Sads forever
Thank you to everyone who passed on their condolences, I really appreciate it.
I'd known my friend Cat (his name was Matthew, mostly we called him Cat or Mister Cat. he went by Balthcat online. Cat) since I was at least elementary school. We (my sister and I) used to pretend to be kitties with him and an older girl, Robin L. I remember one early encounter where he showed me some little wart or blister on his finger, and tried to convince me it somehow held the power of life or death over his mother. We were never more than playground friends at that point, but we both remembered those days from the Smythe Street afterschool program later on, and marveled.
We met back up again in highschool. He was younger than me, but was friends with a guy (also younger, he had skipped a grade or two) in my after-lunch history class, so he would come and hang out and chat until it was time to leave. I met a lot of other really close friends through him. He was there, coincidentally, when I first started LARPing, and we got to know each other better after that, too.
I have always had a pretty active online life, and I've managed to integrate a lot of rl friends into that in ways where it is hard to separate the two. I have an irc channel that is mostly scattered RL friends, who have become at least internet friends with each other because of that. I successfully crossed streams, in that way.
Cat was part of that. As our original local friend group dispersed, we kept u with online gaming and such, and he was part of that. I think I have seen or talked tho him online in some form for pretty much everyday for, literally decades, in more or less depth (he worked nights sometimes, and a lot of it was general group chats, but he was always *there*. We were pretty close. I feel awful that while I noted his absence, I didn't *remark* on it sooner. I don't think it would have mattered. he had a crazy sleep schedule, and I was really busy this weekend. i still feel like a total heel. We played a game on vassal on Monday night and I wondered where he was, because he should have played with us, but he never showed up and we got sucked into the game. Apparently he never showed up to work that day, and one of his coworkers had the cops go check on him. The last time he was active online that anyone can find was Friday. We don't know what happened, and may not find out for months. He was 36, and lived physically alone other than his two kitties, Deimos and Phobos who now need new homes. He had a huge sprawling online community, including our 'home' group, various music sharing forums and chats, and some furries he's been friends with since highschool. I think we have found them all, but I'm still not sure. I hope so, anyway.
In a very lucky strike, there is a new airline that has opened that has really cheap flights back east, so my sister and I, with the help of friends, because the airports for these 'cheap' flights are not close, are going to be able to go home for the memorial. I'd like to be able to help a little with cleaning out his place, because, uh, his mother should not have to, and there are things there he wold not want her to see/deal with. I'm glad I get to go, but sad that I will miss this weekend with Nary, who was also a rl friend of his, and who is stuck with the second week of the course that is already paid for. Bleh. But her husband and son and dog are coming up with her, and Wererogue and the kids and our dogs will still be here, so at least she will have lots of good sympathetic company. Well, maybe not the kids. They'd met Cat but I don't think they remember, and probably don't understand :/
Anyway. I will probably have more things to say on this, but for right now that's all my mental energy. I am going to watch some Clone Wars with Nary because relative mindlessness.
I'd known my friend Cat (his name was Matthew, mostly we called him Cat or Mister Cat. he went by Balthcat online. Cat) since I was at least elementary school. We (my sister and I) used to pretend to be kitties with him and an older girl, Robin L. I remember one early encounter where he showed me some little wart or blister on his finger, and tried to convince me it somehow held the power of life or death over his mother. We were never more than playground friends at that point, but we both remembered those days from the Smythe Street afterschool program later on, and marveled.
We met back up again in highschool. He was younger than me, but was friends with a guy (also younger, he had skipped a grade or two) in my after-lunch history class, so he would come and hang out and chat until it was time to leave. I met a lot of other really close friends through him. He was there, coincidentally, when I first started LARPing, and we got to know each other better after that, too.
I have always had a pretty active online life, and I've managed to integrate a lot of rl friends into that in ways where it is hard to separate the two. I have an irc channel that is mostly scattered RL friends, who have become at least internet friends with each other because of that. I successfully crossed streams, in that way.
Cat was part of that. As our original local friend group dispersed, we kept u with online gaming and such, and he was part of that. I think I have seen or talked tho him online in some form for pretty much everyday for, literally decades, in more or less depth (he worked nights sometimes, and a lot of it was general group chats, but he was always *there*. We were pretty close. I feel awful that while I noted his absence, I didn't *remark* on it sooner. I don't think it would have mattered. he had a crazy sleep schedule, and I was really busy this weekend. i still feel like a total heel. We played a game on vassal on Monday night and I wondered where he was, because he should have played with us, but he never showed up and we got sucked into the game. Apparently he never showed up to work that day, and one of his coworkers had the cops go check on him. The last time he was active online that anyone can find was Friday. We don't know what happened, and may not find out for months. He was 36, and lived physically alone other than his two kitties, Deimos and Phobos who now need new homes. He had a huge sprawling online community, including our 'home' group, various music sharing forums and chats, and some furries he's been friends with since highschool. I think we have found them all, but I'm still not sure. I hope so, anyway.
In a very lucky strike, there is a new airline that has opened that has really cheap flights back east, so my sister and I, with the help of friends, because the airports for these 'cheap' flights are not close, are going to be able to go home for the memorial. I'd like to be able to help a little with cleaning out his place, because, uh, his mother should not have to, and there are things there he wold not want her to see/deal with. I'm glad I get to go, but sad that I will miss this weekend with Nary, who was also a rl friend of his, and who is stuck with the second week of the course that is already paid for. Bleh. But her husband and son and dog are coming up with her, and Wererogue and the kids and our dogs will still be here, so at least she will have lots of good sympathetic company. Well, maybe not the kids. They'd met Cat but I don't think they remember, and probably don't understand :/
Anyway. I will probably have more things to say on this, but for right now that's all my mental energy. I am going to watch some Clone Wars with Nary because relative mindlessness.