Sadness
I heard last night that Paul had died. Long-time visitors to this website will remember Paul de Koning as my partner in life, love and crime back in the days when this site was called The House of Love.
Paul and I had a brief, spectacular and ultimately doomed love affair about a decade ago, in an age when we lived on the edge and stared death in the face, when we lived for today and assumed that tomorrow would take us up in its cold embrace and deliver us to somewhere dark and cold…
Our relationship ended dramatically and badly, of course, and it’s been a long time since we were close. We reconciled our differences a long time ago, but it’s hard to convert the riotous energy that marked our time together into the sedate friendship of ex-husbands. So for the last few years we’ve seen each other occasionally, exchanged emails now and then, but otherwise gone on with our separate lives, changed of course by the experience of loving and losing each other, perhaps damaged by it too.
Paul gave me a great deal in our short time together. He had an extraordinary capacity to accept me as I am (or was) – not a straightforward undertaking in those days – to celebrate me and us, to love and trust and fuck with spirit, energy and abandon, and to care. He was a truly special man, imperfect in many ways – sometimes bitter, often troubled – but with a old soul of pure gold.
Not many months after we broke up, Paul was diagnosed with adult myeloid leukemia. His survival with this aggressive cancer (as well as HIV) for so many years is a testament to his strength and tenacity.
Happy trails, old friend.
Comment on this post? Trackback? Contact the author?links for 2007-09-18
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“Belgium has been put up for auction and attracted a top bid of $17 million before eBay stopped the spoof sale.” Tell ‘em they’re dreamin’…
links for 2007-09-13
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“For the first time in federal election history the battle for the hearts and minds of young voters is being waged online.” Apparently a big election-related announcement from Google tomorrow.
Why we love living in bush
There’s a woman from Lara being interviewed on the radio. She’s being interviewed, at some length, because she’s painted her entire flock of sheep with blue and white stripes. She’s a Geelong supporter, you see, and it’s footy finals time here in Victoria, and Geelong’s colours are blue and white.
She’s a bit worried though as the paint she used isn’t waterproof and has started to fade already. Apparently it’s already more of a Kangaroos (light) blue than a Geelong (dark) blue, so she’s off to give them a second coat.
It’s the little things.
I love ewes all.
links for 2007-09-05
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Lots of citizen photojournalists are logging the conversion of lovely Sydney into a police-run gulag for the benefit of a powerful few.
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News of Nepal Airlines’ approach to aircraft maintenance does not fill me with confidence. Note to self: do not fly on this airline.
links for 2007-09-04
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A new Galaxy Poll says a majority of Australians believe George W Bush is the worst president in US history.
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Latest ep of K&K has Brett feeling the impact of Howard’s IR laws. Julia Gillard: “It seems I am not the only women with a funny voice from the suburbs of Melbourne talking about the hurt WorkChoices is causing.” Howard said to be “grobable”.
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Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science column on PR companies and dodgy scientific studies is a cracker.
links for 2007-09-03
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Creators of the Times Atlas have had to make significant changes to their latest edition because of changes to the world’s landscapes caused by climate change, their chief said.(tags: climate-change global-warming)
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Sydney’s brothels are preparing for a business boom as thousands of delegates and journalists descend on the city for the APEC summit this week.