[Kickaha]

He was *ORDAINED*?!?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh that's priceless.

*sigh*

[schalliol]

Hahah, that's awesome...and totally like Jack.

[Moogs]

Heheh... before this happened, had someone told me that story and not given a name I would've guessed Jack for sure. That is something only he could pull off. Just totally off the wall.

Mur: I've had the same experience with the sadness hitting in waves. I slept about 3 hours last night, woke up feeling just... not human. I'm starting to get the stares again and every time I think of him I get this hollow feeling in my gut. I still have this letter I want to send. Just looking at it doesn't seem real. I wasn't as close as you and Brad and the other mods were with him but still; my brain can't wrap around why I have this letter.

I also wanted to say I'm sorry if I wrote too much in my initial post, guys. I re-read it and I should've kept it brief. This isn't about me and I don't want to give that impression. I was just trying to work through it explain things as I thought of them I guess....

I'm all for AppleNova Con. One of the legacies of this should be that we get together and have a hell of a time; Jack would've loved that.

[Messiahtosh]

I never knew or talked to LoCash very much, but I read his posts. Funny, seemingly one very genuine guy.

It won't be the same around here, and more so with the real-world people he touched in his life. He'll be missed.

God bless him.

[drewprops]

If anyone is going to meet up at Spring Hill let me know. I did a search online for a good photo of the funeral home because I wanted everyone to see how amazing it is. There's only one photo and it's crap. Maybe I'll snap a picture of it on the way home tonight. It's the place where I want to have my service when it's my turn to go, and a beautiful place for your friends and family to gather to send you on your way.

Plus it's a block from the Cheetah III stripclub.
This is something that Jack would've made sure to point out.

[curiousuburb]

Originally Posted by drewprops If anyone is going to meet up at Spring Hill let me know. I did a search online for a good photo of the funeral home because I wanted everyone to see how amazing it is. There's only one photo and it's crap. Maybe I'll snap a picture of it on the way home tonight. It's the place where I want to have my service when it's my turn to go, and a beautiful place for your friends and family to gather to send you on your way. Plus it's a block from the Cheetah III stripclub. This is something that Jack would've made sure to point out.

Tits and Ash.
Hmmm.... I think he might get a chuckle out of that.

[Kickaha]

drew, are you going to the service?

cburb: ROTFLMAO! Perfect!

[murbot]

Originally Posted by drewprops Plus it's a block from the Cheetah III stripclub.

Oh man, I really needed a good laugh. Thanks.

That's hilarious, and so completely fitting.

[iBrowse]

I've read this thread about three or four times now and still don't know what to say. Jack was the main reason I always checked up on AppleNova. Even when I stopped posting here as much I still talked to him online a lot. Countless video chats and ridiculous chats later he still never ceased to amaze me with his ridiculous brilliance. He wanted me and a friend to come to his huge 'Jackoween' party last October, I totally wish I had. I wish I had taken the chance to meet this amazing man in person.

Wherever you are good buddy, have fun.

[Moogs]

If anyone is interested, a few months ago Jack shared one of his favorite Dennis Leary bits with me. And at the end of this bit, you can hear Jack laughing as he switched the audio settings (but do listen to it straight through - you'll also get the origins of some Aldo lore amidst the punch-lines). Kind of strange but comforting at the same time. I thought some of you might like to have it. It's only a few seconds when you hear him but it was still him and that's what counts.

http://homepage.mac.com/themoogs/.cv...ee.mp3-zip.zip

[ast3r3x]

Does anyone else keep seeing the name to this thread in the forum listing and for a split second being excited that it was a sick joke or something?

[Quagmire]

Originally Posted by ast3r3x Does anyone else keep seeing the name to this thread in the forum listing and for a split second being excited that it was a sick joke or something?

Yeah. I am still looking at Who's online to spot him. This has to be a joke. This has to. Damn it!

[torifile]

I just went over to AI and I noticed that there are a lot of people there who are just as touched as we are. It's a sticky thread and an announcement. That made me feel really good. I think this really shows Jack's ability to connect to people. Nice work, Jack.

[Mac+]

chester - well said.

qroo - thanks for the photos.

... still hard to believe - but I'm glad to see the tributes people have been posting online here and there. He had an impact and I hope his family learns/knows this.

[Moogs]

I'm hoping to get a chat room going to talk about Jack and the Nova Con and all the things that are on our minds. It will be the "applenova" room, if it's not already buzzing as it sometimes is. Join in if you can. [Note the AIM service is down right now for some reason but as soon as it's back up I'll start things rolling hopefully.]

[Chinney]

I am afraid that I did not know Jack well, but I enjoyed a few back and forth banters with him on the old AI, and here on AN, and I appreciated the nice welcome that he gave me when I arrived on AN. (I don't know for sure, but I think that the "Chimney" handle, that started on AI, and that popped up right away again when I joined AN, originated as his joke.)

I am very much saddened by the loss that his death represents, but I will let others who knew him better - face to face or online - comment more about about the personal angle, as they have done in a very nice way throughout this thread. For my own part, I want to salute his work in keeping these forums alive, both on AI and here on AN. A lot of people use and enjoy these forums on a day-to-day basis for Mac/computer debate, exchange of ideas, and - not least important - just for fun. "The House that Jack Built" indeed. Can we keep that permanently on our banner, please?

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Chinney "The House that Jack Built" indeed. Can we keep that permanently on our banner, please?

Yeah, that's the plan. It'll be a permanent homage to our fearless leader.

[Moogs]

chat is up now.

"applenova"

(chinney, thanks for the PM ; ) )

[windowsblowsass]

i really dont kow what to say he seemed to be a great guy he was so welcoming and kinda helped me out here when these forums first got started rip

[Windswept]

I am devastated.

I just can't believe it.

Oh, Jack, it can't be true. You can't be gone.

I'm in a public library and tears are streaming down my face. What a terrible place to have to deal with something like this. Oh god.

Jack was an incredible, bright, many-faceted person. He wrote me the most amazing letter in the mod forum - a letter about himself, in answer to a few questions I had asked. It made me want to know SO much more about him.

But now it's too late.

He had so much going for him, so much talent, such a mischievous sense of humor. He wrote beautifully. He wanted AppleNova to be a wonderful place for the community of posters. Months ago, he and I were thinking of doing a "Dear Abby" column together for the front page, but we put that on the back burner because he decided he wanted more technical content there.

We had so much fun with the 'love slave' scenario. I was his love slave, but not a very good one, because I don't like taking orders.

I wanted to get to know him so much better, but I put if off. And now it's too late. Oh, Jack, how can this have happened? How can this have happened?

I feel sick to my stomach. It will be a long, long time before I get over this. Oh, Jack. Oh, Jack. How can this be true?


PS - he sent me a picture of himself in his Afghan hat. Does anyone have that picture? I don't have access to it now, but I will eventually, and I'll post it when I can.

[torifile]

Carol,

I'm sorry you had to find out about this in a public place.

[Frank777]

I've been busy with meeting a work deadline and just clicked in and found out.

My condolences to his family and friends. 'Nova seems like a much smaller place today.

[Moogs]

What torifile said.

[_Ω_]

Originally Posted by Frank777 'Nova seems like a much smaller place today.

Smaller, but also tighter.

[schalliol]

Since it wasn't said on this page, I thought I'd let people know who haven't read all the pages that we're taking donations for a tribute to Jack, see a couple pages back if you're interested.

[Dave]

You know, I heard the news about Jack the day it happened, and I'm still not sure what to say. I couldn't have talked* to him more times than you could count on a hand, yet I feel a great loss. I guess he was just that kind of guy.



*"talked" as in replied to a post. I never took the opportunity to even IM with the guy, let alone actually talk to him.

[crazychester]

Carol,

You should go buy yourself a bottle of wine (something nice, don't skimp), sit out in that big, beautiful garden of yours and get thoroughly blotty (in case that doesn't translate into US English, I mean drunk as a skunk). If you're saying you first found out reading this thread, all I can do is shake my head in despair and emit a low growl in the direction of murbot and kickaha. I assumed someone had done their darnedest to contact you and that your failure to appear in this thread was because you needed some time out to deal with it. Be kind to yourself.

Moogs,

Your post was great - both versions of it. It is about you. Grief might be directed at the dead but it's for the benefit of the living. As it should be. The dead have been released. It's the living who are still bound by the contract that says you must endure a certain amount of shitfulness in return for life. It doesn't mean you're not entitled to feel ripped off when the bill falls due.

You all need to stop beating yourselves up. You too, qroo. It's unhealthy. Grieving is fine. Even a certain amount of regret is OK. But feeling bad because you feel bad is not. You're allowed to feel bad. It disturbs me what some of you are doing to yourselves. It's the guilty about being alive thing. I suspect Jack would be less than pleased. In fact, I'm inclined to think he'd be appalled. So ease up on yourselves. Deal with it as you feel you need to but don't blame yourselves for needing to.

[scratt]

Originally Posted by crazychester You all need to stop beating yourselves up. You too, qroo. It's unhealthy. Grieving is fine. Even a certain amount of regret is OK. But feeling bad because you feel bad is not. You're allowed to feel bad. It disturbs me what some of you are doing to yourselves. It's the guilty about being alive thing. I suspect Jack would be less than pleased. In fact, I'm inclined to think he'd be appalled. So ease up on yourselves. Deal with it as you feel you need to but don't blame yourselves for needing to.

Agreed crazychester. I am really a bit on the perifery for all of this. I didn't really know LoCash that well. But from his sense of humour I think I got to know his mind set pretty well and he probably viewed life and death the same way I, and a lot of us really do...

I would far rather people go out and celebrate the good stuff about still being alive, and remember the crazy stuff I did while I was alive, and have a big party than get morbid.

I tend to agree with crazychester that LoCash (far be it from me to put words in his mouth) may well be sitting somewhere going 'Cheers guys.. But for gods sake go and pull someones hair, or put some celophane over a loo seat...'

[Darwin]

I fly in tomorrow afternoon.


Thanks in part to J3 for this one... It was going to be hairy getting out of houston on stand by but he is helping me out with arrangements from the airport i plan on heading down to the funeral home..

*sighs*

and it still hasnt hit me.. sily denial

[Darwin]

Blue skies old friend.

Romeo
India
Papa

Good men must die, but death can not kill their names