I was really sad to read about the passing of Leonard Nimoy earlier today. I've never been much of a science fiction fan, with the exception of "Star Trek". And somehow I suspect that even that would have escaped my attention but for my beloved Mr Spock.
I never was too much of a Leonard Nimoy follower, but he made "Star Trek" in my opinion. Prior to reading your post, I read the article of his death in the New York Times and was very much impressed with many of his other endeavors. Now it is time for him to rest.
It is sad - to hear of the death of such a figure from your past. May he rest in peace. While Star Trek was a little before my time, I did see the movies and I always liked his somewhat dispassionate outlook on life. Between him and Capt. Kirk, we were able to see the foibles of being human. Even as messy and unpredictable as we are, I always decided that being human was much better than being a Vulcan.
Star Trek was before my time too, but I've watched and enjoyed reruns of the series. Leonard Nimoy was more than Mr Spock though. Among his skills was photography. Here's a link to one of his photography projects. Warning: Lots of nude photos there, so don't click the link if you think you might be offended.
I remember when Star Trek first came out, and it was an instant hit. Everyone in our family loved the program, and it was one of the only television programs that we tried hard to be there and watch every single day. My oldest son was very young then, and so he has loved all of the Star Trek series, movies, and everything about the program for as much as he can remember in his life. Although I enjoyed the whole cast of the program, I think that we all thought that Mr. Spock was the most interesting character, by far, and looked forward to his dispassionate comments about every new diaster that befell the Enterprise on its missions.
I too watched the Star Trek when it first appeared on TV and thought that Mr Spock was the best character in it. As for Leonard Nimoy, I think he gave a terrific performance in that role and he also had many other talents. It's always sad when a popular actor passes, but his screen presence will not die as long as people can view the Star Trek shows and movies.
You see on TV about all sorts of stars and celebrities dying and I have to tell you I usually do not feel anything about it. I was actually upset to hear that Leonard Nimoy died. I had to take some time to think about this and I guess maybe part of it is about dealing with our own mortality, but I think part of it is something else. Leonard Nimoy has been a very distinct part of my life in the way I have experienced it. I first learned of him from the "In Search of" series, he was a narrator, and then later of course Star Trek. These were regular things that I had experienced as part of my growing up. It is more then just things I "watched" it was actual information that lead to life experiences. Leonard was a celebrity that carried a sort of sage like essence. In many ways as a person I think he carried some of what he thought to be true into his acting. It is sad to know that will not be the case anymore. To bad, I had hoped he would be on more Big Bang Theory episodes.
I wached this interesting video by Leonard Nimoy today, and he explains how the famous Vulcan greeting and blessing was started, by Nimoy himself. It is actually a Jewish gesture, and this video explains how and when he first learned about it, and how it became an integral part of the Star Trek programs.
I'm not sure why, but I was quite surprised to discover that Leonard Nimoy was Jewish, and even more so to see that reflected in Spock. I guess it's just hard to connect Spock with anything that has emotion attached to it.
It's been a particularly bad start to 2015 for me. The loss of TWO of my beloved cats, the passing of the magnificent Leonard Nimoy and a number of personal setbacks as well. But as my lifelong role-model, Mr. Spock, was fond of saying, "There are ALWAYS possibilities." I will endeavor to move forward with those in mind.
Well, Peter, I am not sure of Nimoy, but as far as your pets, I am sure that when we pass, we reunite with all creatures that we have loved in this life. Then they will be with your forever!