like a gatekeeper who collected the veil for every aphrodite like a men 's room attendant in an atrium of erishkegal 's desert inn , who did n't make the grade for hat check , i had a convertible like a third-row seat in the second temple , on country club carpet spotted with every gum drop , syrup , and ash of cigar , ground by every spike , pump , and drooling unsanctified loafervegas might not be egyptgizeh could be pizza for all i knew about getting along with pharaohbut let me put it to you this way : if he was n't asleep , you were , so if you were up , which was n't often , pharaoh meanteverything you were doin while he was not there .