I think the single saddest thing about the last two seasons for my beloved Lions, and there have been many sad things about my Lions over the last two dreadful years, is that I've gotten used to them. Now I expect them to lose. It no longer upsets me. Sigh, the sad consolation of lowered expectations.

On Suicide In high school, I thought about suicide. I never gave serious consideration to ending my own life, I just thought about suicide from every angle I could in order to clearly divine my opinions on the matter. As far as I was made aware, none of my friends contemplated suicide. The first person I knew who had truly dwelled on that line of thinking was The Plate; he spend the Summer of 2001 alone in Pittsburgh and was very lonely. Bachelorette No. 3 told me that she was very close to jumping off of South Quad this Fall. I've tried to be supportive and encourage them both to stop and reconsider, but I'm just not capable of being sympathetic. I can't empathize, I can't put myself in their shoes. The reasons I could never commit suicide:
a) In a way, each of us is the beginning and the end of the universe. I obviously didn't experience anything that happened before I was born, and I won't be aware of anything that happens after I'm dead. Everything I've ever learned about the universe I've learned in relation to my own existence. I could not bring myself to bring to an end the entire universe.
b) It's just about the most selfish thing a person can do. Yes, it's your life, but think about the pain and guilt your absence, if not your actual death, will cause. Were anyone I know to commit suicide, I know that I'd blame myself, that I'd convince myself there were things I could have done and didn't, even if there wasn't anything I could have done. I'm a jerk, but I'm not capable of being that selfish.
c) If I die in a fiery wreck on the drive back to Grand Blanc, I'll shortly thereafter find myself in either Heaven or Hell. I'm not entirely certain sure which. However, if I hang myself, I have absolute conviction that I'll spend eternity in Perdition's flames. I have many odd theological ideas and theories, but in this area I am old school: suicide is a mortal sin from which there can be no redemption.

At the same time, I don't believe committing suicide should be against the law. Each of us has the inalienable right to life. Does that not mean you should then also have control, cruel fate (disease, accident, et al.) permitting, over when and how that life should end? Committing suicide is incredibly, incredibly dumb, but that doesn't mean it should be illegal.

Moving On The Bald Mountain gave me his keys and asked me to retrive from his apartment his attache case, which he had forgotten on Thursday. Man, my brother's just got style. Not only is he the only guy I know who can pull off a purple four-button suit, but he's got a real McCoy attache case. Every trendy chump has a satchel, but it takes a special man to have an attache case. Shaven head, earring, those too cool black-framed glasses, the cat's got style and he's got it in spades.