Coffins!

I finally got to go to my friend Jason's Halloween party that usually falls on the same day as out party, It was so fun! I don't really do a costume for Halloween, I just wear lots of eye makeup and throw on my trusty Devil horns and viola, The Halloweenstress! I am trying to get comfortable taking pictures of myself, as it seems normal people do and here is another push to overcome camera shyness. And I survived!

Jason now owns a coffin! What more can I say? Through a friend of a friend he lucked into getting this very stylish retro coffin for free, I am immensely impressed, and supremely jealous. I was on this funeral home owner friend of his like white on rice to get the second old one they are thinking of getting rid of. We will see which way my luck goes on this matter; but I must say coffins have been in the air lately and I would be surprised if this opportunity is just a "coincidence."
Don't misunderstand me, I am not a weird "Emo kid" or anything like that; I just have an acute interest in all things funerary across all cultures. It's the same thing as people who are all about babies and just love all of them and think they are the cat's pajamas, but the opposite side of the same spectrum!
This interest goes back just about as long as I can remember, to my great Grandmother "B-
Mama's" funeral. I had to have been about three years old, my Mom took us to her funeral in these beautiful little dresses and Brand and I walked up to the casket, kneeled down and bowed our heads to pray. I remember that part vaguely, but I can picture it, and I guess we thought we should say a prayer, and that was how it was done. I remember standing by the open casket holding my mother's hands and her telling me very gently that she was old and had died and was now not in there, that was just her body. I wanted to touch those big veins on the tops of her hands, but Mom told me her skin was very thin and I couldn't touch it because it could break open. Well that got my attention! I just didn't understand, but I was completely 100% taking her word on it. Of course now it sounds weird, Mom doesn't remember it and I don't even think it sounds like something she'd say. But that's exactly how I remember it. I swear!
I also loved stopping at any and every old graveyard I could get my parents to stop for to walk around and look. It was just so much fun, and they did, often. Graveyards are just a magical place to me, well I should be more specific; beautiful old ones, primitive and ornate ones alike thrilled me.
I don't think I have a weird "macabre" fascination with funerary things, I think it is very different and much more than that. I love reading about plagues in the dark ages, and all the lore about the Victorian era phenomena of the widespread fear of being buried alive...because it was common! You know that's where the phrase "saved by the bell" comes from; you could be buried with a string tied to your toe going up through casket & ground attached to a bell, so if you "awaken" in a coffin you could ring the bell to alert people you were "not dead yet!"
Or how about ancient civilizations like the Egyptians and their pagan worship and belief of the afterlife where you needed tombs filled with physical things or representations of things you would need in the afterlife. Legions of handmade warrior statues under a foot tall, great works of art and the finest example of fine craft of their day all laid out in elaborate Pyramids...Inspiring to imagine all of these different ways mankind has made sense of the inescapable and incomprehensible ultimate reality and final experience of every life, death.
I just find it all endlessly fascinating and beautiful. It truly is the great equalizer; everyone born into this world will leave it, only question is when.

Here is Mr. Jason in his "steam punk" costume all made by him, the talented and fabulous artist. Apparently this is a sect of coolness the kids are doing these days, and it looks awesome! I wish I could have gotten a closeup of the detail on his hat. He took a gyppy party store costume hat and dyed it a deep Burgundy/purple, made a hat band out of a thrift store belt, and made an unbelievable embellishment out of a configuration of brass gears from the guts of an old clock, and some small brass tubing. Sheer genius! I'll have to get together with him and get some good pictures, as soon as I replace my camera!

Alas, a good time was had by all, and Jason had every nook and cranny of his gorgeous house full of all sorts of Halloweenery. To the nines!

And here we are way past my bedtime. I have to get lots of sleep which I've been needing so much of lately, naps in the afternoon, sleeping late and everything. But if this is what my body demands, it is what I will give it. I take much better care of it these days; despite my interest in death, I can wait as long as possible to learn first hand what it is all about.

Sweet dreams...