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Back in early March, I learned that Charlie Lundell was being treated again for cancer. When I learned of how severe it was, I started writing him a letter, but I didn’t like it’s tone. It felt like too much of a good-bye and that’s not what I wanted. I approached it differently and worked on it for some time. When I learned at the beginning of April, he was in critical care, I polished it up one final time. On April 16th, I woke up at 3:30AM to go to the bathroom and grabbed my phone. While checking my messages, I was floored by an inbox message that Charlie had passed away a few hours before. I sat on the edge of my bed, dumbfounded and teary eyed that he was gone. I was sad because his children got cheated out of time with their father, his wife was cheated out of growing old with him, his unborn twins would never know their father first hand, and I didn’t seize my last chance to let him know how much he meant to me.

I took my little essay and decided to record it in audio format, posting it here so others would know what Charlie Lundell meant to me since I won’t be able to attend his memorial service.

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Facebook logo

Facebook logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You read that right. I broke up with Facebook.  It just wasn’t a very healthy relationship. I realized that the people that matter the most will get in contact with me. Additionally, I was tired of the noise. I enjoyed people posting pictures of their kids or something cool, but that was getting drowned out by crap. Whether we admit it or not, most of what we post benefits no one.

Honestly, Facebook was more about being a voyeur in other people’s lives than strengthening or establishing meaningful relationships. Another thing most people won’t readily admit. I just didn’t want to do that anymore.

I made a formal announcement before I shut off my account. Those that wanted to stay in contact got the information to stay in touch. I am hoping to have more meaningful relationships with them without Facebook running interference.

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Chuck

Around this time of year, I start to feel reflective. I recently started thinking a lot about my old high school math teacher Chuck. If I remember right, the class was Integrated Math which I took during my sophomore year.

Memories of Chuck

Chuck kinda reminded me of Neil Finn from Crowded House; probably because they shared similar hair styles. Chuck still has this hair style and honestly, I couldn’t imagine him having it any other way. He has a wicked sense of humor. I remember one day being one of the last ones to leave the class with my friend and referred to her as “fart knocker” (mind you Beavis and Butt-head were still popular at the time). Without missing a beat, Chuck chimed in with sarcastic humor, “Fart knocker? Why don’t you just say queef smasher.” For a second, I was in disbelief, but it was pretty damn funny then and I still laugh about it now. When you’re in school, you tend to forget teachers are human and in being funny, Chuck drove the point home. [Read more…]