Dead Man's Switch

Actually, these are just photos with no story, other than the one that might have developed had the Terrorism Squad picked me out of that first train car. Instead, it was an odd day of coincidences in many ways. I had lunch with Greg and then made small talk and tentative lunch plans with this wonderful gal Caroline--expect Sallee Airlines to burst into flames on the runway--before a 3 PM eye appt. at Visionworks. Killing time, I went and bought a wallet at TJ Maxx and then ambled over to Graham Cracker Comics, where I not only ran into Earl Geier, but also Walt Grogan. I've known the latter going back to 1980, when there were first speciality shops in my old neighborhood.  Earl is an artist and we have joked that every time he illustrates something for a mag and some months later I sell a story, well, that place will file bankruptcy soon after. I can count four occassions now. Earl had done artwork for a comic called Trailer Park of Terror, and I wish I had been able to submit a script, the fates be damned.

The optometrist was from Scandinavia (I asked, she replied yes) and for some reason, instead of using a machine 100% of the time, she had me look at her face and then tell her how many fingers she was holding up as she moved her hand around. I suppose I could joke about what her bra was holding up, but naw, I'm not complaining. Free eye exam, and $112.00 for one set of bifocal and one regular. (Truth be told, I was having a difficult time in the chair, concentrating on focusing my right eye was making my entire right side weak. I had been walking around since 10 AM in our 90 degree heat, so I was going to be weakening, regardless).

On the way home, I took the 379 bus, because I had to run an errand on 79th Street ( by the, I was past delirium), and it has been well over five years since I took that bus. I ran into a friend of a friend of the Elvis band I worked with. And so it was I learned the final fate of the guy who had the shaky legs and had sumpin on his lip. He died in May of 2006, liver failure at the age of 45.