Quotation
"I want a book that acknowledges that life goes on but that death goes on, too, that a person who is dead is a long, long story. You move on from it, but the death will never disappear from view. Your friends may say, Time heals all wounds. No, it doesn't, but eventually you'll feel better. You'll be yourself again." -Elizabeth McCracken, An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination

Random Musing
Strange to think that it's already been a year. Time moves really fast. Rest in peace Chip. As always, my thoughts are with your friends and family. I hope they're on the road to feeling like themselves again.

Random Musing
He would have been twenty-one today. Fittingly, his last song was titled "21."

Random Musing
About a month ago, From the Depths accepted a poem written in memory of Erica Teevens and Chip Switzer. The poem is currently being featured on their web page, you can read it here.

Random Musing
A little over a year ago, I wrote a blog post recommending that my followers give The Soloists a listen. They're a band from Novi, Michigan composed of two super nice and talented guys, and I'm thrilled to be able to report that they have just released a new EP titled Before You Go. I think it's their best EP to date - which is high praise coming from a Soloists superfan - and honestly believe you'd be doing yourself a favor in buying it. So go ahead and click on that link - you will not be sorry.

Oh, and just in case the chance to add some excellent new songs to your music library isn't enough enticement for you, half of the proceeds from the album's sales will be donated to St. Francis Inn in memory of Chip Switzer. So you can feel good about your decision to buy the album on multiple levels. Now go click on that link. Go. Now. Do it.

Random Musing
Phantom Kangaroo accepted one of my poems a couple weeks ago. As of yesterday issue no. 10 is up on the site; you can go here to read my poem.

When I first received the acceptance email I was really excited about having another poem published and out there for the world to see. But my excitement's been tempered by recent events. I'm just not quite in the mood to celebrate. Or maybe I just don't like this idea of life simply going on in the face of tragedy - even if I know that is of course how the world works. It feels like everyone should sit and mourn for a while before going on with life as usual; as if moving forward so quickly is disrespectful (and no, I'm not sure what "moving forward" even means exactly). I know that's all pretty irrational, but it's how I'm feeling right now.

Anyhow, just wanted to share my first online publication with my faithful readers.

Quotations
"'Dead?' said Sophie. She had a silly impulse to add, But she was alive an hour ago! And she stopped herself, because death is like that: people are alive until they die." -Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle

"'Among the tortures and devastations of life is this then — our friends are not able to finish their stories.'" -Virginia Woolf, The Waves

Random Musing
And once again, I find that Diana Wynne Jones' quote about death is spot on and sadly appropriate for the times. Chip Switzer, another Novi High School alum, passed away yesterday. He died peacefully in his sleep. He was twenty years old. He wasn't my friend, but he was an unfailingly kind person, and his passing away so suddenly is yet another (and at this point unnecessary) reminder of this world's constant, torturous transience. My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family.