10 October 2001

People were commenting that Joe has been too heavily featured in my pictures lately, so I decided to focus today’s entry on Jacob.

Jacob at play.

Now, this is a little personal, but the thing of it is, Jacob was, until recently, struggling under the suffocating weight of a paralyzing bout of depression. It was truly awful for those of us who count ourselves among his friends to see how stricken with sadness poor Jacob was.

But over the weekend Jacob has, by unknown means, overcome the demons that tormented his young soul, and this week, Jacob is a changed man. Indeed, for Jacob the last two days, you might rightfully say that the snail is on the thorn and God in his heaven. The man would be clicking his heels at every street corner, if he were the sort of person who does that kind of thing.

Jacob at rest.

Co-incidentally, Sunday was Jacob’s 23rd birthday. But of all his friends, only one was thoughtful enough to get Jacob a present. And let me just say, that person should be commended for his gracious thoughtfulness and striking good looks. But we’re getting off the subject.

The point is, to acknowledge Jacob’s tremendous personal strength, steadily increasing decrepitude and excellent taste in friends, I’d like to ask all of you to send him mail telling him, in no less than 200 words:

1. How proud you are of his recent turnaround.
2. What a great person he must be to have such caring friends.
3. That 23 is not so old, really, since, after all, Keats still had nearly three years left at 23, and good ones at that.

Your tender messages will be much appreciated (even more so if written in sonnet form).

Jacob at bay.

Update: It seems that Joe has ordered Jacob a present, but that it hasn’t arrived yet. Further announcements will follow as events warrant.