Picture courtesy of the Warren Family archives

Barbara Warren, one of the world’s elite endurance athletes in her age group has died after breaking her neck in a bike crash at the Santa Barbara Triathlon. She was 65.

Warren crashed her bike on a downhill road about halfway through the 34-mile cycling section of the race on Saturday.

Warren was paralyzed from the neck down and was breathing with the aid of the ventilator.

Drake said her sister told the family by blinking and nodding that she wanted to die.

“I talked to her and she nodded over and over and over again. She wanted to leave,” Drake said. “No athlete would like to have a life with only their eyes talking.”

Warren won her age group in the 2003 Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii. She competed in the race, the world’s top triathlon, 13 times and finished in the top five in her age group eight times.

Remarkable!

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Image courtesy of Bits and Pieces

What a scam. The intern presented me with the bill for his text books today.

Four books. Two of which were unbound. An unbound version of Microeconomics was $85.00! They call this “ala carte” on the receipt. You’ve got to be kidding me! “I need to a couple of notebooks”, he says. Well, I guess so, I don’t expect him to shuffle 600 loose pages. He says that some versions are available for download at $60 a pop. Oh, that’s a relief.

At the part-time job, I have a lot of interaction with seniors. Earlier this week, I encountered a beautiful lady who I would never have guessed her age at 70 +. Beautiful firm skin, not a line on her face, and physically fit. Naturally, I want to know her beauty secrets.

1. Palmolive Soap. No night creams, no moisturizers. Just soap and a washcloth.

Does she stay out of the sun? No.

Does she wear sunscreen? No.

Does she smoke? No.

Does she consume alcohol? Hell yes!

Does she watch her diet? She eats a lot of pork rinds.

Does she have good genetics? I think so.

The talk turned to marriage and she revealed she’d been married 56 years. “It gets easier. ” she said.

“Tell me”, I replied.

“Keep your mouth shut” she answered.

In our culture we honor the dead by carving their names in stone, staging celebrations of life, and personalizing any and all funeral accessories from the casket to the urn.

In contrast, here in the Bible Belt, I’ve attended a few services that where the body is on display (usually in a church) but the ceremony itself is actually an altar call for the “lost”.

In talking with Native Americans I’ve learned that in their culture, it is forbidden to mention the name of the deceased for fear of disturbing and disrupting the journey of the spirit.

Recently, a friend in Texas attended her neighbor’s funeral and was saddened that the minister never mentioned the deceased, only HIS relationship with God.

We never learned anything about his mother. We didn’t learn where she was born and grew up, who she married, or the names of her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We didn’t learn if she had any hobbies, or if she had ever belonged to any church or community organization.

I’d like to think this was a culture clash and not a minister with a captive audience. We just have to hope the family was satisfied with the service.

The message here is, depending on your beliefs and desires for the funeral service DON’T ASSUME that your pastor or family member will know what you want for your loved ones. Write it down, ask questions, or communicate your wishes to the funeral director handling the service.

Today’s Tip: Celebrate Life

The ultimate vanity plate.

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Griffin or Gryphon?

How do you spell “griffin”? As always, when we spot this ancient image, we try to capture it.

This was on a pillar at a local theater downtown.

Griffin or Gryphon?

The griffin has a narrow appeal. People with that last name, perhaps. Or, medieval architecture enthusiasts. Which rules out Billy Bob Thornton.

This urn style has been around for awhile, but for the family that does want the ancient symbol of protection we’ve added this bronze beauty. Some call it the Sarcophagus. We call it stunning.

This is the only style I’ve ever seen in Urn World with the image of the griffin on it. Price wise, the gryphon urn is not for the family that searching for “cheap urns“. Bronze urns will cost more than $100.00

Our bronze urns use both the lost wax and casting styles. Bronze urns will usually be some of the heaviest, weighing in the range of 25-45 pounds and command the highest price due to the artistry and casting process involved.

May you find gold and sapphires in your nest.

Justified and Ancient . Tammy Wynette’s voice was a great choice for this ’90′s release. Her last hit. Stand by your jams. RIP

Have a great week!

Earlier this week an old friend called and offered me a “great opportunity“. A chance to get back in the ad game. She works at a small ad agency here in town and knew I’d be perfect for the job. And I would. But it’s more hours than I want and I can barely manage what I have.

As scary as being a small business owner is, it’s preferred over being locked down on the Cube Farm full time. All along, I’ve devoted a few (very few) hours to a part-time job that helps cover college tuition for the intern and keeps my foot in the business world. That little job allows me to interact just enough with the human race to satisfy my social needs and interface with management for less than thirty minutes to remind myself that I like being my own boss.

There are enough ad blogs out there that I can get my fix and never have to leave the driveway.

2008 was do or die in the Urn Garden. My goal has always been to get the Garden stabilized and launch another project. That was the three year plan. However, the other project is on hold in order to concentrate on the bread and butter. I have a bad habit of trying to juggle and spread myself too thin. We’ll see what develops.

In Puerto Rico, a funeral home used a special embalming treatment to keep the corpse of 24-year-old Angel Pantoja Medina standing upright for his three-day wake.  His wish was to remain standing, even in death. | AP/WTOP | Continue reading

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