Update

[giza]

I went to Furp's funeral last weekend -- the first funeral I've attended in close to 15 years. I felt very sad, but that's to be expected for a funeral. On the upside, there was an amazing showing from the furry community. I'm pretty sure there were more furries there than anybody else, and even heard the comment uttered, "I had no idea he knew so many people". His family seemed like pretty decent folks, and I can see where he got his sense of humor from. As his sister put it during the eulogy, "dysfunctionally functional".

The viewing and funeral themselves were pretty touching. The type of viewings and funerals I grew up with in NE PA were fairly formal and rigid. This one was a little more informal. Various items from Furp's life, including photos, were set up on tables around the room. One table had pictures of him, another had his medical gear, and another had a container of Tang. No, really! There was an easel that had a sweatshirt from his Boy Scout days, covered in patches of everything he did. Now I am also an Eagle Scout, but I was shocked at all of the things he had done while in the Boy Scouts. Mile Swim, various high adventure camps, hiking, etc. I thought I was active, but I did maybe a third of things he did. Amazing.

Somehow, a Dorasi lapel pin made it onto Furp's collar. I swear it wasn't my doing.

After the funeral, there was a reception within stumbling distance up the road from my host, bluedeer's place. I got to see Furp's 4-year old nephew in action, and yeah, he's definitely cut from the same cloth that Furp was.

After the reception, bluedeer, film2edit, and myself drove over to the place justincheetah rented where we celebrated Furp's memory in our own little way: by making and then consuming significant amounts of Slurm, toasting Furp more than once. That was fun, and helped take our mind off of things. Later in the evening, we exchanged some interesting text messages with the rest of the Anthrocon folks, who were in Pittsburgh for the weekend.

I went to the gym last night, for the first time in over a week. Between all this, and the cold I got over, I am trying to get back into my normal rhythm.

I'll be heading off to Indianapolis for Dorsai Thing this weekend. It'll be nice to see many of the DI again. I have the feeling there are going to be record amounts of scotch consumption tasting this weekend.

And in completely random news, I found out that Dolph The Fascist Hippo made a cameo in the game Hitman: Blood Money. After the level "Curtains Down", the newspaper is shown, and Dolph is in one of the articles. Here's a screen shot:



The text is French, and the translation is something like: "Blue Hippopotamus is invisible, nobody can see him. He Leaves stealthy like a Japanese ninja. You are all 100% assholes! Yes Sir!"

Comments

[doco.livejournal.com]

I can't help but think that American funerals as you describe them are weird. Especially with the viewing and all - over here, when someone has suffered from injuries in an accident or similar bodily damage, they don't get all the thanatological treatment (embalming, facial reconstruction and all that), so the casket remains closed after the next of kin have seen the deceased. (Fact is, when my father died in January, all the funeral master did was remove the assorted needles and swabs from the hospital, wash the iodine off the body and shave the beard.)

It'd be a strange feeling having to see a dead friend and knowing half of them is plasticine and make-up. Maybe one has to be socialized with that.

[unayok.livejournal.com]

If the body has to be transported (i.e. by plane) I understand regulations are that it must be embalmed anyways.

[talvinm.livejournal.com]

Hippo:
http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1800/fc01706.png

[polyhead.livejournal.com]

Fuck furp, i'm personally glad he is dead. Rest in peices faggot, furp = file under road pizza

[giza.livejournal.com]

Wow, he must have butthurt you pretty badly for you to still be obsessing over him, after the rest of us have moved on.