(no subject)

Poor Jim Garfield - he got killed by a dude who would probably have a cable show today. A couple of them really. First you have the crazy Republican of Republicans who shot him, and then you have the incompetent doctors who made the gunshots all the worst what with their resistance to hand-washing. Poor Garfield. His loss, like all the losses of any other person really is my gain though. Quiet yourself and stub out your cigarettes, I'll tell you a little story.


First off- here's Garfield's Memorial, it's by a decent margin the tallest building in my neighborhood. It's parked in the big cemetery that occupies the hill which describes the boundary between the Heights and East Cleveland. The big, scenic and tourist-attracting cemetery. I almost worked there, but I never did visit. Not for fun - maybe it's my Egyptian background, maybe I want to leave the necropolis for the jackals and graverobbers. I don't usually go there, that's all I'm saying - to where the dead are stored.

But you know it was beautiful all weekend right? And finally we've been granted this chance to knock the dust off of ourselves and our expectations of happiness which were, after all, badly crushed by the weight of so much snow so recently. So we walked and did. Finally. Walked and did. We just went and went and decided to go down the hill - maybe take in the art museum? Let's try - so we're hiking down Mayfield and it's nice out, lots of people walking, it's down to 2 lanes now and I get a special kick out of that - out of how it's all easy and good with the road mostly shut down. We're going and we see these people up ahead - far enough that it's not clear but is that Ron and Ana? I think it is! Agatha, do you agree? Yes. It's agreed - we set about following them in a friendly way. They don't go down the hill, they duck into the cemetery... Well, the die is cast- to the cemetery with us.

Now, we'd already planned to hang out with Ron & Ana later in the day - my old roommates, they'd let me know that my birthday present had finally come so we were going to see them later on, once we'd come back up the hill in fact. So... Let's just go!

We wander the pretty old boneyard - I'm keeping my eyes peeled for signs of vampires. You can find that sometimes - sometimes. There will be a gravestone and it will be for a family, for people - and one of the end-dates won't be filled in. Sometimes there's evidence that a 150 year old man is loose in the city, sometimes, you have to know who your local vampires are.

I didn't see any, angels of death mainly.

Of which I'm wary all the time - but this week in particular - as they come for me on Friday. Let them come! Let them try to gather me up, they'll see what the firstborn son of the Egyptian can do!

Anyway, all our paths led to the Garfield Memorial so that's where we went- to finally confront/say hi to Ron & Ana.

It's pretty there of course



There's only been 44 of those guys, presidents, and this is the richest country that ever was - so it stands to reason we'd do okay entombing our rulers. We do okay. In fact it's kind of nice to see that ostentatious as it is, it's not a patch on the graves of the kings and priests of the old-world. Unassuming and so forth.


Of course the cages are there for our protection, Presidents, you know, they come alive with a terrible hunger, once they've died that first time. This is why they have to keep that flame going to prevent Kennedy from escaping, he must be burned anew each day, lest he kill us all.

Now, of course the people we'd followed were not Ron & Ana, were in fact completely other people who we still waved at foolishly, and who were subsequently scared off and didn't engage us in friendship and instead left the graveyard because a giant man and cute child were about - those harbingers of trouble! When seen together, it is known by all that danger is near!

Anyhow we ended up at Ron & Ana's after, and I got a nice book for my birthday and we walked with them to get pizza for supper and it was a good afternoon going into evening.