h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

[lil]

[]

It's coming on Halloween and time for those so inclined to don their virtual costumes. Get yer anagrams at http://wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html !

I have a suitable subject for the time of year, as well. I'm just finishing _Nothing to be Frightened of_ by Julian Barnes, the topic of which is thanatology, the bidness of dying. Not mortuary stuff or embalming, but the question of death. Are you afraid of death or afraid of dying? Can you imagine your own death? Do you think about it at all? Do people actually have near-death experiences or do they simply experience random neuron events?

The author is afraid of death and the book is a combination of memoir, philosophical discourse and literary essay. His brother, an analytical philosopher, is unafraid (and is an atheist, which makes his lack of fear even more impressive to me). It's quite good!

Dear Me - then I usually have almost no idea who anyone, including myself, is anymore. Oh well - just for the traditional fun of it

No anagrams for me. You guys have fun.

Is it that time of year already? I don't know that I'll be able to squeeze a haiku in so few characters, but I'll give it some thought.

There aren't many options for me, so I've cheated and used my tag as well. If we reach 75,000G on the XBox though, I'll have to change it again.

Hey, where's d'E and Zeppo and... and... darn, forgotten Zeppo's dog's name - with the anagram thing, I remembered part of d'E's which was 'and hope God zips' or something like that. Gummo! That's the name of Zeppo's dog, right?

Oh, and the scribing reminded me of Rosemary Clooney, so I went digging into youtubes again, and found a version of Sway sung by Julie London - hot, hot, hot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWNJmM8GLy0&feature=related

And there's something very, very odd about the moon tonight - it's bent out of shape! Never seen it before. Most of all, it looks like half a . Unfortunately, I've only got some rather lousy photos taken with my mobile, which really can't handle big distances, but you might get the general idea:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2wEDcw5XJE0/TLcx_CeotHI/AAAAAAAAAZg/EeyU21AHE8E/s1600/image-upload-22-799834.jpg

>>Are you afraid of death or afraid of dying? Can you imagine your own death? Do you think about it at all? <<

As some well known personage - whose name I've forgotten - once said . .
I'm not afraid of dying. I just don't want to be there when it happens.

Since reading that the life expectancies of people with RFA tend to be about ten years shorter than average, I've been sticking my head in the sand and humming loudly, when what I should really be doing is working out how to get the most out of whatever's left.

I've just remembered another story.

Doctor to patient: You need to give up all forms of alcohol, chocolate, red meat, s*x and all kinds of fun.
Patient: Does that mean I'll live longer?
Doctor: No - but it'll certainly feel like it.

* the well known person was Spike Milligan

Lil, that immediately put me in mind of the film "Wit" with Emma Thompson. A simple but complex film about someone approaching death. I could watch it over and over. Far and away my favourite Thompson film.

Can't see it from here...

Too much cloud!!!!!



GT

The latest Pratchett T has some good takes on dying as Tiffany does her witchy things.

Would you rather die or be hold to the Dole in Santa Fe? I'm on hold, with 26 people ahead of me and an estimated wait time of only 85 minutes, and not on the calling card, either.

Interestingly enough, Barnes, the author, thought he had invented the apothegm that Teuchter cited, only he had written, "I'm not afraid of dying, as long as I don't wind up dead afterwards." And then he read it in another essay -- not by Spike Milligan.

Wittgenstein thought it was absolutely impossible for us to imagine our own death. Arthur Koestler fought against Franco in the Spanish Insurgency and wound up arrested and due to be executed. He spent a night in a jail cell with other convicted insurgents, hearing other prisoners being shot outside. He found, in his own mind and in talking with others in the cell with him, that the more imminent death became, the more difficult it became to put themselves in the frame. It was as if their consciousness began to split, with one half witnessing and the other half denying.

WA, I don't think you'll be needing those blue trousers this convo.

I am resurrected from being on hold and all is well.

"And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I
don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying?
There's no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime."

"I never said I was frightened of dying."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V188B3-pcBc