Death is not the End
04/06/2013 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Izzie’s been procrastinating a lot lately on the posting front. Been too busy slinking down south or sitting outside in the garden. The main distraction has been a certain goblin taxation exam on this Thursday. After that will feel no need to slave over a hot abacus or guilt at slinking about online
Will even be able to pay a visit to the latest traveling exhibition at the State Museum
It is called “Secrets of the Afterlife” and features assorted objects from Ancient Egypt courtesy of the British Museum
Of course the inner ghoul is looking forward to this feast of the magnificent macabre. But not only are there the mummies, statues, jewelry and other ancient objects but a bunch of guest speakers and assorted events. I somehow suspect that every card carrying member of the OTO (the Aleister Crowley cult) will visit at least once
Being on the museum mailing list got the temptations delivered via email. Managed to miss the first one "The horizon of eternity: living and dying in Ancient Egypt" which was all about the big picture about how they perceived life, the universe and everything. But been busy adding the others to the serpent stash
But it was not too late to sign up for this Friday evening’s event on the cheerful topic of “Death, decay and dissection in Ancient Egypt”
There was a fascinating program from the BBC a year ago where researchers found a man dying of cancer willing to offer his body to science. Researchers had been trying to replicate the ancient Egyptian techniques of preserving the dead.
Mummifying Alan - Egypt's Last Great Secret
It was gruesome and gory but absolutely riveting. Just loved the interviews with Alan before he departed this mortal coil where he explained his decision to volunteer. Not just because he wanted to save a stash on funeral expense. He had a wicked grin on his face as he contemplated his grand children boasting at school “My Grandpa is a mummy”
There was a completely unexpected tweek to previous preservation procedures and it was the one that made all the difference. The body is literally pickled in brine. All the talk of 'rebirth' turns out to be rather less metaphorical than expected
Just consulted the Oracle of Google. It wasn't the BBC but Channel 4 and there's a website devoted to Alan Billis and his amazing morbid adventures
But back to something less spooky. Needless to say there’s even a guest speaker who will be talking about the portrayal of mummies in modern culture, especially films and television. What better way to spend the evening of the winter solstice? The original plans spending sunset at South Beach can wait for the next day.
There was a wonderful radio program recently about the recent zombie invasion in film and fiction. One guest made the wickedly wonderful and very cynical observation that Hollywood in its golden days got fed up with paying royalties to Bram Stoker’s estate so went looking for cheaper exotic monsters. And they found them almost on their doorstep. Like zombies, mummies don’t make much in royalties either.
All we need to add is a dozen or so plagues of Biblical proportions and the plotting and planning for November’s writing marathon is looking most promising indeed
Will even be able to pay a visit to the latest traveling exhibition at the State Museum
It is called “Secrets of the Afterlife” and features assorted objects from Ancient Egypt courtesy of the British Museum
Of course the inner ghoul is looking forward to this feast of the magnificent macabre. But not only are there the mummies, statues, jewelry and other ancient objects but a bunch of guest speakers and assorted events. I somehow suspect that every card carrying member of the OTO (the Aleister Crowley cult) will visit at least once
Being on the museum mailing list got the temptations delivered via email. Managed to miss the first one "The horizon of eternity: living and dying in Ancient Egypt" which was all about the big picture about how they perceived life, the universe and everything. But been busy adding the others to the serpent stash
But it was not too late to sign up for this Friday evening’s event on the cheerful topic of “Death, decay and dissection in Ancient Egypt”
There was a fascinating program from the BBC a year ago where researchers found a man dying of cancer willing to offer his body to science. Researchers had been trying to replicate the ancient Egyptian techniques of preserving the dead.
Mummifying Alan - Egypt's Last Great Secret
It was gruesome and gory but absolutely riveting. Just loved the interviews with Alan before he departed this mortal coil where he explained his decision to volunteer. Not just because he wanted to save a stash on funeral expense. He had a wicked grin on his face as he contemplated his grand children boasting at school “My Grandpa is a mummy”
There was a completely unexpected tweek to previous preservation procedures and it was the one that made all the difference. The body is literally pickled in brine. All the talk of 'rebirth' turns out to be rather less metaphorical than expected
Just consulted the Oracle of Google. It wasn't the BBC but Channel 4 and there's a website devoted to Alan Billis and his amazing morbid adventures
But back to something less spooky. Needless to say there’s even a guest speaker who will be talking about the portrayal of mummies in modern culture, especially films and television. What better way to spend the evening of the winter solstice? The original plans spending sunset at South Beach can wait for the next day.
There was a wonderful radio program recently about the recent zombie invasion in film and fiction. One guest made the wickedly wonderful and very cynical observation that Hollywood in its golden days got fed up with paying royalties to Bram Stoker’s estate so went looking for cheaper exotic monsters. And they found them almost on their doorstep. Like zombies, mummies don’t make much in royalties either.
All we need to add is a dozen or so plagues of Biblical proportions and the plotting and planning for November’s writing marathon is looking most promising indeed