An ode to my 03 Impala.

I have to confess, at first I didn't like you.

Call it irrational, call it longing for my truck (sold without my consent), but whatever it was, you started out in the negative. I suppose that changed.

Over the four years you were part of my life, you saw a lot more of me - a real me - than most other people. From the boring daily commute - to work, to school - to the cross-country adventures, you proved a faithful companion.

Patsy, I miss you.

Ginger Snaps

He gagged as the sickly stench of burning hair washed over him.

"Why - why are you doing this?" he managed. He knew she heard him, but he didn't expect a reply - she was too far gone to recognize him as human.

The Holiday Special, Please

During my time in college there was a little coffee shop that I would frequent almost daily. A cozy little place, it served your normal range of beverages, plus sandwiches, soups, and other treats. It had a range of furniture, from normal four-tops to a massive 8-10 person raw-wood table, from cheap Ikea chairs to cushy recliners. Once you add in the friendly staff, it was a place I could go at any time, for any reason. And I did, a lot.

The Steam Lady

Miss Martha woke up to her small dog scratching away at her door, like most mornings.

"Pssshp!" she hissed at the dog. It stopped for a moment before resuming its assault. Sighing, Miss Martha pushed herself out of bed and let the high-strung runt into her room.

Crashahol

"Hi, I'm Jake, and I'm a crashaholic."

"Hi Jake," the dozen or so folks responded more or less in unison. We all had the same problem: Crash. Sometimes called the big KO, Cliff Dive, or Caddy, Crash was the newest synthetic to hit the streets since Snooze. And hit it did.

Watcher on the Wall

It was my duty, it was my oath. I kept watch every night for those who would cross illegally. For those who thought they were better than the law.

Bitch took my seat.

Oh, what's that I hear? Someone in the lunch room? I suppose it's time for lunch.

It's that boy from upstairs - he seems to be microwaving something. While he's doing that, I'd best get out of his way. I only have a sandwich and I wouldn't want to stand in his way while he moves around the lunch room!

Meeting People, Moving On

A few weeks ago I set up a nice evening tea with a female friend. Not a date, but an intimate conversation between two friends. I didn't expect anything to happen, but there was a bit of hope there, of course (please see earlier posts on how I feel about hope). I've been a wreck ever since.

Priorities

It took me a long time to figure out how to deal with people. My biggest fault in this area is wanting people to be a part of my life and then becoming sad that they didn't want to be a part of mine. My solution was to implement a "three strikes rule", which is the only way I've found to sort out where a person's priorities are. This isn't to say that I'm good at following my own rule, but so it goes.

The Corpse isn't the only Stiff

"Oh, fuck," I thought. "Who gets a boner at a funeral?"