Curse of the Pharoahs

They say* that Howard Carter, the man who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb, died as a result of a curse placed on the tomb by ancient Egyptian priests. Or ancient Egyptian mummies. Or the Pharoahs themselves. Or maybe it was something Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, did himself. I don't know; the point is that someone put a curse on the tomb dooming its discoverer to some sort of gruesome demise.

Turns out that Howard Carter died of Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the same disease I have. So I wonder what my personal connection to Egypt and/or Tutankhamun might be that I came down with this. After all, I've never been to Egypt. I didn't see the King Tut traveling exhibition. My only real connection to Egypt and mummies is that I've seen practically every mummy movie ever made. Sue me already, I like Brendan Fraser and Imhotep the mummy, waddling around the countryside in lumbering search of tanna leaves, fresh Ace bandages, or princess Ankhesunamen, or whatever her name was (doubtless she was known to her friends as Top Ramen). Is that enough to qualify me for the Curse of the Pharoahs, or am I just a victim of collateral damage? I once made a model of a T-34/85 tank in Egyptian markings; could it have been that? Or was it that Revell 1/32nd scale MiG-21, which I also finished in Egyptian markings? A plastic tank and a plastic airplane don't seem nearly weighty enough to trigger a centuries-old curse, but maybe I underestimate the power of high-impact styrene plastic (much as I underestimate the power of the Dark Side of The Force).

Maybe I should ask John Carpenter. After all, he once made a movie (Prince of Darkness) whose main antagonist was a vat of mint-flavored Liquid Satan. If he can make Liquid Satan into a viable movie villain, surely he would have some sort of insight into how I got tagged by the Curse of the Pharoahs.

* They really do