In 1962, my father’s Uncle Rudy died suddenly after a massive heart attack at the age of 62. I was 2 at the time, and I have no memory of him. My father described him as fat and jolly. This was surprising to me because the German side of my family seemed quite dour and joyless. My grandfather’s emotional range went from grumpy to volcanic; I don’t remember ever seeing him laugh. His mother (my great-grandmother) was described by my father as a taskmaster. She did not smile in photographs.
Neither was that side of the family much blessed with good looks. The men in particular were all pretty homely. Though I loved him a great deal, my father was not much to look at, and my grandfather, with his round, bald head (he went bald in his 20s), bore a certain resemblance to Elmer Fudd.
Last year at Christmas, my sister received a note from our cousin expressing interest in sharing old family photos. Well, my cousin sent some family photos to us that we had never seen before. Among these was a photo of Uncle Rudy when he was in the Navy during World War I. Make the jump to see the photo; you will not be disappointed.
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Hubba, Hubba! Of course, everybody is beautiful when they’re 18 (though some are more beautiful than others). For my family, he’s exceptionally good looking. It’s interesting to me how, 100 years later, his haircut is back in style, even.
For the record, he was awarded the Order of St. Sava in Serbia for his service during World War I, and he was buried under a military headstone.
I was told that my grandfather always resented his brothers at least partly because, as the oldest, he had to shoulder responsibilities while they were still young and carefree. It would not surprise me if he also resented Uncle Rudy for being so good-looking and having a personality that didn’t drive people away. In the genetic dice game, it seems Uncle Rudy rolled lots of 7s and 11s while my grandfather threw snake eyes. On the other hand, while Uncle Rudy only lived to be 62, my grandfather lived to the age of 81, despite the fact that he had chronic heart failure and emphysema. It confirms my suspicion that mean people live longer just to spite all the rest of us.
And now on to the comments!
Top Comments (March 7, 2018):
From belinda ridgewood:
I'm sending this in before midnight, for tomorrow, because I like it so much. durrati diaried the wonderful dance party Michelle Obama had with a little girl, and MrJayRazzle added a comment that rang absolutely true about the humanity of the Obamas.
From elizawhig1:
This comment by laura50 helps to keep the flood of White House departures in perspective. From this morning’s C&J diary by Bill in Portland Maine.
From Gwennedd:
I'd like to send this thread, started by Mrsanders2, that notes just how much DeVos loves her rubles. From Laura Clawson’s front page post on DeVos’ visit to Parkland, FL, and how it backfired.
From brillig:
Progressives have Netroots Nation. Former Trump Administration people have this top comment from boran2. From last night's Top Comments.
Highlighted by CaffeineInduced:
This comment by oldhippiedude, in Walter Einenkel’s post about the loneliness of conservative men.
Top Mojo (March 6, 2018):
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Top Photos (March 6, 2018):