Nava, why was your friend carrying her birth certificate instead of her passport if she had that problem a lot?
I saw something for this thread today: a picture of a deceased person, complete with some maudlin song about angels, announcing the person’s death via cell phone picture text. Just to be crystal clear the picture was of the deceased person’s face, taken after they died. I was horrified.
That reminds me of something my mom told me…
Her sister’s husband died and naturally, she attended the wake. We weren’t close with that side of the family, mostly because they didn’t approve of my dad’s open-mindedness about religion. It took a lot to creep my mom out. She was a strong country woman (picture Ma Kettle in a pantsuit and a beehive). She was visibly shaken from her memory of the event, which had taken place several years earlier.
Uncle Buddy, the deceased, was propped up in a chair so everybody could get their picture taken with him. Small children were set on his lap with his arms placed around them. They left him in the chair during the whole wake.
Today we went to the park and stopped to get a big gulp afterwards. As we entered the store, a van pulled up to a gas pump and 3 people–probably an older dad and two grown children–got out, screaming obscenities at each other and everyone else in the vicinity at random. I mean, I have rarely heard filthier language. We got into the store and just then, the clerk informs another customer that one of the grown kids (a guy) has just spit into his Jeep.
The customer ran out there and got into a confrontation with all three of them. I got out of there as fast as I could, just as the clerk was calling the cops. I was parked next to the Jeep and was trying to herd my kids into the car and get out of Dodge.
And who’s paying for the therapy for those kids?
OMG. :eek:
ETA: in reply to Batsinma Belfry’s post.
I’d say that goes for dangermom’s post as well.
They used to do that during the 19th century.
That is why going through my grandma’s pictures when she had passed on was a job no one wanted. There was no order to them and every few there would be a picture of a dead person. Freaked us all out.
Great post/nick combo!
But yeah, that’s part of what occurred in an old-time Irish Wake. Did he sit in at table and have a hand at cards played for him? A glass of whiskey poured for him (and held to his lips)? Did anybody dance with him?
If not, you haven’t had the full experience. ::shudder::
I think they had that on an episode of “King of Queens”. 
Oh yeah. Not the trashiest thing, but I once saw a dad tell his ~ five year old to “shut the fuck up”. :eek:
Um…are there other sorts of crucifixes of which I am unaware?
I’ve seen some that glow in the dark. Rosary beads, too.
ETA: That was in the gift shop of a monastery.
In case I wasn’t entirely clear about the grown kids, BTW, they were both at least 25. So they weren’t just teenagers or anything, they were adults. The dad was 60+.
I meant “Jesus was on it” as opposed to just the crucifix.
Actually a crucifix is defined as a cross with a representation of Jesus’ body on it. It’s a Catholic thing, mainly.
Sorry, Hindu here, but I have heard it both ways. shrug
A crucifix is a cross with a representation of the Paschal Lamb on it. If the Son of Mary isn’t there, it’s not a crucifix, it’s a regular old boring cross. You can repel vampires with it either way, but I should think the crucifix has a smidge more oomph while the regular cross is easier (and less icky) to wield.
I swear, it’s like I’m surrounded by Protestants. 
I’m not sure why you quoted me there, but I’m aware of the difference, despite my Protestant upbringing. But yeah, glow in the dark crucifixes.
When I was 26 I dated a 19 year old for a while. Not that huge an age difference.
One of the first times I was at her parent’s house (mom and stepfather actually), the women had to go out to the store for a bit. After they left the stepfather puts on a porn movie: just nonchalantly, and somewhat jokingly pops this tape in the VCR. “Ha, ha! Watch this!” Of course when the gals came back, he took it out and returned to normal TV.
That was a weird situation.