August 20, 2004

* seagulls that eat French fries from your hand
* crossing items off my to-do lists
* getting checks in the mail
* shouting out bingo
* inspiration

Hail Saten is the online journal of horror writer and editor Brian Keene.
 

August 18, 2004

A new Jaded Writings column has been posted. This week, I discuss one girl's efforts to have wheelchair-accessible restrooms installed on every commercial airplane.

* Paula Danziger - 8/18/44
* Valerie Hardin - 8/18/74
* Ogden Nash - 8/19/1902
* Gene Roddenberry - 8/19/21
* H.P. Lovecraft - 8/20/1890
* Dorothy Parker - 8/22/1893
* Ray Bradbury - 8/22/20
* E. Annie Proulx - 8/22/35
* Brenda Ramsbacher - 8/23/69
* Michael Meanwell - 8/25/63
* Heather Froeschl - 8/25/69

August 16, 2004

What do you think happens after you die? Light only knows.

Do you believe in heaven? No.

Do you believe in hell? No.

Do you think you will be judged after you die? No.

How many people would attend your funeral? 10

Would you rather that people cry or laugh at your funeral? Both.

What's better -- a shot in the head or downing pills? Downing pills.

What should be written on your tombstone? I don't intend to have one.

Would you rather die childless or divorced? Childless.

Do you want to die in the morning, afternoon or night? Afternoon, preferably while I'm sleeping.

If you had a million dollars to leave, who would you leave it to? Friends and various charities.

What kind of flowers do you want at your funeral? White roses and baby carnations.

On your deathbed, which moment will you most remember? I don't know. It could be a moment that hasn't happened yet.

Have you ever watched someone die? No, they're usually dead by the time I arrive.

What's the most gruesome death you can imagine? Being eaten or burned.

How often do you think about death? Daily.

Is fear of dying your number one fear? Nope.

Do you believe in reincarnation? I believe in the possibility of it. If a soul is simply energy, then it's not too farfetched to think that the energy can be renewed.

Have you ever wished someone you loved were dead? No.

Do you consider life short or long? Short. Way too short.

Do you think you have a soul? Yes.

Assisted suicide for a terminally ill person is: Acceptable.

If you were cremated, where would you like your ashes? In the trash. Or recycled in some way.

Would you choose to be immortal, if you could be? Absolutely.

--Take The Ultimate Death Survey

"I realized early on that it is detailed scientific knowledge which makes certain religious beliefs untenable. A knowledge of the true age of the earth and of the fossil record makes it impossible for any balanced intellect to believe in the literal truth of every part of the Bible in the way that fundamentalists do. And if some of the Bible is manifestly wrong, why should any of the rest of it be accepted automatically? ... What could be more foolish than to base one's entire view of life on ideals that, however plausible at the time, now appear to be quite erroneous? And what would be more important than to find our true place in the universe by removing one by one these unfortunate vestiges of earlier beliefs?"
--Francis Crick

Past Afterthoughts