I had a four-day weekend, so I took the time to do something I should have done a long time ago: I made the journey to the golden city to pay my respects to the King.
That’s right. I was at Graceland, baby. Thank you. Thank you very much.
And while it’s important to pay homage to the king, it is also necessary to pay proper respects to the gods. Thus, I made sure to visit the Temple of Bass Pro:
In addition to this grand, central temple that dominates the city’s skyline so as to lift men’s minds to higher things, I also visited this humble streetside temple, which is, I believe, dedicated to the trickster god Coyote:
And I did not fail to see the King’s impressive holdings of animals in his magnificent stables:
Most spectacular, of course, were the giant pandas:
I must also note something else about this journey to the great city. Here I am standing along a row of temples in the downtown area:
Although I now work as a librarian rather than an archaeologist, I still habitually dress for the field. Thus, my right hand there is resting on the utility knife I usually carry on my pocket. I note that I was able to enter all of the places I went on this trip, even the King’s residence, with this knife visible on my person.
By contrast, about a year ago, I visited a presidential library where a security guard told me I would have to turn in my knife at the front desk and then retrieve it again when I left. Instead, when he wasn’t looking, I slipped the knife into the inside pocket of my bomber jacket as a small, humble way of raging against the machine and sticking it to the man.
So I can carry a knife while visiting the King, but not while visiting a president. And that is why monarchy > democracy.