I'd considered carving one for myself once, but only got around to building one out of sand...

The headache is still ever-present, though not as intense as it was thirteen hours ago. This is not a good sign, and I am hoping that it is not there to greet me again in the morning.

(For those of you out there who are mothering types, yes, I have been taking meds for the pain. Even handfuls of five ibuprofen at a time don't seem to help much...)

Not that it's related, but there's something else...

I went to a memorial service tonight for a friend's father who'd passed away earlier this week. Not a funeral (the man had been cremated), it was indeed a memorial... many people stood and gave their memories of the man and how he'd touched their lives. I'd only met him once, and from what I saw and experienced I do not doubt a word of what was shared tonight.

The thoughts of what I'd like as a going-away ceremony had come to me before, and tonight as I drove away, I thought of how much this quiet, heartfelt, and tasteful memorial gathering mirrored what I would like. I have no documents dictating this, nor have I ever, but I've never wanted an opulent funeral. If it could be done legally, I'd rather just be dumped in a hole in the ground somewhere in the mountains or in a pine box. Cremation would be fine, too, in many ways preferable, but I'd rather it be done on a pyre just for the aesthetics. Again, a probably a legal problem. For me, and no offense to anyone reading this, but breaking the bank on a funeral, even the box the body is put into, seems silly.

I like the idea of a memorial, too, where folks come together not to dwell in sadness but to relish the memory of someone they knew and cared for.

I'd also like pizza served at the reception, should there be one. It is, or will have been, after all, my favorite food.

So, whoever is reading this, should I expire for whatever reason, now you know: Not a lot of flowers, no frilly casket, no huge gravestone (unless it's in the shape of a knight's effigy with a really amazing quote... that'd be cool. Oh, and that's what this post's title is about... I can't find the photo of it, though.).

Whatever is less expensive, go for it. I won't mind. I'll be dead.