It’s all fun and games unless you have to catch a chipmunk in the morning and then you have to catch another at bedtime. That makes two in one day.

#photos #chipmunks

Audio (MP3): 20180612 - At 4:54 am this morning I was wide awake

Video (MP4): 20180612 - At 4:54 am this morning I was wide awake

At 4:54 am this morning I was wide awake.

I woke up from one of those dreams that wake me because the story turned sour.

The scene was an industrial area early in the morning. The sky was gray, the air foggy and misty. I was shuffling along to meet back up with a group of friends that were having a get-together of some kind.

A car pulled up and an early 20-something boy got out. And then his girlfriend, too. A homeless wanna-be monarch and his queen. Not blatantly hostile but an obvious menace.

As the two walked toward me a two more 20-somethings appeared. And then all four drew closer like wary insects knowing they’re almost to feed.

With a dismal future planned I looked at the grubby crown and said, “do you want the cash in my wallet?” And he nodded.

The dream fast-forwarded as they often do and I was on the ground looking up at the scattered gray sky. The three cockroach minions held my arms and legs while the soiled monarch was lying flat on his stomach beside me. Going through my wallet, flipping business cards and whatever aside.

Then he held up my car keys as the primary prize. He started taking the keys off, unringing them one by one. He motioned that I could keep my truck key and then scooped the others in a pile on my chest, like he was going to keep them.

Pinned on my back I said to him with irritation, “now you’re just fucking me.”

And then I woke up. Because I was done with all of that.

#dreams #alliislost #diariespodcast #diariesvideo

I wish I had a job that I could just settle in to. It wouldn’t even have to be the greatest job. Just one I felt good about doing. Like this is what I’m gonna do the rest my life and I’m okay with that.

On my way to work I drive by a tire shop every morning. I see the guys inside, drinking coffee, rolling their tires, and I’m somewhat jealous. Seems to me to be pretty carefree.

I don’t know, maybe I’m romanticizing the guys and their wrenches but they never seem too stressed in the morning.

Jimi told me once that if you can stand going to your job you’re doing better than most.

Once you tune in to “this sucks”, you’ll be miserable evermore doing that.

#worknews

Audio (MP3): 20180611 - A frantic game of animal tag

On this morning, the 11th of June I was greeted with a squeaky chipmunk in the basement just as I sat down with my first cup of coffee. It filled my heart with joy as the two H-Ks (hunter killers) and a lone chipmunk played a frantic game of animal tag.

A frenzied game of hide and seek if you will. Where if you lose needly claws hooked to hair trigger tendons pulled by honed muscles will rip into your hide and not too often let go. You’ll be lucky and kiss your mother if you narrowly escape with only a minor puncture wound.

Ah yes, the screams of blood filled, animal murder first thing in the morning.

And then as I’m putting the basement things back in order after I’ve caught and released the chipmunk, I hear Pearl in her litter box taking a shit. All the excitement and exercise must’ve got her bowels working.

💩 #cats #chipmunks #diariespodcast

Peeps, it might be gray outside but it’s also purple if you look in the right places. And bump up your photo’s saturation! 😉

#photos #flowers

Sara and I saw this organ at Ghoulish Mortals in St. Charles. I would happily trade my organ in for this guy, dust and all.

More on the Vox Celeste setting →

#photos #organs

I would like to work for the UPRR Signal Department just so I could manage the padlocks.

#photos #locks

I didn’t take nearly as many photos as I did for the Tater-tot Mixer but we still had 20+ people. Thanks to everybody for coming and the cards and the gifts!

And we only ate about a gallon of chili. Still not sure what to do with the other four gallons. 🤔

💝 #photos #xlvi

Don’t worry cats. I don’t have enough to do so I’ll go ahead and clean up your fucking puke.

#cats #xlvi

Hope you like the chili, peeps. The recipe came from an old hermit crab name of Chester Legume. He lived in the foothills of Arizona and was known to bite the tail off a rattlesnake if it so much as looked at him cross-eyed.

This is a 5 gallon pot so come hungry. 🍽

#photos #chili #xlvi