Where There's a Will

Today is the day that Jenne and I go to the lawyer and set up a Will, power of attorney, and advanced medical directives (living will). This has to be done not so much for us as individuals or as a couple, but for those that survive us. It will make it easier on them when it comes to our property and belongings and last wishes, blah de blah. It will take the guess work out of everything and hopefully eliminate any arguments over who gets what, who deserves what, who’s ‘entitled’ to what, and what to do if and when. Not that I can see our friends arguing about such nonsense, but our families are another matter. They’d see all the property and collectibles as sources of cash. Stuff to fight over. Little, if any of it would have meaning to them. We have decided that any monetary benefit that will come from our stuff is going to the nieces and nephews for their education and their future. There will be no arguing, as the Will is going to be our final word. As for our friends I know that they just want to have us around as long as possible, just as we want them around. They will all get something, some music, special books, artwork, pieces from the various collections, stuff like that. Honestly, things, and by that I mean objects and property, don’t really matter to me like they used too. Their importance has diminished. I stopped buying into the American Nightmare of rampant consumerism and ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’ about five years ago. Jenne and I are interested in being with people, doing things and amassing experiences and memories. Even so, we still have lots of stuff that would need to be distributed, sold and otherwise dispersed and we don’t want it to be a burden on anyone. The Star Wars collection - and in that I am including all of the scifi and fantasy related items – is going to be the biggest pain in the butt. By that I don’t just mean because of the sheer volume of stuff, but whoever got it would have to pay inheritance tax on it unless I donated it to a museum or non-profit organization. Hmm, maybe an organization that benefits terminally ill children. I hadn’t though of that before now. That’s a thought. No taxes that way and it would bring enjoyment to kids who are suffering. You know inheritance tax is just so much bullshit. I mean why should the fucking state benefit from my death and my stuff. It's already stuff that was taxed when I bought it. Fucking guberment. It’s BS and a way for ‘the state’ to get their last digs in. Bastages! Oh well, Jenne and I will work it out and make sure that no one is unduly burdened. In case we both go at the same time the issue that is most important to us is what happens to Poe and San. They’re our ‘kids’ and they must go to a good home. They can not be separated, they can not be de-clawed, they must go to a good home and I know where I want them to go. Jenne has her thoughts on this too. This will be the only point of contention between us. Of course if I pass on she keeps them and vice-versa. But if we both go? We will come to agreement on this and make the decision that’s best for them. Argh! The more I write the more that comes to mind and the more my mind spins and the more I start to get all sentimental, anxious, and sad. I know we have to do this, but this whole thought process is so strange, seems so morbid and is so head frying. I’ve had some anxiety and cried a few times thinking about it. Working on the details. It’s not fun, but it has to be done, and it’s not just Poe & San, the stuff, property, and monies that need to be thought about. We have to think about things like power of attorney. We need someone to make decisions for us just in case both of us are incapacitated somehow. Of course Jenne will have my power of attorney and I hers. However, what if we are both incapacitated? Who makes decisions for us then? This makes my head spin. Who gets that power, that responsibility? Who would even want it that we would want to have it? We also have to think about living wills (AKA advanced medical directives). What if one of us, or both of us end up in a coma and on life support? Neither one of us want to be hooked into a machine if there is little chance of recovery. What’s a reasonable amount of time? A few days, a week, a month? What are reasonable odds of waking up? Greater than 60%, 75%? Should I just say no machines, no life support, period? This is the kind of stuff that has to be addressed and it’s this stuff that I don’t have 100% settled in my head. We don’t want there to be any argument over this, no battle with the courts and the state against our family and friends. Just the idea of being in a coma freaks me out. Just the idea of being in a coma for a week and missing stuff creeps me out. I have imagined it in daydreams and I can tell you that it is frightening to me. How about this scene form The Simpson’s episode, The Springfield Files. News reporter Kent Brockman, “Tonight, on Eyewitness News, a man who's been in a coma for 23 years wakes up.” Man, “Do Sonny and Cher still have that stupid show?” Kent, “No, uh, she won an Oscar, and he's a Congressman.” Man horrified, “GODD NIGHT!” [turns over and dies]. It’s amusing because it’s on The Simpsons, but it’s also frightening when you think about it. Then there’s the stuff from my blog entry of last week to include. My head is twirling, twirling,TWIRLING! Okay. I need to end this. I’ve got more notes that I need to get together. When we get home tonight I’m going to work on a new photo gallery. I need a break.