Seeking

My friend and I leave each other phone messages in the middle of the night that are the songs found by clicking on the "Link of the Day" above.

This Memorial Day weekend, I am doing one of those things I talked about when I was 15 and had not yet had the honor of being allowed to drive off to where ever I wanted when ever I wanted. Oddly an honor I still haven't really been granted yet.

Anyway, I used to talk about picking a town on the map randomly and just making a road trip out of going to the town. No plans, no reservations, no expectations of vacation or gaining insight...Just going.

It's an adult version of the back yard adventure. Kind of attempting to dig a hole to china right before dinner-Or in this case, before the work week starts again.

The town is Harper's Ferry. I have done very little reseacrh on the town, but I did pass through via the AP once. I am bringing camping gear, in case the mood strikes and weather permits.
I am off on Friday evening and will return???

Just kidding, I'll be back by 9:00 AM Tuesday morning in time to "act like I am working."

More to come.

Cuz Susie-
I think The Gift can be ordered from TLA. If not I'd try ebay. It is rare.

Blind Bird-
Of course souls hang out in funeral homes, they want to see what will be said about them

Sarah-
I like your funeral ideal

Anon-
I feel like I am in service here in Philadelphia in terms of volunteer related work, I'd like to learn another language and expand my understanding of third world living as well as understand life outside of the US. There are many reasons I want to join the Peace Core.

Rob- I have a lot to say about home funerals. I don't think they run counter to the separation (psychologically) between life and death. I believe the experience of having a dead body of your loved one in your home allows one to really understand that their loved one is dead. In home funerals the deceased is usually kept in the home in a bed or other favorite place until every family member feels they have made their peace with the person. Then the body is buried by the family. Because we use funeral services and coffins and all these other devices typically in America, I think that sometimes avoiding the true nature of death is actually encouraged. Especially having a body sent away to the funeral home to not ever again be viewed or only viewed during a religious ceremony or in a casket. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on this as well.

Jennsee-
Ever had a fish funeral?

Thanks to Sarah.
Although it did give me something to write about:

3 names I go by:
Em, Emmy, and any lovely ones I don't know about

Screen-names I've had:
Oyster776 & glrcregional

3 physical things I like about myself:
My collar bone, My eyelashes, My painted toe nails

3 physical things I dislike about myself:
My belly, My butterfly tattoo and um my belly again.

3 parts of my heritage:
Hungarian (somewhere in there)-English-I think some Russian too

3 things I am wearing right now:
Stardust, Moccasins, Dignity

3 favorite bands / musical artists:
Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Ollabelle

3 favorite songs:
(For me this is only today's favorite song picks)
Sign In Stranger (Steely dan)
This may be the last time(Blind Boys of Alabama)
Held Down (De La Soul and Cee-Lo)

3 things I want in a relationship:
Endless conversation, The feeling of "just knowing", Honor

3 physical things about the preferred sex that appeal to me:
Large beautiful eyes, A little bit o' muscle, Head held high

3 of my favorite hobbies:
Film editing, Reading Infinite Jest, Doing the "The Artist's Way"

3 things I want to do really badly right now:
Leave my job, flea to another country, take a nap

3 things that scare me:
Myself, My "feelings", Vanity

3 of my everyday essentials:
Stretching, Nicorette, Talking to my parents

3 careers you have considered or are considering:
Filmmaking, Writing novels, Full-time research subject

3 places you want to go on vacation:
Nepal, anywhere in Asia actually, The Holy Land (any holy land)

3 kids' names you like:
Aja, Travis, Hunter

3 things you want to do before you die:
Make a feature film, Write a book, Become enlightened

3 ways I am stereotypically a boy:
I am super layed back, I love gorgeous women, I am competitive at times

3 ways I am stereotypically a chick:
When I ride the crimson tide I cry, I saw "awwww" when I see something cute, I prefer chivalry

3 celeb crushes:
Adrian Brody, Vince Vaughn, George Clooney

3 people to play next:

If they read this and are up to the challenge:
Mad Chef
Rob
Blind Bird

I have really, obviously, been horrendous about my blogging these days.
A variety of things have popped into my mind worthy of discussion but they seem so fleeting. When I get ready to write about them later I usually determine they are too trivial to blog about.
Thus, to resolve my fears about trivial thoughts I am going to try something different.
The following are manifestations of brief contemplations that have entered my mind recently. Basically, these are my minds own sound bites:

I took a class called Death and Dying at Temple University a year or so ago for a few elective credits. The class has proved to one of my most valuable learning experiences ever. I learned about everything from cadaver basics to grief patterns. One class day was devoted to the practice of home funerals. Part of the class was spent viewing a documentary that invited the viewers to attend a actual private home funeral that took place over several days. I was both disturbed and extremely touched at the same time. The sound bite in head my says, Would I prefer this to any other kind of formal "end of my life" service?


The home funeral pondering reminded me of a low-budget film made by singer Perry Farrell from Janes' Addiction in 1993. Gift, was a short film about a sudo-home funeral that Farrell has for his dead wife upon finding her heroin overdosed corpse in their home. The short is compelling and eerie. However, my favorite scene of the film has nothing to do with the home funeral practice, but instead with a Santeria based tribal wedding. There is this fabulous imagery of Perry and his wife Casey being wed. They are on a beach-arms length apart from one another side by side. Their backs face the ocean and their wrists are some how bound together. Some sort of spiritual leader traces the outlines of the couples "connected" bodies with an egg. The marriage is complete. This screen moment keeps flashing into my head every time I think of marriage. The sound bite is: Perhaps I will sneak away with my lover before our "Americanized" marriage and be secretly wed first with eggs, sticks, tribal sweat and nature as our true blessing from above.


I've mentioned before in my blog about my desire to join the Peace Corps. Of the many random thoughts that linger and mosy in my head, The Peace Corp plan has become an obsessive thought and more and more real. The sound bite is: What business do I have ignoring the needy?


There it is, the first of my new series to help refuel the creative fire within.

Another great gem from I am following my fish:

Your Japanese Name Is...

Noriko Genji

My questions came from Sarah!

1. Who do you think knows you better than anyone else?

The first person who knew me better then anyone else was my Intensive Outpatient Counselor, Drew. I knew this was the case when I said to him "Drew, I am just not ready to get sober." He replied 'Emily, when is anyone ever ready to get sober?"
He would have had to know me better then anyone to provide me with the only thing I ever heard that motivated me to change my life.

The second person being my current therapist, Denise. I know this because when I express any fear to her, she replies "so basically you afraid of not being perfect?"


2. What pop-culture icon did you pine after in your room late at night as a pre-teen girl? Did you have a poster?

Hmmmm. I really wasn't a big piner in that way. I did love my Bob Marley poster and I always thought he was gorgeous.


3. What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?

My little brother said the nicest thing to me I had ever heard. We were at a Steely Dan concert, standing in the back, surveying the crowd. He said; "You are at your favorite concert, with your family, your doing film work, your sober and your whole life has worked out, isn't that awesome?"

Another thing that comes to mind that was said in the most perfect way by someone I totally looked up to was; "Emily, I am so crazy about you"
Who doesn't love to hear that?
I guess it's not so much what was said, but how it was said.

4. How did you know?

I thought I once did know. Now I realize I never will. I am ok with that.

5. When you think of the word "artist", who is the first artist that comes to mind?

This would probably change on any given day but today it is a group of several artists in the greatest visual installation show I ever saw called Moving Pictures at the Guggenheim museum in New York. When I saw this show I finally new what I meant when I called myself an "artist".


The Official Interview Game Rules

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying "interview me."

2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different.

3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.