I Remember: Christopher Sean Caton

November 27, 1966 - September 11, 2001

Today is September 11, 2009 – eight years after 9/11/01 – and it almost seems like an eternity. The other night Jack and I were getting a bird's eye view of Manhattan on Google Earth. It wasn’t hard to see "the pit" amongst the tall buildings where the WTC towers once stood. I think everyone wants to fill that hole in the earth because they hope it might also fill the hole in their hearts. Today, over 2,900 families are thinking of the loved ones they kissed goodbye that morning and never saw again.

When I was assigned to remember Christopher Sean Caton, who was known to his friends as Sean, I immediately went online to see what I could find out about him. At first glance he's simply another name – one of thousands. But when I started reading about him – and mainly the tributes left by his friends – I could immediately tell this is a guy I would have really enjoyed knowing. Anyone who has ever had a Sean in their lives knows how it feels – not only is he the life of every party, but he's the guy who takes the time to remember a little something about the people he meets – and later when you see him again, you're pleasantly surprised that he remembers you too. His sister, Alison Henderson, summed it up in an article written about Sean after 9/11, "He always made an impression. People always remembered Sean Caton." Unfortunately, the bigger the impression, the bigger the hole in the hearts of those he left behind.

Christopher Sean Caton was born on November 27, 1966 and lived a short – but very full – 34 years. He grew up in Glen Rock, New Jersey, graduated from Glen Rock High School and then headed out west to Arizona, where he attended Arizona State University. His love of the city that never sleeps drew him back to Manhattan, where he got a job as a bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald, which was the same company where his father had worked.

Although he loved his work and the people, his real dream was to be a rock star. So every weekend he would head to the Jersey Shore and fulfill his dream, a Friday and Saturday night at a time. He might be at a bar when he’d grab a microphone, jump on stage and start singing (mostly Springsteen, REM, and various country tunes). He loved the limelight, and the people who surrounded him loved seeing him there, too.

Sean loved music from the time he was young. As a kid, his favorite band was KISS... then he mellowed out slightly and became one of Springsteen’s biggest fans. When his sister was interviewed by the New York Times for their tribute, she said she had found 35 ticket stubs to Springsteen concerts in his bedroom.

As a high school teenager – Sean did perform in his own band, which for some reason they called the Family Gopher. Friends remembered them performing grunge before grunge was cool. Where most kids might be satisfied to have a few rehearsals in the garage, Sean led his band in performing a benefit concert to raise thousands of dollars for treatments for a local girl who had leukemia.

Sean's favorite place during the summers was Manasquan on the Jersey Shore, where he and his friends rented a house. His guest book is full of memories from friends of their time with Sean at Leggett's bar, or on the beach, where he'd set up a boom box, greet his friends, and work on his killer tan, which only served to magnify his mega-watt smile. It was where he spent Labor Day weekend – his last – where he laughed, danced, sang, partied, and said goodbye to summer.

As I read through the tributes to Sean left by friends, I noticed all the nicknames people had for him – "Crazy Sean," "radio guy," "babycakes," or "the guy who is EVERYWHERE!" The story that made me laugh, though (aside from the tale of him being carried out of a bar by bouncers on July 4, waving 2 American flags), was "background picture guy." Sean earned this moniker by a woman he never knew, and who never knew him, simply because he was constantly in the background of pictures she would take of her friends in the bars in and around Manasquan. It was pure happenstance that a year after 9/11 she finally found out who he was and how he had died, and mourned the fact that the guy she never knew would never be in any of her pictures again.

Knowing all this about Sean makes it easy to think about what he was doing on that terrible day. He was proud of the view he had from his office on the 105th floor of One World Trade Center. It was a sunny day, and Sean was probably feeling good that morning. But since the first plane hit below his floor, there was no way out. He must have been terrified – but I also would bet everything that he was enveloping those around him in an embrace, assuring everyone not to worry, it would all be ok.

As terrible as Sean's death is, it's nice to see that his family and friends are remembering him through the Sean Caton Memorial Foundation. Taking a cue from Sean's high-school fundraiser, the foundation raises money for a variety of charities, but focuses on those that aid children with terminal illness and their families.

This year – just like the past seven years – there's a hole in Glen Rock, in Manasquan, and in New York City where Sean Caton used to be. I hope this tribute to Sean will fill at least a tenth of that hole, knowing that he's remembered today.

Sean, I hope you are in heaven doing what you always encouraged everyone else to do... "party on!"

Today, please take a few moments to visit Project 2,996 to read tributes to those who lost their lives that day.

sum-sum-summertime

Can't believe it's already well into July! Where did our spring go? Katie is very interested in the seasons, which she associates with certain holidays (and the candy that comes with it) - winter is, of course, Christmas and her birthday (chocolate), spring is Easter (chocolate), summer is just swimming pools and not wearing shoes (chocolate), and fall is Halloween (chocolate). Katie is a lot like Guy - hard for her to enjoy the moment, always looking to move on to the next thing. Now that it's summer, she can't wait for fall because of finally starting preschool.

Jack is going to be busy with camps. This week he's at Art Camp, which, if it wasn't so expensive, we would probably do every week! He's also got his first overnight scout camp coming up which I think he's a little nervous about. But he knows his friends and adult leaders (and it's only 2 nights) so I think he'll be fine.

We just enjoyed our 2 vacations which came and went quickly! We had a great time in Cincinnati and were busy, busy. Attending Guy's reunion, visiting family, King's Island (I'm about 6 inches shorter after riding the devil-coaster "Son of Beast"), the aquarium, the Cincinnati zoo, and attending a very fun Red's game (which they miraculously won). Was home for a busy week and then off again to Salt Lake City.

We have been planning for Mom's burial in Eureka for many months and it was just perfect - she stood out there exactly one year ago and told Paul where she wanted to be buried and how she envisioned it. Maybe she knew her time was coming or maybe she just wanted to just make her wishes know at the time. I really don't think she planned for it happening so fast. But I think we got it just right - beautiful monument that Paul chose, lots of family and a BBQ afterwards. Margo and Banny have done great things with the cemetary; despite being in the middle of nowhere it's a beautiful and peaceful place.

It was a hard day, but a nice day. And the rest of the week was nice, just spending lots of time with Dad, Grandma, Paul and Nicole and the kids, and Margo. Saw lots of old friends at my reunion and reconnected with one of my best friends who, 10 or 15 years ago, thought I'd never see again. Facebook is the greatest thing ever!

These two trips did get Guy and me thinking about our families, and how nice it is to just be nearer to parents, cousins, siblings. We love our home, Oregon, our neighborhood, but when holidays, birthdays, and other events roll around, it's just us. It can feel lonely sometimes. Mom was a big part of our lives and it feels that much more empty without her. We're talking again about moving where families are - whether that is Ohio or Utah - but could be awhile with this economy. Who knows?

As of now, we're planning next year's trip - Hawaii! Maybe people can join us there.

Why hello there, long time no see

I won't even begin to recap my life over the past year, probably anyone who actually follows this blog knows all about it...

Seems that blogging is sooooo 2007, isn't it? Now Facebook, Twitter, and whatever they dream up next is what's taking up my life now. Good thing I don't have a Blackberry or iphone, I'd never get ANYTHING done.

But if you are reading this and know anyone in the Portland area looking for a condo, please check out my new page for Mom's 1-bedroom condo unit in Trillium Hollow. It's a very cute little place that just isn't the same without her in it. So, time to hand it off to the next lucky owner.

Information (photos coming soon) is here. Please forward the link!

This must be what Dr. Seuss is saying from the grave...

Dead on, courtesy of The Onion. Only Hollywood can ruin a classic.

On the fourteenth of March, in towns nationwide,
In every cinema, multiplex, on every barnside,
Gleamed another adapting of one of my books,
CGI-ed and digitized by another sly crook.

Horton, my favorite—look how he's been treated!
Stuffed with tinsels and tassels and promptly excreted!
The puns! And the filler! The script fees you must save!
While I tumble and grum-humble around in my grave.

Did you learn all but squat from The Cat In The Hat?
Please tell me you fired the prick who made that.
I would have stopped writing, maybe sold Goodyear tires.
If I knew one dark day I'd costar with Mike Myers.

And Oh!
Oh, dear! Oh!
My poor Grinch, what they've done!
They crammed in live-action and snuffed out all the fun!

It's icky, it's tacky, it's awkward, it's wrong.
The Whos look like ferrets, it's an hour too long.
What a rotten idea to spend millions destroying
This masterful tale kids spent decades enjoying!

But still you keep making them!
Just how do you dare?
Sell my life's work off piecemeal
To every Tom, Dick, and Har'.

Why it's simply an outrage—a crime, you must judge!—
To crap on my books with this big-budget sludge.
My books are for children to learn ones and twos in,
Not commercialous slop for Jim Carrey to ruin.

Have you no respect for the gems of your youth?
To pervert them on screen from Taiwan to Duluth.
Even after you drag my last word through the dirt,
I know you, you pirates,
You'd cut out my heart for a "Thing 1" T-shirt.

For eighty-some years I held you vultures at bay,
knowing just how you'd franchise my good name some day.
Not yet cold in my grave before you starting shooting
the first of my classics you'd acquired for looting.

Mrs. Seuss, that old stoofus, began selling more rights
to Dreamworks, Universal—any hack in her sights.
First The Cat In The Hat and then this, that and Seussical
without a thought to be picky, selectish, or choosical.

So to Audrey, you whore, you sad sack of a wife:
Listen close. Pay attention, for once in your life.
You give Fox In Sox to those sharks who made Elf
And so help me, I'll rise up and kill you myself.

No Sneetches by Sony—
No One Fish: On Ice—
Burn that Hop On Pop II script not one time but twice.
Don't sex up my prose with Alyssa Milano…
And no Green Eggs And Ham with that one-note Romano!

This must stop! This must end! Don't you see what you're doing?
You're defiling the work I spent ages accruing.
And when it's dried up and you've sucked out your pay
There'll be no going back to a simpler day,

When your mom would give Horton a voice extra deep,
And turn the last page as you drifted to sleep.
Instead you'll have boxed sets, shit movies, and… well,
You'll have plenty to watch while you're burning in hell.

Happy 2008!

I added our blog address to our annual Christmas letter, so I thought I'd check it out since I think I last logged on about a year ago. So much for frequent updates! We have all enjoyed some time at home together for about the past week and a half. Santa was very good to Jack and Katie this year. Jack got a bunch of building stuff comprised of about 1 gazillion pieces each, so that's what has occupied a lot of the week. Katie got her favorite animal-related toys: Diego's explorer house (complete with baby Jaguar figurine) and Playmobile Noah's Ark. She has developed a special fondness for the giraffes.

I am not much for New Year's resolutions. For many years I resolved to get a better job, but I've got that all locked up now. So I'll try the "lose weight" and "try balancing my checkbook once in a while" promises again. This year is our 10th anniversary, and I want to go someplace warm, so a bathing suit vacation might be my motivation.

Happy New Year!

The Middletons on YouTube

I finally posted a backlog of videos to YouTube. Here is my favorite from just before Christmas. I feel bad for always cutting off Jack's head in videos...it's hard to get both of them in a tiny frame when one is about 2 feet taller than the other.

The rest of the collection is here.

Summer is here!

With Memorial Day behind us already it's time to get excited for summer! This week we will have a nice string of 80 degree weather. We've got the patio table & chairs set up and had dinner outside last night. Jack and Katie were so excited. It's fun to get out of the same-ole-same-ole sometimes.

Katie loves being outside. Since we've never fixed our screen door after Zoey rammed through it a couple of summers ago, both Zoey and Katie use the loose screen as a pass-through to the back yard since neither of them can reach the handle of the door (and of course, for Zoey it's that pesky "no thumb" problem).

Anyway, we set up Katie's water/sand table and she can stay out there for hours, just pouring water all over everything (mostly herself). Now that it's getting warmer I can stick her in her swimsuit and not have to change clothes every hour.

Jack is also looking forward to summer and his annual, "find ways to get rich off the neighbors" schemes. Last year it was selling Dixie cups full of lukewarm "iced" tea for $1 each...this year he and his friend Amanda are collecting cans and bottles and washing cars. I'm sure this will fizzle out around, oh, June 9. This reminds me I need to get him to start reading The Great Brain, one of my favorite book series which I read faithfully every summer. It will probably give him some inspiration.

Sorry there are no pictures or videos this post. I will try to keep up over the summer.