tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post2678349190661624756..comments2023-09-10T08:35:25.739-07:00Comments on Street Rat Crazy Saloon: Velveteen RabbitsDinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10907199567928816652noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-82917817407747102842010-06-11T14:27:21.004-07:002010-06-11T14:27:21.004-07:00Go ahead and pick up my post at Econosophy, Dink.
...Go ahead and pick up my post at Econosophy, Dink.<br />I am no good at fiddling with the Internet, I would rather you do it.<br />Can you ?<br />Let me know if I have to do it...<br />Thanks.Debrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01510189619803992336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-47746969832703114912010-06-11T14:24:46.836-07:002010-06-11T14:24:46.836-07:00I don't mind if you mirror my post at the dedi...I don't mind if you mirror my post at the dedicated Thai site.OkieLawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17071917464425173379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-64722003267750786922010-06-11T07:48:40.337-07:002010-06-11T07:48:40.337-07:00Glad to hear, John and Deb! We'll open up the ...Glad to hear, John and Deb! We'll open up the doors to the saloon.<br /><br />Here is a link to a site dedicated to <a href="http://rememberingthai.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> remembering Thai </a>. I going to post my same salute here. Would it be okay to post Velveteen Rabbit (Okie) and Disaster Porn's salute (Edwardo)? Would you like the salute on Econosophy, Deb? I'm going to ask Hell as well.Dinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10907199567928816652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-52217627948806373092010-06-11T03:32:48.034-07:002010-06-11T03:32:48.034-07:00Dink, Kat and all, I certainly would welcome all t...Dink, Kat and all, I certainly would welcome all to explore the posts on this blog. I feel very blessed to have been invited and learned so much from Thai in such a short time. I would welcome others have that chance as well. <br /><br />JohnDr Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07453949255704523726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-52560458924185020132010-06-11T02:02:31.532-07:002010-06-11T02:02:31.532-07:00You know, I AM going to use those caps to say some...You know, I AM going to use those caps to say something that I think is really important.<br />When Doctor John jumped on board here, Thai gave him a hearty welcome, saying that he had just entered a place where... there were no rules...<br />I SWEAR that Thai said this, and he may have said it "under my influence", maybe not.<br />But.. THIS PLACE was a truly democratic one where EVERYBODY could contribute (well, except Yoyo... sorry, Dink...), and that is what made it so special.<br />That spontaneous quality that came from us individually being so different, and nonetheless, cooperating. Tolerating each other's very different natures, as individuals, and the different places we were at.<br />I think that Thai was big on that, and that it was very important to him.<br />I am NOT saying this to rub salt in any wound, because I have no hard feelings FOR ME about what happened here.<br />The blog was/is ALWAYS more... than the sum of its parts, you know ?<br />I had a hard time getting Thai to see this, and I don't know if at the end he did, but he probably sensed it.<br />I hope that that feeling will continue on this blog, with our without my presence, moreover...<br />I have no problem with people reading my stuff. I am an ad woman, as you know... ;-)<br />And me being what I am, I can't resist this...<br />The interconnectedness that is between us, the sharing over Thai's death, the MULTIPLICATION of the words, the LINKS over Thai's person is... what I understand as the economy of benediction.<br />Because Thai was what he was.. and did so much good for others, that good is now being multiplied a thousandfold..<br />It is perhaps our only consolation..<br />But... it is a GREAT consolation to me.Debrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01510189619803992336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-15011043856239586902010-06-11T00:45:56.104-07:002010-06-11T00:45:56.104-07:00"I would like to put links to this blog and t...<i>"I would like to put links to this blog and the other tributes to Thai to let his friends know about them."</i><br /><br />Katherine,<br /><br />My very first instinct is "Yes! Absolutely!". And then I thought of the times we squabbled like feral animals or made fools of ourselves in other ways....<br /><br />I have this sense of a Thai on one shoulder saying "Of course I want all my other friends to share in my writings and ideas!" and another Thai on the other shoulder saying "Don't you dare!" ;)<br /><br />Well, really this blog is accessible to anyone with internet access so privacy seems like a weird thing for any of us to be concerned about. Are you okay with it Dr John? From what you've written in Skeptic and the Carlat blog you don't seem shy. But feel free to decline.<br /><br />Otherwise I will give Katherine the go ahead to link up (I'm positive Sudden Debt wouldn't mind).<br /><br />Katherine, I do advise you take random peaks through the posts and comments to make sure you'd like to share. We could be smart and lofty one minute and snarky bastards the next. But then there's something refreshingly honest about exposing everything, warts and all ;)Dinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10907199567928816652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-7988686929268524732010-06-10T19:21:04.786-07:002010-06-10T19:21:04.786-07:00What's Edwardo's blog? I can't seem t...What's Edwardo's blog? I can't seem to get a link to it.<br /><br />Thanks, Katherinekatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-87100700489863209742010-06-10T19:15:02.859-07:002010-06-10T19:15:02.859-07:00Okie
Thank you for that wonderful post. The Velvet...Okie<br />Thank you for that wonderful post. The Velveteen rabbit analogy grabbed me too as soon as I thought of it. <br /><br />You'll find this amusing--apparently Thai's partners used to take bets at meetings on how late Thai would be. Many times I would come upon him frantically putting the finishing touches on a post and then racing off to work or a meeting while I thought,"He's never going to make it." <br /><br />The songs you found are perfect. I love "Time in a Bottle" and it's also by someone incredibly talented who died way too young. I am planning on using it in the memorial service. The other song captures Thai's mind so well it's almost scary.<br /><br />Dink--I did see your previous post about putting together some sort of a memorial blog. I certainly would welcome you doing anything like that. I have received some great tributes to Thai by e-mail and I, with the author's permission, could post those as well.<br /><br />Lastly, I would like to put links to this blog and the other tributes to Thai to let his friends know about them. However, at the same time, I feel like you have an intimate little community here and might not want a lot of unknown traffic. I have no idea what netiquette is in this area, so would it be OK to post links to Thai's various online tributes?<br /><br />Thanks, <br /><br />Katherinekatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-71919894669632913082010-06-10T13:24:47.484-07:002010-06-10T13:24:47.484-07:00Yes Okie you are right. Much of medicine is art. T...Yes Okie you are right. Much of medicine is art. That is the problem with K-R. In theory it may offer us some way to look at the world. As Deb alludes to misguided doctors or therapists look on it not as "art" but "science" where none exists. Folks are taught those stages as steps to be worked through. Nothing could be further from the truth. <br /><br />I once did a hospital consult on a woman who was very, very reluctant to speak with me. When she told me the story of how a psychologist attempted to "help" her 9y/o son who was dying of cancer work through his "stages" and accept his death, I stood and listened in abject horror. This is the kind of distortion I see of myth in medicine. Feelings are feelings. We need not make attempts at packaging or systematizing them unless you feel that helps. Sometimes yes and sometimes no but you are right in that it is certainly not science. <br /><br />I did not know Thai had 4 children. I am so sorry all are now without their father. <br /><br />I would not blame anyone for things being in this state. It would not be in Thai's spirit. We are all part of the collective. We all share the blame.Dr Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07453949255704523726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-67124193152143041322010-06-10T10:59:13.426-07:002010-06-10T10:59:13.426-07:00I thought that you would like to know that The Tha...I thought that you would like to know that The Thai McGreivy, M.D. Memorial Fund has been established in Thai’s honor to fund educational scholarships for excellence and intellectual curiosity in science, mathematics and economics.<br /><br />Details on how to contribute Follow<br /><br />By check:<br /><br />Make checks payable to the “Thai McGreivy, M.D. Memorial Fund/CFNCR”<br /><br /><br />And mail them to:<br /><br />The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region<br /><br />Attn: Kenny Emson<br />1201 15th Street NW, Suite 420<br />Washington, DC 20005<br /><br />To contribute online click here http://tinyurl.com/267phjo and designate the “Thai McGreivy, M.D. Memorial Fund” as the fund to which you are contributing (you will need to write the name of the fund in the third box).<br /><br />(If the hyperlink above doesn’t work, visit the community foundation’s website at www.cfncr.org , click on the “Donate Now” button in the far right hand column, and then<br />designate the “Thai McGreivy, M.D. Memorial Fund” as the fund to which you are contributing.)<br /><br />All the best,<br />RobRKohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02379348908619195042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-69751122379791335172010-06-10T07:54:40.472-07:002010-06-10T07:54:40.472-07:00Heartwarming, Okie! He enjoyed your company immens...Heartwarming, Okie! He enjoyed your company immensely.<br /><br />Also a nice comment by Dr. John. Thai did find a way to be a nihilist and an optimist concurrently :) He would love to know that a mind as bright as yours was intrigued by the fractal vision and would continue to explore it.<br /><br />Here are Edwardo's wonderful <a href="http://disasterporn.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">words</a> and Deb's wonderful <a href="http://thdrussell.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">words</a>.<br /><br />I haven't gathered my own tribute yet, but it is coalescing as I go through the archives here in SRCS. I wonder how far back we were also talking on Sudden Debt. I hope a long time so we have a bountiful amount of "Thai-ness" to sustain us.<br /><br />Also, if you see this Kathy, I also left a comment on the previous post that I hope you get a chance to see.Dinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10907199567928816652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-8665438923089308912010-06-10T06:43:45.956-07:002010-06-10T06:43:45.956-07:00@ Dr. John:
Doing my best DeForest Kelley imitati...@ Dr. John:<br /><br />Doing my best DeForest Kelley imitation: <i>Damn it John, I'm a lawyer, not a doctor....</i><br /><br />Kubler-Ross may be "mythology" for "real" doctors, but there is much in medicine we do not know, and much of medical science is really art, not science. I knew before I wrote it that the Kubler-Ross model was disputed. But, no matter. It expresses <i>feelings</i>; and death brings out more of them than almost any other human experience. Sometimes I feel that doctors are <i>too</i> scientific -- too rigid in their thinking to consider "unscientific" explanations for health problems. I know, you will say it is my profession's fault for creating that environment -- and to a great extent, you would be right.<br /><br />By the way, Thai left behind <i>4</i> sons, not 2.<br /><br />@ Debra:<br /><br />I wasn't really trying to be "reductionist" about my grief. But the Kubler-Ross model was as good as anything in putting into some context that could be explained systematically. Grief has a kind of <i>je ne sais quoi</i> effect on us. (See? I can use French, too, when I want.)<br /><br />And I noticed that this event has reduced <i>you</i> to using NO CAPS.<br /><br />And could you give me a link to Edwardo's site? I am not brave enough to put those search terms into Google.OkieLawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17071917464425173379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-6462464834916829922010-06-10T05:26:43.867-07:002010-06-10T05:26:43.867-07:00Okie, that is a lovely tribute. Very lovely.
Edwa...Okie, that is a lovely tribute. Very lovely. <br />Edwardo has written a tribute to Thai, on his blog too, Disaster Porn. Thai knew this blog. He visited it too.<br />I kind of knew that you were very close to Thai, as it appeared from time to time, "en pointillé" as we say here, in connect the dot fashion, on Street Rat. <br />I sent Thai a message by Mail when I finally got settled on Toby's blog, telling him... how fond I was of him, as he was of me. And how things were working out better for me on Toby's blog.<br />I agree with Doctor John about Kübler Ross.<br />Having studied to be a shrink, I noticed a short while ago that one of the major pitfalls of such training is its capacity to induce... the expectation of standard reactions in oneself.<br />That is reductionist, Okie, and you are too nice, too kind to reduce yourself and your feelings to four or five steps that everybody is supposed to go through.<br />I wrote to Edwardo that... as I get older, death becomes more and more of an injustice.<br />And... I am not used to it at all.<br />If anything, it just gets harder to bear each time around, you know.<br />The more people are special, like Thai, the harder their death is for us to bear. <br />We are all irreplaceable. Some of us... have lived lives that make us more irreplaceable than others.<br />Thai was once such person.Debrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01510189619803992336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206677169397293052.post-22950871180145971502010-06-10T04:18:28.450-07:002010-06-10T04:18:28.450-07:00Okie, that was a wonderful post and it helped me g...Okie, that was a wonderful post and it helped me get to know a man a little bit better who I only got to know a short time on these blogs. Thai was so obviously filled with concern for his fellow human beings and despite being a realist seemed to be able to remain an optimist.He helped me struggle with this. I could see how this quality could endear him to so many with such diverse views.I feel deprived that I did not have more time with him nor was ever able to make him a wood fired pizza or share a beer with him or just more talk on these blogs. I will continue to explore the ideas he opened my eyes to on fractals, Bose-Einstein condensats and economics. He had such a gentle way of geting his ideas across. Correcting what he saw as errors but never being condescending and always respectful of the debate.<br /><br />As to Kubler-Ross. Please understand those stages are really mythology written about people who are dying, not those left to deal with the aftermath. They have no grounding in actual clinical science. Like much in psychiatry/psychology they are speculative metaphysics. They were written and filled a perceived gap in knowledge so they were embraced not just in the world of psychology but in western culture.Having worked with lots of dying people and those grieving some feel many of those things but I never see people going through any stages per say as K-R describes. I see clinicians try to force this in a mistaken attempt believing it will help people. All those feelings swim around in a vortex pulling you in at different times perhaps. You may get them all or just one when you are dying or lose someone.Maybe you get some other feeling like the abject terror of being left alone to raise two children as Thai's dear wife must be feeling. I cannot imagine what people like you and Dink who were close to Thai must feel but for deep sadness and loss. Maybe that lessens with time but for those we care about it always comes flooding back.I see this day after day. There is no "acceptance". There is just dulling of the pain. I don't see how there is much room for anything but shock and sadness at being deprived of such a person. I am sorry for all those who have lost such a dear friend. Thank you again for this post.<br /><br />In the words of Thai, "Be well".Dr Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07453949255704523726noreply@blogger.com