What's going on your headstone?

[SadieKate]

Maillotpois and I were tossing snippets of conversation back and forth during Saturday's brevet. Of course, some insults were traded (only lovingly, of course). She thinks I'm lazy for not wanting to ride a 300k even through I think she's a wuss for not wanting to mountain bike with me. I told her that she could put on my headstone "Lazy and proud of it."

Later we talked about her 600k last year. Her headstone is going to say "Except for the [near death pulmonary] clots, I was in better shape."

What is your headstone going to say? Or better yet, what does your family think should be on your headstone?

[maillotpois]

People are going to think we're really grim. I guess we are.

When you're riding for hours and hours and hours and hours, the conversation does tend to wander.

[pepe6599]

"Smile, life happens to everyone." hahaha. My mom would trip if I requested that.

[SadieKate]

I didn't think the conversation was grim at all. I thought it was pretty funny.

Shall we tell them about Bubba coughing smoke?

[Trekhawk]

LOL - that is so funny. Yep Lee and I had a few discussions about the fact that shorter distances were much more civilized and that unlike SK we really like stopping along the way. So mine could say something like - Oh well she always did like a good rest stop.

[maillotpois]

Oh TH that's great!

Sk - you're right, it wasn't too grim. Dark humor, though. Yeah, Bubba definitely got our attention with that trick!

[SadieKate]

TH, I think I'm going to giggle all day long about that one. It is absolutely perfect for a headstone.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well my mother (whom I loved very much) lived a lifestyle very different from me. She always avoided any kind of exertion, work, or effort. She had a great sense of humor though, and we used to laugh a lot together. Once she and I were trying to figure out what we should have on our tombstones. (not that we would have any, both preferring ash scattering, but anyhoo...) I came up with a good one for her- "At Last, No More Annoying Interruptions..." She thought that was perfect, and we both had a good laugh over it.

[Kitsune06]

I will not be interred. I'm going to see if someone can procure an old glass Skippy or Jif or whatever peanutbutter jar, with the real metal lid etc, and have a graphic artist near and dear to me design a mockup of the appropriate peanut butter label, with all of my vital information in the appropriate fonts etc... Info and quotes as the ingredients and nutritional info, statistics, etc.

My ex used to work in a crematory/funeral home, and told me about the Vibrator- a machine that vibrates the cremated remains into finer dust. I would requiest to only be vibed a little, so the label could truthfully read 'chunky style'

...further, I would ask that a small amt of my ashes be scattered at the Woods, in the creek so they might be part of the landscape there forever...
I would ask my partner to do an ash-rubbing as well... and anyone who wants a bit of me with them. If you don't know what it is, either wiki it or don't ask.

I'm a firm believer that a person is not defined by their physical self- but the mortal coil should be disposed of in a manner best fitting their choice of life. While mine might not *seem* respectable, etc... I want to always make people laugh, always weird people out just a little... and be remembered as that jovial sort.

I want a closed-casket funeral. No matter how I die. I will not die young and pretty just so I make a nicer lookin' corpse. I promise you, if I die young, I probably won't be in good enough shape to be open-casket material anyway.

It's not morbid... on the contrary, it drives me nuts that some people refuse to talk about these things for that reason, then they pass and no one seems to know what they'd want.

[mimitabby]

as much as I love the idea of a gravestone, it seems like such a waste of money to do that funeral/burial thing. If I can donate my body to science, I will.
then when I die, they will roll me out on a gurney and at some hospital somewhere they will cut out the parts they need and cremate the rest.

kind of like what you do when you break the frame of a bike, you know?
The idea of locking my used up body in a leadlined concrete vault grosses me out.
How the heck can the worms go in and out if they treat you like that?

[Kitsune06]

Mimi- worms don't go in. you just mummify. They pump you so full of chemicals to do that that you're actually a hazard. (from what I've heard... then again, the crematory really pushed cremation, obviously) It's a great option for those who are very frightened of the idea of becoming worm food. ....uh.... like that's not the point?

WE'RE MADE OUT OF MEAT!

I'm tempted to do the same with mine. Significantly less ash that way. The label would have to read "Take the best and burn the rest" somewhere in the fine print.

[maillotpois]

I don't think either of us were thinking a "real" headstone. It was more, what's the little one-liner that you think sums up your life?

[TsPoet]

I've put in my will that I want it to be raining at my funeral, and if it's not, I want the sprinklers on.
But, since I also want cremated, not sure the sprinkler thing will work.


Not to hijack or anything - but I've got a book recommendation for you:

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
by Mary Roach.

Both the funniest and the most disturbing book I've ever read.

[Kitsune06]

Oop! My bad.

"She said she'd try anything once!
(thankfully she waited awhile on this one)"

(the 2nd line is to be added if I leave this plane after I reach 70)

[mimitabby]

okay, a one liner..

it's hard to do!

oh, here you go:

"Cousin to many, friend to some, mother to two, and wife to one"


(I'm a genealogist and have found cousins all over the usa, in Italy, France
and Belgium)