Happy Anniversary Trailmixers

When I'm not deeply immersed in history, genealogy, music or theater, I hang out at the best political site on the web: Craig Crawford's Trailmix.

The site celebrates it's 5th anniversary today and the video is just a few of the people who make it a wonderful place for issue discussion with few trolls and little fussing and fighting.

Battle of the Sexes - Broadway Version

Our buddy Travis of Trav's Thoughts has created a wonderful meme called "5 on Friday". The rules are simple:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.

3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.
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The course of true love never did run smooth and here are five great examples from Broadway.



Sue Me - Guys and Dolls



Anything You Can Do - Annie Get Your Gun



Could I Leave You - Follies



I Hate Men - Kiss Me Kate



You Must Meet My Wife - A Little Night Music

She Danced Among The Stars

This is a total crosspost.Jeanne Robinson  For several decades I have loved the science fiction of Spider Robinson and his collaboration with his wife.  In referring to them for another reason today, I came across the information that Jeanne Robinson was no longer among us.  That is such a shame.  Go read the books, and learn to love the woman.  She will be missed

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Jeanne Robinson left this life at about 4:45 Sunday afternoon, 30 May, a gentle smile on her face. Her departure was quite peaceful and she was in no pain at all. She was 62 years and two months old, a victim of biliary cancer.

Because her brilliant Palliative Care doctor, Paul Sugar, was able to forecast her passing almost to the hour, her daughter Terri, son-in-law Heron and granddaughter Marisa flew back from NYC just in time, and were with me at her side when Jeanne died; her mother Dorothy Rubbicco and sister Laurie O’Neil arrived from Massachusetts only a couple of hours later, after Terri had had time to expertly make Jeanne look better than she had for days. Zen priests Michael Newton and Kate McCandless were also present per Jeanne’s wishes, as were our oldest friends in this part of the world, Greg McKinnon, Anya Coveney-Hughes and Stevie McDowell. Over the next few hours several more of her sangha buddies arrived, and chanting of the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra was done. Her body was then bathed and dressed in her hand-sewn rakasu as per Zen tradition.

In accordance with her wishes she will be cremated. Half her ashes will be scattered off this coast, and half will be taken back to her childhood home, Cape Cod, so that her East Coast family will have a place to go and visit her.
Only moments after Jeanne had passed, Terri put little Marisa down on Jeanne’s breast and told her to give Nana a hug. Marisa did, one of the boneless-sprawl, cheek-burrowing, no-hurry hugs we’ve all come to know means she really loves and trusts whoever she’s hugging. And then she raised herself up on one arm, looked at Jeanne’s face....I swear this is true.....and waved bye-bye. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

If you’re in the Vancouver/North Vancouver area, you should find here, as soon as I know it, information on when her services will be held, at Cates Hill Chapel here on Bowen Island. At this point I don’t even know when or where she’ll be cremated: her social-worker sister Laurie is, with characteristic kindness, fielding such practical matters for me and Terri.

One thing I can report: Jeanne, a lay-ordained Soto Zen monk, always yearned to become a full Buddhist priest.....but the five-year-period of intensive practice and fulltime study in the monastery required was logistically difficult for us, among other things, and we kept putting it off. In a recent farewell phone conversation, she told her personal teacher Tenshin Reb Anderson Zenki that her biggest regret was that she had never been able to find a way to study to become a priest. Reb (who gave her both her Dharma name, Buchi Eihei—”dancing wisdom; eternal peace”—and her nickname in the Zen community, “Wired Buddha”) immediately told her he would come to her funeral, and ordain her a priest on the spot. That brought her deep joy—and will, I have no doubt, assist her greatly in her travels through the bardos.

The only dying wish she missed was to be driven down to Seattle a few weeks from now, to see/hear Crosby, Stills and Nash. I should probably go myself...but I doubt I’ll have the heart, that soon. And I have an overdue novel to get back to work on.

I cannot praise highly enough Dr. Paul Sugar and the entire staff of the Palliative Care Wing of North Vancouver’s Lion’s Gate Hospital. All nurses and nursing aides are heros, but those who work exclusively with the dying are a breed apart. (as are those who work Burn Units.) These boddhisattvas—over a dozen of them in the course of a week—were without exception willing to accede to absolutely any reasonable request by a family member, and any unreasonable request by a heavily drugged patient—with infinite patience, competence and compassion. They ignored regulations that were unreasonable, and enforced the important ones with firm kindness. Visiting hours there are 24-7. They actively encourage the playing of instruments and singing, raucous laughter, and the sound of crying babies. They are not stingy with the dilaudid. They helped Jeanne create a Buddhist altar on her windowsill. When your loved one enters endgame, they offer you blankets, pillows and a special chair which can effortlessly become a startlingly comfortable bed, so you can stay at the bedside all night, for as many nights as necessary. If you’d rather get a nearby hotel or B&B, they’ll find one for you and get you a rate.

Maybe this will shorthand it. One of the nurses assigned to Jeanne got chatting with her as she worked, learned a bit of Jeanne’s story. Then, completely on her own initiative, she went to one of the computers in the nurse’s station, Googled up both our websites, found and printed out the best photos of Jeanne dancing, solo and with her company, and also driving across America in a red, white and blue VW microbus with her first husband Daniel Corrigan, and winning a Hugo Award in Phoenix with me—and then she taped them all those photos up to the closet door beside Jeanne’s bed. As James Taylor sang, “Whatcha gonna do with folks like that?

I have lost my best friend, teacher, partner, lover and co-grandparent—the most remarkable and forgiving person I have ever known—seemingly forever as I understand that word. But by chance, on this very same day, two different people emailed me links to a letter written by Robert A. Heinlein to Forrest J. Ackerman near the end of World War Two, consoling Forry on the loss of his brother in combat. In the middle of it, he suddenly wrote, “Forry, I have not a belief, not a conviction, but personal knowledge of survival after death. You will see your brother again.

If that’s true—and who am I to doubt Robert Heinlein on a matter so important?—then all I have to do is find her again. I’ll simply track her across the universes and through the dimensions like Kimball Kinnison and his Clarissa, or Alexander Hergensheimer chasing his Margrethe to Hell itself, if I have to. Shit, for a minute there, I thought I had a problem. Merely a tedious delay. Have a lot to tell her about when we finally do find each other. Try to spend the downtime becoming a better, kinder man.
The Tibetan Buddhist tradition says a dead person’s soul takes 49 days to get its act together and fully depart this plane of existence. So please keep an eye out for Jeanne, and continue to toss out an occasional prayer or good thought for her—at least until July 16 or so.

Thank you for being her friend and mine. Thanks especially to all those who’ve sent Jeanne and me support, from hugs to emails to gifts to cash. All of it worked, made her passing a calm and fearless one, helped her to die with her characteristic grace, dignity, courage and style intact. I know I owe all you loyal subscribers another podcast, and am way overdue. I’ll try and get something posted as soon as I become functional again. I appreciate your patience.

As we speak, David Gerrold and Jeanne’s partner and co-producer James Sposto are close to completing their screenplay for a film version of “Stardance.” Jeanne had time to read the latest draft before she had to leave, and pronounced herself deeply pleased with it.

In addition to the funeral service that will be held for Jeanne here on Bowen Island, BC, next week, whose venue and time are still being finalized, a second family-only service for her will be held on the East Coast at 1 PM on June 28 at the Provincetown Inn, in Provincetown MA.
Spider

Queen's Meme #39 - The Last Time

The Queen of Memes seems to have forgotten that she isn't Face Book and really really needs some privacy settings. Hop on over to contribute to her inquisitiveness or face the Grand Inquisitor in the Bloggingham dungeon.


The Last Time Meme

This meme will make no sense. Do not expect it to. It has no rhyme or reason. There is no serious theme or deep thought required. Just answer with the first thought that pops into your brain and go with it. After all, that's how I made up the questions. Stop rolling your eyes.

When was the last time you……

rolled your eyes - Sunday Political Shows - Just how stupid are all politicians and corporate leaders?

Tied your shoe - Decades.  I hate shoes and I hate shoes with laces most of all.

Reorganized your bedroom - About a month ago so we could cut a door through to what will become the downstairs bathroom.

Took a walk in the park - This past weekend. 

Chewed gum - Again decades.  Can't chew gum without feeling guilty.  Could you if your mother said the following every time you chewed gum?

Gum chewing girls and cud chewing cows
So very alike yet different somehow
What is the difference, oh I see it now
It's the thoughtful expression on the face of the cow.

Drew a stick person - Don't draw stick people.  I doodle scrolls and write stuff in them.

Activated something - My IPod at Christmas

Took a photograph - The snow trip to Paradise

Drank a milkshake - Don't drink milkshakes

Ate orange jello - Some family reunion thing including the shredded carrots and mayonnaise topping - Gad the things you do for relatives.

Google mapped an address - Yesterday looking for locations in Greenwich Village.

Sang your favorite song - All day yesterday, but this is the perfect place to insert one of them as it matches the theme.



Made a peace globe. (Please show us!) - Last Peace Globe Day of course.

Threw a baseball - About 40 years ago playing catch with my son

Fumbled with a button - That bit about shoes above ... Don't much like buttons either

Answered the doorbell - Two weeks ago for a package.

Spilled your drink - It wasn't me. Cats and wine glasses don't mix well.

Administered CPR - Just in class about 15 years ago

Looked in the mirror - This morning. As close to a scary movie as I want to get.

Testified in court - 1981

Made a sarcastic remark - During Sunday political shows.

Offered someone advice - Is there a day that goes by?

Watched a sunrise or sunset - I'm in WA. I go down before the Sun does. Sun rises every morning since I get up between 4 and 5.

Were jealous - Honestly, never since childhood. It's an emotion that I don't allow in my life. All symptoms of same are harshly stepped upon.

Smiled when you didn’t feel like smiling - Can't remember. I smile all the time, sometimes full and sometimes bemused, and sometimes with a little effort. You couldn't depress me with a sledge hammer.

Loved when you didn't feel like loving - Don't do this one either.

Ironed an article of clothing - There must be an iron around here somewhere.

Noticed you didn't give a damn - Hah! Send me an email.

Had a mammogram - April

Read your horoscope - A couple of months ago because I found and interesting one: Combine your Chinese and Western horoscopes. Here's mine for the Piscean Monkey

Moped - Don't do moping. Take a walk instead.

Held someone’s hand - Yesterday, my grandson.

Crossed a bridge - The snow trip to Paradise.

Threw away a candy wrapper - April. The son brought home gourmet Hershey candies from his last business trip.

Sat on a bench - Can't remember

Turned a page - Last night

Tripped over your own 2 feet - Yesterday and what's your next move Grace?

Sat on a beach - Way too long ago. I need a beach.

Dialed the wrong number - Ages

Ignored a phone call - Regularly

Kissed a bride - Haven't been to a wedding since 1971

Tweeted - Yesterday

Rode a roller coaster - 2000 - Need another roller coaster

You were really you - Every day of my life. What you see is what you get.

Cried yourself to sleep - 1984

Were speechless - MOI?

Rode a bus - 1989

Went to a funeral - 1984 which is why I was crying myself to sleep.

Were right - Opinionated constantly. Right - 75% of the time?

Smoked - Five years ago

Were left - 1984 was not a good year.

Googled - This morning

Bent over - This morning - I've taken up Pilotes

Sent a text message - This morning

Lit a candle - Last Night

Lost your temper - Don't do this one either. I take a walk until I can decide what to do with the negativity.

Fell off a horse - I've never fallen off one. Isn't the idea to stay seated? :-)

Changed the oil in your car - Took it to Jiffy Lube last month

Added a new FACEBOOK friend - Yesterday. I'm slowing collecting all the people from my high school graduating class.

Went bowling - Six years ago.

Laughed uncontrollably - Got the giggles this weekend.

Felt guilty - Ages. Another useless emotion.

Looked up a word in the dictionary - There are words in there I don't know? Actually looked for a synonym this morning for "trivially dull" to get "Banal"

Returned from the point of no return - The last time I watched "The River of No Return".



Couldn't remember your name - There is no way I could forget my name. It's more a matter of which one to use for what purpose.

Surrendered to temptation - As often as humanly possible.

Felt genuinely happy - This morning

Saw a famous person - Not counting politicians that would probably be Jane Wyman about 20 years ago. Counting politicians - about six years ago.

Kissed in a car - 2005

Sent a greeting card - This weekend. Two birthdays coming up this week.

Used your passport - 2004 for trip to Scotland

Yelled at your television - Growled at it this weekend.  Oil spews make me very unhappy.

Confided a secret - Ages.  I try not to have them and I don't tell those belonging to others.

Changed your blog template - A couple of months ago.  I need a new one.

Danced like no one was watching - This morning

Wrote in cursive - yesterday

Took a driving test - 2005 after move to Washington

Backed up your computer files - Sunday, It's automatic.

When was the last time you said this was the last time? - Never say Never, but I might consider it now that I've gotten to the end of this thing.