earlier this week, I commented on the death of Johnny Hart, a cartoonist whose work never really meant a lot to me personally, but with whom I felt a sort of kinship-by-craft. Though he was a Brother of the Benevolent Order of the Brush & Bristol, I didn't feel like I had a lot to say.

Today, though, I wake to learn of the death of one of the most influential authors of my life, Kurt Vonnegut. His work (specifically Cat's Cradle) awoke in me a wonder and awe of life and the world, showed me that it's okay to want to be who you want to be, and to live life by your own rules. In 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater', his title character offers a blessing to some newborn babies which about sums up life on this planet better than anybody since Shakespeare:

"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies -- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'"

There's so much more I want to be able to say about Vonnegut's work, and its influence on me. Unfortunately I have always suffered from a really lousy memory, and any immediate impressions I drew from his work have long since faded. I know I didn't read everything he wrote, but I know that what I did read was damn worth the time. I wish I could memorialize him as well as Jon Morris has, but I really don't have the words.

The best thing I feel I can do to honor his memory is to go back and re-experience his work, and to finally pick up the ones I never read for lack of time or money. So, to Kurt Vonnegut, congratulations on your Big Day, and thanks for the books.

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