thegooddeath

Open Eye Wakes?

Allo Patrons!

On deck today: open eye wakes and body farms!  And a book recommendation. Do you like the book recommendations?  I might make that a more regular feature. What books have you been reading lately (deathy or otherwise)?  I'm going to be traveling a lot over the next three months and I need a stockpile of airplane books.

Thank you, as always.  And happy autumn (for my northern hemisphere friends)!

xx

Caitlin

The Confederate Camel?!

I'm am loving these morbid history videos.  I have new Ask a Morticians planned, but they got bumped because I was so obsessed with Douglas the damn camel that I had to film this before anything else.

By the way, if you have any obscure death/morbid customs or history stories please share them!  I would love if a video idea came from a Patron.

It's almost October, deathlings!  It's the most wonderful time of the year!

(pumpkin emoji, ghost emo...

Meet all of my Fave Graves!

We're always looking for more ways to be death positive.  And sometimes, there is nothing better than just a good old fashioned afternoon in a cemetery, taking in the culture, history, and (sometimes outrageous) headstones of a particular place.

These were very hard to narrow down, but I wanted to give a broad range of places.  Please tell me your favorite graves, I'm trying to source some great ones and blast social media with a blanket of death.  Fave Grave Friday, perhaps? 2016-09-15 19:51:12 +0000 UTC View Post

Huge Mistake, Fighting Funeral Directors, & #DeathAdvice

Well, my deathlings.  First, a bizarre story. 

Last month, I made two videos. I posted them on Patreon, along with a blooper reel.  Pretty typical month in ol' Ask a Mortician-land. I was gone the last part of August in New Zealand (which was incredible!) and realized I had been so busy I hadn't gone in and read your comments and replied like I usually do.  So I go in, AND ONLY ONE VIDEO IS POSTED.

I remember posting this video vividly, but obviously ...

What's the BUZZ about Mourning Bees?

Hi all,

I had never heard of this bizarre (but adorable) bit of folklore.  But as soon as I did, my first thought was "that's a Morbid Minute right there." 

I filmed again last night (twice, the first time was blurry *smashes head on table*) so I should have a new video for you next week as well!

Thanks everyone, so much, as always,

Caitlin

ps- If you're a $10 patron, a big glorious stack of postcards went out yesterday, including quite a fe...

Vintage Ask a Mortician!

Hello deathlings,

Back to my nitty gritty behind-the-scenes video of yore. I realized I've never fully explained how mouths are closed during body preparation.   Many people think "super glue" which, yes, is sometimes used to close LIPS, but super glue won't hold the entire jaw up. So how do we do it?

*fog machine puffs, video beings*

Thank you, as always!  xx

Caitlin

Becoming a Progressive/Alternative Mortician!

This is one of the most asked questions I get here at the ol' mortician show, "How do I become an alternative mortician?"  As it turns out, the answer isn't so simple– yet. Perhaps one day it will be, but for now, everything is made up and the points don't matter.  But- that also means we have so much power to shape everything that happens and how the industry changes in the next 10-20 years.

If it sounds like I'm rambling, well, I did have sinus surgery a few days ago and am p...

New Ask a Mortician (all sorts of good stuff!)

This video has it all!  You got corpse dressing, you got corpse makeup, you got mummies, you got my LEAST favorite thing to do on a body.

So glad I was able to put out two videos this week. I really feel so much better when I'm putting out videos. MAKING videos is super hard, but putting out videos is the best!  Mostly to see your responses and know it made you laugh or let you learn a lil' deathy something.

I'm having a big surgery next month (don't worry, it's a ...

Kitschy Disaster Tourism

Whew!  This video took several days to upload (oh our technical woes!) but here she is.  I hope this gets some discussion started on this issue. I'd love to hear some of your favorite death and disaster sites that present things respectfully and don't attempt to erase the victims for gore and shock value.

I'm still planning on working my hoofies to the quick (my mother used to say this, is it a real phrase?) to get you another video sometime later this week.  If I tell my pa...

CONFRONT YOUR DEATH MORTALS!

This is not a drill.  My number one tip for facing your own death is but one click away.  Instant death acceptance or your money back!*

*Results not guaranteed

Ok, so death acceptance is a hard road, with ups and downs and ins and outs. But I hope this gets you started. This type of thinking is what REALLY helps me, and I hope it helps you as well.

Mwah mwah deathlings,

Caitlin

Titanic's Dead: Where Did They Go?

Patrons! Hello!  Yoohoo, I see you there gorgeous.

I'm really proud of this video. I had a question ("wait, what happened to all the Titanic bodies?") and then I had the ability to go on a deep dive (no Titanic pun intended) research binge, and then bring the info to you.  It's really fascinating stuff, and I'm lucky that death is somewhat of an evergreen topic. I never run out of things to discuss and share.

Can we also reflect on how much better my thumbnails are now?...

Can Corpses Turn to STONE?

Back at it once again, answering the questions no one is asking. Petrifaction not Putrefaction!

By the way, you may have gotten a bizarre email from Patreon (I've attached a screen shot below) that said "Want to hear from Caitlin? Vote on questions we'll ask them to answer!" 

But the questions were so lame.  Like "how's your day going?"  I mean, that's nice and all, but people ask me questions about decay and murder and corpse erections.  Pleasantries are...

Ask a Mortician- Rapid Fire Death Questions!

See!  I told you I would make up for my lack of videos last month.

Let me know if you like this format of answering a bunch of shorter questions in a video. Consensus so far seems to be that people like a combination of one topic videos, multi topic videos, favorites videos, Morbid Minutes.  Basically as long as nothing gets stagnant. Gotta keep the deathlings guessing.

I took the questions from Twitter for this video, but perhaps I should take questions from Patreo...

Bog Bodies! Murder! All in your new Morbid Minute.

Hello deathlings.  Why if it isn't your SECOND video already this month. (I know I shouldn't get tons of credit but still!– a promise is a promise).

This is one of my favorite videos I've done in awhile. I find bog bodies so fascinating, and this story (no spoilers) is so deliciously bizarre.

The book that lead me down this rabbit hole is called Bog Bodies Uncovered and though it's a little on the academic side, I really recommend it. It's full of stories of preserved...

New Video! Death & Feminism

If you are paying close attention, you will notice that despite my PROMISE to release two videos every month, I only released one in March.

But!  But! Hear me out! This was due to a technical issue that I was able to fix this week and, (you're not going to believe this) I have THREE videos written and prepped for April.  Three. That's like, practically a video a week. 

"Three out of the four weeks of the month agree, Caitlin releases a video during me!" 2016-04-05 22:19:25 +0000 UTC View Post

Decomposing Whale Wednesday!

When someone told me about dead whale carcassses being used to cure rheumatism my response was "noooooo eeewwww."  But then, you know what, HISTORY IS SO WEIRD.  The more something sounds totally bonkers, the more it probably happened.

And what do you know, we found all kinds of sources for this once popular "whale cure."  Happy to share this completely bizarre piece of knowledge with you. Try it on your friends!  It's great at cocktail parties!

Thanks fo...

New Video on Shrunken Heads!

Yes, it may be the end of the month, but it's still February, folks. My promise of delivering two videos a month still stands. Huzzah!

You may have heard of shrunken heads, but never knew where they came from or how they were made. Well friends, you will know now.

Happy February to you,

Caitlin

New Video (That I need your help with!!)

I've worked really hard on this one, because IT MAKES ME SO MAD. I know you already support the movement in so many ways.  But if you have a moment, please sign and write and share to do what you can to prevent this ridiculous bill from becoming law in Virginia. 

I so appreciate you all.  xx

Caitlin

Here is a link to all the emails you'll need: 2016-02-19 21:12:28 +0000 UTC View Post

My Sad Little Death Party, & You're Invited!

First of all, this is not a paid video, folks!  No charge to come to my sad little party ;)

It's more of a reflection of the last five years of the Order of the Good Death and our plans for the near future.

If you're at work and can't watch the video until later, here is a blog (which doesn't speak out loud) to tide you over: http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/happy-5th-an...

A New Ask a Mortician!

I'm surprised I've never addressed the issue of hair and nail growth after death, people bring it up all the time. Is it a myth? You will have to click to find out, my pretties.

On another note, one week from today marks the 5th anniversary of the Order of the Good Death!  Can you BELIEVE it?!  There are all kinds of goodies planned for next week, and you fine folk are the first to know.

Thank you for your support. You are absolutely what keeps these videos being made.<...

Macabre Favorites for the New Year!

So many people I know have been having a hard week. Questioning their own relationship with death, with both celebrities and in their personal lives.

I hope this video can be a little pick me up in the midst of the shitstorm. Don't give up your love of the macabre.  It's here in good times and bad!

I am grateful for you all, and hello to new Patrons!  *wave* Bloopers video is coming soon.

xx

Caitlin

The Gruesome Monsters of Christmas

You better watch out, you better not cry.... NO REALLY. There are Christmas monsters that punish you for such things!

Join my and my doppelgänger Sarah Troop as we talk about the dark, deathly side of Christmas.

And happy holidays to all of you, my lovely Patreon supporters. I appreciate you more than you know. If you get torn apart by Christmas monsters just know that I didn't send them!

xx

Caitlin