So, having talked to Marge and Viv and discussed the life and times of Mike Marwick, I also learned from Marge about the death of another of John and James's contemporaries at school. This was a guy called Dave Price, an architect, who coincidentally married a girl I was at school with. Apparently he became a pretty hopeless alcoholic - lost his architectural practice, and marriage - couldn't be responsible for anything - lived in complete chaos. He died of pneumonia - but it could have been anything, his system was pretty much shot to hell.
Perhaps the moral of this story is - don't call your friends to announce someone's death, you'll only get more deaths announced back at you. I must admit to not having been DP's no. 1 fan - but we went to his wedding. I never really got to know him. He had a twin brother who was gay and whose story is somehow intertwined with someone else... there's clearly some unhappiness there. DP had become a totally chaotic alcoholic - while MM was - if he was strictly an alcoholic rather than a "heavy social drinker" - more of a functioning alcoholic, he still appeared to have a job.
Viv did not have any deaths to announce mercifully - but then again, our friendships were less overlapping.
The overwhelming sense of mortality that one has is ghastly. I don't mind the prospect of dying very much, but I thoroughly object to my friends dying before their time. The cancer score has been high amongst friends and acquaintances (I didn't add Johnny Dunhill - local restaurateur and friend of some of my friends) recently. Denise has recovered from hers, but so many people haven't. What is so frightening is when, as with DT, the drugs simply don't work and the cancer just grows regardless.
Perhaps the moral of this story is - don't call your friends to announce someone's death, you'll only get more deaths announced back at you. I must admit to not having been DP's no. 1 fan - but we went to his wedding. I never really got to know him. He had a twin brother who was gay and whose story is somehow intertwined with someone else... there's clearly some unhappiness there. DP had become a totally chaotic alcoholic - while MM was - if he was strictly an alcoholic rather than a "heavy social drinker" - more of a functioning alcoholic, he still appeared to have a job.
Viv did not have any deaths to announce mercifully - but then again, our friendships were less overlapping.
The overwhelming sense of mortality that one has is ghastly. I don't mind the prospect of dying very much, but I thoroughly object to my friends dying before their time. The cancer score has been high amongst friends and acquaintances (I didn't add Johnny Dunhill - local restaurateur and friend of some of my friends) recently. Denise has recovered from hers, but so many people haven't. What is so frightening is when, as with DT, the drugs simply don't work and the cancer just grows regardless.
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