tagryn's musings

Frontline on PBS did a very good episode this past week titled "The Undertaking" devoted to the profession of preparing and burying the dead. I thought it was one of the finer ones they've put together, and well timed now that we're in Autumn, the time of leaves falling and the cold returning. Well worth watching, the full episode is available online via the link.

What's interesting for me is that while I found watching it quite moving at times, I didn't really feel uncomfortable* at any point along the way (another tribute to the production), while I had great difficulty finishing USNWR's excerpt of Amy Silverstein's book Sick Girl, wherein she details the struggles and difficulties which go along with a heart transplant. Some of the facts were just, frankly, too much for me to take more than a little at a time...which doesn't bode well for my prospects if I ever do need heart surgery, I suppose. A good counterpart to the USNWR excerpt are the "Cumerow on Quality" articles devoted to the topic and book, located here and here, and Amy Silverstein's reply here.

* - keeping in mind that everyone's mileage may vary; I'm told that my great-grandfather was an undertaker, so I kinda had that running in the back of my mind while watching: that in the not-too-distant past, my family was part of the profession. That made it feel not as unfamiliar as it might otherwise have been.

Brilliant. And all in line with how negotiating works, if you do it right.

I'm admittedly too nice to do this as much as I should. Its an unfortunate side-effect of seeing the other person's perspective - the key is to realize that it's the sales agent's job to try and s***w you over, then it doesn't feel as bad to hit back and/or walk away.

Its business. Nothing personal.

I use Bloglines to keep track of various blogs. Here's a collection of entries which I've saved over the past year or so, having considered them interesting enough to want to remember to get back to.

• Ratatouille "Easter Eggs"
  
• "A Scary Little Christmas" - a collection of familar holiday songs performed with a gothic twist (from Doombuggies.com)
  
• Boltcity's review of Beard Papa's, a high-quality Japanese pastry shop with locations in NYC and the West Coast. I tried these in NYC and was VERY impressed. The only downside is that the cream puffs have to be eaten immediately, else they start melting.
  
• Birth of an Island in Snopes.com. Neat pictures. They also timed it well; being over an ash explosion isn't recommended.
  
• A link to "O God That Great Tsunami", one of the worst hymns you'll ever read, much less hear.
  
• Bible Fight - The Most Sacrilegious Game Ever
  
• Dwarfstar Boardgames for Free online. I had a copy of the Star Smuggler microgame as a kid, happy to see it available for download now.
  
• The quest for Dole Whip, a kind of pineapple ice cream made at Disneyland.
  
• Neat snow entry from my friend Joan Arnfield in England, back in February. Along the same lines, a cool snow pic by Keith Dodson.
  
• Life FAQs, by American Digest. Snarky.
  
• Dan Drezner looks at the big picture. Its good news, generally.
  
• Free copy of the Quran from CAIR. This copy is a translation into English, and by all accounts one of the more moderate/accessible versions out there.
  
• Relating the experience of getting pepper sprayed, in detail
  

Will probably be doing a separate one for links saved from Lifehacker tomorrow, stay tuned...