How cute were my parents? I received none of these genetic gifts. 

Anyway, its been four years. F-O-U-R years. It feels like ages ago, and it feels like no time has passed at all. Weird how that happens. I was thinking about it the other day and what there is to say really, which got me thinking about the actual day itself. And while 99 percent of that isn't something I could dash off in a blog, there is something interesting to relate. In all the time he was sick, my pop never made any (ahem) arrangements. He was a writer, but he never penned his own obituary (I think we did ok on that though); he never made notes about what sort of funeral he'd like; he didn't leave instructions for what to do with his stuff. The only clue that my dad had ever thought about this endpoint was a lone Word document I found on his computer with 11 songs...his funeral cd. It's sort of cool that that was as involved as he wanted to be in the whole thing. I don't know the reasoning behind any of the songs, so I'm left to guess at whether there's a message here or its just the music he liked. Here they are:

1. Caravan by Van Morrison. Great song. My dad once saw Van Morrison in an airport and marveled at the fact that the dude "looked like an insurance salesman."

2. Everybody Knows by Leonard Cohen. A punk selection. That voice is eternally creepy.

3. Reflections of My Life by Marmalade. This is probably the only song on the list that I can't listen to anymore. Too heartbreaking. 

4. Ain't Hurtin' Nobody by John Prine. I have no idea. 

5. Dance to the Bop by Gene Vincent. When my dad first began to understand YouTube he would watch a) girl fights and b) old footage of bands/songs he liked. This is a classic example. 

6. Fat Boy by Bill Stewart. I'm guessing this is another YouTube re-discovery of his. 

7. Sunday Will Never Be the Same by Spanky and Our Gang. I never heard this song before I found the funeral cd list. 

8. You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover by Bo Diddley. Good to get some rollicking tunes in the mix. 

9. Life's Been Good by Joe Walsh. This one surprised me a bit. I guess it fits the situation though. 

10. Move it on Over by George Thorogood. 

11. Heaven by the Talking Heads. The man didn't believe in God or heaven, but he did believe in David Byrne. 

There you have it. Since 11 is a strange number of songs I like to think he had some more to add to the list...the fact that Warren Zevon was overlooked (so many to choose from: My Shit's Fucked Up, My Ride's Here, Keep Me In Your Heart) is the biggest clue. 

Another thing he failed to do was to make an advance directive (living will), which baffles me to this day. If you don't have one, make one. I'm happy to be anyone's #1 plug-puller (I'm experienced). When I put mine together I was meeting Juan and Colin after work for a drink, and I asked if we could swing past the bank on our way so I could "get something notarized." Turns out I also needed two witnesses, so both of those bros had to sign it too -- they were horrified when they learned what it was. Anyway, no one has to guess at my wishes, or feel responsible for some shitty choices.