[2 November 2009]
Today is the Feast of All Souls, better known where I come from as the Day of the Dead. It’s a useful day to remember the dead.
Today, I am thinking particularly of Donald Walker, Antonio Zampolli, Yuri Rubinsky, each important in different ways to me. Life remains (as I expected when they died) a little harder without them around.
It’s also a good day to think about the death that will come for each of us before long.
Deyr fé, deyia frœndr,
deyr siálfr it sama;
enn orðztírr deyr aldregi,
hveim er sér góðan getr.
Deyr fé, deyia frœndr,
deyr siálfr it sama;
ec veit einn, at aldri deyr:
dómr um dauðan hvern.
What will we leave to those who stay here after us? What would we like to be remembered by?
Funny, you don’t look Mexican. And is the U+0010 in front of “Walker” a sign of particular respect?
But enough mockery: in the face of that bit of Old Norse grimth, all jests look a little crooked, a little ill-kempt.
I just got back from Rome after a bone crypt tour and a sign on the wall said “we were what you are and you will become what we are.” I’m assuming you are going to live on through your code and the people that have to add on, change, unwind it for years to come. I, on the other hand, will pass on into furniture heaven?