Black..

RUN!

That was the only thought running through his mind at that very second.  How ironic, even thoughts were going faster at that point in time.  He managed to remove the insistence of his legs to remain rooted to the spot where he stood watching it come closer by the second.  The blackness bearing down on him had been following in the distance for days.  It wasn't until just now it had made it's move and he realized that he'd have been better off with as much distance between him and it as he could.

So he ran.  Through the trees he ran, as fast as he could.  The branches whipped at him and tore at his clothes and face.  No doubt there was blood mingling with the sweat, but he didn't care, much less notice.  Whether or not he was even breathing was a non-issue so long as he propelled himself forward in the opposite direction of it.

Quite a few days ago he noticed something a little different.  Something that hadn't been there before.  He didn't pay it any mind at the time because it was a small thing.  Not so much small as in size but small as in importance.  You see, it had always kind of been with him.  At times he would roll it around, maybe give it a toss because it was familiar, like a toy you've had for years and just rediscovered.  Or, that activity you used to do all the time because you enjoyed so much but somewhere along the way it got buried in the pile of newspapers that is life.

Yes, it was small as in importance, but a little different this time.  He noticed it too and it intrigued him and so he held it closer.  In his spare time he studied it.  Tried to learn what made it tick, what made itself interesting to him.  After a while something began to form in it.  Something he wanted.  Something he thought he recognized.  He began to obsess over it.  Knowing, but he didn't care he began to spend more time with it as it was comforting.  Soon, it was all he could do to tear himself away from it.

And then it began to change.  One morning he woke from a fitful sleep and noticed that it had begun to grow on him.  It was not painful, in fact it fed him.  Fed a desire.  A primal desire that he had managed to bury deep within.  This thing, new and strange and comforting and frightful all at the same time, had become a friend at some point.  One he couldn't do without.  He could feel it drawing him in.  Convincing him to allow it to give him control, and for a while he listened, and it felt good.

Then it changed, and it began to change him.  Slowly, he almost didn't realize it at first, the pushing people away.  The resentment that was welling up inside for those he used to call friend.  It was then that it occurred to him what was happening, and so he tried to put it away.  He tried to cut it off, but each morning it would return.  Eventually he began to realize the pain.  It was eating him from the inside out.  Panic began to set in.  What could he do?  Who could he blame?  No one!  He had invited it in and nurtured it and now it was consuming him from the inside out like a parasite!  Then it occcurred to him.  He had to forget it.

Coffee, lots of coffee.  He had locked himself in this room and hadn't slept in days.  But it was working, he could feel it getting smaller by the hour.  It was leaving him.  Perhaps it was the stench he thought.  Lack of hygiene and facilites was taking it's toll but it was working!

Eventually sleep overpowered the caffiene.  He crashed and he dreamed.  He was young again, running through the woods he knew so well with the sun streaming through the leaves.  But then something changed. It started to get dark.  He looked up, and it was as if an eclipse was starting.  The blackness was getting larger...   and closer...  He woke with a start!  Or did he?  The blackness still seemed to be growing but this time the smell of trees and woods was replaced by the stench of unwashed human.  Still the blackness grew.  So he got out as quick as he could. and ran.

Through the trees and the dark, but still the blackness pursued.  He ran and ran.  The blood and the sweat he could taste as it ran down his face and into his mouth, but he didn't care.  Why oh why did he not realize it's true nature all those weeks ago!  This fleeing for his life from this black magic could have been avoided had he just left well enough alone and been content with his life, but no!  Just like he always did, he had to have more.  Had to have new.  Had to have exciting.

He ran.  Ran until his lungs burned.  Ran until his heart was about to burst from his chest.  Ran until the bones in his legs began to shatter from the pounding.  RUN!

It was gone.  The blackness seemed to have vanished!  He had escaped!  Then it all began to close in around him as if someone was closing the opening of the paper bag they had him in.  It closed in and he collapsed face first in the mud in the middle of the forest in which he had practically flown.

Hours passed.  Or was it days?  Did it matter?  Next thing he realized was the darkness and how tiny he felt.  Where was he?  He wasn't sure, but all he knew was that he saw her.  She was barely paying him any mind because he was such a small thing.  Not so much small as in size but small as in importance.  She didn't so much notice the darkness of it's appearance the first time as much as she noticed the familiarity, as if he had always been with her...

Your Turn

Today, this post will serve a few purposes.  If you would humor me, I would like you to consider the picture below for as long as you like, and when you are done comment on this post.  I'm curious what it made you think of and how it made you feel.  Describe to me what you think you see and what you think the purpose of this photo is.

Zombies And Vampires Suck

Rib Cage

Strap in.  I'm about to go into a sugar and caffeine fueled tirade.  Just as soon as I fix my spelling.  Wait for it... Wait for it...  Wait for it...  No, looks like it's going to be just me tonight.  Me and that lady over there staring intently into her fancy white picture book.  You know, the kind with an apple on it.  All white and shiney.

Did you know that I can get a comparable computer at nearly half the price?  Oh boy.  I can hear the hoof beats of the Jobs-ites bearing down on me as I type.  Let's try something else for now.

So I got out tonight.  I'm out and I'm by myself.  Well, except for that lady over there.  Oh and that one and her daughter too.  Oh, and him, and him and them.  And those people there.  Ok, I guess I'm not as alone as I was trying to lead you to believe.  Yeah, I was leading you on, what of it?  It was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?  What can I say, the name fits my personality better than I'd like it to sometimes.  But is it the name that's dictating the way I react, or is it me trying to form my personality it what I want it to be?  There's a head scratcher for you.

Hang on.  Break to check a message...

Nothing to report.  Life continues to tick by.  Sometimes I wish I could reach out and grab a hold of time.  Of a certain moment and never let it slip away, as I'm sure everyone would like.  Time is wily like that.  Never known a person that could outwit time.  It'll sneak up on you like a tiger in the grass and pounce, ripping every square inch of the skin on your body to little streamer ribbons, flowing in the wind.  Sometimes it'll bear down on you like a freight train.  Like a freight train does on a person who's trapped in their car, which just stalled on the tracks, and who's door won't open.  Sometimes it greets you with a smile and caresses your cheek, whispering sweet nothings in your ear as it slips a knife into you between the fourth and fifth ribs.

Reality check...

Pesky thing, that.  Reality.  You know?  What?  You thought this was going to be about zombies and vampires?  LOL...

Do You Hear What I Hear

So I left today.  I left and I took the kids with me.  We went out to Walmart, saw the sights.  Played with some toys, bought some meds for daddy.  Bought Evanescence's new album.  You know, my taste in music is quite eclectic.  The only reason I brought that up was so I could write the word eclectic in a sentence.  Fickle of me, ain't it?

My eclectic taste in music.  Yes, I'm a bit of a fan of country (*gasp* I just said the f word as relating to music).  Yes, I'm a bit of a fan of classical.  I'm a bit of a fan of alternative, and metal, and (you better sit down for this one) I even like a bit of rap now and again.  Rap though, has got to have a point.  As I think back - hang on, I've got to deal with a few unruly apps on my computer - ok, sorry about that.  Stupid autorun, tryin to tell me what I want to do with my CD.  As I think back to the times I've enjoyed rap, Bone Thugs N Harmony comes to mind.  Hang on, another interruption...  ... ... ... ... ... ... ...  Ok, back again.  Rap, I rather enjoyed that one song by Coolio with Biggie what's-his-name-dead-guy.  You know, that one that was in the movie with Michele Pfeiffer about the inner city teacher that Wierd Al did about the Amish Paradise...  Oh yeah Gangster's Paradise, or whatever.  But that's enough about rap crap.

I like some of all of it pretty much.  All of some of it would just be too much liking going on.  That wouldn't be eclectic either now would it?  I like some jazz, some blues, some pop, some...no, most rock.  Yeah, if I had to pick one genre that was my favorite, it would have to be rock I supposed.  That one contains probably the majority of the songs that I like.  Sometimes I get in a mood for classical.  Beethoven has always been a favorite of mine thought I wouldn't recognize any of his music except for symphony 9 which nearly everyone recognizes.

Where was I going with all this?  Ah, who knows.  I'm not in much of a mood today (actually I am in a bit of a mood...but that's another story for another time) for humor and I feel I'm just rambling on about nonsense so I'll spare you any more drivel and just leave you with a song from another time in my life when I was younger than I am now...

Watching People

You can learn a lot by watching people.

You realize that you are only one person.

You realize you can't be part of everyone's life all the time.

You realize you only get what you're given and are responsible for how you handle it.

You learn that even responsible adults won't do the simple task of picking up that paper towel that they missed the trash can with.

You learn that people are obsessed with Friday.

You realize that no matter how much you want something, sometimes you have to learn to be content without it.

You realize that some people would rather bash their head into the wall 10,000 times rather than turn the doorknob to open the door and go through it.

You find out, much to your dismay, that some men will urinate on the floor in front of the toilet and not clean up after themselves.

You might find that you don't particularly want to be human any more.

Tripping - As In Going Places

What four letter word starts with an S and ends with an ICK?  That's where I am.  It's not exactly a joyous place to be, nonetheless, it is where I am.  I don't know how I got here.  I'd like to know who brought me here, or if I dragged myself here on my own.  That would be an exciting story to tell wouldn't it?  Did I ever tell ya about that time when...   Well, I don't know, but I can tell ya what happened afterword!  Ok, so maybe it wouldn't make such a hot story.  At least not as exciting as that time I woke up naked in the library with a copy of Moby Dick covering the essentials and a flashlight in my eyes.  Uh, no officer, I had nothing to do with that car parked on the hydrant.  Yeah, that didn't really happen.  I just made that up.  Let's just say you should be careful of zippers.  They hurt.

Anyway, I was hoping to have something to write about today that would be mildly intelligent, or at least somewhat interesting.  You know, the kind of thing that makes you go, "Urp."  No, that would be mildly repulsive.  I don't particularly want to repel anyone from this blog, at least not any more than I already do.  If you find yourself repulsed by the words that compose the ideas, could be that you should find yourself a nice field of daisies and sing quietly to yourself of butterflies and honey.  Like I was saying, things that make you go, "Hmm..." but no such luck.  I thought maybe this cough syrup might jolt something loose, but no.  Wait, stop.  No, I'm not that kind of person, so stop thinking it right now.  I've never done drugs and I don't intend to start.  Shame on you for thinking it!  The nerve of some people!

Where was I?  Oh yeah, drugs (the over the counter kind).  Someone told me once they had to find their muse when they write.  I tried that.  Wasn't working so well for me.  I've decided to stop looking for mine and just grab the first one I see by the throat, shake it a bit, and stir up what comes out into a nice little stew.  Was that one yours?  Oh I'm sorry.  I left a bit in it for you for later.  You were going to use that?  Here, you can have some of this post.  Use as much as you like.  Maybe you'll be able to do better with it than I am.

Since I started this fiasco today with a four letter word, maybe I should end with one as well.  You guess.  It starts with a letter between A and Z and ends with one between Z and A.  Don't worry, I've made it easy.  Even if you're dyslexic, you've got an equal chance of guessing the one I'm thinking of.

Dyslexics of the world untie!

Second Verse, Same As The First (Or Not...)

I was thinking about what I should write today and nothing in particular came to mind.  I had a few good ideas; why actors should be restricted to one role per lifetime, and I can't remember the rest right now, so they must not have been that great after all.  I don't think I could have made a post long enough to have any merit of it's own with the ideas I had so I decided not to do any of those ideas.


What I did decide on is, um, well, I don't know because I haven't decided yet.  Funny, isn't it?  How long can I write about nothing in particular?  Maybe this will be an exercise in the evolution of thought as the train pulls into station after station?  That sounds like a good idea except for one small issue.  All the passengers seem to be the same ones.  No one's getting off and no one's getting on.  Correction, one person just boarded at the wife station.


In any case, what's a guy to do with the same trains of thought that keep running through the stations?  Be a conductor I suppose.  That's what you call the guy, right?  The one that manages the trains?  No, that's the guy that collects the tickets from the passengers, isn't it?  Hang on...  The mysterious crystal ball (Google) says (Wikipedia) that a conductor is...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conductor_(transportation)

A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways worldwide albeit under different job titles. Specific job responsibilities for a conductor type position include ensuring that the train adheres to its schedule, ensuring that any cars or cargo is picked up or dropped off at the proper place, completing en-route paperwork, ensuring that the train follows applicable safety rules and practices, controlling the train's movement while operating in reverse,coupling or decoupling cars, assisting with the setting out or picking up of rolling stock, carrying out running repairs, ticket collection and various customer service duties.

Did you actually read that?  I didn't, at least not in it's entirety.  It's quite amazing how well I excel at mediocrity at times.  There, now I've read it all, though how much I've actually retained is any one's guess.  Where was I?  Besides sitting in bed writing this right now I mean.  Don't give me that look.  You're the one with the smart comments.  Yes.  Anyway....  Train Conductors.

So no, I guess I don't need a conductor to manage the trains of thought running willy nilly through my head.  Well, I do, but not one.  Perhaps I should check the local job listings for people applying for conductor positions.  As busy as my brain is, I'll be needing a few conductors.  No such luck on the job title for the person that schedules the trains though.  We'll just call him the train scheduler for the purposes of this post.

I guess my trains of though need a train scheduler.  Someone to manage the arrival and departure of the trains and the cargo.  Oh, see...   There goes another train left the station.  I'm bored with this and feel like moving on.

So how are you feeling this evening?

Oh, it's you again...

As is the case with initial blog posts, I feel compelled to write something as to the purpose of this blog. That being the case, I'm not going to do that. To be honest, it's not particularly any of your business why I'm doing this and I suppose you probably don't much care to read the common drivel is comprised of such posts. So, as a service to you, my common man (or woman), I will spare you and myself the enjoyment and enlightenment we would have otherwise shared.

Hopefully by this time I've piqued your interest enough that you haven't outright dismissed this as a waste of your time. My hope is to be mildly entertaining, while providing myself an out for the creative juices that have been for so long seeping out my bodily orifices and flowing their way into the river of wasted dreams.

See, now look what you've gone and done. You've made me go and go back on my word from the the word GET SET. Seeing as how we aren't quite to GO, and the first paragraph was a kind of ON YOUR MARK, you can see why I chose the word GET SET those last few words ago, eh? I see this little relationship we've started is going to be a bit rough on us both. Oh well. Here's to lookin' at ya!

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a random image off the internets to round out the amount of words in this first post to my new blog. Enjoy!