Interesting reader mail

[cupcake_goth]

This is one of the emails that turned up in the Gothic Charm School inbox this morning:

It was recently brought to my attention by way of a post on one of my forums that
you will be holding a tea party in a cemetery to celebrate your book release.

I just wanted to say that I think this is highly disrespectful and tacky. And before
you judge me to be some uptight soccer mom who came across your site, let me tell
you that I am in your target audience. I am into both romantic goth style and spent
a good number of years this way and also and into lolita street fashion. Your book
is something that I would have picked up in a store to keep on my bookshelf/coffee
table and encouraged my friends to buy as well. However I don't think I will be
doing anything of the sort. I am saddened to see that you show such little respect
for the people of the cemetery.

Hmmm. I need to double-check some of my sources, but from what I remember, the big public/non-churchyard cemeteries were, to some extent, intended as large public parks. Or at least, they were certainly treated that way for a very long time. I am planning on answering her, but like I said, I need to check my sources and do some more research.

Behind the cut-tag, my to-do list. Not terribly exciting, I realize, but good heavens, I need one.


- Laundry.
- Shorten one of the hoop skirts so it's the right length for under the stripy skirt mineke made me.
- Figure out what I'm wearing for the course of the NYC trip.
- Write an actual answering questions -type GCS post.
- Make sure all the ingredients are ready for tonight's dinner. (Cobb salad, which means oh right, I need to cook bacon.)
- DYE HAIR.
- Aspirin mask.
- EMAIL AGENT.
- Send Bluejay more fic links. (muah-ha-ha-ha!)
- Send thank you mail to Miss K. at Aromaleigh for mentioning the GCS book on her blog. DO NOT browse the Aromaleigh site, as I do not have spending money for makeup at the moment.
- Upper arm exercises. (Now if they'd just start showing some results soon, that would be lovely.)


::siiiiiiiiigh:: Don'wanna. Would rather nap, and watch movies with the Stroppy One.

Comments

You need to read

[maiaarts.livejournal.com]

The Day of the Dead traditions of the people of Mexico are very clearly written in Mean Streets (a novella collection) - The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog by Kat Richardson. People bring the whole family to the cemeteries to have all the generations of family share in the celebration.

I had a picnic in Highgate Cemetery in London - as were many others. They were taking money to tour the other section. I will go find out if there is a long tradition in Europe.

I think the idea of 'disrespecting' people is very Puritan but I will double check Highgate. It is listed as a Grade II Historic Park.

Re: You need to read

[poh.livejournal.com]

In Japan, people also have picnics in cemeteries and take the time to clean the headstones and remember their ancestors. There is not this tradition in the U.S., not for *all* our dead, and I don't know why.

Re: You need to read

[marc17.livejournal.com]

Hell, the cemeteries in Tokyo seemed the favorite spots for business people to eat lunch. There were sections marked off and they had spread a tarp, taken off their shoes and were eating lunch and drinking beer.

The old SeaGoth board used to have a big annual clean graveyard and have picnic event over on Vashon island, but it sort of died off.

Re: You need to read

[mineke.livejournal.com]

Like Ching Ming in China :D

Re: You need to read

[corbaegirl.livejournal.com]

When I lived in France in 1977, everyone celebrated All Saint's Day (Nov. 1) by wearing chrysanthamums and picnicing in the cemetaries.