Category: Geekiness


Dreamstory Part 1

Filed Under: Fiction, Geekiness, General, Life, Memories by Thursday's Child — 8 Comments
Thursday, 9th December, 2010

The other night, I had a dream so vivid that I awoke short of breath, forcing my eyes to stay shut tight, afraid of what might meet them were they to open. I usually don’t have dreams that I remember. Certainly not ones that are so vivid I awaken in a sweat. I’m going to do my best to do it justice here. Also, I hope it’s not too creepy for you.

~~

The brakes hissed as the bus came to a stop in front of the casino. The weary faces of the elderly and the bored stared longingly through the front glass at the flashing slots inside. Today’s the day. Machines have been tight. They’ve got to give today.

Another day. More overdraft fees. But I’ll hit it today. I’ve got to. Just another $20. Pull. Click. Nothing. Pull. Click. Nothing. Pull. Click. WINNER! Over and over again. Transfixed. Hypnotized. Possessed.

The people on the bus groan as they stand up and exit the bus, blinking back the oppressive summer sun. As they shuffle into the casino, they wince as the squeal of the machines assaults them. The wince is short-lived though, as a smile begins to play on the face of each of today’s big winners. This is home. I’m home. And today, I’m going to win.

None of them head straight to the slots, no. They’ve got breakfast first. On the house. Sure, those pancakes and eggs may be the biggest thing any of them have ever won, but they’re free. On the house. Gratis. Fools. Giving all this food away. I’m going to clean this joint out today. Then where will they be? Shuffling back past the table games, the sounds of the slots behind them grow faint.

Shuffling into the next room, their food awaits them. Cigarettes and syrup. Bacon and coffee. The players shuffle through the buffet. Shuffle to their chairs. No one saying anything to anyone else, just the clinking of plates. The occasional siren from a jackpot winner. Those affect the group the most. Disgust flashing across their faces. That should have been me. Whatever. It was probably a small payout anyway. The lights go out.

A crash. Another. The lights come on. Go out. Screams fill the air. Laughter. But from everywhere, as if every chair and plant were a speaker, laughter pierces the air. Pierces the soul. A child’s laughter, shrill and innocent. It would normally make your heart melt, but now. Now, it was a chill blast, freezing the blood. The screams continued, drowned out by that infernal laughing. What the hell is this? Some sort of joke? Early Halloween? Not funny.

The lights come on. No screaming. No laughing. Just the faint sound of slot machines in the other room. WHAT. THE. HELL. Cigarettes. Syrup. Urine. One of the others must have wet themselves. Several of the older women begin whimpering. Several more have hit the floor, on their knees wailing to God to deliver them from evil.

“Stay here. I’m going to find out what’s going on. These bastards just messed up my day. I was gonna win today.” Terrorists? Practical joke? Robbery?

He opened the door. Cigarettes. Syrup. Urine. Burnt hair. The poker and blackjack tables were all upturned, chips scattered everywhere Oh my god! I should get some.. No. Keep focused. What is going on here? Where is everyone? Carefully picking his way though the debris, he reaches the door to the slot machine floor.

He slowly pushed the door open, and on first glimpse of the casino floor and the acrid stench of burnt hair and flesh reached his nose, he vomited. Cigarettes. Syrup. Death. Vomit.

~~

That’s part 1. I would say that I’m stopping here because I’m out of things to write, but the truth is, the dream is still so vivid in my mind’s eye, that I’m succumbing to my anxiety, and I’ve got to stop for now. I’ll write out more of it tomorrow. Maybe if I can work my way through the whole thing, I’ll be able to let it go. And maybe I can sleep again.

Comment

30 Days of Truth 5: Bucket List

Filed Under: 30 Days of Truth, Geekiness, General, Life by Thursday's Child — 2 Comments
Sunday, 5th December, 2010

(An on-going project to discover truth in and about ourselves. See the others here)

Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.

Since this wouldn’t be so helpful if I just said “everything,” I wrote about this a little the other day, and my biggest dream is to get a PhD. I’m a big fan of academia, and I want to pursue that love to its logical end, and that’s a PhD. I want to write that dissertation. Become a world expert in that highly specific topic.

Also, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t think it would be cool to be referred to as “Doctor Fontaine.” But, hey, doesn’t that just sound good? Admit it. You’re jealous.

But in a different vein, a single experience I would like to have in this life is space travel. I don’t mean inter-space travel, from our solar system to another. I would settle for the moon. I want to see the earth from above, to look out and see the earth rising on the horizon, to be able to stand for a few hours and watch as Europe passes by, melting into Asia. As Asia fades away into vast ocean.

I want to be separated from certain terrible death by just a bit of steel. A few inches of fabric, and a plastic face shield. The very idea of leaving the atmosphere is just mind-boggling to me. It’s pretty much the coolest thing I can imagine.

Comment

Moment

Filed Under: Geekiness, General, Life, Music, Photography, Reverb10 by Thursday's Child — 4 Comments
Saturday, 4th December, 2010

(This post is inspired by Reverb10)

“Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)”

While on vacation at Disney World in Florida, the wife and I decided to go see the Cirque Du Soleil show. We walked in, paid $97 for two bottles of water, and took our seats. The show began, a grand parade of chiseled bodies and extremely limber people, and it was magical. The music, the acrobatics, diabolo girls. It was absolutely incredible.

But then something else happened. As we walked out of the LaNouba theater into the busy Downtown Disney, we noticed the House of Blues had its ticket counter open. We made our way over, to see who was playing. It was only one of my favorite bands ever. The Flaming Lips.

We worked our way into the crowded room, already bumping shoulders with the other concert-goers, as we got as close to the stage as we could. The excitement in the room was palpable. People were all chatting, laughing, the din in the room was loud before anything even began.

As the opening act came out, the crowd only got louder, singing and swaying along with the sound, everyone pressing in on each other, always trying to be a little closer to the action. Every so often, the guys from Flaming Lips would show up on the wings of the stage, causing the crowed to erupt in cheers. The lights were bright, the crowd was loud and hot. The opening act finished, and the roadies came out to begin setting up the stage for The Flaming Lips.

Tension continued to mount, and more people kept streaming through the nearly bursting door. Pressing closer, hotter and hotter, louder and louder. It took probably 35 minutes for the crew to set the stage, but it felt like an eternity. I couldn’t wait. I had always heard about how amazing their shows were, but this would be my first experience at one of them. The whole experience was just a little surreal. I mean, how do you top Cirque du Soleil? But Cirque AND TFL in one night? And all on my birthday? It was incredible, to say the least.

The show began with Wayne Coyne in that giant bubble, rolling out over the crowd, music blaring and strobe lights flashing. He made his way back over to the stage, and off they went, just completely rocking the house for the next 2 hours. I have never been to a concert at which the crowd was so incredibly into the show. Costumes, and interaction, and screaming so loud I thought my ear drums were going to burst.

By the end of the night, I was tired, sweaty, and I wasn’t able to speak. But I was on top of the world. I just finished one of the most awesome nights of my life, and there was nothing that could bring me down.

In my overactive brain, I rarely find myself lost in the moment. But this night, I was able to let go. Let the music and the emotion of the crowd just wash over me, and I was there. I was alive. I was in the moment, and I was the moment. What an incredible feeling.

Comment

When I Grow Up

Filed Under: Geekiness, General, Humanity, Life, Memories, personal philosophy, Work by Thursday's Child — 8 Comments
Wednesday, 1st December, 2010

When you are 5: When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut. A fireman. A police officer. A ninja turtle. A G.I. Joe. A fairy princess. A prince. Rich. Famous. Powerful.

When you are 15: When I grow up, I want to be a teacher. A soldier. A college student. An executive. A doctor. A Lawyer. Rich.

When you are 25: When I grow up, I want to be happy. Successful. Rich. A mother. A father. A business owner. My own boss.

It’s funny how dreams and goals change as we get older. They become less fanciful, more practical. And I guess that makes sense. As we get older, we have a better grasp on how things work, on how the world really plays out, and it’s less a matter of being jaded, more a matter of being realistic. Pragmatic. And that’s a good thing, for sure. I mean, not everyone can be an astronaut or a fairy princess.

I guess I’ve just found myself thinking a lot lately about dreams and goals, and how to make them happen. It struck me as funny today how drastically different they are today than they were 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 20 years ago. Today, it’s graduate school, and a PhD, some day teaching as a professor. At some future date, I would also like to open a restaurant, or at least have a giant kitchen where I can cook lots of food for friends and family.

I once had dreams of being an engineer. Of developing weapons. Making things that protect some people and kill others. I don’t now know why I was so interested in that field, but that’s what I wanted to do. R&D development for GE. Now, I can’t even imagine doing that job. I realized that engineering would drive me nuts, and as for the weapons part, I cannot imagine myself building machines made to kill people. But that was the plan. The goal. The dream.

Now, I’d prefer to trade the lab coat for tweed, the calipers for a pen, and a lathe for a poem. And I’m okay with that.

What were some of your old dreams or goals that have now changed to better fit who you’ve become?

Comment
Powered by WordPress | Theme: Motion by 85ideas.