King Tut

I've been a King Tut fan since I was a tiny child. All things ancient Egyptian, really. I lived in the Chicago area after we moved there from California when I was seven. The Field Museum of Natural History had an Egyptian section, and I'd stay there fascinated for hours with the mummies and the golden treasures.

When I was in my late teens, Egypt brought King Tut to Chicago. And I missed it.

Now he's here in the US again. He's in just a few cities this tour. Ft. Lauderdale is one of them. I swore I'd do everything in my power to see him. Not so easy when you can't walk much and can't breathe around ordinary people and their perfume and clothes washed in Tide. And now the pollen is way high and I'm mostly housebound, especially after sunup. It's not so safe to try to do this alone.

Between this and that, we couldn't get it together to go there with my parents at Christmastime, or later with Walter. Today, Sunday, is the last night of King Tut's visit here.

And given the huge success of his stay, with attendance breaking records set in other cities, the Museum of Art of Ft. Lauderdale threw open the doors 24/7 for his last weekend in town.

I printed my tickets out from Ticketmaster. My entrance time is 4:00 AM. That's around two and a half hours before sunup.

No cameras or bags are allowed. I'll have to leave my emergency oxygen tank in the car, I think. I don't want to have it with me anyway. My bag has my pills and inhalers and Epipens, I'll talk to the doormen about that. Reports around town are that this exhibit is not particularly handicapped-friendly. But they say they have wheelchairs at the door, at least. That means I'll be able to take my own self around. Good.

Come what may, I'm going. One way or another, this is going to be an adventure.

It's time. I'm off. Wish me luck.