"Because I've Got No Better Place to Write This..."

Sometimes you just don't know what to do with emotions.

My brother called a half hour ago to tell me my uncle died. I don't know what to do with how I feel, so I thought I would just share with my 4 loyal followers.

Both my parents were not very close to their families. I didn't get to know my uncles till I was an adult and it bums me out, there is so much to learn from families. I always figured there was something wrong with my dad's brothers. I come to find out, they were fun, loving, interesting, had lives, had families, had interesting experiences.

My Uncle Richard lived outside Philadelphia in Bucks' County. He was in advertising for umpteen years. He thought up the idea of the Union 76 ball on antennas. When I would ask him about it, he was never very impressed with the concept, it was just something he did and he found very amusing that there are Jack in the Box balls, baseballs, little heads with a team football helmet. I have a Ralph Wigum on my car antennae. It was a promotion that worked, he got a bonus and moved on.

I always thought it was pretty neat.

My Uncle Richard was very into Vietnamese Pot Belly Pigs. So much so, he carried pictures of pigs in his wallet of pigs in bonnets and costumes. My Uncle's wife Susan became very interested in them and started rescuing the pigs that were abandoned. While Uncle Richard wound down his career, he began putting his advertising energies toward the farm, pig rescue, specialty food, promotion for the farm. Last I heard they had something like 70 pigs living there. They had a specially heated barn, they wandered freely on the farm and had a very nice life.

The last I saw my uncle was almost exactly a year ago, I brought my son to the farm and goofed around there for a few days on a trip to the East Coast.

Uncle Richard loved Mexican food and when he would come to visit I would find a place with character. The grittier the better for him. He wanted truly authentic Mexican food. I don’t think he even cared if the place paced health inspection.

One time just he and I went out, it was a rainy Monday night. We were eating in a small place, there was one other table and the two of us . A Mariachi troupe came in, stood by our table and played.

6 or 7 musicians, trumpets, guitars, the whole works. I tipped them to go away, because it was a "bit" loud. You can’t have a conversation over 6 musicians dressed up like bull fighters playing La ‘cucaracha.

My uncle was convinced to his now dying day I set this thing up. I promise, I did not. I wish I were that clever.

I loved him, I loved his sense of play, I loved his mischief, I loved that he forgave me for being a liberal that lives in San Francisco. This is my life, odd things happen to me all the time, I am a magnet for this sort of thing. This sort of thing happens to me a lot.

I'm glad it happened, he got a big kick out of it.

For the last few months, I kept thinking I should call. I didn't of course because that's the way people are. You mean to do things but you get in your own way and talk yourself out of it. I don't have anything unsaid. I just liked talking to him.

Well. I loved him. He was very funny. He loved pigs. Since he met his current wife (he was married 3 or 4 times!), he has had a great life, they were married something like 25 years. He was always happy, full of mischief, always pleasant to be around.

We all lose family. There's nothing very special about me. I just happen to have this outlet, I write.

I was going to go to an Aikido class and sweat my sadness out. I just didn't feel like being around anyone. So I write...