hump day

And I am nearly over the hump. This issue has been particularly sad. First of all, two of the news stories are about people who have died recently, one of whom I met. Meanwhile, the woman who works the front desk of our building is gone, presumably down to Mississippi for her grandfather's funeral. Like my pals, Brent and JT, in Atlanta for JT's sister's funeral. Then there's my boss, out of town to visit his mother, dealing with her husband's newly discovered and very agressive brain tumor. Oh, and then there's my friend Claudia, about to depart for Florida and a visit with her mother and step-dad, who is fighting a very agressive cancer himself, with a bleak prognosis.
Thoughts of mortality always remind me of "The Crisis of Desire: AIDS and the Fate of Gay Brotherhood." It's one of the most touching memoirs I've ever read, written by Robin Hardy, published posthumously with the help of his friend, David Groff. While somewhat morbid at first glance, Crisis is ultimately enlightening and beautiful. I'm also reminded of Mark Matousek's "Sex Death Enlightment," which I just recommended to a friend in advance of her upcoming trip to India. Enlightenment never read so well.