I think that maybe all this competitive attitude might be partially down to some group-masking of the reason that we're here in the first place, which was a man's death.

Yeah, sorry to bring down the party a bit, but this was bugging me.

Last I'll say about it though.

...actually that didn't bother me much at all...

maybe I was the psychopath that Joel mentioned :)

Ummm, no it wasn't.

It was an overreaction to a reaction to a death and someone living and breathing embarrassed the owner of a small, and entirely unknown corner of the Interweb.

No elephant here.

But there is an almighty one over there.

oh goody :)  lets play 'spot the elephant'

I have one in my mind as well.

Ill tell you mine if you tell me yours Simon.

You know what I meant, Simon.

The event which swung all of this into motion, despite whatever innate desire Joel already had to close down ?off, despite his desire for any excuse, was Chris' death.

You're right that the real culprit here is Joel but the circumstances can't be forgotten, either.

Everyone involved, no matter how peripherally, may end up feeling somewhat dirty for a long time to come.

You can't start an In Memoriam post every four hours for the rest of your life.

You are _not_ guilty.

Just keep repeating it and avoid nasty thoughts and it will all go away eventually.

Yeah it just seems a bit soon for so much levity, is all.

You need to go to more funerals.  Heh, the laugh we had at my Dad's.

Don't worry about what you think the appropriate emotions are. Levity is fine. Oh Bla Di, Oh Bla Da and all that.

I don't go to wakes any longer as a matter of policy.  Funerals I'll go to begrudgingly.

I don't want a wake and I sure don't want to go to yours :)

It is never cool to sing that song or even mention it without warning. 

That reminds me -- I'm going to an 11-year-old's funeral tomorrow.  Bollocks.

Worst.  Month.  Ever.

Hmmm there's bugger all funny about that, though last week my daughter could have joined her and I'd have been in jail the rest of my life.

It's still not funny and I shall try not to be as angry as usual when she doesn't want to go to school.

"though last week my daughter could have joined her and I'd have been in jail the rest of my life. "

huh?  what happened?

Oh just regular early adolescent life.

I can't honestly remember.

Life is an adeventure, death is the reward.

Is all this elephant stuff about my weight? You guys are making fun of me, aren't you?

Philo

> Oh just regular early adolescent life.

I've got a couple of them. Even the fuckin' dog is a female in this house ::sigh::