly understand the importance of information and how it's changing community. He's concerned about the future, rather than pining for the past. While I still don't know who to support, those are traits I can see myself getting behind.
"Caught You Lookin Like a Barb Wire Fire Escape"
Window Shade
Rambling About Something Instead of Going Home
I've been reading Big Sur, by Mr. Kerouac, for a couple of weeks now. I'm enjoying it more than any of his previous books. I generaly don't drink... yet there's something uncomfortably familiar in his descriptions of the agony of alcoholism. ...The way he wants freedom from it while seeking refuge within it. The way the cabin at Big Sur reminds him of of that contradiction. It gets me a bit down at times... but in that good reminding sort of way.
While making my way through Big Sur, it's also become obvious that blog's owe a lot to Kerouac. Without his contributions to American literary subject and style, they may have never come around. A quick look at the recent posts to LiveJournal or a jaunt through NextBlog reveals a lot of the same subjects he tackled. ...Mostly without the lyrical prose and grand adventure, but similar none the less. There's hostility and alienation and friendship and love and conversation.... all filtered through descriptions of surroundings.
The current blog world could very much use a Kerouac. Someone to see it all through the eyes of a poet, flip that shit, and give it back to us in a way we barely recognize but find familiar. Like On the Road... but further than these good old United States... and in a blog...... so we all can participate. Extending it by running it through our own perspectives.
It needs to be someone who understands the medium. Someone who can sample pop culture into poems. Someone like Tony Pierce. He meets the criteria and already has a head start on everyone. Somebody should hook him up.
Fire is amazing from space.
Practice Makes
Often times, folks will tell me about how they tried meditation once or twice but "it didn't work". Some such something caused the experience to fall short of their expectations - so they stopped.
Somewhere along the way the association of "practice" with meditation ran together. ...But not in the right way.
Our culture teaches us that following the steps of looking the part is all you need to be something. Drive the right car and wear the right pants. Poof. You're attractive and cool.
That's no big surprise statement. When questioned, very few people would say that's not how advertising works. Yet it still works. I'm fortunate enough to know a wide variety of people that enjoy life enough to thoughtfuly consider it. They're well aware of advertising. To some degree, it still manages to work on all of them. It still manages to work on me.
There are few things in this world more powerful than the desire for an easy end to our suffering.
It's in that desire that we look at Meditation Practice with blinders. ...Seeing only the first half. Ignoring everything we know about habitual performance for the sake of improvement. ...Everything we know about practicing.
Recently, Mr. Case got it:
Imprefection is our defining trait.
A meditation practice is the continual discovery of who we are, as brought about through acceptance of who we are. ...As such, any meditation can't possibly go wrong.
Somewhere along the way the association of "practice" with meditation ran together. ...But not in the right way.
Our culture teaches us that following the steps of looking the part is all you need to be something. Drive the right car and wear the right pants. Poof. You're attractive and cool.
That's no big surprise statement. When questioned, very few people would say that's not how advertising works. Yet it still works. I'm fortunate enough to know a wide variety of people that enjoy life enough to thoughtfuly consider it. They're well aware of advertising. To some degree, it still manages to work on all of them. It still manages to work on me.
There are few things in this world more powerful than the desire for an easy end to our suffering.
It's in that desire that we look at Meditation Practice with blinders. ...Seeing only the first half. Ignoring everything we know about habitual performance for the sake of improvement. ...Everything we know about practicing.
Recently, Mr. Case got it:
"Christopher mentioned how many pleasant places there must be here in the SF Bay Area to 'practice,' practice meaning meditate. And it started to sink in for me intellectually that meditation needn't (and shouldn't) be a monumental struggle, but rather a practice one approaches objectively."Practice is the embracing of imperfection.
Imprefection is our defining trait.
A meditation practice is the continual discovery of who we are, as brought about through acceptance of who we are. ...As such, any meditation can't possibly go wrong.
Kean Challenges Bush on 9/11 Secrecy
"Frustrated by Bush officials withholding key documents requested by the bipartisan Commission investigating the September 11th attack, 9-11 Commission chairman Thomas Kean, the former Republican Governor of New Jersey, is challenging President Bush's vow to 'uncover every detail and learn every lesson of September 11th.' Kean said yesterday, 'Any document that has to do with this investigation cannot be beyond our reach."From The Daily Mislead.
Morning News
- California wins anti-spam lawsuit
- A California judge imposed a $2 million fine on a company accused of sending unsolicited bulk e-mail, and the state's attorney general said the decision would lead to a crackdown on spam.
- PNA condemns Israeli demolition of high-rises in Gaz
- "It is a crime that is part of a series of Israeli army provocative daily crimes, and we would not tolerate such provocations," Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a top aid of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, told reporters in Ramallah.
- Protesters Try to Revive Antiwar Effort
- "I have two granddaughters," said Nancy Jakubiak, 54, a legal assistant preparing for a 12-hour trip to the District on a charter bus leaving Louisville tonight. "They're 3 and 1, and I do this for them. I tremble when I think of the world they're going to grow up in."
Monster's Like Presents Too
Panther is Installed
It's really nice. It's fast in a snappy responsive sense ...and in the productive better computer using sense too. With each new version of OS X (10.1, 10.2, and now 10.3) Apple has constantly managed to address some of the biggest problems/annoyances I find.
This time around, the new Finder perfectly solves a constant problem of quickly jumping between often used folders. Previously, I'd put aliases to these folders on the dock (the lack of small icons and the horizontal nature of 10.2's Finder toolbar made it impossible to fit them all there). This was fast... But I don't want to keep track of whether or not I've already opened folder x.... Or worse, If I've clicked away from the desired target after opening it. At various points throughout the day I'd have to stop what I was doing, close everything, and start fresh. Now, with 10.3's roomy sidebar (and the old favorite Spring Loaded Folders), I can use a single Finder window to jump back and forth between everything I need.
Another regular annoyance, has been keeping track of open windows. Minimizing to the dock is good in theory... But in practice it a) involves too much extra clicking and b) my dock is too small to quickly tell one BBEdit window from another (I don't think it could ever be big enough). Expose solves this problem beautifully. A quick tap of F9 and every open windows scales to fit on the screen, with no overlap. Hitting F10 does the same, but for the current application's windows only. I've set the same options up for the never used click action on my mouse's scroll wheel (The Mouse and Keyboard Preference Pane natively supports creating these bindings). Now I can quickly switch between windows or just get a view of what I've got going on, without lifting my hands from the keyboard or the mouse.
Thanks Apple.
(BTW: So far, there's been no sign of Mr. Twitty)
Mysterious Panther Path
Along with my new G5 came an offer to upgrade to Mac OS 10.3 (aka: Panther). I took advantage. It shipped out Oct 22 and was in Oakland early early the next day. It looked like I'd have it a whole day before it's offical release...
Then Memphis got in the way.
In the course of a very long day, the upgrade travled from Oakland, to Memphis, and back to Oakland again. The possible reasons for such a detor are numerous... A last minute insertion of a surprise Graceland shot glass? A seal of approval from Minnie Pearls estate? Maybe that creepy ass pyramind was involved somehow?
...But there were no trinkets or stamps or evidence of handling by modern day mumies/t-shirt booth vendors. There wasn't even a faint trace of mud. ...Just four CD-ROMs and a licensce agreement.
I guess I'll never know what happend to my little upgrade that day. I can tell you this much though, If Expose includes anything that remotely resembles the ghost of Conway Twitty, I'm sending it back.
Then Memphis got in the way.
In the course of a very long day, the upgrade travled from Oakland, to Memphis, and back to Oakland again. The possible reasons for such a detor are numerous... A last minute insertion of a surprise Graceland shot glass? A seal of approval from Minnie Pearls estate? Maybe that creepy ass pyramind was involved somehow?
...But there were no trinkets or stamps or evidence of handling by modern day mumies/t-shirt booth vendors. There wasn't even a faint trace of mud. ...Just four CD-ROMs and a licensce agreement.
I guess I'll never know what happend to my little upgrade that day. I can tell you this much though, If Expose includes anything that remotely resembles the ghost of Conway Twitty, I'm sending it back.
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson Interview
BLVR: They [De La Soul] weren't afraid to be suburban, weren't afraid to be polyglot, weren't afraid to be intellectual.Hip Hop History, Politics, and Hairdoos... In The Believer.
AT: They wore it like a badge of honor. They were my entry into hiphop. I worked at Sam Goody when Three Feet High and Rising came out, and my first act of theft at that store was taking the promo cassette. I took that cassette and made a lifestyle with it. With Nation of Millions I heard my father's record collection inside the record. I said, "How can I utilize that so I can make that work for me?" Then De La totally introduced me to the lifestyle that I could relate to. They validated me.
Shower Me With Things
I should call in sick more often. Coming back to work today, I was greated by:
- A nice t-shirt compliments of Mr. Marc Brown
- Dose's new book of poems, The Pelt!
- WWE Smackdown: Eat Your Vegtables! for the Playstation2, loaned by Mr Steve J
- 120GB Externnal Fireware HD, purchased with a $40 .Mac rebate
Meet the Family
Bachelor Kitchen
Broke Down
When I'm sick, even if it's a little cold like this one, my attention span is completely destroyed. I'm continually distracted and horribly forgetful - It just occurred to me that my house keys are at home. Last night I had no less than two dozen one sentence dreams. I'm not 100% sure what I've been doing at work today. There are clues - Like responded emails and a trail of still opened windows. Yet it's all a bit blurry.
I could really use a nap.
I could really use a nap.
That's My Funday
Today started at 5:45 am with a pre-dawn art project, sun rise in Dolores park, a blueberry muffin and a last minute change of plans. Then it swelled into a runny While no one can really say for sure, I have a strong suspicion it will end soon with a yawn.
Big Dork
"I can't go anyplace without my computer. I'm always tinkering with stuff. I'm always searching the net. You know what my homepage is? Version Tracker (laughs) ...that's what the browser starts up with."Herbie Hancock
Beijing Punk Rock
Hate Crimes?
Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin doesn't like muslims:
Defense Secretary Rumsfeld doesn't mind:
That has absolutely nothing to do with the problem at hand.
It's not that Boykin expresses an opinion that is wrong... It's that the opinon shows a serious conflict of interest. He's a top military offical during a war in which Muslims are being killed. He doesn't like Muslims. That fundamentaly makes him the wrong man for the job.
Mr. Rumsfeld should do the right thing, and quickly seperate Boykin's church from our state.
[He] has made several speeches - some in uniform - at evangelical Christian churches in which he cast the war on terrorism in religious terms. Boykin said of a 1993 battle with a Muslim militia leader in Somalia: ``I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol.'' (via Gaurdian Unlimited)Boykin has also said:
because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian. ... And the enemy is a guy named SatanMaking this a holy war. I don't want anything to do with any war. I especially don't want anything to do with a holy war. There has never in history been such a war that upon genuine reflection wasn't exposed for the rampage of ego it truely was.
Defense Secretary Rumsfeld doesn't mind:
We're a free people. And that's the wonderful thing about our country,'' Rumsfeld said. ``I think that for anyone to run around and think that that can be managed and controlled is probably wrong. Saddam Hussein could do it pretty well, because he'd go around killing people if they said things he didn't like.He's right... we are a free people. Free to have any opinion we want.
That has absolutely nothing to do with the problem at hand.
It's not that Boykin expresses an opinion that is wrong... It's that the opinon shows a serious conflict of interest. He's a top military offical during a war in which Muslims are being killed. He doesn't like Muslims. That fundamentaly makes him the wrong man for the job.
Mr. Rumsfeld should do the right thing, and quickly seperate Boykin's church from our state.
Cubs Lost
If I remember correctly, right about now is when Cub fans will start talking about next year. ...About how all we need is player X to fill in hole Y. Then we'll be unbeatable. ...But you've got to ask yourself, If a team can't win one out of two games so that young Tony Pierce can sit in the bleachers and watch them play in the World Series, on his very birthday, who can they win one for?
Can of Corn
Way back in the day, I loved baseball. The kinda love that carried big binders of cards to school and still had room for memorizing minor leauge prospects. Then, as I got older, baseball got pushed further and further back.
Living in St. Louis, it's impossible to reach a point where you completely loose track. For all it's faults, that town loves some baseball. ...And not that "it's the thing to do" type love (*cough*pacbell*cough*), but the standing ovation every single time Willie McGee came to the plate - late in his career when he only pinch hit love. I wasn't keeping up much with the rest of baseball, but I still new the National Leauge Central inside and out.
Then I moved to Albany, NY. They had a minor leauge team called the Diamond Dogs. I don't think the games were ever on TV. Everybody was a Yankee's fan. Yankee's fans are gross. Baseball completely fell off my radar.
Then I moved to San Francisco. Baseball isn't nearly as big here as STL - One of the greatest players ever was often boo'ed, till he started hitting lots of home runs. But there is an appreciation for the game. I've been fortunate enough to see the Giants and the A's a handle of times (without ever paying). And even more fortunate to have friends that like to sit around and watch the playoffs. Even if they only know a few players names.
I generaly don't care who wins or looses. I'd rather root for baseball in general... and maybe the ugly guy. When the ugly guy hits a leadoff double, my day is made.
This year, the Chicago Cubs are the ugly guy.
I'm heading home early (for my normal schedule) to watch them. My first tv game this year. And my last if they don't win. Preferably with a sacrafice bunt in the bottom of the nineth. But I'll take anything. Cross your fingers.
Living in St. Louis, it's impossible to reach a point where you completely loose track. For all it's faults, that town loves some baseball. ...And not that "it's the thing to do" type love (*cough*pacbell*cough*), but the standing ovation every single time Willie McGee came to the plate - late in his career when he only pinch hit love. I wasn't keeping up much with the rest of baseball, but I still new the National Leauge Central inside and out.
Then I moved to Albany, NY. They had a minor leauge team called the Diamond Dogs. I don't think the games were ever on TV. Everybody was a Yankee's fan. Yankee's fans are gross. Baseball completely fell off my radar.
Then I moved to San Francisco. Baseball isn't nearly as big here as STL - One of the greatest players ever was often boo'ed, till he started hitting lots of home runs. But there is an appreciation for the game. I've been fortunate enough to see the Giants and the A's a handle of times (without ever paying). And even more fortunate to have friends that like to sit around and watch the playoffs. Even if they only know a few players names.
I generaly don't care who wins or looses. I'd rather root for baseball in general... and maybe the ugly guy. When the ugly guy hits a leadoff double, my day is made.
This year, the Chicago Cubs are the ugly guy.
I'm heading home early (for my normal schedule) to watch them. My first tv game this year. And my last if they don't win. Preferably with a sacrafice bunt in the bottom of the nineth. But I'll take anything. Cross your fingers.
Addiction
"Back in 1995, arguing against liberal leniency toward dope fiends, Mr. Limbaugh endorsed the boilerplate ideology and draconian methods of the drug war with baritone bombast. 'Drug use destroys societies. Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country,' he intoned. 'And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up."Rushs Drug Use No Joking Matter - by Joe Conason
And That's How It Happened
I Heart the Castro Theater
It's no secret that the movie going experience is bad... and getting worse. But man does the Castro Theater still do it up right. It was originally built in 1922 and has been cared for quite lovingly ever since. The inside is a mish-mash of styles - All falling into the ornate category. There are murals and statues and balconies and a giant art deco chandelier. The screen sits above a good sized stage and behind a very large curtain. Before the show starts, a Wurlitzer organ rises out of the stage floor (with the organ player on board). He rocks the house for around 15 minutes... Then sinks back into the floor as the lights dim. Once it's dark, the curtain opens and the previews start. No TV commercials. No 3D Cokes. No five minute reminders of who owns the theater your sitting in. Just straight to the business.
It doesn't get any better than that.
It doesn't get any better than that.
Big City Livin'
Hot Dog!
I thought this day would never come. There were too many diffrent record labels involved. Getting everyone to sign off on a single DVD would be impossible. These were things I said... and I was wrong. On October 28th, Chris Cunningham is finaly getting his own DVD.
If you couldn't tell, I'm excited. Cunningham's video for Squarepusher's Come on My Selector is one of the best I've ever seen. All is Full of Love (I'd link to it if bjork.com was up) rates a very close second. The DVD also includes a bunch of other videos, a short film, and a booklet full of photos and concept sketches.
I'm pre-ordering right this minute. (Thanks Matt)
Girls Need Money
One Outta Two
Asian hookers are really popular. By the time we got to MOMA (maybe two o'clock) the line was out the door, down the block, and around the corner. ...We decided not to wait.
There was no line for the open studio. The excellent paintings were in fact excellent. Both pictured in the previous post have already sold. Three cheers for Mary & Eugene and their brand new Playstation 2.
There was no line for the open studio. The excellent paintings were in fact excellent. Both pictured in the previous post have already sold. Three cheers for Mary & Eugene and their brand new Playstation 2.
Arty Farty
Today is BigArtDay. First up is a trip to sfMOMA, so Lane can see asian hookers. Next photographs will be taken with a pinhole piggy bank named Penny. Then it's off to see Mary & Eugene's excellent new paintings -- as part of San Francisco Open Studios. Last but certainly not least, we're going to get drunk out of our minds on red wine, cut off an ear (we haven't decided which), drop it in an envelope with nudie polaroids, and mail it to George Bush.
I love art.
Bedroom View
Is My
Based on mood swings is a little harsh. It's more like accounting for... and yesterday's mood was in full on legs pumping this is going to be the time I swing all the way around style. ...But I didn't.
My whole philosophy is really somewhere between sunshine and a stencil on the sidewalk.
My whole philosophy is based on string beans in peanut sauce.
My whole philosophy is mundane.
My whole philosophy is late fees.
My whole philosophy is second person, despite appearances.
My whole philosophy is a life long love affair with the silence of language.
My whole philosophy enjoys a good blanket.
My whole philosophy is made up on a window seat, watching warehouses go by.
My whole philosophy reserves the right to change with the scenery.
Like a transfer to BART.
My whole philosophy is really somewhere between sunshine and a stencil on the sidewalk.
My whole philosophy is based on string beans in peanut sauce.
My whole philosophy is mundane.
My whole philosophy is late fees.
My whole philosophy is second person, despite appearances.
My whole philosophy is a life long love affair with the silence of language.
My whole philosophy enjoys a good blanket.
My whole philosophy is made up on a window seat, watching warehouses go by.
My whole philosophy reserves the right to change with the scenery.
Like a transfer to BART.
"My Whole Philosophy is Based on Mood Swings"
I was standing on the edge of a backyard party, doing my best to avoid a very large fish on an even larger grill, talking to Jane about not going to parties. About how there's nothing wrong with staying at home, when you're up to something. Then she asked what I'm useualy up to. It threw me. I think I stared at my shoes and maybe said "shew". I know I thought of all the things I used to do and tried to remember them like they were closer. Like I still did them. ...It wasn't working.
These days I mostly go to work. It's far away. I often stay there for a long time. When I leave, I can't remember where we parked. Getting there was forever ago. When I get home I try to make the most of the little bit of time I have with the girl I love. Mostly we watch movies and try to stay awake till we start it all over again.
Right now she sits at my feet waiting for me to finish writing.
Right now I wonder where I was the last time I couldn't sleep. ...I wish I had time to stare at the ceiling and wonder why I was so awake.
I wish I could get out of bed because there isn't anything better to do.
These days I mostly go to work. It's far away. I often stay there for a long time. When I leave, I can't remember where we parked. Getting there was forever ago. When I get home I try to make the most of the little bit of time I have with the girl I love. Mostly we watch movies and try to stay awake till we start it all over again.
Right now she sits at my feet waiting for me to finish writing.
Right now I wonder where I was the last time I couldn't sleep. ...I wish I had time to stare at the ceiling and wonder why I was so awake.
I wish I could get out of bed because there isn't anything better to do.
City State
80% of San Franciscans voted "No" on the recall. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the rest of California.
Now is the time to secede.
Now is the time to secede.
Bathroom
Pro Wars
"At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, convened yesterday at Damascus's request, Syrian Ambassador Faysal Mekdad said his country sees the attack as direct military aggression against its sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"Most diplomats spoke out against the Israeli raid. A noticeable exception was U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte..."Radio Free Europe
Profit Loss = Bad Product
Before showing Lost in Translation at the the Metreon last night, A short "PSA" ran where a set painter talked abstractly about the negative effect movie piracy has on the little people like him. It closed with a big stark white "don't steal moves" set against a solid black background.
The sold out theater errupted in laughter.
The mpaa.org doesn't get it.
Rather than blame consumers, Studios should start spending less money on hype and more on making movies people really want to see.... Then find new ways to market a movie after it's released (such as better facilitating word of mouth, through blogs).
While they're at it, they could also pressure theaters to improve the movie going experience. A big screen with great sound is something most people can't get at home.... Yet a crappy shakey compressed camcorder copy is quickly becoming prefered. It cost almost $30 for two people to see a show (counting snacks)... for that price you get cramped seats and 20 minutes of commercials (not counting the who knows how long of bullshit "triva" and "find the Cokes!" advertisements you have to sit through) prior to watching a dimmly lit film.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. There's all sorts of room for improvement. I wish the studios would start trying, instead of attacking fans who are moving on without them.
The sold out theater errupted in laughter.
The mpaa.org doesn't get it.
One real-world example of piracy’s devastating impact on the legitimate marketplace is with the 1999 release of the film Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. Pirate copies of the film (created by using camcorders in US theaters) flooded the Asian marketplace while the film was still in U.S. theatrical distribution. When the film opened legitimately in Asian theaters, attendance was far below expectations.What they fail to mention, is that Episode one is a really bad movie... fundamentaly so. It's box office sucess here in the states was the result of massive massive hype. It's counting on people going to see it without having any real idea of it's content. I never would have paid $10 to go see it in the theater, had I seen the first 20 minute before hand. I'm still upset about the $10 I did pay.
Rather than blame consumers, Studios should start spending less money on hype and more on making movies people really want to see.... Then find new ways to market a movie after it's released (such as better facilitating word of mouth, through blogs).
While they're at it, they could also pressure theaters to improve the movie going experience. A big screen with great sound is something most people can't get at home.... Yet a crappy shakey compressed camcorder copy is quickly becoming prefered. It cost almost $30 for two people to see a show (counting snacks)... for that price you get cramped seats and 20 minutes of commercials (not counting the who knows how long of bullshit "triva" and "find the Cokes!" advertisements you have to sit through) prior to watching a dimmly lit film.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. There's all sorts of room for improvement. I wish the studios would start trying, instead of attacking fans who are moving on without them.
B-Boy Stance
For the People by the People?
The president also shrugged off polls showing rising doubts about whether the war was worth the costs. "Sometimes the American people like the decisions I make, sometimes they don't." he told reporters. "But they need to know I make tough decisions, based upon what I think is right, given the intelligence I know." (ABC News)
Night Light Army
Saying Goodbye to Yourself
"In pairs, family members used large chopsticks to pick up the bone fragments and place them in the urn, two people picking up a single fragment at a time. I couldn't quite believe what was happening at this point and was overcome by how sensible this all was. What great way to say goodbye to someone - you know they're really gone when you place their bones in an urn. No lingering doubts like when you bury them in a hole in the ground." (Antipixel)I've attended a moderate amount of funerals in my short 27 years. They've all been the very standard open casket, prayer, cemetery, prayer, in the ground, then drink type of thing. Throughout it all folks laugh and cry and share and lie to let go. Sometimes that takes longer for some than others. Sometimes it never happens. This process of letting ago always seems independent of the ritual.
There's a stark contrast between "saying" goodbye to someone in makeup and a tie, compared to ceremonial handling of charred remains.
The first is death under the cover of life. "He looks great." .....You're guaranteed to hear that at least once. There's a heavy cloud of everything is really fine. At the end a clump of dirt is thrown on a faceless box. It could be any body in there. There could be an escape (never doubt the minds ability to distort "truth" for the sake of making you feel "better"). The death of it all is almost entirely avoided.
In the second, death is right there. It's quite literally in your utensils. There's no getting around it - At least not without denying yourself to the bottom of a whiskey bottle. I'd go as far to say that the bone placing ritual celebrates the preciousness of death. Gives it a certain mystique.
In both cases, "someone died" gives way to "death is real".
Or maybe not. Maybe my view is clouded by my own perceptions of death. If I was the world, the word funeral would only be used as a clever reference to a long since past, past. Funny for how far away the idea seems.
When I die, I want to be standing near a stream. Just me and a blue sky and a cloud that maybe kinda looks like a Brontosaurus. Or maybe a Rhinoceros. Or maybe... A body falls into the stream, floats for a bit, then finds a comfy spot to rest among the roots of an old tree. A fish finds my pocket a suitable home and everybody goes about their business. No funerals and no parties. ...Just a momentary reflection extended through memory. Just warmth.
