in memoriam

About this time last year I taught a student the English euphemism "the great thingamajig in the sky." You know, when someone or something passes away, often we'll say that it's gone up in the sky, as when a plumber dies ("He's gone to that big waterworks in the sky") or a dog ("He caught the big frisbee in the sky") or a joke ("It wasn't funny the first time, Joel").

This post is to inform you that Honza the Hamster, my beloved pet who joined my life 2 1/2 years ago in Sokolov, has recently started running in that big hamster ball in the sky. Honza was beloved by all who met him (with the notable exception of Aaron Williams, who was, admittedly, nice to him anyway). He was an international hamster whose travels took him all around Central Europe, including Ostrava, Berlin, Hodonín, Krakow and Bratislava. He loved bringing people together and then pooping on them. He was laid to rest under a blossoming cherry tree close to his home in Prague.

He is survived by other ESI pets, especially Hezky the Cat and Benji the Dog.