Surfacing.

This past weekend we had Uncle Bruce's funeral. Not a happy occasion, but it was actually more uplifting than I expected. There was a real celebration of Uncle Bruce's life, and life in general, at this memorial service. There were photos of Uncle Bruce all over the place, his hat, a trophy from one of his tractor pull wins. You really got the sense that Bruce enjoyed himself. So many of his friends came out, too. These were the people who spent the most time with Bruce, so it was nice to meet them. And Father Larry, the monsignor from St. Pius in Fairfield, gave one bang-up eulogy. He weaved in some religion, saying that Jesus had reserved a special place for Bruce, but he also kept the service very human. Our loved one who is no longer with us on Earth is not gone. This person lives on forever through those who live with memories of that person, those who share stories of that person, and those who have love for that person. As long as those memories, stories, and love remain, the loved one remains. How comforting and warm those thoughts are when you think of something as so seemingly permanent as death.

Here's a photo of Uncle Bruce and Doug's father; Joe is on the left and Bruce is on the right. This was taken at Christmas in Monroe, maybe two or three years ago. Not that long ago, but long enough to know that things do change. Joe looks a little more haggard now, and Bruce, well, Bruce is no longer here in bodily form. Enjoy the moments while you have them, but always cherish the memories.

Moving on from my Hallmark moment... we have begun to surface from the cloud of sickness and death that has been around us for this first half of the month. Doug had a show last night with his new band Hot Molasses. This was the CD release show, in honor of their EP Molassachusetts. The show was good. They filled the room again; it seems the other band members have endless supplies of friends who are willing to stay out late on weeknights. I was proud of myself for going to this show, but I know I won't be going to many other weeknight shows. Just don't have the stamina. However, if Doug continues to channel his inner Slowhand and rock the sexy professor look, I may have to become a loyal groupie.

We're also reading a bunch here now. Invigorating our minds. Seems a bit of the reading bug is going around! I've decided that a pretty accurate way to gauge the success of a vacation is the number of books purchased while away. For two reasons. The first being that if you purchase books it means you spent time in a bookstore, and that's always a good thing. The second being that if you purchase books it means that something piqued your interest, that you were free enough from the constraints of your normal routine, your every day life, to open your mind to the possibilities of learning, of exploring new things, of exposing yourself to new ideas. Doug and I purchased a combined total of eight books while in Washington D.C. (have I raved yet about our love for KramerBooks and Afterwords Cafe? Easily one of our favorite book stores, because whoever is their purchaser and their collection developer is doing one heck of a job), and this past weekend purchased four more. Here's a selection of our new titles: We are definitely going to run out of space soon, and when that happens maybe we'll get Nooks.

If you're interested, right now Doug is reading two books, simultaneously, in typical Doug fashion. He studiously pours over John Adams, taking notes, looking up context on ideas and events that need more clarification, and then takes a little break from the intensity by reading American Sphinx, itself hardly a beach read. Thank you, Washington D.C., for reigniting Doug's passion for historical scholarship.

For my part, I just finished up House of Splendid Isolation, and have shifted gears to read The Good Soldiers. Doug has a problem reading one book at a time, and I have a problem focusing on one type of writing. First I want a novel, I want fiction, I want to lose myself in another world, and then I want to learn, I want to learn about my world, the world in which I live, I want reality and a view into the reality of the people around me. I rather enjoy non-fiction, but it's such a commitment. I can float through the prose of a novel quite quickly, but often trudge through the thickness of non-fiction. There is always a reward, though, if I can make it through. Books fill me up and make me satisfied in a way that food or work really can't. Maybe that's what TJ meant when he said, "I cannot live without books."