dreaming@echonyc.com

yesterday i got a note from howard, rich's brother. he said he'd been searching the internet for rich's name and found a post by someone who explained rich's death thus:

"Essentially, RICHH was crippled (paralyzed on one side, best I can tell) by a trampoline accident, and in response despite that he shouldn't have been able to accomplish it, hanged himself rather than continue to live disabled. I got that out of a second communication from his brother."

utter fabrication, but it was the kind of thing rich would have loved. i told howard:

I laughed like a loon when I read that post. Convincing people of the improbable (and, let's face it, ludicrous) was one of the things Rich did well. I think Rich would have gotten a huge kick out of reading that...and then would have relentlessly mocked the poor goofy bastard for being so gullible.

howard went on:

Its ironic that this that this poster attributes Rich's death to a trampoline...when Rich's run in with a trampoline was actually more damaging to my esteem then his....

When I was in 7th grade, Rich was on the High School gymnastics team....they were visiting my middle school to give a demonstration....when Rich's turn came to jump on the small trampoline and go over the horse....as my comrades around me pointed out "Hey isn't that your brother about to jump"...rich decided to improvise his technique...and fall through the small trampoline...instead of jumping off it....as he tumbled and fell close to the object he was attempting to scale....

Needless to say....I wanted to hang myself after that display.

...and, god help me, i can just envision rich now doing a spastic version of the little stretch women gymnasts do after a routine, arms splayed way back behind, pelvis tilted all the way back to the stone age.

good to hear from you, howard. i feel a little better.