Death: Live!

About "Death: Live!" Launching in NYC in late 2014, "Death: Live!" is a multi-part live theater talk show, created by Deanna Zandt, investigating one of life’s most dreaded topics: death. Most of us would prefer to avoid dealing with death; it’s unforgiving, unpredictable and uniquely capable of ripping life apart. "Death: Live!" seeks to create a provocative – and dare we say fun – experience, carving out space for conversation around the inevitable. Curated via social media (and supported by crowdfunding), "Death: Live!" is designed to answer the burning questions we all have about death and explore how death can help us to find joy in life. More about "Death: Live!". Share your death story, image or video. Ask me about death.

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Dag, yo.

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(via Family props up, poses with dead boxer | New York Post) Kind of amazing.

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Rarely do I support the use of the word "stupid," but this was too good to pass up. Sent in by my mom. Hee.

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(Actual) funeral director Caleb Wilde, via George Takei.

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Mad good dead peeps, holla.

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Death giggle of the week: come for the OKCupid, stay for the ninjas. 

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"Little Suicides" by the Golden Palaminos has been my earworm for the last couple weeks... it'll be on the show's soundtrack. 

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Honoring our dead: Dia de los Muertos

I'd never heard of this holiday growing up; I of course was familiar with the day before, and in the Lutheran church, we celebrated All Saints Day mostly if it fell near a Sunday. Maybe we talked about what November 1 meant more than that, but if so, it didn't stick with me.

In the late 1990s, one of the most beautiful, hilarious and entertaining video games I've ever played came out: Grim Fandango. 

Grim Fandango's world combines elements of the Aztec belief of afterlife with style aspects of film noir, including The Maltese Falcon, On the Waterfront and Casablanca, to create the Land of the Dead, through which recently departed souls, represented in the game as calaca-like figures, must travel before they reach their final destination, the Ninth Underworld. The story follows travel agent Manuel "Manny" Calavera as he attempts to save Mercedes "Meche" Colomar, a newly arrived but virtuous soul, during her long journey.

This was my first introduction into these set of beliefs, and began my now decades-old obsession with the art, rituals and culture of the holiday. What a blessing to be able to visit and honor those who have passed, together, each year. We remember them on their birthdays, on other holidays, but the idea of having a day dedicated to recognizing our loss and love for them, that feels right to me.

I wanted to paint my face in the style of a sugar skull last night to celebrate my resonance, but after some introspection, Googling, and discussion with a few trusted friends, I realized that I couldn't, as a person of privilege not of that culture, represent my intentions in my actions. And I don't believe that intention ever trumps impact. I did a glittery, red-lipped skull instead. Being aware of racism (and other -isms) on Halloween is not hard for people of all kinds of privilege; we just need to keep our eyes and hearts open.

Now time for me to honor my dead. I miss you. I love you. I still hold you with me in every cell, every day.

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I don’t really know what to do with this one.

Edit: More here from NPR: http://www.onthemedia.org/story/defense-funeral-selfies/

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work on the show is progressing, thanks to Culturebot's awesome workshop http://www.culturebot.org/workshops/

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I'm going to the memorial for Taylor Mead at St Mark's Church today. Here he is in Jim Jarmusch's Coffee & Cigarettes... sleep well, Taylor. xox

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Visit Original Link

Back from vacation. Can we get a singalong up in here?

Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today 2 get through this thing called life...

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I learned that my cancer might not be cured, but I could still heal my spirit by learning to live in an authentic way, in the present, even as I faced what doctors predicted as my probable death. But I didn't die. Fortified by the extraordinary experiences I had at Commonweal, I changed my life and began living as though I had only one more year left to live. My values didn't change, but I began to make new choices. Michael Lerner, the brilliant and visionary co-founder of Commonweal, had warned me that many people would get angry when I made new choices, and he was right. I focused on what I valued as important, gave up being a "good girl," and the rest of my life has been much richer. Every day I feel blessed by the gift of life.

'Death and Dying' Is Trending | Ruth Rosen

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Question of the day: What's the best condolence you've ever gotten? Leave it in the comments, reblog or reply on Twitter or Facebook.

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I met Alexander Reben at FooCamp this year, where he and his partner were demo'ing their current project, Blabdroid, a documentary being filmed entirely by robots. When we got to talking about death, Alexander shared this sculpture of his with me:

This electromechanical sculpture was 'born' in Nashville, Tennessee on 2 June 2012, at 6:18 PM. It has been programmed to have the average human lifespan of babies born in Tennessee on that same day: approximately 78 years. The kick drum beats its heartbeat (at 60 beats per minute), and the mechanical counter displays the number of heartbeats remaining in its lifetime. An internal, battery-operated clock keeps track of the passing time when the sculpture is unplugged. The sculpture will die once the counter reaches zero.

I loved hearing about the viewers' emotional reactions to the live piece; Alexander said often, people were moved to tears witnessing this artificial life counting down. Alexander's work in using technology to draw out humanity is just fascinating--don't miss your chance to speak with a Blabdroid if you get it.

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A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. What would your biggest regret be if this was your last day of life?

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This is the right idea: a card game to help talk about death.