Yo --
Its been five days and I still lay here in pain. I have a slight - yet painful - pull in the back of my leg and my back is either broken or in such severe knots that it feels like it is. Combined, my ailments cause me extreme discomfort when I walk.
I hate dogs.
Friday morning, very early, Im leaving my house to walk down the block and meet Blanca to go to work. My street is full of dogs and its not uncommon to hear one, or seven, barking at any given time, so when - at 4 in the morning - I walked past a house two away from mine and heard one barking, I didnt really give it much thought.
Until it got louder.
I glanced to my right and saw that the neighbors pit bull was sitting outside. Great. I continued to walk and then the barking sounded like it was getting closer. I glanced back and saw that the pit bull wasnt sitting anymore... it was now chasing me!
All I can remember seeing initially was these jaws full of teeth opening and closing and making this evil growling sound like it wanted to tear me apart. And they were getting closer and closer. By the time my mind told my feet to get a movin' the pit bull was about 7 feet away from me. And thats like 57 feet too close.
I dont think Ive ever run as fast in my life. Im not as young as I used to be, and even when I was, Im positive I was never that fast. I ran, and ran, and ran, for about a block and a half. And at one point, with the pit bull about two feet behind me, I came to the conclusion that I had to stop running and kick its ass before it kicked mine. Only problem was that, as fast as I was running, I couldnt figure out how to stop and face him without falling on my butt and him jumping on top of me. So I continued to run.
I made it to the corner of the main street, and as I rounded it I saw Blanca turning the corner a block away. Safety was close. Halfway down the block I turned back and saw that the pit bull had given up the chase and was now headed back home. I actually out ran him. My will to survive was apparently greater than his will to maul me.
So I slow to a jog and frantically wave my arms to get Blanca to stop and let me in... and she drives right by me. Right by me and down my street. The street with the pit bull that I wouldnt be able to out run a second time.
So there I am, a block and a half away from home, away from safety, and Im not sure what to do next except that theres no way in Hell Im going back down my street. So I cautiously walk to the corner and see that Blanca had turned into my driveway and was now backing out to face the way she came. To face the direction I was in. So I stood in the middle of the street, waved my arms, and hoped she could see me from a block away. Thankfully she could and she drove back to pick me up. How she could see me a block away and not see me running directly at her, I got no clue.
Once in the car, I called my house to tell everyone to be careful cuz the pit bull was loose. After telling my tale, the response was "Why didnt you come back home?" Yeah, I can see that happening - me being chased by a vicious dog, running back to my house, stopping at my front door, reaching into my pocket to get my wallet, looking for the key, trying to put the key in the key hole of the screen door in near total darkness, finally getting the screen door open, then taking the key and trying to find the key hole to the front door to get it open, and the whole time the pit bull is patiently behind me, tapping his foot, checking his watch, and wondering when the chase was going to continue. Yeah, why didnt I go back home?
I hang up, and now Im able to finally catch my breath, and with the adrenalin finally wearing off, my body started to explode internally. I finally felt the pull in my leg, and it felt like a muscle had been ripped from my bone - and that has yet to go away and continues to cause me to walk awkwardly, though it does seem to be getting better. And my back felt like it had been shattered, and for the most part still does. I still cant go from motionless to moving without near excruciating back pain. I get why my leg feels the way it does, cuz I was running for my life, but Im at a loss to explain why my back is the way it is. Im just all screwed up.
And as a side note, to make my day even worse, this wasnt any ordinary Friday. This was "Black Friday" and I had to work 10 hours in retail Hell. In severe pain.
I hate dogs.
So until next time...
-- DBW --
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The signs of coincidence
Welcome back, I missed ya --
After writing my ghost stories, I was reminded about a couple things that happened to me that, if I had remembered about, I wouldnt have included anyway since I think they have less to do with "ghosts" and more to do with coincidence or "signs." But since it was suggested I tell them, here, for your reading pleasure, are three all too true tales of very odd coincidence, all involving my Mom.
Ok, everyone raise their hands. Come on, raise them. Hey, you over there, I said everyone. Ok, good. Now, if you know who Blanca is, put your hand down. Thats most of you, good. For those of you with your hand still up, Blanca is a girl who I REALLY liked and after finding the guts to ask her out - the first girl I ever asked out - she became my girlfriend. Yeah, I know "Aww... how cute."
Well, at work we used to have everyones birthday for the month posted up on the wall for all to see. So if your birthday was in October, there would be a construction paper pumpkin with your name on it and the date of your birth. July was a sun. And so on. Yeah, it was kind of elementary schoolish, but it had its charm.
The end of May was fast approaching and unknown to me at the time, Junes birthdays had already been posted. I walked out of the lounge, turned the corner, and began to walk down the hall and back onto the sales floor. Half way down, something told me to stop, so I did. I then slowly turned around and looked up at the birthday wall and saw that Blancas birthday was posted on a cloud, and it was in a few days. I kinda shook my head, gave a little laugh, and acknowledged to myself that of all the days of the year, she had to be born on June 2nd.
I went to the floor, found Blanca, and asked her a question: "Whats your favorite color?" To which she answered, blue. Of course it was. So far, were two for two.
Continuing the questioning, I asked her what her favorite cartoon character was, I really shouldnt have been surprised when she said Tweety. Not Mickey, not Bugs, not Superman, but Tweety. Three for three.
Ive liked a lot of girls, but Ive only ever REALLY liked one. Despite going out with my share, Ive only ever had the guts to ask out one. And that one girl likes blue, just like my Mom. Loves Tweety, just like my Mom. And was born on June 2nd, the day my Mom died. Coincidences or signs that this is the girl I should be with?
My second tale.
A couple months ago we were told that we had to move from the house weve lived in for the past twenty years - my Moms house. Something that had come as a shock considering that there was never any real issues between us and the owners.
It was the end of July, a month that in California is usually pretty hot. And as expected, the temperatures were in the 80s and 90s, no rain, and made for a really nice summer. Except for one day. The day we got the moving truck, the first day we started moving, the weather changed. It got pretty cold and it started to rain. The one day during the entire summer that it rained, was the day we started moving. I suppose I could end this right here, but no, it continues.
Last year, for the annual family Christmas ornament exchange, Blanca and I had gone shopping and I told her to look through the whole store and pick out the one she liked the best. She came back with Tweety on a cloud, as an angel (weve already established my Mom liking Tweety, but she also loved angels and had a collection of them), and it would play "Hark the herald angels sing" when Tweetys harp was strummed. Only when it was strummed. That ornament had instant meaning to me and never made it to the exchange. To this day, it sits on my stand next to my bed.
The day after it rained was our last day in the house. Pretty much everything else was out and all that was left was a box here, a box there, and to clean. The last thing I carried out of the house was a small box that contained stuff I didnt want broken, stuff that was very important to me - like my Moms ashes and the Tweety ornament.
I was the last one out of the house, holding that box - and as I stepped through the door for the very last time, the very first step I took through the doorway, I froze. Inside the box, unable to be strummed by anybody, the angel Tweety was playing.
The third tale is a quick one.
Were now in our new house, and all is well. One thing about our house is that our most of our doors are made of unpaited wood - so all the graining can be seen clearly. Ever look at a piece of wood? Unless wood is your thing, its most uneventful. Mostly straight lines with some curvature thrown in to jazz things up. Well, on the back of my bathroom door, roughly 8 inches high, within the wood grain, are the very clear letters T and M. No, really, Im not making this up, its actually there, inside the wood. Besides looking out of place, why the big deal? Because those particular letters are my Moms initials.
Im sure anyone who has been in my bathroom has seen the door, but Im not sure how many people have actually stopped to notice it. Nobody else has said anything, so for now its kind of my little secret. And I cant help but smile everytime I see it.
Well, there ya go. Not necessarily ghost stories, but theyre kind of odd and unusual. Next time Ill tell you about how I was possessed and my head spun around.
So til then...
-- DBW --
After writing my ghost stories, I was reminded about a couple things that happened to me that, if I had remembered about, I wouldnt have included anyway since I think they have less to do with "ghosts" and more to do with coincidence or "signs." But since it was suggested I tell them, here, for your reading pleasure, are three all too true tales of very odd coincidence, all involving my Mom.
Ok, everyone raise their hands. Come on, raise them. Hey, you over there, I said everyone. Ok, good. Now, if you know who Blanca is, put your hand down. Thats most of you, good. For those of you with your hand still up, Blanca is a girl who I REALLY liked and after finding the guts to ask her out - the first girl I ever asked out - she became my girlfriend. Yeah, I know "Aww... how cute."
Well, at work we used to have everyones birthday for the month posted up on the wall for all to see. So if your birthday was in October, there would be a construction paper pumpkin with your name on it and the date of your birth. July was a sun. And so on. Yeah, it was kind of elementary schoolish, but it had its charm.
The end of May was fast approaching and unknown to me at the time, Junes birthdays had already been posted. I walked out of the lounge, turned the corner, and began to walk down the hall and back onto the sales floor. Half way down, something told me to stop, so I did. I then slowly turned around and looked up at the birthday wall and saw that Blancas birthday was posted on a cloud, and it was in a few days. I kinda shook my head, gave a little laugh, and acknowledged to myself that of all the days of the year, she had to be born on June 2nd.
I went to the floor, found Blanca, and asked her a question: "Whats your favorite color?" To which she answered, blue. Of course it was. So far, were two for two.
Continuing the questioning, I asked her what her favorite cartoon character was, I really shouldnt have been surprised when she said Tweety. Not Mickey, not Bugs, not Superman, but Tweety. Three for three.
Ive liked a lot of girls, but Ive only ever REALLY liked one. Despite going out with my share, Ive only ever had the guts to ask out one. And that one girl likes blue, just like my Mom. Loves Tweety, just like my Mom. And was born on June 2nd, the day my Mom died. Coincidences or signs that this is the girl I should be with?
My second tale.
A couple months ago we were told that we had to move from the house weve lived in for the past twenty years - my Moms house. Something that had come as a shock considering that there was never any real issues between us and the owners.
It was the end of July, a month that in California is usually pretty hot. And as expected, the temperatures were in the 80s and 90s, no rain, and made for a really nice summer. Except for one day. The day we got the moving truck, the first day we started moving, the weather changed. It got pretty cold and it started to rain. The one day during the entire summer that it rained, was the day we started moving. I suppose I could end this right here, but no, it continues.
Last year, for the annual family Christmas ornament exchange, Blanca and I had gone shopping and I told her to look through the whole store and pick out the one she liked the best. She came back with Tweety on a cloud, as an angel (weve already established my Mom liking Tweety, but she also loved angels and had a collection of them), and it would play "Hark the herald angels sing" when Tweetys harp was strummed. Only when it was strummed. That ornament had instant meaning to me and never made it to the exchange. To this day, it sits on my stand next to my bed.
The day after it rained was our last day in the house. Pretty much everything else was out and all that was left was a box here, a box there, and to clean. The last thing I carried out of the house was a small box that contained stuff I didnt want broken, stuff that was very important to me - like my Moms ashes and the Tweety ornament.
I was the last one out of the house, holding that box - and as I stepped through the door for the very last time, the very first step I took through the doorway, I froze. Inside the box, unable to be strummed by anybody, the angel Tweety was playing.
The third tale is a quick one.
Were now in our new house, and all is well. One thing about our house is that our most of our doors are made of unpaited wood - so all the graining can be seen clearly. Ever look at a piece of wood? Unless wood is your thing, its most uneventful. Mostly straight lines with some curvature thrown in to jazz things up. Well, on the back of my bathroom door, roughly 8 inches high, within the wood grain, are the very clear letters T and M. No, really, Im not making this up, its actually there, inside the wood. Besides looking out of place, why the big deal? Because those particular letters are my Moms initials.
Im sure anyone who has been in my bathroom has seen the door, but Im not sure how many people have actually stopped to notice it. Nobody else has said anything, so for now its kind of my little secret. And I cant help but smile everytime I see it.
Well, there ya go. Not necessarily ghost stories, but theyre kind of odd and unusual. Next time Ill tell you about how I was possessed and my head spun around.
So til then...
-- DBW --
Saturday, November 11, 2006
4.8.16.2....zzzzzzz
Greetings my peepareenos --
I think Ive come to realize Im a person of extremes. Im either all to the right, or all to the left. Rarely, if ever, am I in the middle. Case in point, my sleeping habits.
For the better part of this year, Ive had the superhuman power of being able to stay up until ungodly hours, watching tv or doing nothing, and then catching a couple hours sleep and then waking up super early and doing it all over again. At times, many times, it was an ability I wish I did not have. Many I night I would finally decide to cease all activity and try and get some rest, only to lay in bed wide awake until it was time to get up for work at 3am. Many times Id have to go through my work day, and the hours after I was off, on zero sleep. The only bright side was that I was able to watch every single one of the shows that were fortunate enough to have me as a viewer. This, despite having a dvd recorder that would allow me to sleep through them and watch them the next day. After plenty of rest.
Then the unthinkable happened. The dvd recorder I didnt really have a need for broke. But that was ok, right? At least I was still "Stays-Awake-Forever-Man" right? Not so fast bub. With no way to record shows, I had suddenly turned into "Semi-Narcoleptic-Boy." The far right of staying awake until stations signed off has quickly turned to the far left and into the very real possibility of falling asleep during the evening news.
For the past month or so Ive woken up pissed cuz I fell asleep - yet again - during a show I really wanted to watch. A show I had no way to record. A show I would never get to see unless I bought the dvd set a year or so from now. There seems to be no hope for me.
Or is there?
The internet can truly be a marvelous place sometimes. And one of its greatest wonders is Time magazines "Invention Of The Year"... YouTube.
No, I didnt just stumble upon it yesterday, its been a valuable resource of mine for some time now. Ive watched things on there I had always wanted to see, things I had never thought Id ever see, some things I didnt know were even on tape. Some of these things are the shows Ive fallen asleep before or during. For example, this morning I watched this weeks "Smallville", "South Park", and "Drawn Together". Back, to back, to back... and all without commercial interruption. Thank you YouTube.
But if my discoveries had ended there, Id be happy. But they dont. Theres something possibly even greater.
Im not sure how accurate this is, but its my belief that the networks have been scared by YouTube. They dont want people like me going to an outside source to watch their shows. If I do that, they get no benefit from it. Especially no profit. So last week during "Lost" - yet another show I fell asleep during - there was a commercial that basically said "Go to ABC.com to watch tonights episode of Lost." So... I went there the next day.
Not only did they have the most recent Lost, but they had previous weeks too. And not just "Lost", they also had their other shows too. All of em. Just waiting for narcoleptics the world over to click away. And its not just ABC, I was kinda bummed that I havent been able to watch "Heros" and after seeing ABC.com, I decided to check if NBC was doing it too. Guess what... they are! I can watch "Heros" from the very first episode. Or I can just watch the Cliffnotes versions and get caught up. How fricken cool is that?
No longer do I have to curse myself in the morning for not being able to stay awake. I can lay back, relax, get some much needed rest, and then enjoy all of my favorite shows whenever I want to the next day.
Sometimes the internet is a marvelous place indeed. Now Im gonna go to sleep.
Good night.
-- DBW --
I think Ive come to realize Im a person of extremes. Im either all to the right, or all to the left. Rarely, if ever, am I in the middle. Case in point, my sleeping habits.
For the better part of this year, Ive had the superhuman power of being able to stay up until ungodly hours, watching tv or doing nothing, and then catching a couple hours sleep and then waking up super early and doing it all over again. At times, many times, it was an ability I wish I did not have. Many I night I would finally decide to cease all activity and try and get some rest, only to lay in bed wide awake until it was time to get up for work at 3am. Many times Id have to go through my work day, and the hours after I was off, on zero sleep. The only bright side was that I was able to watch every single one of the shows that were fortunate enough to have me as a viewer. This, despite having a dvd recorder that would allow me to sleep through them and watch them the next day. After plenty of rest.
Then the unthinkable happened. The dvd recorder I didnt really have a need for broke. But that was ok, right? At least I was still "Stays-Awake-Forever-Man" right? Not so fast bub. With no way to record shows, I had suddenly turned into "Semi-Narcoleptic-Boy." The far right of staying awake until stations signed off has quickly turned to the far left and into the very real possibility of falling asleep during the evening news.
For the past month or so Ive woken up pissed cuz I fell asleep - yet again - during a show I really wanted to watch. A show I had no way to record. A show I would never get to see unless I bought the dvd set a year or so from now. There seems to be no hope for me.
Or is there?
The internet can truly be a marvelous place sometimes. And one of its greatest wonders is Time magazines "Invention Of The Year"... YouTube.
No, I didnt just stumble upon it yesterday, its been a valuable resource of mine for some time now. Ive watched things on there I had always wanted to see, things I had never thought Id ever see, some things I didnt know were even on tape. Some of these things are the shows Ive fallen asleep before or during. For example, this morning I watched this weeks "Smallville", "South Park", and "Drawn Together". Back, to back, to back... and all without commercial interruption. Thank you YouTube.
But if my discoveries had ended there, Id be happy. But they dont. Theres something possibly even greater.
Im not sure how accurate this is, but its my belief that the networks have been scared by YouTube. They dont want people like me going to an outside source to watch their shows. If I do that, they get no benefit from it. Especially no profit. So last week during "Lost" - yet another show I fell asleep during - there was a commercial that basically said "Go to ABC.com to watch tonights episode of Lost." So... I went there the next day.
Not only did they have the most recent Lost, but they had previous weeks too. And not just "Lost", they also had their other shows too. All of em. Just waiting for narcoleptics the world over to click away. And its not just ABC, I was kinda bummed that I havent been able to watch "Heros" and after seeing ABC.com, I decided to check if NBC was doing it too. Guess what... they are! I can watch "Heros" from the very first episode. Or I can just watch the Cliffnotes versions and get caught up. How fricken cool is that?
No longer do I have to curse myself in the morning for not being able to stay awake. I can lay back, relax, get some much needed rest, and then enjoy all of my favorite shows whenever I want to the next day.
Sometimes the internet is a marvelous place indeed. Now Im gonna go to sleep.
Good night.
-- DBW --
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