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Rest in peace, Beasty
Feb. 3rd, 2011 01:47 pmI found out moments ago via several friends' posts that Greg Garcia, known better in LJ circles as ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
beastbriskett has died after a long fight with cancer. I'm still stunned. Greg was an early LJ friend and his posts were always an enrichment to my day. Were I ever to make it out to the left coast, he was the first person I wanted to give a huge hug to and just hang out with. His positive attitude throughout his fight with cancer as well as his general upbeat outlook of hope even during very hard times should be an inspiration to all.
A while ago, he had posted this short video. When I had finished viewing it, I knew it had summed up his perspectives so perfectly.
You are my shooting star, Greg. May you rest in peace.
beastbriskett has died after a long fight with cancer. I'm still stunned. Greg was an early LJ friend and his posts were always an enrichment to my day. Were I ever to make it out to the left coast, he was the first person I wanted to give a huge hug to and just hang out with. His positive attitude throughout his fight with cancer as well as his general upbeat outlook of hope even during very hard times should be an inspiration to all. A while ago, he had posted this short video. When I had finished viewing it, I knew it had summed up his perspectives so perfectly.
You are my shooting star, Greg. May you rest in peace.
Today would have been Mom's 84th birthday. I'm trying my best not to be overcome with sadness that she's gone. Being buoyed by good memories, and keeping warm wearing her favorite sweater (it's only a little tight, actually, it was generously hand-knit) helps.
Happy Birthday, Mom.
Happy Birthday, Mom.
Workin' wood
Mar. 29th, 2009 11:11 pmThe rainy weekend gave me a chance to work more towards reclaiming my basement workshop from neglect in preparation for doing some rather serious woodwork that's part of the renovations here at Casa De Mayhem. I had been making slow progress for a while now, but I was often hampered by cleaning up sawdust and subsequently sneezing my arse off and generally feeling miserable until I had some fresh air. While sawdust has always made me sneeze, it's gotten much worse since I got older, and I am fed up with the workshop sawdust migrating all over the basement and even upstairs. A fairly recent development in workshop tech has been simple and effective self-contained air filtration units for clearing sawdust from the air. Since my favorite woodworker's supply shop Skarie (more on this place and what it means to me in a future post) had emptied itself of practically everything to take it to some big Virginia woodworking show, I opted to go to Woodcraft instead. Twice, as it turned out.
I picked up a Jet Tools air filtration system to help clear the air, and a Jet dust collection system to corral the sawdust as I create it. Turns out the store was having a sale on Jet equipment at the time. Bonus! The table saw, jointer, sanding machine and especially the lathe and planer make bucketloads of chips and dust. This finds itself all over the basement and tracked upstairs through the kitchen and living room. No more. Once I am done rearranging the machinery and setting stuff up, I will put in some ductwork to connect the worst offenders simultaneously and permanently to the dust collector. This has been a long time coming.
I installed the air filtration unit this afternoon, hanging it from the trusses downstairs.After it was all in and running, I decided to give it a test by blowing the dust out of the table saw and jointer with compressed air. This is an effective means of cleaning, but always made a sneezeworthy fog of sawdust that would linger in the air and setting on the few things that might be clean. Not this time. The dust I kicked up disappeared from the air and into the unit in no time, and I was free from the hacking and sneezing that usually accompanies this sort of thing (and has kept me from doing it regularly, if at all). This makes for very happy me. The dust collector, in true Manic Mechanic fashion, sits partially assembled in the living room. It will get to it's home soon enough.
As I alluded to earlier, there is a couple reasons why I stopped doing woodworking as a pastime, and this will merit it's own (lengthy, >140 character) post. This is part of of me finally coming to terms with with some incredible loss in my past, and finally making strides to becoming the old me once again. I hope to keep up with this progress.
I picked up a Jet Tools air filtration system to help clear the air, and a Jet dust collection system to corral the sawdust as I create it. Turns out the store was having a sale on Jet equipment at the time. Bonus! The table saw, jointer, sanding machine and especially the lathe and planer make bucketloads of chips and dust. This finds itself all over the basement and tracked upstairs through the kitchen and living room. No more. Once I am done rearranging the machinery and setting stuff up, I will put in some ductwork to connect the worst offenders simultaneously and permanently to the dust collector. This has been a long time coming.
I installed the air filtration unit this afternoon, hanging it from the trusses downstairs.After it was all in and running, I decided to give it a test by blowing the dust out of the table saw and jointer with compressed air. This is an effective means of cleaning, but always made a sneezeworthy fog of sawdust that would linger in the air and setting on the few things that might be clean. Not this time. The dust I kicked up disappeared from the air and into the unit in no time, and I was free from the hacking and sneezing that usually accompanies this sort of thing (and has kept me from doing it regularly, if at all). This makes for very happy me. The dust collector, in true Manic Mechanic fashion, sits partially assembled in the living room. It will get to it's home soon enough.
As I alluded to earlier, there is a couple reasons why I stopped doing woodworking as a pastime, and this will merit it's own (lengthy, >140 character) post. This is part of of me finally coming to terms with with some incredible loss in my past, and finally making strides to becoming the old me once again. I hope to keep up with this progress.
Questions answered pt. 4
Mar. 13th, 2009 12:07 pmMy freshly-tattooed friend baeritone asked:
Other than your birth, what is the most important thing that's ever happened?
If I were to take the usual definitions of "important" in this case, such as significant, life-changing, lasting,, etc, it would have to be when I lost my Mom to cancer. Though this happened in June of '06, it still feels as though it's an event still happening, and at the same time, it feels so distant. Losing the most significant person in my life left me with profound changes, and many things I have yet to resolve. Granted, this is something one would never entirely 'get over', but I think I am beginning to find my place in the world, albeit slowly.
One aspect of Livejournal, at least how it's being used by most on my friends list, is how involving it can make one another in each of our lives. And in the scant few years it's been since I lost my mother, I have seen many of you go through the same experiences of losing parents and loved ones. At each time I get immediately transported back to those last weeks and days and relive those moments. The extraordinary feelings of sadness, loss and hopelessness is something one can never prepare for. And every time it happens, it's a reset to zero. Going through it once does not make going through it again any easier.
baeritone asked:Other than your birth, what is the most important thing that's ever happened?
If I were to take the usual definitions of "important" in this case, such as significant, life-changing, lasting,, etc, it would have to be when I lost my Mom to cancer. Though this happened in June of '06, it still feels as though it's an event still happening, and at the same time, it feels so distant. Losing the most significant person in my life left me with profound changes, and many things I have yet to resolve. Granted, this is something one would never entirely 'get over', but I think I am beginning to find my place in the world, albeit slowly.
One aspect of Livejournal, at least how it's being used by most on my friends list, is how involving it can make one another in each of our lives. And in the scant few years it's been since I lost my mother, I have seen many of you go through the same experiences of losing parents and loved ones. At each time I get immediately transported back to those last weeks and days and relive those moments. The extraordinary feelings of sadness, loss and hopelessness is something one can never prepare for. And every time it happens, it's a reset to zero. Going through it once does not make going through it again any easier.
My best friend John called me a little while ago to tell me that his Mom had died late Monday. She was is failing health and staying at a nursing home. Though she had other conditions that put her in the facility, it was discovered during medical tests for organ donor viability that she had an abdomen full of cancer that no one knew about. This is a shock to everyone.
Mrs. Z. was such a wonderful soul. Almost like a second Mom to me, she was always friendly and inviting me for dinner when I was nearby. A constant fixture in my life since middle school, I really will miss her and her effervescent personality.
The last few days I had been in a pretty deep funk, one which I naturally blamed on my Mom's birthday being yesterday and the elevated feelings of missing her. But I had nightmares and other feelings that bothered me, and perhaps this was the reason. I could not even make it to work today. I slept late today and later went out in the nearly 70 degree weather and put more trim on the garage. Something was just not right.
A memorial service is this Sunday. Jeff and I will go and pay our respects.
Farewell, Mrs. Z.
Mrs. Z. was such a wonderful soul. Almost like a second Mom to me, she was always friendly and inviting me for dinner when I was nearby. A constant fixture in my life since middle school, I really will miss her and her effervescent personality.
The last few days I had been in a pretty deep funk, one which I naturally blamed on my Mom's birthday being yesterday and the elevated feelings of missing her. But I had nightmares and other feelings that bothered me, and perhaps this was the reason. I could not even make it to work today. I slept late today and later went out in the nearly 70 degree weather and put more trim on the garage. Something was just not right.
A memorial service is this Sunday. Jeff and I will go and pay our respects.
Farewell, Mrs. Z.
(no subject)
Jun. 28th, 2008 10:50 pmJeff is up at the bonfire, socializing and enjoying himself. I'm back at the campsite with only Kodi as company. I thought I could make it, but my thoughts and memories got the best of me again.
Tomorrow marks two years since I lost my Mom to cancer. I still miss her greatly. This does not get any easier, but I guess I am learning to cope with the feelings of loss as the days roll on. Keeping to myself for a while helps I guess. I just want Jeff to enjoy himself to the fullest while we are here. For the most part, I am too. I just need my own space now and then.
That's the cool thing about Hillside. It can be whatever you make it. Tomorrow morning I might talk a walk to the Memorial Gardens they have here. It's a truly solemn place, dedicated to partners, friends and family of visitors that have been lost through the years. It's a cathedral in the woods itself. Anyone who experiences it gets choked up. Or more. I'm sure I will really be in the latter category.
Tomorrow marks two years since I lost my Mom to cancer. I still miss her greatly. This does not get any easier, but I guess I am learning to cope with the feelings of loss as the days roll on. Keeping to myself for a while helps I guess. I just want Jeff to enjoy himself to the fullest while we are here. For the most part, I am too. I just need my own space now and then.
That's the cool thing about Hillside. It can be whatever you make it. Tomorrow morning I might talk a walk to the Memorial Gardens they have here. It's a truly solemn place, dedicated to partners, friends and family of visitors that have been lost through the years. It's a cathedral in the woods itself. Anyone who experiences it gets choked up. Or more. I'm sure I will really be in the latter category.
I am so beyond pissed at Verizon Wireless today. I had two saved voicemails from Mom in my mailbox that I would diligently re-save. Today, while checking a new message I found the saved ones were erased. Gone. Now, previously, if I went beyond the 40 day save time, I was alerted that the messages were 'marked for deletion' and I had the chance to re-save them. Once I discovered they were missing I caled VZW tech support, waded through endless menu choices to get a human and told her of my dilemma. It seems that the 40 day save time (along with 40 message capacity and other features) were part of some 'premium' feature that I, along with countless others were somehow given for 'free' when I switched to Verizon in early 2003. During the 'cleanup' which 'corrected' the 'oversight', my mailbox was wiped clear with no opportunity to re-save the messages. In fact, late last month I had gone through the proces of re-saving the messages once again.
They are gone. And, according to tech support botch, they are not retrievable in any way. This made me launch into a tirade that the messages are saved for some indefinite, undisclosed time to aid in 'law enforcement' and the like, and that they should reinstate my messages due to their negligence. Ordinarily, I would not make a big deal. But these two messages were very dear to me, and I was in the process of figuring out a way of offloading them at the time.
I am stuck between extreme rage and near complete emotional breakdown right now. Part of it from knowing that I've been taking my time in offloading the messages, one from 2003, one from last year. The other, greater part is knowing that some duck fucks at some corporate hellhole could not give a shit. May they all contract Ebola.
They are gone. And, according to tech support botch, they are not retrievable in any way. This made me launch into a tirade that the messages are saved for some indefinite, undisclosed time to aid in 'law enforcement' and the like, and that they should reinstate my messages due to their negligence. Ordinarily, I would not make a big deal. But these two messages were very dear to me, and I was in the process of figuring out a way of offloading them at the time.
I am stuck between extreme rage and near complete emotional breakdown right now. Part of it from knowing that I've been taking my time in offloading the messages, one from 2003, one from last year. The other, greater part is knowing that some duck fucks at some corporate hellhole could not give a shit. May they all contract Ebola.
