2 posts tagged “personal”

From Donald wif Lub, originally uploaded by gitagrrl.

A birthday greeting from Donald Duck. =)

My friend Dawn posted a tweet a couple weeks ago about an article in the Arizona Daily Sun. The article's about Personal Locator Beach technology being used for the first time at Grand Canyon National Park. I make note of it because it's of some personal relevance to me.

Seven years ago, my friend Gilad passed away. I don't know the exact date, since a few days passed between when we reported him missing and when he was found, so I just generally remember him at around this time. He was hiking on one of the trails there and collapsed from heat exhaustion; he was 25 years old. He went off by himself, leaving the bottled water sitting in the car, thinking that it was just a little heat and he could handle it. It was the same attitude I had when I moved to Phoenix the year before, so I understood it well. Those of us who relocated to Phoenix from NYC quickly learned that the desert's heat isn't something to be taken lightly, but Gilad was just over for a visit, he didn't know.

Gilad is a beautiful soul. Had this technology been available and in use then, he'd still be here, bobbing his head to The Doors' Light My Fire or The Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up and telling me that I just *had* to go have sake with him. But it wasn't, and he's not, and I hope that wherever he is, he's as happy as can be.