Mausoleum of mystery

Today is the longest day of the year so I have time to write.

Make hay while the sun shines!

I recently accepted a buyout from The Buffalo News and no longer work there. But it is still tough to find extra minutes in the day. I am still trying to get a lot done. My project on Leonard Pennario, I have written and revised and written and revised for ten years, yikes, and now it is time to pull it together and get something out. And there is lots of other stuff on the side.

There is cooking. You gotta eat! There is house-related work. My house has long been falling down around my ears. There is ex (my phys ed teacher brother's slang for exercise).

That is where Forest Lawn comes in. When I do not go to the gym I like to walk and sketch in Forest Lawn.

You may recall the Monument of Mystery.

Today we come to the Mausoleum of Mystery!

Well, there are two that I have found. This is one. That is it pictured above.

It is being swallowed up by the earth!

The dead person is supposed to be buried. The building itself is not supposed to be buried. Well, that is how things normally go. This mausoleum is going its own way.

Whose is it? That is the mystery.

I see no name.

I have walked around and around it.

The deer ....

... want to know too what is the deal.

The mysteries in Forest Lawn are many. From my Catholic perspective the entire place is weird. In Catholic cemeteries you do not find sculptures of the deceased. You do not have the same emphasis on earthly achievements. You do not find monuments to things like Aspiration.

On the other hand you do not find all the interesting things to draw that you find at Forest Lawn. That is what brings me there. That and the quiet. It is the only place in the city you can actually hear the birds. You can think thoughts without having to hear passers-by swearing and yelling things like "Oh my God your butt is hanging out!"

Sorry, it has been too long since I alluded to that! That was one of the first things I wrote about.

I have missed this Weblog. I am going to write in it daily now. Starting today, the first day of summer. A fine time to write about a mausoleum of mystery.

I will continue to ruminate on that.

I will wonder as I wander!

Slug ahoy

After my cooldown yesterday, today I turn up the heat! In my eagerness to share my thoughts on the Woody Allen movie ("Midnight in Paris") I forgot to write about slugs, schufts and oiks. That is a slug up above! Not that I ever forget what one looks like.

Here is my slug story for today.

My mother is very limited when it comes to movies. She will only go on the Dipson Theaters' Bargain Day which is Tuesday. I had trouble making it on Tuesday so I offered Wednesday instead.

"No," she said. "It's against my principles."

So, Tuesday, there we are, in the Vic, headed to the Amherst Theater for the 7 p.m. show. Enough with this "theatre" business, you know? The word is theater.

We get there and this woman behind the counter coolly informs us that the 7 p.m. show is canceled because there is a special screening.

My mother is acting as if the world is ending. "Oh, no," she is saying. "Oh, no."

This sort of thing has to happen to me when I am with my mother, you know? It happened once when I was with Pennario, too. A showing coolly canceled. And with minimal apologies, is what makes it worse. If they just sincerely apologized that helps you feel better.

The girl did tell us the movie was showing at Eastern Hills.

"What time?" I asked.

She said at 7:15.

OK, it's a straight shot out Main Street, we would just be a little bit late. Back into the heat, back into the Vic, and we got there just before the opening credits. On the bright side the classical station was playing one of my favorite Mozart piano concerto, No. 14.

But the experience got me thinking just how oblivious people are! Not me! I am different! When I answer my phone at the paper and someone has been transferred to me by mistake I always fall all over myself apologizing. I tell them I am the music critic. I ask, "Do you have any questions about Beethoven or Brahms?" Then I transfer them where they need to go and give them the number in case anything screws up.

As a matter of fact here is a picture someone recently took of me at my desk on the phone with a mistake caller.

I mean, be nice, you know? It is not as if my record is perfect but I try.

The other day I also was confronted with a slug at the bank. This is M&T where I keep most of my money. After making a transaction I thought to mention to the teller that I was out of checks for my checking account, and could I get new ones? She said no problem, talk to customer service on the way out.

No problem, right. That is another thing, everyone lies to you. Like the cop in Kenmore lied to me. And I am always so nice. Back to M&T. I go to the customer service counter. The customer service woman, cracking her gum and not meeting my eyes, snarled at me, "It'll be 18 business days."

I asked if they could give me any starter checks to tide me over. The answer was an unapologetic no. She cracked her gum again.

This is why I hate banking. I will do anything not to walk into a bank.

Oh well. I am listening to that music and it reminds me, when the going is tough, there is always Mozart.

There is always Leonard Pennario.

I need a fix.