RIP, Mister LaFaurie.
So, I've been hanging out at Shoryuken.com for the better part of ten years, at this point.
The site went down for maintenance this weekend, and went back up a few hours ago. And one of the first things I see in the forum is...the announcement of the death of one of our members, who's been there as long as I have.
Sad.
He'd been ill for some time, and was confined to a wheel chair for years, as I remember it. So it didn't exactly come out of nowhere, and I think in the back of my mind I had somewhat prepared myself. But still...he wasn't dead, last week. You know? I've seen him post on the messageboard fairly recently, and now...well...he's gone. Forever.
Strangely enough, I wish I met him. That isn't strange, but I wish I were sadder. The Internet Age has turned socialization into entertainment. I wish I'd had a deeper connection with him, so his passing felt more like a death and less like if a website I used to go to closed down, though I didn't go to it anymore. People online are more like TV channels, and less like human beings. It's like the death of some sort of Internet coworker, only, one you weren't very close to anymore.
I don't know. I just needed to bang on my keyboard a bit and work this through in my mind.
I still don't know.
And just like that, it's 2010.
But you know what else is strange? Since he died at the end of 2009 (ON CHRISTMAS DAY), to me it's like... I don't know, I've already accepted that 2009 sucked. So this feels more like motivation for me to get my shit together.
Maybe I'm just slipping into narcissim again?
As I said before, and as generally sums up this post: I don't know.
I don't know.
The site went down for maintenance this weekend, and went back up a few hours ago. And one of the first things I see in the forum is...the announcement of the death of one of our members, who's been there as long as I have.
Sad.
He'd been ill for some time, and was confined to a wheel chair for years, as I remember it. So it didn't exactly come out of nowhere, and I think in the back of my mind I had somewhat prepared myself. But still...he wasn't dead, last week. You know? I've seen him post on the messageboard fairly recently, and now...well...he's gone. Forever.
Strangely enough, I wish I met him. That isn't strange, but I wish I were sadder. The Internet Age has turned socialization into entertainment. I wish I'd had a deeper connection with him, so his passing felt more like a death and less like if a website I used to go to closed down, though I didn't go to it anymore. People online are more like TV channels, and less like human beings. It's like the death of some sort of Internet coworker, only, one you weren't very close to anymore.
I don't know. I just needed to bang on my keyboard a bit and work this through in my mind.
I still don't know.
And just like that, it's 2010.
But you know what else is strange? Since he died at the end of 2009 (ON CHRISTMAS DAY), to me it's like... I don't know, I've already accepted that 2009 sucked. So this feels more like motivation for me to get my shit together.
Maybe I'm just slipping into narcissim again?
As I said before, and as generally sums up this post: I don't know.
I don't know.