<p>Jmmom:</p>
<p>My condolences about your aunt. She sounds like quite a woman!</p>
<p>Jmmom:</p>
<p>Weren’t you lucky to have such a fantastic woman in your life!? 
</p>
<p>I had an amazing aunt and two fabulous grammas. My aunt taught me to waterski and how to count cards in Blackjack. My grandmothers were as opposite as could be. One taught me to recognize humor, particularly when things are going crappily. (I overheard my d use that word, today. Someone asked her how she was doing after her O-Chem final, and she replied, “Crappily.” Good word.) </p>
<p>My other gram taught me about elegance. She was the most graceful woman I’ve ever known and a great traveling companion. </p>
<p>I want to be Miracle Gro in somebody’s garden, someday. Here’s to your wonderful aunt. May she rest in peace, haunt your cousin, or whatever floats her boat! ;)</p>
<p>Jmmom,</p>
<p>I am sorry about your aunt, I guess my aunt needed company as she passed last week). Daughter was floored by her great aunt’s passing we went to the service on thursday, which was filled with laughter and humor as Jane, always did love to laugh and could crack a good joke. I always called her Jane for most of my adult life, because she was such a fan of Gilda Radners Roseann Reseannadanna and she would walk around impersonating her saying “We’ll Jane, it’s always something”.</p>
<p>Then one of her Dartmouth friends passed on Sunday (story on the Dartmouth board). So it has not been a good week in our house. The thing is Jane was sick for a long time (even though there were days when she was one of the healthiest sick people out there) so when she passed it was yes, she is at rest. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around a young person dying in a senseless death.</p>
<p>I hope they talking us getting drunk in cyberspace and keeping up the humor and holding on to the wonderful memories they have given us. </p>
<p>So yes lets raise our glasses to some really great and classy dames.</p>
<p>sybbie and slugg - the beautiful part of having to mourn someone is the beauty, joy and laughter in the memories it dredges up. And, here we are, honoring several “great and classy dames.” I won’t be surprised if we hear of many more. </p>
<p><em>clink</em></p>
<p>jmmom, my condolences , too. Sounds like a great lady.Funny thing about death of a loved one. Even when we expect it , we still don’t.</p>
<p>As usual, curmudge, you’ve summed it up. In words of one syllable. :)</p>
<p>Here, here, Sybbie. Your aunt Jane and her friend are probably kicked back on a fluffy cloud toasting fabulous broads everywhere! <em>clink</em> </p>
<p>SBmom, it doesn’t get any better than that. What a gift from your grandma. If my grandma had said that, I would have thought it was her way of saying that she forgave us for putting wooden matches into the ends of her cigarettes, so that when she lit up, the tips of her cigarettes would turn into towering infernos…kids, do not try this at home. :o</p>
<p>Sybbie,</p>
<p>I hate to add to the litany of sadness we have seen here today, but I must say that I feel greatly for you, as I ironically went through something very similar at the beginning of June. I am very sorry to hear about your aunt (and jmmom’s too), as well as your daughter’s friend.</p>
<p>My dear cousin (only 3 1/2 years older than me) died from an infection following serious surgery from which he had been recovering well. He was the first close friend or relative from my own age group to pass on, and I was very upset. </p>
<p>On the same day that my cousin passed away, my son told me that his very close friend at college had died under tragic circumstances the day before. I had never met the friend, but I had heard a lot about him, and I was terribly upset about that too. I felt awful for the family of the classmate, and I also felt terribly sorry and worried about my son, who was in the middle of final exams and papers when this happened. He had to leave campus for his summer internship as soon as these finals were done, before the memorial service had even taken place, as he was already late for the start of the internship program as it was, and his plane ticket had been paid for and could not be changed, etc. It was not a good week at our house either. </p>
<p>When I think about my son having to deal with this tragedy at such a young age, I realize how lucky I am not to experience the first loss of a close contemporary until I was almost 49 years old.</p>
<p>Marite, nice to <em>see</em> you! There’s a coffee mug here with your name on it. We’re not just boozehounds here in the alley. We’re caffeine addicts, too. If it’s drinkable, you’ll find it in the alley. ::eww::</p>
<p>I’m fueling up for tonight. D is coming home for the weekend, and I have to stay up and boot the boyfriend out before he “falls asleep” and tries to spend the night. I’m in denial about many things, but getting a full night of uninterrupted sleep is something that I thought I’d be getting by now. Instead, I’m getting little, red veins protruding into the white part of my eyeballs. At least the coffee is good (Kona coffee from the Big Island), and I’ll be chasing that with a couple of Advil liqui-gels. :)</p>
<p>::::Slugghuggs:::: for you, Motheroftwo. ;)</p>
<p>Thanks - I am pretty much over everything now, but it took a while and it took a lot out of me. I think Sybbie and jmmmom are the ones who need your wonderful Slugghuggs right now :)</p>
<p>There is an old (African?) proverb: “Death is always new.”</p>
<p>My parents died when I was relatively young but I have come to realize that no matter how prepared you think you are for the death of someone you love, you never are. It always takes you by surprise. Fortunately it sounds like all of you had amazing relationships with these people and that they had very full lives…there’s the blessings.</p>
<p>(Big, red Naugahyde door flies open)::::ppant::::ppant::::ppant:::: Quick! Somebody hide me! </p>
<p>I was foolish enough to venture out of the Alley and post elsewhere…something about using the TOS and booting ■■■■■■, which relates to another thread about household pests. Aaaargh, what in God’s name was I thinking?! </p>
<p>I’ll be underneath the booth in the corner. Somebody order me a Screaming Orgasm (3/4 oz. Kahlua, 3/4 oz. Irish Cream, 3/4 oz. Amaretto, 3/4 oz. Vodka, & lotsa ice). Can’t hurt! Crash, can I borrow your shades and your Parrot Head baseball cap? 
</p>
<p>I’m stopping in for a drink to celebrate what (I think) will be my 1000th post and elevation to Senior Member status. Someone pour me a beer. :)</p>
<p>Edit: OK, the number didn’t increment. I have had 3 posts numbered 998 today and this is my second 999th. I have no clue how many posts I really have, but this board doesn’t count so well. </p>
<p>Pour me another…</p>
<p>Happy 999th anyway, CalMom. I believe that the post count no longer increments for posts in the Cafes. Seems reasonable. A poor student might find credible someone with 1,000 posts (somewhat illogical, but true) but not know that 982 were about drinks in the cafe. :)</p>
<p>I suppose this is as good a place as any to note: my daughter paid me a great compliment yesterday. We were having lunch and I mulled, as I have before, that in my next life I’d like to come back as a philanthropist: arts, education, politics. She immediately shot back, “With your money or your time?” </p>
<p>She was wise enough to see that philanthropy need not nearly consist of only the former and that I’ve done pretty well for what I have.</p>
<p>Still…I think I’d enjoy writing some six-figure checks. Okay, so I’m a piker that fantasizes low.</p>
<p>Thank goodness for the Cafe. I’m sitting in a departure lounge at JFK, where I’ve been for almost 3 hours now, waiting for my connecting flight to Helsinki, which isn’t leaving for at least another 2.5 hours. All the sandwiches in the “food” place have been sold out, and the bulk candy place shut down. Ther’s a beer place over there, but I have to sit here and watch the carry-ons from my H and S while they go exploring. So, someone send me something powerful that will put me right to sleep and make me forget I’m p.o.'d that the airline didn’t even send an agent to the gate we’re all sitting at. There are dozens of Finnish folks sitting here with me, and we’re all hoping we’re in the right place. I guess I’m just getting a taste of what it will sound like once we’re there, but boy, Finnish sounds so strange to my ears.</p>
<p>jmmom, MotherOfTwo, sybbie: my condolences to all of you and strength to your families and the families of the others who are so tragically gone. Some wonderful and thoughtful words of support surround you here. calmom, congrats on your “rising Senior” status.</p>
<p>Make mine a double at least. And behave yourselves while I’m gone. Or not.</p>
<p>Thanks for the explanation TheDad – I was puzzled by how I could keep on posting again and again and never see the count go up – and then all of the sudden another post would “work”. </p>
<p>In any case, I’ve done it now. Weighed in on a “real” thread about the advisability of taking honors physics. So I can truly celebrate my 1000th post. In this virtual bar-world, next round’s on me…</p>
<p>mootmom how about some aquavit? I am familiar with Finnish-- they are welcome in Sinner’s Alley!</p>
<p>do you guys take fake ID’s with your fake drink orders?;)</p>
<p>Moot, oh bummer I live about a hot 10 from minutes JFK we could have gotten you some candy.</p>
<p>Fountain Siren, You know I have mad love for you but with Yemaya away at camp we thought we were safe from the fake ID thing. It’s a virgin pina colada for you missy, cause I can’t afford to have you tell D I was a bad influence on you or tell the others about my love of yellow plastic basket shoes.</p>
<p>Calmom * congratulations on 1,000 * Isn’t it great to be a senior member but still be able to pass for a junior?</p>
<p>Curm, bring me another one of those thingys with the umbrealla. Calmom is buying and I don’t want to disappoint her by not drinking.</p>