aunt cindy and james, dallas lake, indiana, c. 1974

in memorium cynthia schemenaur née ruschke 1954 - 2005

sometimes the universe is loving and giving, sometimes the universe is absurd and playful, sometimes it can teach you many wonderful things, and sometimes it just sucker punches you right in the gut.

this is beginning to feel a little like an obit page, but i got the call wednesday that my aunt cindy had passed away that morning. she had won the battle against breast cancer several years ago, only to lose the war when some of the surlier elements of the cancer gang, brain and lung, came-a-callin' with the biological equivalent of jack knives and bicycle chains.

we're currently in chicago for the memorial service, having braved both flying and driving through the very same blizzard that sent a jet sprawling out in into traffic at midway airport. however, fortune seemed to be smiling upon the invincibles, as fate and circumstance conspired not only to get us to milwaukee safely (both chicago airports were shut down by the time we landed) but also to get us a complimentary upgrade to a 4 x 4 truck when the rental company was all out of compact cars. (mad love to dawn and drew for rescuing us in the new "showbiz element"!) i guess it really does pay to have good contacts on the other side.

honestly, though, i would have hijacked a dog sled team to get us here, to be with my mom and my uncle and my cousins. apparently i was not alone in that opinion: the line for the viewing stretched beyond the capacity of the room from the time they opened the memorial chapel until they closed. and speaking of my uncle, steve stood at head of the line for close to 6 hours, talking to each and every person who came to pay their respects. my cousins lindsey and matthew stood by him, a true testament to how amazing their mother was.

cindy was my god mother - which had very little to do with actual religion - it simply meant that she was my special aunt - and i owe so much of who i am to her. she took me to see star wars when it first opened, sparking my zeal for sci-fi. she taught me about coins, and was definitely the cause of my collectionistic tendencies. she was the first person i knew who owned a home video game system, an atari 2600; and in 1978 my six year old imagination dwelt in a realm where a 4 pixel by 4 pixel square could be a hero to slay duck-looking dragons with an arrow-shaped sword, then triumphantly return to his yellow castle with the magic chalice. i was so obsessed with adventure that i actually wrote poetry about it in grade school, but aunt cindy was the best damn space invaders player i have ever seen - i hold her directly responsible for my love of video games and, consequently, computers.

she was the epitome of calm, as laid back as they come, and ultimately unflappable. with a wicked sense of humor, innate comic timing and a dry wit, she wouldn't even think of saying anything bad about anyone. she was kind and sweet and giving, and never once complained about her illness. it actually hurts to think that she won't be here when we're back in two weeks for our holiday family visit. i could write volumes about how wonderful she was, but words just aren't enough.

lest you think the foodies are on sabbatical, you can look forward to some traditional family recipes - straight from the horses' mouths. and by "horses", we mean our moms, but only in a good way. not to worry, there are plenty of entertaining animals around here to temporarily fill in for the cats.

we tip our hats to ryan and nathan in appreciation of their recent donations to our bandwidth fund, and as a reminder: send us cash and we send you a magnet! we also extend our sincerest thanks to our loyal viewers for your well wishes during this difficult time.

ps - if you're as much in need of a laugh as i am, have a listen to the second part of my legendary one on one session with otp, find it at onetryckpony.com - cuz if we're not laughing, we're crying.

we love you aunt cindy! send comments to the invincibles.

blackbird singing in the dead of night. take these broken wings and learn to fly.