Wednesday, 2 July 2008
I was talked into this!
A good friend who thought i was the funniest chap he knew talked me into this. The bastard son of gene hunt. He died last week. It was hard enough to write while i watched him suffer its near imposible now. He lost a long dignified fight with brain tumors. He kept the finallity hidden from those closest till the very end. He was buried with full honours in his home town after a service in Richmond carried by his comrades. It will be a great loss.. Nothing seems funny now. oddball
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4 comments:
Hi Oddball --thanks for your message tonight.
Not being able to be there, but knowing that it was a very dignified and Ivan worthy ceremony was helpful.
I agree, I didn't get it that it was the end, nor did other people. When I saw a post mentioning "lets meet up" I thought hey, he's meeting up with friends! Good sign.
I know nothing seems funny now for you, but on the other hand think of how Ivan made even a bowel movement at the hospital into an entire blog-- you can polish a turd indeed. Yes he would want all you good friends to mourn properly...it's natural and necessary and respectful...
But, there's moments where I think that if everyone who knew him lost their sense of humour and all those little things that are funny and he would have ripped apart, then we lose a bit of who he was. When something funny happens, he would be the one you would want to tell cause he would get it and would laugh.
One time I was moaning about something and he said "stop it or I'll have you arrested. I have connections." I seriously thought there might be some RCMP officer at my door as a joke.
After many days of silence I now just try to think what his life taught people, how his existence enhanced that of the people around him. He was concerned about leaving a legacy in terms of his wife and children and in this life. So every time you laugh Mr. Odd, you carry on a little legacy of laughter and loving many things about this life for him.
I was driving through the US last week and I got this sudden guilty feeling since I had read how the man who loved to drive lost his license, but then I thought.. I have to enjoy this in his honour (or maybe get arrested?!)
I guess what I'm saying is that what I'm trying to do and think is that we are not diminished versions of ourselves now, we have to be better versions of ourselves, taking whatever lessons, parts of your friend he left you with...into the next bunch of years in his honour. Perhaps simplistic, but it's allowing someone to exist in another form. Even with him gone, he can influence the future and have people and things happen because of him.
I told him on my birthday that no matter how bloody old and ugly and decrepit I got, I would live it and enjoy whatever days I get in his honour. And already I find myself getting angry when I hear anyone saying "oh I'm depressed I'm turning 42.. " I can never now be one of those people, even if things get bad.
And I find myself wanting to find things funny, making more rude jokes..
Of course you will take a long time to heal as his close friends. But keep being funny, and ridiculous when you can. Even when we're serious it doesn't really help, so the only way to get through the day is to laugh.
All in honour of the friend who immortalized the hospital poo with wit and grace.. polished it if you will.
If you ever feel like sharing a story about your friend, always happy to listen. I will laugh I promise.
Hi Odd, feel a bit guilty not dropping by before now. What with one thing and another life got turned on it's ear.
Did an entry about the funeral the other day, almost had to force myself to do it but after I did I then went and had a read of Ivan's blog and it cheered me up a bit, the hospital poo gag does tend to put a smile on my face.
Will have to give Francesca a call and see how she is.
Take care and keep on blogging.
Marnie, your message is so true it hurt to read it. But then when i read it for the second and third time the poitive stuff really hit home. We have to find humour in the every day mundane hard things we face just as Ivey did.
Oddball, how are you doing now? X
Hi folks sorry ive not wrotten anything had a lot going on in the wake of Ivans exit, he was close to all my family. Im ok lucky in fact as he was propping me up 3 yrs ago when I was injured and seriously ill. He made me piddle laughing.I have a great photo of him if any of you folks want it emailing let me know, its minutes before he was married in his and I quote "between tumours phase!" its like Ali G!
He was a one off he would ring me on the mobile from his house phone and say "Is your ear hot yet? can you feel it?" He was in childhood like a cross between Twin Peaks and The Twighlight Zone. A total loon. All the best odd
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