Living Life Above Ground
Well, I have been gone for a few weeks. It has been quite exciting though. I had a man arrested in the courtroom for practicing law without a license. I also uncovered a Scam on Craigslist. I have basically been your modern day female Columbo. So, this morning I felt like it was time for an update.
I am not sure if I have ever mentioned this but I love to watch CBS Sunday Mornings. I really do not watch very much television, but it is honestly the very best show on television. I am not sure when it begins, but it ends at 9:30 a.m. - right before Face the Nation. I also really love Face the Nation. If you haven't read Bob Schieffer's book, you should. Anyway, yesterday morning on CBS Sunday Morning there were two very interesting stories that I must share with you all.
The first story was about a guy named Frederic Fekkai. He grew up in France and really wanted to be an artist. His father thought that was a terrible idea, so Frederic went to law school. During law school Frederic made money through modeling and other fashion industry gigs. He eventually discovered his calling in life was "hair" and he quit law school. His father did not speak to him for three years.
I am sure you all are thinking, wow, what an idiot. He could have been a lawyer and made a good living. And you would be WRONG. Guess how much Frederic charges per hour doing "hair"? You should sit down for this, if you aren't already, he charges $700 plus. Let me assure you, there are very few lawyers who are able to charge $700 an hour. After the story, I wanted to yell at his father, and all the other people who I am sure discouraged him, and say, "what do you think now about following your call?" But alas, it was just Sidda and I alone in the den and she wouldn't have understood my outburst. So, I just held it in.
The other really great story yesterday was about fantasy coffins. Now, I am not one to dwell on death. I personally enjoy life, but I am not scared to talk or think about death. In fact, being a lawyer makes you think about a lot of things concerning your death. I am really not kidding. I have been planning out medical problems that could arise, and estate problems that I may have. It is a little weird. But if something happened to me, it would be six hours before any one in my family could arrive to make decisions. So, I have been trying to make decisions for myself now.
One of the things I have been planning for is my funeral. I had been seriously considering cremation until I saw this story yesterday about fantasy coffins. Unfortunately, the National Museum of Funeral History has copyrighted their photographs. However, you can click here and take a look at these coffins. I really think I would like to be buried in the Crab Coffin. Isn't that awesome? All of the arms fold up so that the coffin will fit in a regular grave. Something about being in that crab at the front of the Nave, while everyone (hoping that someone comes to my funeral) is sitting through my funeral service, makes me laugh. Afterwards, everyone could go eat crab cakes and drink salty dogs!
The other alternative is to go green. I am sure there are multiple places out there, but Morning Dove Studio in Boston designs and manufactures eco-friendly caskets. Did you know you can be buried in a cardboard box? And your family can paint it before you are buried? Heck, you can buy it now and paint it yourself.
You could also have markers and paint then everyone could come by and paint or sign things on your casket. I see a couple of downsides to this. First and foremost, what if you had made someone really angry in life and they wrote something mean on your casket. You wouldn't be here to defend yourself and mark over it. However, this does seem like a cheap route - save some money. Also, you can be buried in a wicker coffin. I personally am going to have to nix this one for myself. I have never thought wicker furniture was that comfortable. Plus, they kind of look like a picnic basket and that is just too weird for me.
The other really interesting "new" alternative is the ecopod. It is made from recycled newsaper and can be purchased in a range of colors and designs. The company also makes the ARKA Acorn Urn - an urn that looks like an acorn. (A little too natural for me.) The ecopod isn't as awesome as the crab coffin, but it does have some perks for the environment. Although, the recycled newspaper design kind of reminds me of paper machet.
Anyway, I will leave you today with all the different slogans I have read while researching this post. Hope you enjoy. "Respecting the earth, shaping the future." - Ecopod (Whose future? Not yours). "Grave concerns, natural solutions." - Mourning Dove Studio (Who comes up with this stuff?) My personal favorite and a motto to live by: "Any Day Above Ground Is A Good One." - National Museum of Funeral History.
I am not sure if I have ever mentioned this but I love to watch CBS Sunday Mornings. I really do not watch very much television, but it is honestly the very best show on television. I am not sure when it begins, but it ends at 9:30 a.m. - right before Face the Nation. I also really love Face the Nation. If you haven't read Bob Schieffer's book, you should. Anyway, yesterday morning on CBS Sunday Morning there were two very interesting stories that I must share with you all.
The first story was about a guy named Frederic Fekkai. He grew up in France and really wanted to be an artist. His father thought that was a terrible idea, so Frederic went to law school. During law school Frederic made money through modeling and other fashion industry gigs. He eventually discovered his calling in life was "hair" and he quit law school. His father did not speak to him for three years.
I am sure you all are thinking, wow, what an idiot. He could have been a lawyer and made a good living. And you would be WRONG. Guess how much Frederic charges per hour doing "hair"? You should sit down for this, if you aren't already, he charges $700 plus. Let me assure you, there are very few lawyers who are able to charge $700 an hour. After the story, I wanted to yell at his father, and all the other people who I am sure discouraged him, and say, "what do you think now about following your call?" But alas, it was just Sidda and I alone in the den and she wouldn't have understood my outburst. So, I just held it in.
The other really great story yesterday was about fantasy coffins. Now, I am not one to dwell on death. I personally enjoy life, but I am not scared to talk or think about death. In fact, being a lawyer makes you think about a lot of things concerning your death. I am really not kidding. I have been planning out medical problems that could arise, and estate problems that I may have. It is a little weird. But if something happened to me, it would be six hours before any one in my family could arrive to make decisions. So, I have been trying to make decisions for myself now.
One of the things I have been planning for is my funeral. I had been seriously considering cremation until I saw this story yesterday about fantasy coffins. Unfortunately, the National Museum of Funeral History has copyrighted their photographs. However, you can click here and take a look at these coffins. I really think I would like to be buried in the Crab Coffin. Isn't that awesome? All of the arms fold up so that the coffin will fit in a regular grave. Something about being in that crab at the front of the Nave, while everyone (hoping that someone comes to my funeral) is sitting through my funeral service, makes me laugh. Afterwards, everyone could go eat crab cakes and drink salty dogs!
The other alternative is to go green. I am sure there are multiple places out there, but Morning Dove Studio in Boston designs and manufactures eco-friendly caskets. Did you know you can be buried in a cardboard box? And your family can paint it before you are buried? Heck, you can buy it now and paint it yourself.
You could also have markers and paint then everyone could come by and paint or sign things on your casket. I see a couple of downsides to this. First and foremost, what if you had made someone really angry in life and they wrote something mean on your casket. You wouldn't be here to defend yourself and mark over it. However, this does seem like a cheap route - save some money. Also, you can be buried in a wicker coffin. I personally am going to have to nix this one for myself. I have never thought wicker furniture was that comfortable. Plus, they kind of look like a picnic basket and that is just too weird for me.
The other really interesting "new" alternative is the ecopod. It is made from recycled newsaper and can be purchased in a range of colors and designs. The company also makes the ARKA Acorn Urn - an urn that looks like an acorn. (A little too natural for me.) The ecopod isn't as awesome as the crab coffin, but it does have some perks for the environment. Although, the recycled newspaper design kind of reminds me of paper machet.
Anyway, I will leave you today with all the different slogans I have read while researching this post. Hope you enjoy. "Respecting the earth, shaping the future." - Ecopod (Whose future? Not yours). "Grave concerns, natural solutions." - Mourning Dove Studio (Who comes up with this stuff?) My personal favorite and a motto to live by: "Any Day Above Ground Is A Good One." - National Museum of Funeral History.
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