Went to my uncle's funeral this morning. Some of the ashes were buried at both Fort Snelling and then spread over the peace garden of the family's church. Fort Snelling was incredible. I never imagined a place so huge could be so uniform. It was very impressive. There was something comforting in the sameness of it all, too. It's tough to explain. The honor guard they gave him was unimpressive, sadly. They were out of sync in the firing, and they messed up a couple of notes when they played "Taps." The mistakes weren't minor, either. They were OBVIOUS.

The peace garden was okay. We mostly stood around visiting and telling stories, as the actual process of spreading the ashes lasted maybe five minutes. Overall, I'd say it was a good event, as far as funerals go.

Emotionally, it wasn't too bad. Not for me, at least. It wasn't nearly as difficult as actually watching him die before my eyes last weekend, or seeing/touching his dead body when the fight was over. That was easily the most surreal experience of my life.

***

Tonight is orientation for the community service I am forced to do as a result of my ridiculous ticket. I'll be at the Goodwill on University by Springbrook mall, starting at 6:30. Not sure what they'll have me doing yet. We'll see how it goes.

Later: Twins blogging.