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Thanksgiving and loss

Thanksgiving today and also the one year anniversary of Paul Cusack. He was an old school friend of mine and we connected both on and offline in latter years. It still strikes me every now and then (esp. When I'm behaving all 'woe is me') how short life is. Very recently I got robbed of a substantial amount of money and my laptop. While I know I am lucky that I wasn't harmed or worse, it still...

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NFDA Austin Convention 2013 - Lasting Impressions Urns

One of the exhibitors who had the greatest impact on me was actually one of the simplest stands. There was no merchandise, no flashy displays, no massive banners or colourful screens screaming at me, there was just one young guy standing at a table with some boxes and some brochures. It stood out because it was different, unassuming, pure and they were inexperienced or clearly working on a budget....

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NFDA Austin Convention 2013 - Me and Billy Connolly

To my utter surprise and awe, one of my favourite comedians Billy Connolly graced the 2013 convention with his presence to film a new documentary on death. I was privileged and delighted to make his acquaintance.

I have no doubt that some of my babbling will make the final cut of his ITV documentary but I can only hope that some of it will end up on the cutting room floor.

I pointed him in the way...

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NFDA Austin Convention 2013 - FuneralTech's Memory Maker App

FuneralTech, a newbie on the scene of the Funeral industry launched a new app called Memory Maker at this years convention. The app is designed specifically for each funeral home and can be downloaded by family members. They can view all of the products and services on offer by that funeral home with no time pressure and in the comfort of their own home allowing them to digest all the options and...

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NFDA Austin Convention 2013 - Mevisto

Mevisto, a business that transforms a loved one’s ashes  (if dead) or hair (if living) into individual synthetic gemstones, caught Comedian Mr Billy Connolly’s eye at the convention. Saphhires or rubies can be artificially created using the deceased cremated remains. They are based in New York but receive orders internationally.

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NFDA Austin Convention 2013 - ‘Have the Talk of a Lifetime’

Speaking on a personal and professional level to attendees at the convention were Dr. Thomas Long and Thomas Lynch, co-authors of The Good Funeral book. They made two important keynote speeches, the final one focused on society and how it deals with dying, death and how we, the funeral industry servants, can better serve the dead, dying and bereaved which was a nice focus considering the very...

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NFDA Austin Convention 2013 - Design for Death

One of the most exciting ventures that the convention launched this year was the Design for Death competition, which invited entrants from all over the world to think creatively about funerals and memorials. Over 1,300 entries from over 90 different countries entered the worlds first ever competition of its kind. The winning concepts were on view to everyone at the convention center.

The Lien...

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