Oakland: Colorado County

Emperor Claudius

Claudius Jones was the owner of the Cyaxares Bookstore.  He reigned with a dignity that makes a blue-haired librarian proudly pet her cat.   He would assign his patrons books to read and reports to write or he would never sell them a book again.

Oakland: Colorado County

Warming Up

Food smells permeate the high school football game.   “Ketchup on hotdogs, balderdash!” reports my wife Jessica.    

The temperature outside is not freezing, but I am cold and under dressed.   I stuff boiled peanuts into my mouth, hoping to warm up.    

But, I do not warm up. (49:365)

Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us —Samuel Smiles

El Camino: Borderland States

{March 15 1988, (Greg is 15)}

Before I can smash the window, a flood of water wipes away the ten year older Greg.   He disappears, like someone shaking an “Etch a Sketch”.   Only puddles of water are left.  Is this when I go crazy? Was he a spirited ghost? Should I follow the direction of the wave?  Now I am shaken.

(39:365)  

Hypnagogia article in Wikipedia.
By the sea shore.  The sea breaks into the land, flooding everything. Then the dreamer is sitting on a lonely island. Jung, C. G. Dreams. New York: MJF, 1974. Print. pg 122

El Camino: Borderland States

March 15, 1988: (Greg 15)

Ten year older Greg, the one outside under the light, is saying something important, but I cannot hear him.   I am on the other side of a window and the wind's howl is louder than the words he speaks. I must smash this window open, if I am going to hear my future self talk. (38:365) 

Jung Dream 2: The dreamer is standing in front of the window, he blocks the view for his fellow passengers.  He must get out of the way.pg 122.

El Camino: Borderland States

MARCH 15, 1988: (GREG IS 25, AND 15)

Me  that mouths, “I-AM-LOOKING-AT-YOU!” appears to be ten years older than my teenage self. Older Greg wears a John Deer baseball cap, barely scene by the light outside the window.  Strange, I am not a farmer, and do not see myself on a tractor.  So what is up with the baseball cap? Who am I? (37:365)

Jung Dream 2 ... he puts on a stranger's hat instead of his own.

Oakland: Colorado County

{Schwinn Power 1986}
“The horse thief jerked free of the tie-rope and leaped into the saddle.” Louis L'amor

Louis L’amor inspired my eleven year old self, to play cowboys and Indians.    

On fall days, I would ride my Mesa Mountain Bike around the neighborhood.   The bike was my trusty stead.   I would look for the robbers at the old elementary school, and then from an informed tip, proceed down the oiled coated alley. (36:365)

Detroit Lions: Week Three

The sky was a deep purple-green.   Lighting flashed and the sky was lit up brilliantly.  Vernon Brand’s brother Charlie felt a mystifying stomach flip, and his hair stood up on end; it was like he was holding onto a "Tesla Plasma Globe".  The lions were three and OOOOOO, and hell felt a cool zephyr breeze.  (34:365)

Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings  26-23 in OT, on 9.25.2011.

Listen to the madness in Detroit over their 3-0 Lions.
Or follow the Bills madness in Buffalo New York and Listen to the Sports Guys there.

El Camino: Borderland States

{March 15, 1988 (Greg is 15, and 25.)}

 The fear happened in the dark night.  Nightly, I ran  in between my bedroom and the living room, for I imagined finding a night walker outside staring at me.

 I toughened up, (Taxi Driver like). 

I looked in the window holding my stalker, but all I saw was ME, then that ME mouthed: “I-AM-LOOKING-AT-YOU!” (33:365) (Pre-Dream using Jung's book of Dreams)

Oakland: Colorado County

{Plastic Flowers in Space}

As a satellite plummeted into space, Vernon Brand smelt a plastic flower.   He hoped to recall the smell of organic flowers grown in soil.  His memory on earth spiraled into a daydream of his old home:  he could picture potato salad, corn on the cob, and fried chicken; so much better than dehydrated space-food. (32:365)

The philosophy explained here is best described on the Blog-"Learning my Lines", in the post titled "But Will It Fit In My Coffin? . . . .".

Oakland: Colorado County

{Asa Gray the Cat}

Bonfires incinerated debris, as smog assaulted; Aunt Rosalyn huddled in her apartment.   She was comforted from the outside smoke by her cat, Asa Gray.  Asa might have lost his mortal life due to a heart-attack from being scared by a lawn mower backfiring, but he would be forever loved in a hermetically sealed family shrine.  (31:365)

Oakland: Colorado County

{Aunt Rosalyn and the Grabage Truck}

Robotic arms grabbed the Polk County Trash cans; flipped them into the garbage-truck, and then gently set them into their designated spot in the car port.   Aunt Rosalyn rose from her rocker, her book on taxidermy dropped to floor; her jaw went slack with unbelief.   She was undone by Polk County’s future garbage machine. (30:365)

Detroit Lions: Week Two

{59-14.2}

Vernon Brand received the incredible news from outer-space. He had been in space for thirty-one years, two months and two days.    He received, that morning, a digitally created message that read: “Miracles Happen in Detroit- Lions Undefeated.”  He decided to hook into the National Football League Satellite, so he would not miss one roaring minute. (29:365)

Detroit Lions beat the Kansas City Chiefs 48-3 on 9.18.2011

Listen to the madness in Detroit over their 2-0 Lions

Oakland: Colorado County

{M.A.S.H.}

Plastic-kids lined up, in perfect lines, in front of the plastic school. Avatars linked into a digitally created world, toy dolls playing the game M.A.S.H.  Would we live in a mansion, apartment, shack, or a hotel?    Plastics could see what their futures may look like by exploring life in a mansion, apartment, shack or hotel.  (28:365)

Oakland: Colorado County

{Words From a Freeze-Dried Strawberry}

I began my life in the Strawberry Field.  I called plenty of fellows, with green tops, “Friend!”One day my soiled life was pulled out, frozen up, and processed into the Breakfast of Conquerors.  Now I wait to be consumed, by children who will dump me in a plastic bowl of milk, and slurp me down.(23:365)    

Trying something new! Posts will use one word from the previous post to begin their story.  It will create a bridge between two stories.

Oakland: Colorado County

Haines City and the Mexican Grocery

Chihuahua workers gathered at the Mexican Grocery.  Their lives were filled by Jesus Christ, sweet water, and   frijoles.   They gathered with their families to celebrate another Friday Night; money for their work, and stomachs filled with Tilapia.  They held their soiled hands up in prayer.   (27:365)

Oakland: Colorado County

Henry Plant Looks At His Name?
(Plant City) Henry sat in his private train car, would not look up.  His smooth hands clutched the Tribune with a firm grip, like holding a shield, protecting him from seeing bent backs picking strawberries.  Strawberries scheduled to be stored in a refrigerated Chicago warehouse. (26:365)

Oakland: Colorado County

Grandma's Dream-House

The red brick house, with short green front lawn, was captured on the canvas.  Grandma the artist, applied paint, judiciously lined.  She shaped each brick, as she recalled how Grandpa had stacked them when the house was first built. This was her hundredth version.  She hoped eternally, oil on canvas, to store her voluptuous dream.                                 (25:365 Count for my Goal of 365- 55 word stories, then I plan to begin a novel, maybe using some of this material, maybe coming up with a new approach).

Kaddish (קדיש Aramaic: "holy") refers to an important and central prayer in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy, several variations of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between various sections of the service. The term "Kaddish" is often used to refer specifically to "The Mourners' Kaddish," said as part of the mourning rituals in Judaism in all prayer services as well as at funerals and memorials. When mention is made of "saying Kaddish", this unambiguously denotes the rituals of mourning.

Oakland: Colorado County

 ("Wet-Dream"): A Husband's Fantasy

“Who’s playing husband today?” asked Harold Hazelblat, “I want to play the part of responsible husband; and you can play the part of geisha-wife.  Would you mind greeting me at the door, wearing an apron, at 5:30? I will then drop my suitcase and meet my 2.5 kids, and then eat my delicious meatloaf.” (24:365)

Oakland: Colorado County

The Effects of Gravity

The play ground swings were my launch pad.   I would kick with great strength as the swing hit its forward apex.  Again I would kick with great strength, and then I would fly forward into the air.   I would then feel gravity pull me down, down, down, down, till I woke up in my waterbed.(22:365)

Detroit Lions: Week One

59-14

Dudley sat in his grey and blue replica Lions uniform, wearing an elated smile, just after the Lions started the season on the right path.  They had now one win, and no losses.    Joe had waited since1993, for any type of winning way.   He wanted to roar, like he did in 1957, “The Champion Lions”. (21:365)
Week One - beat Tampa 27-20 (9.11.2011)
This one is dedicated to an old College Friend Ben Colby.  Your Lions have a chance this year, Go Lions!  I think I said, a long time ago, that the Lions could never be Champions.   I will be eating crow, this year, hopefully.