Cemetery Visit

I've recently been 'temporarily' relocated to a different lab at a site about 15 minutes away from my 'permanent' lab and desk. It's kind of a pain, because no matter which site I'm at, whatever I need is invariably at the other site. But that's not the point of this post.

The new site I'm at is bordered by a pair of cemeteries on one side. I visited during my lunch hour today, and let me tell you - these are not just any cemeteries. These are old ones. Probably opened about 1850. Many headstones stained with coal dust, others have sunk into the ground until only the top is visible. There's a weird industrial vibe to the area, too, with old railroad tracks and wooded areas which have gone wild. But there are other oddities, too. I'll talk about two of them today.

The first oddity is shown in this picture:

Sorry about the quality. My camera phone is more than 6 hours old and is, thus, seriously out of date. But you can still make out the image, I think. Resting atop a gravestone is a pair of black men's dress shoes, with a pair of white socks tucked haphazardly into them. Certainly a strange thing to come upon in a cemetery. Cemeteries aren't the kind of place where most people feel moved to remove their shoes. In fact, the very idea gives me the creeps! I'm still trying to imagine the scenario that led to this little scene. I imagine it involved alcohol, but I can't get much further than that.

The second oddity is shown in this picture:

Yes, it's a jar. Filled with formless black blobs... And resting near the base of a family monument. Now, upon discovering this oddity, some people might have picked up the jar. Not me. I'm no dummy. I still remember ghost in a jar (cached page here). I know that if you pick up a jar filled with and radiating evil, you will drop it and be forever haunted by a vaporous black cloud possessing a dark intelligence. No thank you. On the other hand, if anyone is interested in picking up the jar themselves, I can give directions... for a nominal fee. Like I said, I'm no dummy.