This photo was recently taken at Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure theme park. This particular one was outside of the Dueling Dragons roller coaster, but they can be seen all over the park, sometimes in variation.

The Walt Disney World theme parks have similar signs but I didn’t manage to snap photos of them.

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The 18th and 19th centuries saw a huge surge in the popularity of safety coffins – coffins designed to allow the interred to alert the living in the event of a premature burial – and so great is the fear of being buried alive that even today, with all of our medical technology, patents are still being filed for such devices.

An Italian watchmaker named Fabrizio Caselli, as recently as 1995 (RISK-FREE BURIAL, PEDIATRICS Vol. 98 No. 5 November 1996, pp. 960), patented a coffin that includes a flashlight, oxygen tank, intercom system, heart monitor and, from the looks of the photos, a video camera and flashing lights.

I suspect that we’re a bit more proficient than we were two hundred years ago at determining a persons living-or-dead status, so Caselli’s invention may be better aimed towards those above ground who simply don’t want to let go – or perhaps those that have a strange fetish for watching the dead.

Casey just recently (re)posted his decade-old skydiving video on Maison Bisson, Cliff beautifully chronicled his own first jump at Z-Hills (Skydive City) over on Spiralbound, so I figure, as I was third to jump, it would only be fitting if I were third to post as well. So here you go!

Each of the three videos has its own unique stand-out features – Casey’s, for those who know him, stands out for how young he looks. Cliff of course was the only one lucky enough to do the AFF program for his first jump, so his stands out for the fact that it really was his jump. Mine? The funny hat! Yes, yes… the Jumptown padded helmets look ridiculously funny on everyone, and I’m no exception.

The public outrage regarding high gasoline prices may have died down some since the initial push past $3.00 a gallon that consumers saw two seasons ago, but there is no doubt that drivers still grimace and curse the oil companies as they march to the pump to fill up their cars, trucks and SUVs.

While there is still much debate surrounding whether high gasoline prices are good (and here) for American consumers or not, one thing is certain – we’re all interested in better fuel economy.

Be it a financial concern, desire to lessen your environmental impact and carbon footprint, or simply an attempt to “stick it” to the oil companies, we’d all love to pay less at the pump – but not all pumps are created equal! A recent experiment in my own vehicle led to some interesting surprises.

Okay, okay, so we all know what this *really* means, but I can’t be the only one who finds this humorous. I suppose all doors are technically automatic, if we’re to interpret this sign literally.

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photo © 2002, John Freeman used with permission

Being a traveling artist myself, I have the opportunity to see many remarkable - and many more less-than-remarkable - performances in cities throughout the world. New York City, of course, presents a profoundly high incidence of these works of public and private art, being the cultural center that it is.

Street performance is one particularly colorful and active scene in NYC, and though I would be hard pressed to draw a comparison between the juggler on the corner and Andras Schiff at Carnegie Hall (unless that juggler is Michael Moschen), I do delight in some uniquely fun, witty and original shows - and I’m happy to show my support.

As a performing artist I tour the country constantly, often finding myself in a new city every day. Not having the time that leisure travel affords, I’ve been perfecting the art of Hit and Run Tourism, learning how to take in a new city as quickly as possible. While I like to see the normal sights, I have a particular love of good coffee, good food, good art and anything exceptionally strange and unusual. This is what I’ve found in cities across America.

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When I gave a call to my northeast liberal elite friend to complain about the lack of culture in Palm Beach, Florida, his apt response informed me that “going to Palm Beach and expecting to find culture is like going to Beverly Hills expecting to find culture.” Popular culture perhaps (and said friend would have you believe that pop culture is the only culture, which is why I was surprised at his statement), but nothing in the way of genuinely intelligent, interesting or stimulating culture.

Making a brief stop in the middle of the night on route I-81, about 25 minutes south of the Virginia/Tennessee border, I found myself eagerly hunting down an energy drink at a convenience store. As much as they run my body down, Red Bull and Full Throttle truly have been my saviors on extensive overnight trips and prior to innumerable shows for which I’d traveled all day to perform.

While my eyes scanned the cases and sifted through the untold amount garbage (including that which I was after), one particular beverage caught my eye. Its squat green glass bottle and vintage-style thick styrofoam label stood out starkly against the sleek metal, atypical shapes and highly stylized colors and designs of the modern energy drinks. It was the name, though, that encouraged me to pick up this rogue bottle: Dr. Enuf.

	Resurrection Cemetery is either the boldest instance of false advertising in history, else it’s precisely where I want to be buried when I die - sorry Alcor, after all these years, I may have to find God. The benefits package seems pretty good.
	But wait, it gets better! Not only is the name entertaining, the landscape is to die for! Not a grave in sight! Nowhere! What a fantastic marketing ruse.

Resurrection Cemetery
(570) 368-2727
4323 Lycoming Mall Dr
Montoursville, PA 17754

POSTSCRIPT: I’ve been meaning to write about this witty little morsel for some time now but unfortunately it’s not until just recently, after the snow has fallen, that I’ve been able to snap some photos. Rest assured however that even under all that snow, there is not a grave in sight. In truth, the graves are located some ways down a private road. But as viewed from the main road, this cemetery truly is a miraculous plot of land! One has to wonder if it was intentional or not…

As a performing artist I tour the country constantly, often finding myself in a new city every day. Not having the time that leisure travel affords, I’ve been perfecting the art of Hit and Run Tourism, learning how to take in a new city as quickly as possible. While I like to see the normal sights, I have a particular love of good coffee, good food, good art and anything exceptionally strange and unusual. This is what I’ve found in cities across America.

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First lesson learned in Atlanta: where not to stay. Due to a $1,100 airfare debacle, I decided to do what for me is unusual - book the cheapest hotel I could find. Already significantly over budget, I set my fingers to work on Orbitz to locate a clean if modest hotel to stay in for a reasonable price. I thought that they came through with the Stratford Inn on Parkway Drive. The pictures looked nice, decor not run-down and I even spoke with them on the phone, after which I was certain that the staff were nice people and the hotel would be more than adequate.

After four days in the Keystone State of Pennsylvania - during which time I had the pleasure of seeing Sharon Isbin play - and a grueling thirteen hours on the road through snow, closed highways and lack-of-sleep-induced delirium, I find myself this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

In town to book my solo show for dates late this year and next, I’m working from the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center; a sprawling, massive city unto itself, and the largest non-casino hotel in the United States. Though not on the scale of some of the Vegas casinos, the Opryland Resort does feature some stunning indoor environments, including several conservatories and atriums, a series of stunning lobbies with soaring ceilings, beautiful furniture and elegant carpets as well as many restaurants and shops.

Dining establishments distinguish themselves in numerous ways; from the mundane and expected methods of hosting famous chefs, serving top-notch gourmet dishes and offering impeccable service, to those unusual establishments that set themselves apart by virtue of their unique and off-beat marketing approaches. Toronto’s cosplay-themed iMaid Cafe (slashfood review here) and Bradenton, Florida’s Linger Lodge, which features such treats as Guess That Mess - their meat is “so fresh, you can still see the tire tracks” - are two great examples of the latter. Though I certainly have a penchant for the unusual and decidedly bizarre (just look at what I do for a living), one restaurant that is particularly close to my heart is the much more reserved, though always delightful, Traveler Food and Books.

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photo © 2002, John Freeman used with permission

Being a traveling artist myself, I have the opportunity to see many remarkable - and many more less-than-remarkable - performances in cities throughout the world. New York City, of course, presents a profoundly high incidence of these works of public and private art, being the cultural center that it is.

Street performance is one particularly colorful and active scene in NYC, and though I would be hard pressed to draw a comparison between the juggler on the corner and Andras Schiff at Carnegie Hall (unless that juggler is Michael Moschen), I do delight in some uniquely fun, witty and original shows - and I’m happy to show my support.

In the spring of 2002, however, I was stunned into silence and awe at the true power of street theater when I happened upon, by sheer chance, a performance by Thoth in the tunnel at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, directly across from the Bethesda - or “Angel” - Fountain.

I am constantly traveling and come across a wide array of unusual of often ironic signs, buildings and other structures while on the road. I’ve always been a fan of such things, and thought that I’d begin sharing some of them with you here. My apologies for not having pictures for this post.

Seen While Driving in Southbury, Connecticut

Street Sign: Poverty Road
First Building on Street: H&R Block

Special Note: Not only did I find an H&R Block Tax Service on Poverty Road, but this particular location is home to the H&R Block Premium service and the District Office.

Seen While Driving in the Lewiston to Monmouth region of Maine

Street Sign: New Beginnings Lane
Sign Below It: DEAD END

I’ll have more every now and again, and I’ll be sure to snap some photos next time as well.

Happy Travels!

14 Days
11 Shows
7 Pounds Gained
6 Deaths
6 Media Appearances
5 Pounds Lost (trying to keep gaining)
4 Hours Driving with Malfunctioning Gas Pedal
3 Nights of Passing Out (exhaustion)
3 Serious Blisters
2 Decapitations
2 Failed PA systems
1 Blown Voice
1 Failed EZPass
1 Decent Sunburn
1 Lamp Oil Soaked Razr phone
1 New Razr phone
1 Freak Tornado
1 Freak Hail Storm
1 Freak Flood
1 Cancelled Event
1 Malfunctioning Gas Pedal
Mud! Mud! Mud!
Too Many Bad Meals
No Good Coffee

And thus begins the summer season. It only gets busier from here. Emails of encouragement would be appreciated. ;-) On the plus side, the shows were fantastic, and I’ve met many wonderful, wonderful people. It’s nice to know that even in the face of all that, the actual “business” of performing still goes off perfectly. Ah, the mark of the professional. Right up there with the postal service.