Haunted by an unlpunished villain  
Tuesday, February 28, 2006, 11:45 AM - nightmares
What I get really tired of is being haunted by someone who's not even dead! I still get nightmares about my father (I won't call him "dad" because that would imply an endearment that does not exist.)

In this dream, my father owned a *huge* mansion. I was some kind of servant in his household. My current task was hauling in the groceries and putting them away. I did so under my father's glowering stare.

One of the items was a bag of expensive mints. I opened the bag and emptied it into a silver bowl he used for holding candy.

Well... my father saw the empty candy bag and accused me of eating all the mints. I pointed at the tray and said, "no, they're in this bowl".

He responded by turning purple with rage and screaming, "You thief! You worthless, fat, son of a bi***"

I tried to explain that I really had just refilled the candy dish, but he wouldn't listen. He followed up with calling me a bastard, a faggot, and stupid. He claimed that I was too stupid to do *anything* right, no matter how simple the task. He screamed that my life would amount to nothing.

I left the mansion in disgrace -- even though I had done nothing wrong.

Outside, it was raining and growing dark. I had the motorcycle I owned back in high school still parked outside. I started it up and found that the headlight had burned out. I didn't care. I drove away in the gloom.

The dream ended.

The thing that sucked is that interactions like that happened in real life ALL THE TIME between my father and I. He would fly into a rage and hurl every demeaning curse he could think of at me. It didn't matter if, later on, it turned out that I was right and he was wrong. He never apologized for a single thing in his life.

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Illustrations! Yay! 
Monday, February 27, 2006, 07:08 PM - Cool Stuff
My website now has illustrations! Check out the "My Alters" section!

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Great Train Robbery 
Sunday, February 26, 2006, 12:36 PM - Odd Dreams
Now, I've never been on a real train other than the Metro Light Rail. But last night's dream would certainly inspire me to give it a shot.

I'm not sure where we were actually headed, but the countryside looked sparse and rocky (definitely not Maryland) and the weather was sunny and warm. It had that Middle-of-nowhere look to it. Ashen was with me.

Well, with a screech and a huge cloud of dust, the train's mighty diesel engine failed, and the train ground to a halt. Ashen (dressed in black as always) said that word came down from the front of the train that an observer spotted some highwaymen approaching the train in Jeeps. Dust clouds on the horizon marked their approach. Imagine! A 21st Century train robbery!

It was then that Ashen pulled a huge suitcase from under the seat and opened it. Lo and behold! It was packed full of guns, rifles, and ammo. Yeah, Ashen packs smartly for trips. Ha ha ha!

In a matter of moments, everyone in the last train car had a rifle or handgun. I had a light, 22 cal pump-action rifle (probably because it's only kind of rifle I've shot in real life, heh heh).

The dream ended just as the highwaymen were coming into range. I focused my telescopic site on the helmet of one of the bandits. It was one of those old, green kind from a Military surplus shop. I was about to pull the trigger...

The dream ended. But win or lose, it looked like it was going to be one hell of a shootout!



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Tommy... Can you hear me? 
Friday, February 24, 2006, 03:30 PM - Dumb Happenings
I work in the 5th floor of a courthouse (as an investigator) and a really odd thing happened today. At 3:22 PM all the windows in the office started vibrating, and a low, stacatto beat played through the air. But wait! This is Maryland, not California! It wasn't an earthquake.

It was somebody's car stereo system running at full blast.

What I have to ask is this: how loudly did this dude have to play his stereo in order to make the windows in a 5th floor office start vibrating? Moreover, how did the sympathetic vibrations *not* tear this guy's car apart?! And if it was loud a block away, five flights up, and indoors, what would it be like to be a passenger in this guy's car?

So... My idea is this: people who go deaf by age 30 because they blast their stereos to 175 decibels should *not* get any subsidies from Medicare for hearing aids! Foooools!!!

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High Mileage Hybrid 
Wednesday, February 22, 2006, 04:09 PM - Cool Stuff
I have to admit that I'm pretty happy with my 2003 Civic Hybrid. After 3.5 years and 93,000 miles, it has only needed *three* repairs, and only one of the three jobs was hybrid-related. Even though my warranty ended at 80,000 miles, Honda still paid for the new catalytic converter because I had taken such good care of my car.

I would certainly buy from Honda again!

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Weird Used Cars 
Tuesday, February 21, 2006, 06:15 PM - Odd Dreams
So... I had this really weird dream in which I was still working for my old company and the boss wanted me to pick up a used car for the business (the one that is *out of businesses* don'cha know!) So I drove to this odd little car dealer to look at some cars on the cheap.

The lot was overgrown with all manner of shrubs and such. I think the main showroom used to host some other kind of business, because it was a bit small for cars. But in the main room was parked a strange old car from another time.

It was old, worn, but incredibly clean and maintained by a caring hand. It was some sort of green station wagon, with all-leather interior. Maybe it was a Ford? It was a pretty car, but I didn't know exactly what it was.

Here was where it got odd. A trap door opened in the showroom floor when I touched the door of the old car. I fell down a narrow chute into a totally *different* room. It was an abandoned floor of an office building. It wasn't exactly *dirty* but it was slightly dim and very dusty. The trouble was that I didn't exactly see a way out.

As I walked around, I realized that the "trap" floor was a *lot* bigger than the floor above me. The dream ended before I could find my way out, but I didn't get the impression that I was in any kind of *immediate* danger.

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The Prince of Altoona 
Monday, February 20, 2006, 05:01 PM - Dumb Happenings
My brother and I had different dads, so he didn't experience the same abuse I did. What we sometimes fight about is the fact that his dad (when still living) basically gave him everything he ever wanted. I know that's a cliche, but anything his father could afford to give him, he did. My brother's father was also a very kind, good, and honest man. He worked an honest trade and was skillful at it.

Well, my brother turned 23 yesterday, and he has yet to hold down a job. He just leeches off mom for housing, food, and cash. Apparently, he sees himself as an "artist" because he has some modest talent on keyboards. He told me that he's too good for a job because he's so "artistic".

Lemme tell ya: an artist produces actual art. In the case of the musical arts, that means recording music and performing. My brother has been involved with exactly two bands. He dropped out both groups when they started getting regular work. I guess "artists" must not be asked to work...

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Too Many Martinies! 
Sunday, February 19, 2006, 08:18 PM - Drrruuggsss
Lemme tell ya: there is such a thing as too much of a good thing...

But it was a lot of fun...

My partner and I went to an awesome Drag Queen bar called "Lips" last night. It was both fun and funny. Lips is decorated in a total tacky 70's motif and is hosted by a gaggle of drama-prone gay men ln sequin gowns. The decor included lava lamps and disco balls.

The food was *fantastic*, and the booze was really good. There was even a drag queen lip-sync show.

It's a good thing that our straight friend (Dana) was with us, since my partner and I managed to rack up a $110 bar tab by the time it was all over.

Me: 6 Cosmopolitan Martinies
Partner: 1 lemon-tini, 3 margaritis, 1 shot of some mystery booze.

As amazing at it sounds, our hangovers weren't *too* bad the next day. And belng Multiple means never passing out from too much booze!

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Hidden Images 
Friday, February 17, 2006, 08:32 AM - Dissociation & Switching
So... There are times when a shadow seems to pass over my soul, and I cease being a creature of light, but instead I become a harbinger of Death Magic. I imagine that, in the spirit plane, a horrible and ghastly black radiance emanates from my soul. This darkness has the power to make other people sick, or make their bodies deteriorate, or make their aging accelerate. I hate when I become a thing of Darkness.

Right now, I can feel the Death Magic streaming outward. My body is numb, and my skin is like some sort of strange facade. I could cut myself now and know that it would not hurt. I could bleed without fear.

As Halo, my blood is the blackest, most caustic poison known. But I do not feel. I am the Incarnation of Darkness and Death Magic.

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Valentine's Day Rip-Off 
Wednesday, February 15, 2006, 08:28 AM - Dumb Happenings
My partner and I headed to Boordy Vineyards last night for a Valentines Day soiree. We spent 60 bucks per person for an evening that promised romance and candlelight and even a red rose. And what the menu promised! Here is the rundown from Boordy’s own page:

"Cascading Winter Display of Cheeses, Crackers, Bread, Hummus & Olive Tapenade
Oysters on the Half Shell with Chesapeake Cocktail Sauce, Horseradish & Lemon
Carved Beef Tenderloin with Haricot Vert, Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes & Rosemary Sherry Demi Glace
Paella Station with Saffron Rice, Chicken Breast, Baby Shrimp & Andouille Sausage garnished with Little Neck Clams & Chive Oil
Chef prepared Bananas Foster over Mascarpone Crepes, Assorted Truffles & Miniature Cheesecakes
Afterwards, wander outside with hot Wassail & roast marshmallows over an open flame cauldron".

Well... Let me tell you about the REALITY:

-- The whole thing was set up as a really expensive, really bad, really crowded buffet with long lines to get even the smallest scrap of food.
-- The "waterfall of cheese" was a single tray that had only three kinds of cheeses, and was 90% depleted by the time we got to the front of the line. (No bread and hummis evident).
-- They only let us have *one* oyster each.
-- The beef tenderloin consisted of a sliver of meat the size and thickness of a silver dollar. We got *two* string beans, and *two* slivers of potato.
-- There was *no* shrimp. We got one tiny clam, and a rather sad little scoop of flavored rice.
-- We never did see the desserts, but I figured they were going to wait until 8:59pm to bring them out.
-- The wine was doled out in such miserly quantities that I'm surprised they didn't use an eye dropper.
-- When I complained to the manager, she just said "nothing in our ad is technically incorrect. Any difference between reality and your expectation simply reflects an error in your perception!"

Nice customer service!

For our $60/ea., I estimate that my partner and I got about $3 worth of food, $1 worth of wine, and $0 worth of customer service.

Well, as we Irish like to say: "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". We won't be fooled again by Boordy's Vineyards.

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