Karen's Meme

1. How did you die? I'd rather not say

2. How long have you been gone? 2 years

3. Death age/true age? 16/18

4. What do you miss most about being alive? Sensation and unconditional love. I also wish my sister Caitlyn had been born when I was still alive so that I'd know what it really felt like to hold her.

5. What, if anything, is cool about being a zombie? Don't have to sleep, don't have to diet.

6. How did your family react to you coming back? They didn't kick me out, which is something. I think they were more hurt about the way I died than me coming back.
My father seems to be "coming around" a bit more than Mom and treats me as though I were human. Almost.
Caitlyn was born about nine months after I died. I suppose that is a reaction, of sorts!

7. Most humiliating moment as a zombie? See above. Also I have to live in the basement even though there is an extra bedroom upstairs. Oh well, at least the basement is furnished!

8. Visible signs of zombiism? My skeery skeery eyes, which I'm told look like diamonds, and my pale skin and bleach blonde hair.

9. Goals/ambition? To live--really live--again!

10. "If I were alive today, I would..." Not do what I did.

Get Animated!

With the recent debate about whether or not I should accept corporate funding from Skip Slydell, and with an election coming, I've been trying to think of creative ways to advance the cause of getting rights for the differently biotic. Many of us have been dead long enough to be legal voting age--if in fact our citizenship hadn't expired when we did--but until Proposition 77 passes, and anti-zombie legislation like the Undead Citizens Act defeated, we don't really have any legal recourse.

I've been corresponding with a zombie in Ohio named Buttercup (she insists that is her real name, and she claims to be a third generation hippie) who has given me some good ideas, and after talking with the Haunted House crew we decided we would start brainstorming some ideas to affect positive social change--primarily for zombies, but in a way that would be good traditionally biotic people as well.

We're calling it the "Get Animated!" campaign (Get it? "Animated" as in "excited", and also "animated corpse". I thought it was a clever joke. Guess who thought of it?)

What are some of your ideas on how we can work together to make the world a better place for zombie and trad alike?

Zombie-sploitation

I've been approached by Skip Slydell, owner, CEO and mail clerk of Slydellco for a possible business venture. Slydellco, you may be aware, are distributors of such fine products as the Z and Lady Z lines of cosmetics and personal hygiene products, not to mention a whole line of what my trad friends like to call "inactive wear"--t-shirts with pro-zombie slogans like "Some of My Best Friends are Dead" and "Open Graves, Open Minds".

Skip wants to pay for me to put banner ads for his products on the site. I've purposefully tried to shy away from any corporate sponsorship, but there are some zombies in the Haunted House that think we could put the money to some good uses. Others, of course, are totally opposed. I asked Tak and his reply was "I...don't even know...why...you would talk...to a beating heart." Real helpful, that guy.

I'm torn. While I've written before about how cheesy I think Skip's profiteering is, he does use a percentage of his profits for pro-zombie causes. And despite their sometimes goofy message, I do think his products end up increasing awareness for our plight. To be totally forthcoming, I myself wear Z occasionally and am told it smells nice.

But straight-out corporate sponsorship? I don't know. I think I'd feel kind of icky.

What do you think?

Popeye's Meme

I don't know how Karen got Popeye to do this--must be the sweet talk.

Be advised, his relationship with the truth (and reality)is somewhat tenuous. I think they decided to "just be friends".

1. How did you die? I was struck by lightning

2. How long have you been gone? Three years

3. Death age/true age? Eighteen/Twenty-one

4. What do you miss most about being alive? Nothing

5. What, if anything, is cool about being a zombie? Everything about being a zombie is cool, especially the reduced ticket prices at the theater. Tak and I went to see Wall-E this weekend.

6. How did your family react to you coming back? They were so jealous of me thew threw me out of the house.

7. Most humiliating moment as a zombie? When other zombies don't understand my art.

8. Visible signs of zombiism? I am an artist, and my art is performing Bodifications, which are even more radical than piercings or tattoos. I did one on my left rib cage, left calf, and left shoulder. Plus, there's the reason for my nickname.

9. Goals/ambition? To be the greatest zombie artist--and therefore the greatest artist, period--ever

10. "If I were alive today, I would..." Pray for the day I could become a zombie.

We Are Now Experiencing Technical Difficulties

If you tried to post this week, you might have noticed that your posts did not take right away. I think that anti-zombie hackers are responsible.

Some of the posts that you made appear under my name because that was the only way I could rescue them from the hackers. Sorry for any convenience.

Mal and Colette, BTW, thank you all for the outpouring of support. Your posts have caused a number of the Haunted House crew to do memes which Phoebe and Karen will get to me for posting in the near future.

Plus, it is great so many of you from around the country are contributing your stories as well.