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Memorials for EricJames
January 16, 2012
commentary, Gay, News, Personal eric james borges, ericjames, lgbtq-suicide, memorial for ericjames Leave a comment
Reposted here from Queerlandia.com and QueerVisalia.com:
Two memorial services are planned for EricJames, who succumbed to suicide Wednesday, January 11, in Visalia, California.
EricJames, as he was known to his friends, was 19, and his death has struck a cord world-wide. News sites and blogs around the world have carried the report, with people writing how the news has touched them with sadness, and has strengthened their convictions to work harder on suicide prevention, and the acceptance of LGBTQ+ people of all ages.
Two public memorials are planned:
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
College of the Sequoias 915 S. Mooney Blvd, Visalia The Theatre Arts Department will hold a public memorial at 3:00 – 6:00 pm. See their Facebook event site, here. A map to the College is here.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The Spiritual Awareness Center 117 S. Locust St., (map)
Due to capacity considerations, this memorial has been moved. Same time, Saturday at 1pm.
New location: The Lamp Liter Inn, 3300 W. Mineral King, Visalia map.
Facebook event page, here.
Survivor’s Guilt
January 15, 2012
commentary, News, Personal eric james borges, ericjames, lgbtq-suicide, survivor's guilt, teen suicide 3 Comments
It’s been a difficult week. On Wednesday, the young man in this picture, EricJames Borges, 19, committed suicide. He was the latest in a series of young gay men who have killed themselves in the past two years. From what we know of their stories, they were all bullied by others for being gay. Some of them, like EricJames, also had to deal with families whose religion told them they were disgusting, evil, damned, and perverted. EricJames, in a YouTube video for the “It Gets Better” Campaign, told of his mother trying an exorcism to rid him of his homosexuality. He was told to leave home after he came out. Whatever the exact situation in his life, EricJames arrived at a place where he could no longer cope with the depression, and hanged himself. His friends and the LGBT community in Visalia and the central valley are in shock.
It’s completely normal for people who knew him to wonder if they could have done anything to prevent his death. From his closest friends, to casual acquaintances, people are left to wonder, and hope, that they didn’t miss the opportunity to help.
A Weird Little Poem
January 11, 2012
First posted July 13, 2008, on my MySpace blog.
Thoughts jumble
Fingers fumble
Electrons tumble
Photons mumble
Words on a screen
Phosphors glowing
Diodes shining
Plasma glistening
Thoughts
Ideas
Passions
Are you listening?
A flashback. My dead father pays me a visit.
January 9, 2012
commentary, Personal dad, ghosts, Jim Reeves Sr., reflections Leave a comment
I was looking through my older blog posts on MySpace, and ran across this one, posted April 22, 2009. I thought I’d run it again, here.
****
Every once in a while, something will happen that reminds me that I am my father’s son.
At times, it’s disconcerting as hell, other times it’s a nuisance, and sometimes it’s just amusing. I had an experience this morning that I’m not sure about, since it’s several hours later as I write this blog, and I’m still thinking about it.
The most common experience that makes me think of him is when I cough. I make the exact same sounds as he did, and those are the sometimes disconcerting moments. He was a heavy smoker all his life, and eventually died of throat and lung cancer. I, however, have never smoked, and haven’t been around a smoker since I moved out of his house. Some of the family from his side also have the same cough, and many of them were or are heavy smokers. I’m hoping the common sound is related to the structure of our genetically similar bodies, and not due to some other trait we all share that has contributed the deaths of many of my relatives.
I sometimes do things, that once I recognize them, I find amusing. I’ll notice that I’m walking with a gait that resembles his, and I wonder…. am I unconsciously being a little boy, and copying my Dad? Or does that style of moving have more to do with me having a body that is a very close structural copy of his? I’ll notice I’m sitting in a position that he sometimes sat in, and again I wonder. Is it just the long legs and no padding on the butt that results in this orientation, or something else? I had a bad case of hero worship when I was a child, and desperately wanted his approval. I wonder if sometimes that little boy sneaks out of some deep corner of my memory, and still wants Daddy’s attention?
Moon watching 2012
January 2, 2012
commentary, geek, Personal, Pictures Jupiter, Moon, sky watching, telescope Leave a comment
Apollo 17 / NASA
The Moon. It’s a real place. A world of it’s own, that hangs in our sky. It may be the very reason life exists on this planet. Formed when a planet the size of Mars collided with the (then smaller-than-now) Earth, the results of that chaos formed the (more-properly designated) double-planet system we see today. We often talk about the Moon orbiting the Earth, but it doesn’t, not really. The Earth and the Moon both orbit around a common center of gravity. That center is some miles below the surface of the Earth, but it is not the center of the Earth. The Moon is considered the largest satellite (even though it’s not, not really) of a planet, relative to the primary’s size, in our solar system, with the possible exception of Pluto/Charon. Now that Pluto has been downgraded from planet status, the Moon may hold that title without challenge.
I took my telescope out into the back yard tonight, and had a look-see.
Symphony of Science – Onward to the Edge!
January 1, 2012
geek, video Onward to the Edge, Symphony of Science Leave a comment
This is too cool!
JimmieJoe 
Let’s do some testing!
January 25, 2012
Jim Reeves commentary blogging, iPhone Leave a comment
Ok, so this is a test post, from my handy-dandy iPhone machine.
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