Well there aren't many public figures whose death can bring me to tears, but Kurt Vonnegut is one of them. He died today, at the age of 84.
I'd actually been thinking about him the last days. He once wrote that the world needed a little less love and a little more common decency. I complained that this was the ramblings of an old man when I read that in my early 20s and my partner at the time, Anne, said that one day I would realize he was right. He was. I've been thinking how right those words are while walking around Japan.
If you haven't read any Vonnegut, you should (and should also be ashamed at yourself). And if you haven't seen Rodney Dangerfield's "Back To School" take a look. Dangerfield plays a middle-aged man who buys his way back into school. In one scene, he hires Vonnegut to write a paper about Vonnegut and the professor fails the paper. Dangerfield berates Vonnegut (who plays himself) and it's a small, priceless scene.
The world really is a little poorer today. :(
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