My Angel My Passage

In 1997, a man named Richard Shermin worked an interesting summer job for a friend of his. His friend, author Justin Laramy, was compiling a book of angel stories, a topic that both men had always had especial interest. Richard, for seven dollars an hour, helped his friend read through and find the most interesting angel stories sent to them.

They used Laramy’s house for this endeavor. Scattered about his living room were piles for ‘interesting’, ‘generic’, ‘boring’, and ‘made-up’. They would take turns reading aloud from the letters they received. One that Shermin picked up had no return address. It simply had the initials RS written in the upper left corner. Written in shaky penmanship, Shermin struggled to read the handwriting of the excited or upset correspondant.

“This is my angel. She is sent to me from above in the form of this statue. I recall the day it happened like yesterday. I have a route through these cities in the Birmingham Alabama area where I check on cemeteries for upkeep.
I was driving my truck past this cemetery one April evening. Well, I thought I saw something and got out to investigate. As it would happen, I saw this statue of an angel in the cemetery and nothing else. I found myself entranced with it. I couldn�t look away.

“I finally found the strength to move on. I got back in the truck and made for the next stop. When I got there the cemetery was in pieces. The town too was ripped apart as if someone had just mowed it down. I found out that a tornado had torn through there not 5 minutes previous. I would have been killed there.”

Enclosed was a picture of the cemetery and the statue. In a sort of shock, his friend noticed Richard drop the packet of both letter and photos. Laramy, concerned for his friend, asked what was wrong. Shermin could say nothing but instead showed the letter to Laramy. There at the bottom, signed in a familiar hand, was the name Richard Shermin.

It was obvious that Richard Shermin had not written this, as he had no angelic experiences, but the handwriting was indeed his. Neither of them could conceive how such a letter was possible. Deciding it was a hoax, Shermin himself disdainfully tossed the letter on top of the ‘made-up’ pile and didn’t give it another thought.

In March of 1998, Richard Shermin’s father died of cancer. Despite being well within retirement age, the old man was still responsible for the care of several cemeteries in north eastern Jefferson County, Alabama. The death, while evident before, came suddenly and Richard decided to continue his father’s work until a replacement could be found and hired. Every week he would drive from cemetery to cemetery checking the status.

On April 8th, a Wednesday, Richard was again on rounds. His mother begged him to wait until Thursday to do it, as she heard there was bad weather coming, but he disregarded her warning, wishing to spend his Thursday evening doing other things.

As his mother predicted, the weather turned stormy, but Richard continued his route. With the radio off, he was not aware that at 7:50 pm, central time, an F5 rated Tornado had crossed over into Jefferson County and was leaving little behind. While checking the water spickets in a Cemetery in Nolanville, he came upon a statue. It held his attention for the longest time. He knew it because he had seen it in that picture last summer.

Not wanting to believe the letter, but unable to look away, Richard stood there for the longest time trying to make sense of it. Finally he wrested himself from the angel’s gaze. It couldn’t be true. Still in doubt, he got into his truck and drove the path to Village Creek Junction. There he was shocked to find the town in shambles and the cemetery a mess. A category F5 tornado had just passed through the town.

Richard drove himself to a working phone, several miles away in Pratt City, and called Justin Laramy. The conversation was short. Laramy had heard of the tornadoes in the area but seemed satisfied that his friend was okay. “I didn’t really call to tell you I was okay, though,” said a slightly shaken Richard Shermin. “I think that maybe you should put that Richard Shermin letter into the interesting pile instead. Let’s just say, I finally believe the person who wrote it.”

There were three tornadoes that have been identified as being produced by one thunderstorm that moved across Central Alabama Wednesday evening. The first tornado affected Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties, the second affected Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties, and the third affected St. Clair County.

That day there were three tornadoes, an F3, an F5, and an F2, that rocked the central Alabama area starting at roughly 7:00 pm and ending entirely at about 9:15 pm. More than 1 000 homes were destroyed, 250 people injured, and 32 lives lost. Thanks to an angel and a letter, one of those lives was not Richard Shermin.

Download it at deviantART.

Just For Kids: West Nile Virus

I found this at the 4-h Extension Office in Madison

by Ann Michelle Daniels, Extension family life, parenting, and child care specialist, Bill Epperson, Extension veterinarian

Summer is coming to an end. You want to go out and play. But you are scared. You have heard about mosquitoes and West Nile Virus. There are mosquitoes around your yard and you don�t want to get bit. End of summer or not, you decide to stay inside.

GUESS WHAT?!!! You can still go outside and play if you follow some simple rules. So go ahead!! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

By understanding the virus, we are able to protect ourselves from it. This information on the West Nile Virus will help you protect yourself.

A pen drawing of a family at a picnic

What is West Nile Virus?
It is a virus that gets to people when they are bitten by infected mosquitoes. Not all mosquitoes are infected. In fact, only a very very small number of mosquitoes are actually infected.

Can the West Nile Virus make my family or me sick?
Remember, only a very; very, small number of mosquitoes are infected with the virus. So just because a mosquito bit you does not mean you will get sick. In fact, even if an infected mosquito bit you, the chances of you getting sick are still very, very small. Healthy kids don�t get the virus very often. But if they do get sick, they don�t usually get very sick.

How will I know if I�m sick?
It would feel a lot like the flu. There would be fever, headaches, muscle aches, tiredness, and joint pain, and perhaps a rash.

Does this mean that everyone who feels bad or has the symptoms has the West Nile Virus? NO!!

Most people don�t get sick at all. Remember, the chances are very; very small. But if you are feeling bad, it is always important to tell your parents or an adult.

What is West Nile Encephalitis?
Encephalitis (it sounds like in-sef-fah-lite-us) is a big word for swelling of the brain, and the West Nile Virus can cause it. Remember, healthy kids usually don�t get very sick. Encephalitis usually affects people who are old�over 50 years old�or who have been unhealthy in the past.

Can I get West Nile Virus from animals or other people?
No. But remember, it is still important not to play with strange animals or touch dead animals.

How can I keep my family and myself safe?
Start by learning a little about mosquitoes. Did you know that mosquitoes are more active in the early morning and right before the sun goes down? They like being around water. They really like water that is not moving.

For example, if you have an old wagon outside that is full of water, a mosquito might come along and lay her eggs in it. Older mosquitoes like to live in tall grass or weeds.

Other ways to keep safe are:
� Finish playing outside before it begins to get dark. This is when most mosquitoes are out.
� Wear long sleeve shirts and pants when playing outside. (Make sure you don�t get too hot. Drink lots of water).
� Don�t play near tall grasses or standing water.
� Make sure your toys are not holding water. For Example: Dump the water out of the old wagon and make sure the plastic swimming pool is empty when nobody is using it.
� Have your parents spray your clothes with insect repellent. (Ask them to use repellent that has DEET in it.) They can contact the Extension office if they need more information.
� Don�t use too much of the insect repellent. ALWAYS follow the directions on the insect repellent.
� Tell your parents or an adult when you have a mosquito bite.

A pen drawing of a family at a picnic

Remember, the rest of the summer can still be fun and safe. You just have to follow some simple rules to protect yourself. Always talk to an adult or your parents if you are worried about something or if you have questions about your health. The more information you have, the safer you can be.

(Parents: This material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical care. Direct specific questions to your medical provider.)

[ making the best better ]/[ humour ]

Guest Post (Having dorm Internet disappointments?)

by Bryce Rausch, my brother, who writes for the SMSU (formerly SSU) Spur. The link to his story is here.

Southwest Minnesota State University is a wonderful college. Thousands of people travel from all over the world to attend this university. Our college wins awards for its academics year after year thanks to wonderful facilities, resources and teachers. So why is it that at such a high class, technologically advanced, award winning college our internet access is so unreliable in the dorms? That doesn’t make any sense to me.

Chatting over MSN or AIM has become as frustrating as getting stuck behind an old lady in a no passing zone doing 40 in a 65 mph zone. It just makes you punch your monitor and then continue on with what you were doing.

Well I took it a little bit further, and I stress the “Little Bit.” I went to computer services. Computer services can be a little intimidating to the common folk. This place has more computers lying around than California has governor candidates. It made me quite nervous. I spoke to Shawn Headman about the disappointing internet connection in SMSU’s residence halls. He calmed me down and explained that the resident halls are using a cable modem which is five years old. That’s right – when we got this modem Mark McGuire hit seventy home runs in one season. Now he hits seventy miles per hour on his way to bingo. McGuire is retired now, and everyone agrees it’s time this modem is sent to the bench, too.

You may be wondering, “Hey Bryce, sure it’s five years old, but it should still be capable of going a little faster, right?” Well, you are right, it should. So why the slowness? The evil blaster worm, illegal file swapping applications and the amount of computers on campus are all to blame. Back when our modem was new, Napster had not even been created yet and if you had a computer at college you were a huge nerd.

So what are the techies in charge doing about our internet problem? They are tweaking it every few weeks and praying that our new modem is coming soon. Everyone thought the modem would be here before classes started. Now it is all up to leases and lawyers. Talk about fun.

So please, do not burn down computer services and do not leave SMSU because of the slow and unreliable internet. Blame the lawyers. They’re not here to defend themselves.

[ guest post ]/[ humour ]/[ mark mcguire ]

Guest Post (Want better food? go to SDSU)

by Bryce Rausch, my brother, who writes for the SMSU (formerly SSU) Spur. The link to his story is here.

I am a new student to Southwest Minnesota State University, but, being a transfer student from South Dakota State University, I am not new to cafeteria-style food.

At SDSU the cafeteria was similar to the way I am sure heaven is designed. There were six different restaurants to choose from: Chinese food, grilled food, homemade foods, Mexican food, a java city and an ice cream parlor. Needless to say, I didn’t transfer for the food. I know it doesn’t matter what college you go to, the food is going to make you think, “Is this edible?”, but it really isn’t good here at SMSU. When I transferred here, I heard repeated warnings to watch out for the food by people I knew going in. I took their warnings too lightly.

First off, the lunch room is so small that it feels like a replica. Doll houses have more room than this. Have you ever eaten around noon? It gets packed tighter than a college student’s budget. So you have to wait and wait and what is your reward for waiting? Ribs burned to a crisp, hard mayonnaise for your sandwich and wilted lettuce. Can life get better? Well, only if you go to State Street Cafe. Please take that sentence with a school lunch helping of sarcasm.

They messed up my order. Last week I thought I ordered a pizza – but I must have said “pie crust soaked with grease” instead. I did not even see that on the menu; I must have been the lucky customer. I am not saying it’s the cook’s fault, I just get the feeling that all the students here are the proverbial red-headed stepchildren and SMSU is our parent. We don’t get all the care and love we deserve.

There is hope for the younger students here at SMSU – the new Student Center. After the old one was burned down they quit letting people go there and eat, who knows why? But rumor has it that the next Student Center will have two stories of Student Center goodness and almost one entire floor is to be dedicated to food. Things are looking up, but dinner isn’t going to taste any better thinking about the future. If it weren’t for the smiles and ice cream bars, great pizza and cereal I’d eat there less than everyday.

I’m a sucker for a pretty smile.

[ guest post ]/[ humour ]/[ consumption ]

Trigo – NO – IT’S – A – LIE – ! – metry

Hitchcock was a genius. To really understand this, though, you have to put him in context. Like anything, put into context, it makes more sense. Al was, among other things, a brilliant cinematic innovator. He was always testing his audience.

One of his best works was a movie called “Psycho.” Everyone knows this film. It has bound itself in pop culture for decades. I once saw a screening of “Psycho” where they talked to other prominent directors and writers and actors about their experiences with “Psycho.”

What I learned is that Vera Miles, who played Lila Crane, was a small actress. Janet Leigh, who played Marion Crane, was a big star. She was a name to be sure. The film, in fact, opens with her. We follow her as she steals money from her boss and drives off. We feel the panick as she narrowly escapes a couple police offices on her way.

Finally she stops at the Bates Motel run by a very well acted Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins. After getting her room and setting up her stuff, she decides to take a shower and wash away her inequity. Big mistake! Norman Bates slashes her in the shower. BAM. The biggest name in the picture is done. She’s out. No more Janet Leigh – she’s dead and not even flashbacks can bring her off screen.

One man said that, after seeing this movie, he felt raped. This blatant disregard for audience expectations had left a lot of people angry and hurt and confused. I never really had a movie that did that me. I’ve never felt raped, until now.

Math Modeling is a nice class. So far there is no homework, no book, and so far very little life-jarring new ideas. That is until yesterday. I was sitting in class, on time for once, thinking about how cool Fibonacci Numbers are. Dr Palmer came in, solemn faced and quiet.

“Remember last week that we were talking about Imaginary Numbers. You remember these from High School. They were written in the form (3 + 4i). i = square root of one, remember?”

We nodded in blind, innocent agreement.

“Remember when you had trigonometry. We had these things like cosine and sine and tangent. You punch a magical number on your calculator and got an answer?”

We nodded, less sure of the innocence of what we knew.

“Well, it’s all a lie. Trigonometry IS the Imaginary Numbers. Trigonometry was just a pretty face used to teach Imaginary Numbers to High School kids.”

What? Murmurs over took the class. We turned, furrowed brow, to our neighbor and discussed this. No trigonometry? There is no trig?

“But that’s not all. There are no Imaginary Numbers. That one should have been easy. How can a number be imaginary? It’s a number or it isn’t. Imaginary Numbers are just a pretty face put on Complex Numbers.”

What?? Not only is there no Trig, but there are no Imaginary Numbers! We’ve been lied to TWICE by the math community. Everyone who teaches this stuff must know this, right? There isn’t a chance that they save it for professors, is there?

How often did your math teacher have to keep a straight face when saying “cosine”? How often did your math teacher have to stifle giggles at the thought of teaching “trig”? Get paid to teach nothing. Sounds like a deal to me.

“There’s one more thing. Complex Numbers are made up. They are actually a pretty face put on points on a complex plain. They are just coordinates, dressed up in formals, to dance in front of you and mock you. Forever.”

Things are looking glum. There is outrage in the class. Justin Luitjens walked out in tears, screaming curses through his clenched jaw. Two or three students had to be revived for class to continue on. Dr Palmer, himself, looked a bit upset. It might be that his conscience was getting to him after all these years.

Just like the moment when a mother tells her son that he is adopted (and I can’t wait for that day), so was this moment. The sweet and sour truth was out there, on the board. There were feelings of betrayal and angst. No one looked Dr Palmer in the eye when we left.

Learning is a dangerous thing. It stung that guy at the beginning of this post, it stung the adopted son, and it stung me. They say, “The truth will set you free.” It’s hard to believe in that statement anymore. This all proves that there is never a good time for news like this.

Especially not junior year in college.

[ math ]/[ lies ]

Fat Kid Clothes

We’ve all done things that we are ashamed of. Most of these things happened in our past (I will let you think about that one). There are some things, though, that no matter how young you are, they are simply not acceptable.

Since I dont know all that much about a majority of peoples childhoods, I will have to do my own. This may be a long post, since I have done a lot of dumb things, ESPECIALLY as a kid.

I was born in the 80s. This isnt something to be overly proud of (case in point : Flock of Seagulls haircut) but it is something that we need to deal with. Starting now.

First issue : fat kid, little clothing

… you know what? I don’t know where I’m going with this. I apologize to those who read for my lack of content. This was due largely to not having anything funny to say and being to busy to pretend that I do. This was actually a post I started a long long time ago, but never finished.

Now that I look at it, I had no idea where I was going with this. I think I was going to highlight dumb things I’ve done. Perhaps it was a thinly veiled insult in search of sympathy, but if it was, I’ve given up on that sort of cheap self-esteem tetanus shot. Instead I will post my schedule. Because it’s different.

MT Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
0900
1000 Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish
1100 U. Physics II Programming Languages U. Physics II Programming Languages U. Physics II
1200 Programming Languages Programming Languages
100 Math Modeling Math Modeling Math Modeling
200 Numerical Analysis I Tutor Library Numerical Analysis I Physics Lab Numerical Analysis I
300 Tutor 021 Tutor Library Tutor 021 Physics Lab Tutor 021
400 Tutor 021 (4:30) Tutor 021 (4:30) Physics Lab Tutor 021 (4:30) / Tutor Library
500 Tutor Library Band Band
600 Student Senate
700 Rehearsal Rehearsal Rehearsal Drama Club / Rehearsal Rehearsal

In the code this table looks double spaced. Why? Because I love whitespace. Did you ever wonder what the “B” in Susan B. Anthony stood for? It stands for Bitchin’. Thank you Brendon Small. Thank you.

[ schedule ]/[ nonesense ]

A Comment on “God for Fun and Profit”

Woah. Ok. I now have some pretty heated comments on that last post, and I reckon a fight will start if I don’t say something.

The previous post was meant, in part, to be satire. Many people do not make a distinction between what is good to pray about and what is not good to pray about. When it comes to organized religion there are so many confusions from one person to another. Sometimes these confusions can create an all new religion. Sometimes they just make people fall for the tricks of those people who are in “religious power”.

I think it’s ridiculous some of the things that we are asked to pray for. A building project, a quilt project, a fundraiser. What? Pray for money, is what this says. If you pray to God then you will get money. Isn’t religion beyond money? You do need money to run a church, but you can have the same mass in an air conditioned, three story Church/Gym/Swimming Pool as you can under a tent, in the chilled wind, next to a lake.

Where is line drawn between necessity to spread the good word and greed for more space and more things? Who is it that draws that line? There are some prayers out there that are nothing short of propaganda, and that is a very dangerous line to cross. It’s the same sort of thing that made an entire nation back a Jew hater.

In a perfect world, only the most wise, sympathetic, pure of heart would be priests/pastors, bishops, cardinals, and popes. In a perfect world, the average believer would be able to speak intelligibly on their beliefs. There wouldn’t be confusion and dissention. Zelotism based on ignorance causes abortion center bombings and wars. It causes more confusion, more pain, and brings everyone further from the Truth.

Much to the contrary of what my parents may believe, this isn’t a bash against Catholicism. You guys take what I say too literally. At the bottom of the post it says “satire”, which is where you write something that sounds serious, but you mean it in a humourous manner which is meant to show the absurdity of the thing that you are, indeed, satirizing. I think organized prayer is a beautiful way for a body of people to talk to God. Too often, however, people don’t read what they are saying.

Prayer is a tool of worship, but it is a tool that is too often misused. That is all I was saying. As for ols’ comment, well, I have no control over him.

[ explain ]

God for Fun and Profit

[ satire ]/[ humour ]/[ religion ]/[ God ]

It has happened for ages. As long as there has been man, there has been God. As long as there has been God, there has been a long line of prophets and devoted who have used the name of God to affect change.

Moses, in the name of God, parted an entire sea. Joseph, in the name of God, ruled Egypt. Jesus, in the name of … himself, performed countless miracles none of which really stick out, just that there were tons of them, including the original “Fast for 40 odd days”, which was way more cool than David Blaine and his glass box.

The problem with using God’s name to do things is that it can get over the top. How many people have been taken in by Televangelists and Cultists who use such a powerful tool over us. Well, not me, but some of you are gullible.

The latest iteration of this fashion comes in the form of simple prayers. Anyone can write a prayer, but God doesn’t listen unless a priest or pastor writes it. A prayer by the pope is a surefire line straight to God himself. The people, however, don’t know this. Most “devoted” are completly unaware of the rating system that our Holy Father has put into place.

Because of this, most people end up saying tons of useless prayers. Little kids themselves are often tricked into “making one up”, under the guise that it is just like talking to a friend. God is not your friend; he is your ruler. Who’s your daddy? God’s your daddy.

I happened upon this prayer on the internet. It’s a prayer for a building project. This is an all too familiar trend in faux prayers. It is believed that if you want something bad enough, that a prayer will get it for you.

Prayer: Let us unite our hearts in faithful prayer. Prayer touches God’s hands and accomplishes great things for God. This is the first step for our building project.So far 103 brothers and sisters have pledged to join together in prayer. Continue to pray that the remaining brothers and sisters can overcome all difficulties and join us to pray for the church building project.Architects: Pray for the architects that we will select. Pray that we will enjoy a cooperative and helpful relationship throughout the designing and building phases.

Financial: Pray for the negotiation with the bank currently underway. The Bank is reviewing our financial status and the ability of our giving.

Building Committee Members: May God grant each member great wisdom to make the right decision for the church.

Design Fees: Pray that we can achieve the $300,000 needed this year for the architectural design.

Offering: May God grant us the willing heart and enable us to give joyfully to God for this project.

WHAT?? Yeah, like God’s gonna hear that. Pray all you want, guys, but deaf ears are those that God has… for this. They appear to have used the “divide and conquer” approach to bullying God. I’m sorry kids, but this prayer will never work.

If you’re gonna pray, do it right. Recall to his memory all the horrible things he did, Old Test, and use the guilt trip. Or talk about his son. “Would Jesus, oh Lord, have allowed us to perish so?” He hates it when you bring JC into it. Or, better yet, take the Catholic way out. Talk to Mary instead! Who has more say on God than his own mother?

Follow these tips and your prayers are sure to be answered. Write another “building project” prayer and prepare to feel my wrath. Seriously, I hate those things. And so does God.

[ satire ]/[ humour ]/[ religion ]/[ God ]

drawn tight

drawn tight she lifted her bag and slung it over her shoulder. she looked around the terminal. this was hot it was every business trip every day. there seemed to be an answer. it was a nice bag. she loved it. he had given it to her, but she didn’t love it for that reason. it was the colors. they didn’t scream at her.

too many people too many places and all nonsense. walk with attitude and you will not get in any trouble ? the terminal was crowded with everything. bright as it was, sometimes her love wasn’t enough. it wasn’t anything. it was crazy, stupid, and gone in this terrible rush of things – with book, cd player, and other stuff.

she summed everything up in sighs now. like it was too much effort to talk out loud, she guessed. in her bag was her poem. in her poem was her love. it was too bad that he would never read it. it was, her life, bittersweet. if not exactly, then at least a suggestion to hold onto.

wasn’t this where they met ?

Download it at deviantART.

Drinking Games (for people who don’t drink)

Well, college has begun again. With the onslaught of books and knowledge comes the onslaught of vomit and alcohol. It’s monsoon season. You can pick out what houses have parties going and which houses are actual people (not college students).

What if you don’t drink? A party is little fun if you are the only one sober and standing upright. What hope is there for people in AA? The drunks have their hand stands, their beer bongs, their lemon slices, their kegs, their tubes, their funnels, and their games.

Drinking games are a mystery among partygoers. Who came up with the first drinking game? Was it a person who was, indeed, drinking? Or did his sober friend, who wanted to mess him up quicker, come up with the idea, rules, and penalties? It is hard to believe the complexity of some of these games. Sober people couldn’t get this stuff right.

I have decided to cater to the minority. Are you a non-drinker but find yourself at parties anyway? Are you constantly pressured into playing their evil Satanic games? Then suggest your own drinking game.

How about a TV Show game? Try out “Gilligan’s Island.”

  • Get your friends
  • Get some alcohol (like beer or hooch)
  • Turn the TV to ‘Gilligan’s Island’ (usually on Nick At Night)
  • Drink whenever they get off the island!

Holy crap! I’m drunk just thinking about that game!

How about a musical version? Try the “Good Music, Bad Liver” game.

  • Get your friends
  • Get some alcohol (like whisky or vodka)
  • Turn on the radio to the hottest pop station you can handle
  • Drink whenever they play a good song!

That game was music to my ears!

Do you like to spell? Try “Alpha-better-get-out-of-the-way-I’m-gonna-hurl”.

  • Get your friends (why haven’t you done this yet?)
  • Get some alcohol (like brandy or gin)
  • Get out a listing of the Alphabet

Um… that game needs work, yet.

Are you afraid about what your stuffy, old Roman-born religion has to say about what you do in your own home? Try “Massed Up” next Sunday.

  • Get your friends and their parents
  • You don’t even need your own alcohol
  • Get up to the front of church
  • Drink whenever the priest or Eucharistic minister says ‘Blood of Christ’!

Mmmm. Our Savior never tasted so refreshing. Get back in line for more!

There is even a drinking game for specific people!

  • Get your rowdy friends on a Thursday night
  • Get your alcohol (anything you care to swallow)
  • Sit around Zimmermann hall
  • Drink whenever you are Brian Rand!
  • Optional: Destroy property!

Oh, boy. What fun! Now you can enjoy those parties just like a real lush. And if these don’t work, just leave. Then come back with the cops. You’ll never have to worry about those friends again.

[ drinking ]/[ humour ]

Knowledge is Power

Word of the Day for Monday September 8, 2003

defenestrate \dee-FEN-uh-strayt\, transitive verb:

Highlight for the answer –> To throw out of a window.

A Calvin and Hobbes comic strip where Calvin discovers that calling his mother dysfunctional can get him sent to bed right quick.

[ because ]/[ i ]/[ can ]

Don’t Get On The Plane

There is an angry lady who lives on the way back from China Moon. She seems to have the quintessential “attitude problem”, if you can’t my meaning. She seems to automatically hate people who walk on her sidewalk, with little reason.

My first run in with this wonderful harbinger of ill will was on the way to China Moon. I was with my brother, Bryce, Tony Rolfes, Heather, Chris, and the three girls. The old lady’s house is next to a crick of the saddest execution. Lining her side of the guard rail is a rock bed and a few flowers. Bryce, Brigid, and I had stopped to watch the sad little stream. The lady thought that Brigid was standing on one of her flowers and began to yell at the three year old child. So, I pulled Brigid up onto the sidewalk and apologized.

The lady kept yelling. She started to say, “If her parents had taught her any manners…” Then Heather starts yelling, and Chris starts yelling. Brigid gets upset and asks me to hold her. The lady, faced with a sudden onslaught of parental instinct, retracted her statement. She now claimed that she had been yelling at Bryce.

Heather yelled something at the lady. The lady yelled back, “Why don’t you come here and say that?” My heart dropped. That’s the last thing you say to Heather. Luckily no blood was shed and no further angry words were spilt. We walked to Chinese and walked back another route.

Well, you might think what I did. I thought, “Maybe she was having a bad day and maybe the flowers are all she has because she’s barren and angry at God.” I had no way to validate this belief, though, until Brenna, my cousin, came to Madison.

We had gone to China Moon sans accident. As we were leaving, Brenna grabbed me a cookie. It had coconut in it. Thanks, but no thanks, I don’t like coconut. So, when we reached aforementioned crick, I tossed the cookie. The antagonizing old lady happened to be sitting watch for said aquatic mediocrity.

She began to yell at me for tossing trash into it. It was just a cookie. Cookies dissolve, if correctly baked. Brenna came to my rescue and began to verbally spar with her. The best about this was that we just kept walking the whole time. We didn’t stop and confront her. She was just an obstacle on the way. I didn’t say a word to her, being confused by her constant hateful behavior and her apparent inability to be amiable.

It was from that day on that I’ve walked by that house every chance I get. Why, you ask? I want to confront this lady. I want to shatter her and see her core. I want to know why she’s always player hating. I have long had time to fantasize about such a meeting of minds. I would imagine it to go something like this.

I (AN) would be walking back from China Moon, probably alone, and said Mistress of Miff (MM) would be out of doors.

MM: You college students. Drunks and amorals! All of you!

AN: (just stares at her through sunglasses)

MM: Get away from my house! I don’t want to have to call the cops.

AN: (removes sunglasses) Your flowers are all dying, Madam, for flowers require love which you seem to have not.

MM: What?

AN: Need I repeat my biddings?

MM: (taken aback) You are drunk, aren’t you?

AN: Nay, Madam. Presently neither drink nor smoke am I affected by.

MM: Well… only a drunk would say that. Get off my sidewalk.

AN: Thou has words red in anger. Pray tell, why for such a predisposition?

MM: That is none of your business. And quit talking like that!

AN: Speaking such belies a mistrust of such babble. Or is it an unfamiliarity of language?

MM: Are you calling me stupid?

AN: Nay! Said I the words ‘stupid’ or ‘idiot’ or ‘imbecile’? Thou must be an author to put such words in myne mouth.

MM: Look, I’m barren and that’s why I’m bitter because I’m angry at God.

AN: That’s what I thought. Good day and get happy or get lost.

And it would be that easy! Maybe her dialogue was a little contrived at times. And maybe I wouldn’t exactly talk like that, but it remains the same that I would rule her.

It appears, however, I won’t be able to walk that way with lucid dreams of such confrontation. Jeff said that it appears that she’s leaving. Indeed, on my way back from China Moon today, alone, I saw a large assortment of trash bags and boxes on the curb. Could this be the end of her reign of terror? One can hope. I hope she leaves her flowers.

[ humour ]/[ chinese ]

Harry Potter and the Lame Pun on the Book Titles

I’m not afraid to say that I’m a Potter Fan. I’m a Bolt Head. I’m a muggle, but my loves goes to Harry. I remember my first Harry experience. My cousin, Molly, was head over heels for the little magic maker, and she insisted that I read his books.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to be seen reading a Harry Potter book around High School, so I compromised. I bought the audio tape and listened to it in my Walkman (yes, I do own one of those) and pretended to be rocking out to Billy Joel instead.

“Some lovers just a hide up their hearts…”

I, too, fell head over heels. Since then I’ve read every book instead of listen to. I feel a bit sheepish at the compromise I’d made now. That is why my latest news is so exciting.

I happen to have an advance copy of Chapter One of the newest Harry Potter book. This is hot and new. Still in development, even this chapter is more of an idea of what the final is going to be. It’s terribly small and there is, as yet, no title for the book decided on.

I feel it is my duty to share this manuscript with my loyal readers. I hope you enjoy this somewhat edited version that I have typed out here for your perusal. Enjoy.

Harry Potter Book 6

By J.K. Rowling

It was dark. It’s always dark. There was Mr. Dursely, Harry’s uncle, prattling on and on downstairs. Harry didn’t care anymore. Harry wasn’t there for anyone. Harry existed on the brink of everything these f@#$ing people understood. Bloody squatters.

“Harry. Come down here please,” croaked Mr. Dursely.

“I think I’ll stay where I am, thank you.” Harry was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had placed there a poster of the latest pop star in the Magic realm. Her name was Britney Spells. The Dursleys had not much liked the poster, for how racy an image it was, but they didn’t protest much when Harry pulled a knife on them.

Harry rolled to his side. There didn’t seem to be much point in staying here or in going back to Hogwarts. There didn’t seem much point in anything anymore. The Dursleys let him get his regular owl mail, but he didn’t bother responding to most of the mail he got. It seemed that everyone else was getting on rather fine. Why did they need him?

All he seemed to do was bring darkness. Lord Voldermort had simply followed him step by step. All his time and energy was put into stopping Voldermort one more time. Just one more time, Harry, they said. Just one more time.

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t. This was too much f@#$ing pressure. They didn’t understand the s#$% he saw in his dreams. They didn’t understand that he had nightmares so terrible that he woke up sweating blood. He couldn’t tell them, either, because they would only feel sorry for him.

He didn’t want that. God, he didn’t want that.

Harry got up soundlessly and walked into the bathroom. He closed the door as quietly as he could and stared at himself in the mirror. This was it, he thought. This was an end to a horrible thing, he told himself.

He ran the faucet and let the cold water wash over his wrists. God. He hadn’t seen his eyes for a long long time. They looked worn and old. He looked dead, for Ch#$%’s sake. It was fitting enough, to look dead.

“This will be the greatest thing I’ve ever done,” was the last thing he said.

Boy was that funny or what?! That J.K. Rowling gets me every time! I can’t wait until the book is completed. That having been said, I can’t hold onto this forever. It’ll be a short time and I’ll be selling this on eBay so I can buy crack. But remember, I gave it to you guys for free.

[ harry potter ]/[ humour ]