The small throng of zombies (I'm pretty sure that's what they were) never made it into our building, but we did lose internet and phones after my last post. We hunkered down in the art room and planned strategies for survival and possible escape. Fortunately, we never lost power, and cell phones seemed to be working just fine. Go figure.

A little after four, we saw a line of fire and police vehicles heading down the street, and reports were coming in that the zombies were congregating at the 99 restaurant, demanding brains. A quick-thinking sous chef there prepared a platter of ribs and then doused them with 151, bringing them outside so all the zombies could get to them. He then tossed a match into the fray and made a run for it, barely escaping with his life. The shambling mass caught on fire and went up in an incredible conflagration, darkening the skies over the plaza. The fire department stood by to make sure nothing else caught fire, while the police devoured popcorn and generally kept back the public. The last I heard, the staff were roasting marshmallows, and the sous chef was imbibing mojitos while the fire department put out the last of the embers. It was a total slaughter: sous chef 1, zombies 0.

We got the all-clear near 5:00, and since East Longmeadow was still in shock, the traffic was blessedly light.

I made it home just fine, seeing the occasional smoldering pile of zombies, and it looks like the resourceful folk of western Massachusetts have once again prevailed.

Maybe now the state government will come up with a preparedness plan?

*****


In other news, I am inordinately sad about the passing of Tim Russert What a shocker, and what a huge loss to the political news world. He was a decent human being, and the best at what he did. My heart goes out to his family and his colleagues.

I *knew* things were a little weird this morning! Things just didn't seem right, but there was no logical explanation. 'A little off' isn't really a scientific observation, you know?

Here at the paper, it started out as a typical Friday morning. Rushing around, trying to get things done before the deadline. Jokes about how the world was supposed to end yesterday (some apocalyptic cult was predicting a nuclear war, as I recall). People calling last minute trying to get their ads in. Problems with credit cards. The usual.

We were so busy, in fact, that we didn't notice that people weren't coming in the door. We usually get at least a few customers who come in to renew and/or pay for their ads, even during the slow months. I happened to glance up at one point, and there wasn't any traffic on the street. That in itself is quite unusual, but not unheard of. Just then, however, I caught sight of several people - and this is the only way I can describe it - shambling up the middle of the street. Crikey, I thought, not again...

*sigh*

So I threw the bolt on the door, closed the garage door on the dock, and told everybody to batten down the hatches - the zombies are back.

Oh gods, and the only salt I can find is in little tiny packets... and I think they've packed away the rock salt for the summer.

I suppose, if we have to, we can break down the door to Mike Albano's office and escape out the back...

More later, if our internet connection holds out (I wonder if Charter will come replace the connection anyway?)...

I got to East Longmeadow earlier than usual this morning due to light traffic. Is traffic usually lighter on Friday? Maybe people were staying home because it's Friday the 13th? Anyhoo, since I had a Starbucks gift card and some extra time, I thought I'd treat myself to a decaf mocha latte.

The rotary in E.L. is awful at the best of times, and it's currently under construction (they say they're making improvements; I'll reserve judgement on that); they have a couple of cops directing traffic, and this morning they didn't seem to be doing a great job of it. There were cars everywhere, and they all looked like they weren't quite sure where to go. I'm glad I don't usually have to go through there.

The crowd in Starbucks looked like they really needed their caffeine this morning, too. One woman practically stumbled through the door as I was leaving. Oh, and a car nearly ran into me as I was pulling into a parking spot! What is it with people this morning? Sheesh.

They're updating our internet connection this afternoon, so I will most likely be offline after 3 or so. Whatever possessed them to do this on Friday the 13th during Mercury retrograde, I'll never know!

*