solon, solon...

20070622_pei_DSC_0193.jpg, originally uploaded by justinjeffery.

My little cousin did not want to go down the aisle. and he didn't.

funerals

I've decided that funerals are good.

but in coming to that conclusion, I have to strongly emphasize that it is a plus and minus affair. There can be gigantic sadness, with tears and sorrow and regret and pain, and loads of awkward moments. But there's also healing and endings, hope for the future, and lots of calm, moving moments of depth - where every triviality is forgotten.

my grandmother died a month ago, and we just had her funeral. I'm not sure if the delay was good or bad. it meant more of the family could come, but it isolated a few people and put a semi-damper on my cousin's wedding (the same weekend).

the funeral wasn't a real sad, sad occasion. There was lots of laughing and memories passed around, and the assembling of family always takes on a familiar, comfortable atmosphere. And grammy's passing was expected - she had been mentally distant for some time. When it actually happened - the initial reaction was a solid hit to the belly, but soon replaced by the logic of the timing, how old she was, and then thinking through the steps to prepare for the funeral, etc.

So, while it wasn't a real weepy occasion, I'm still moved by the tears of my family; my oldest brother reflecting and stumbling over memories; a lawyer aunt that maintains articulate sentences with red-stained eyes; a NYC psychiatrist uncle that ends his memories with a muted denouement - "...I will miss her..."; and my father whose tears move me deeply.

I became the most tender after playing the piano. I didn't realize how much my grammy enjoyed and probably encouraged my musical development. She was a singer and a pianist, and would work her way through the hymnal on free afternoons. And so I was originally playing to just honor her - but when I made the connection between her music and my music - well, that was the toughest.

funerals bring all sorts of relationship into focus. mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, cousin, friend, etc, and how much you value that human connection.

and so they are good.

sponge bob

Img047.JPG, originally uploaded by justinjeffery.

Yes, I live in the jellyfish fields. It's not so bad. I usually have the majority of the mural covered. It's more likely that I'll rip down the primary color fan above my head than paint over sponge bob.

We had mediterranean potluck last week. I turned total geek and set up my camera upstairs which networked with a mac downstairs to display the shots in a slideshow format.

I worked with automator which is something I'd never worked with before - the process was basically: nikon camera control dumped the picture on to the desktop, automator was set to detect any jpgs dumped on the desktop and move them into a specific album in iPhoto, deleting the original on the desktop. It turned out pretty slick.

check out our potluck attendees.

in case you missed it,

here it is.
too much.

basket of flowers

20070516_DSC_0036.jpg, originally uploaded by justinjeffery.

While in Washington, DC, we took a boat cruise up the potomac river, right up by Watergate, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Memorial, Reagan National, Virginia, Georgetown, and truly had a great time. It was a little cool, but really a nice evening. Lots of planes taking off, low wispy clouds to contain the shine of the city, etc.

On the pier, this man was peddling out flowers to the tourists waiting to board the boat. If I remember correctly, he didn't speak fluent english. I look at this picture, and I really enjoy the vibrancy of the flowers, the careful arrangement in the basket, just the simple beauty.

It's unsettling to me though. Could a street seller really be capable of selling such genuine beauty? Do I always equate this type of commerce to the cheap and fake?

this thought is so incomplete. It is too late. goodnight.

in fact.

In fact, I like this song so much, I'm going to embed a youtube (a japanese anime, of which I have no experience, either liking, disliking, watching, etc) that features this song.

in other news, I'm almost back to capacity in the underwear department. I time my need to do laundry by the quantity of shorts in the closet. If I'm down to 2-3 pairs, that means that I'm near the end of the socks and shirts, and that the period of re-wearing pants is soon to be over.

enjoy the song.

people will surprise you.

people will surprise you. go figure.
at work, at home, across the internet and phone lines, through pictures and video, with words and questions, and anytime and everywhere.

sidenote:
I love this "Casey's Song" from Dallas Green.
too bad guitars can't all sound so intentional.