Fate

Somewhere in the depths of a faux forest of youth, a tiny gnome cries "conspiracy" but knows that coincidence and God are just rolling the usual dice, the sort of gamble that makes the free pink bracelets handed out by one group at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this morning reading "Pray for the Cure" ridiculous (or at least ironic) to someone like me:

I'm sad that Bernie Mac (50) died the other day (from complications due to pneumonia, already having sarcoidosis), that Morgan Freeman (71) nearly killed himself recently while driving (flipped the car in Mississippi) and is apparently also getting sued for divorce from his wife of 24 years, and that Isaac Hayes (65) died today next to his treadmill (I'm thinking heart issues).

Dammit, stop messing with the excellent entertainers I like!

Heath Ledger was good, too, and far younger, but personally I had no fan-famousperson connection to him — no, I never watched any of his films (I'm one of those). Plus, he died from an overdose of things "everyone" (like his stupid doctor) knows you shouldn't mix (though Lord knows most of us want to).