Robin Williams, 1951-2014

Nanoo Nanoo.

Goddamnit. Depression’s body count is nearly as horrible as cancer’s.

@Mistress Cynica: Damn. The guy was my age.

@Mistress Cynica: I was thinking the same thing. Fuck Cancer, Fuck the Black Dog. (Metaphorical black dog, of course, actual black dogs are wonderful and a couple of them have helped me through depression.)

@Dodgerblue: I’m always z little pissed off at suicides. I’ve known too many people who have fought to stay alive.

@Tommmcatt Au Gros Sel: Of course suicides piss us off. But unfortunately I’ve come to learn the hard way from having too many loved ones fall victim to the black dog is that you hate and get mad at the illness, not the person. Otherwise you can’t heal and go on as a survivor.

@Tommmcatt Au Gros Sel: As someone struggling with depression, I can tell you that the suicides fought to stay alive. Many tried every treatment they could find. Eventually, nothing worked anymore. They lost their battle. Please don’t judge them any more harshly than you would someone who succumbed to cancer. Their disease killed them, too.

I love that hairy little comedian so much. Watching this to turn my tears of sorrow to tears of laughter.

@Mistress Cynica: Bless you sweetie, a hundred times yes.

@Mistress Cynica: Yes.

Manic depression is a motherfucker. I’m tired of Bipolar blah blah blah.

It’s Mania and Depression and Mania and Depression, and if you’re lucky, it’s BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.

He was tired.

@Mistress Cynica: (Hugs)

FSMdammit, this man had the kind of phenomenal success that 99.99% of us can only dream about, along with the financial resources to obtain the best treatment available. I get being lonely, broke, and feeling despair about the future, but when someone like Robin Williams–who seems to have it all–succumbs, it really underlines the fact that depression is a terrible medical disease.

Fuck.

Anything else going on around here, at least halfway to postive? Hey Noj, did you ever go see the Portland Mavericks in your Orygun youth? Just watched the great documentary about them and Bing on the Netflickers.

Fuck.

@Beggars Biscuit: The Portland what? Is that the beisbol team? Why drive a hundred miles there and back for (at best) a triple-A farm team?

Besides, we had our own: Eugene Emeralds, AAA Phillies.

Until they went broke, and were reconstituted as single-A Ems for god knows who.

Only reasons to visit Portland: OMSI/Zoo (kid), Powell’s Books (grown- up).

I am listening to Maron’s commentary and his repost of the interview in 2010. http://www.wtfpod.com/ This is hard to hear.

@nojo: They were the single-A Mavericks, last independent beisbol team, thrown together by the Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes* father. If bandwidth weren’t so sclerotic down here close to the Once and Future (not Panama) Canal, I’d actually get to see how far they got after an awesome first season.

*Kate Hudson’s grandfather, for you young ‘uns.

A bit of good news: Maryam Mirzahkani was awarded the Fields Medal today, the first woman to have won this award that is often referred to as the Nobel Prize for mathematics. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryam_Mirzakhani.

I’ve been listening to The Keeper by Bonobo. It’s gorgeous, bittersweet, and inexplicably makes me feel better. Very reminiscent of Massive Attack.

@Dodgerblue: Smashing the glass ceiling is excellent news.

And I had to explain to a lot of people today why they should watch World According to Garp … thirtysomethings don’t know it exists.

@Dodgerblue: Thanks for some good news. Because Lauren Bacall died today, and I’m ready for this week to be over.

@blogenfreude: I’m a (newly-minted) thirty-something and I know about it! It doesn’t do justice to the book, of course, but Robin Williams and John Lithgow are both great in it.

@Mistress Cynica: Me too.

Not a fan of Garp in either medium, but the book has the advantage of an awesome dick-chomping scene.

@mellbell: you are not an ordinary thirtysomething given your presence here … I was also explaining to one guy why he had to watch The Shining … my work is never done.

@¡Andrew!: Ohhhhhhh. Love Massive Attack. Will check out this group of horny apes.

ETA: One of my favorites

@Dodgerblue: Which, to bring things full circle, is something I only know about because it’s mentioned in Good Will Hunting by the character Robin Williams plays. Love that movie.