The World's Oddities

I apologize for my lapse in writing; life, as it so often seems to do, caught up with me in a startling turn of events that kept me from my keyboard.

My uncle was in a horrible car accident last week. Either he failed to stop or his brakes failed at an intersection, and his company van broadsided a pickup. He was ejected from the van, which rolled on top of him, killing him instantly. He was 28 years old and left behind his wife and their four kids.

We flew home for the funeral this past weekend. I think it was harder on my brother than me; he and Matt were like brothers. The funeral itself was a very informal gathering, where family and friends stood and talked about his life and good times spent, interspersed with his favorite songs.

Matt will be greatly missed, he was one of the few human beings I've ever met who was completely comfortable in his skin, regardless of what others thought. I don't think I've ever met someone so free to be himself, and I'll miss his quick wit and eyes sparkling with a hidden mischief. Tattoos, piercings, and ICP blaring from his speakers, he was sometimes misunderstood by his somewhat unusual outward appearance, but had a sweet and loving nature that shone beyond it.

Goodbye, Uncle Mattie, my friend of years past. I picture you rocking out somewhere in the great beyond.