TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The mummified middle finger of Galileo’s right hand is on display at a museum in Florence, Italy. I propose that you regard it as your sacred power object in the coming week. May it inspire you to flip the bird at everyone who crosses you. APRIL FOOL! While I do think you should derive inspiration from Galileo’s middle finger, you should do so only at truly important moments. Not to express road rage, for God’s sake; not to express disdain toward loudmouths using cell phones. Please, Taurus, flip a metaphorical bird only to protest the kind of high- level idiocy Galileo had to endure when the Church persecuted him for proving that the Earth revolves around the sun.
Monthly Archives: March 2005
Actually getting studying done during the day.
So, as a break from studying Astronomy, I posted the next segment of the vampire storyline I’ve been working on in
OH! I should finally email the URL of my LJ to my writing prof. Whoops! Heh.
[Carnival] Todd’s great-uncle dies.
It only took them three days to put uncle Ralph in the ground. He had had the last stroke in the morning. They had the viewing the next day, and today they’d put him in the ground. Just like that and everything was done… the man’s life, the man’s dreams, the man’s history, snuffed out, buried, and doled out to the hungry vultures. Seventy-two hours.
Todd put the black rose on the coffin. He backed away, and something inside him, something that he didn’t understand, screamed and clawed and tore out its hair. It couldn’t be over, something of it all had to live on, didn’t it?
Well, didn’t it?
The looks that everyone was giving each other said no, it damn well did not, and what will happen to me when they put me in the ground? Nobody was thinking of Uncle Ralph; they were thinking about being in that box themselves. Well, screw them. Todd knew that he was in a better place. Being here was for losers.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed toward his dad’s Buick gas-guzzler. His mom looked at him and started crying again. Could she get more emotional about this? Not fucking likely. What right did she have, anyway. Uncle Ralph was Dad’s uncle. Todd’s great-uncle, if you cared. His Dad was choked up, but not like Mom. He was still in control. He wouldn’t flip out until he hit the scotch.
Todd sat in the back seat as his mom got in the front. He looked out the window as the car was started. The trees and overcast sky slid by, and Tim just couldn’t think. His head was filled with memories of Uncle Ralph. The smell of pipe smoke, the rustle of old paper, and the music that his beat-up ancient calliope made. Uncle Ralph used to play on that thing all the time. It could remind you of the circus, or give you nightmares, depending on how you played it. Uncle Ralph had known how to play it.
“Todd?” His Dad’s voice was cracked and creepy.
“Yeah, Dad?” He sounded tired, even to himself. His Mom started crying again, but at least she was quiet this time.
“Uncle Ralph left behind a will.” Oh, great. Here it comes. Family bullshit about who gets what. Feuds started by vultures. “He mentioned you in it. Your mother and I can accept things for you, but if you’re up to it, I think old Ralph would have wanted you there.”
That figured. Now he was a vulture. He would have things that others felt they deserved, when all he wanted was to have everything about this just go away. He looked at his dad, who was concentrating on the road for all he was worth. There was the Christmas-eve excitement about gifts, just poking itself into Todd’s brain, making all of this more confusing and painful.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll go.” Another day off from school. What the hell.
I think I have a problem.
I keep telling you guys about these awesome places, without telling you what or where they are.
The laundromat I keep talking about is Point Laundry, and is across Grand River from IHOP in East Lansing.
The coffee shop I brought up today is Gone Wired Cafe, on E. Michigan, in the same block as the Green Door bar.
So there!
So, I’m sitting in the new cybercafe that’s been under renovations since we moved in back in December.
HOLY CRAP IS THIS PLACE COOL!
It’s got the standard wireless, coffee, etc. It’s got local art up on the walls, including graffiti murals (among other murals). The booths upstiars are the booths out of Pulp Fiction. Literally. They went to LA to pick them up. Bought them on Ebay. No shit.
Yeah, it’s got an upstairs. Like a balcony level that looks down over the rest of the coffee shop. They’ve got a few Gateway computers with wireless keyboards and mice that you check out, along with bars and stools for laptoppers. The entire layout is open, airy, and just… sweet. This is definitely a new regular hangout for me.
They’ve even got a kids section, complete with stuffed animals, kids’ books, and national geographics! Woah!
It’s, like, 200 feet from my house. Blissful heaven of the 2000 block of E. Michigan Ave!
Touch my monkey!
I tend to idolize others’ writing. It surprises me when those people compliment my writing, and act toward it like I do toward theirs.
Damn, I love that class.
Horoscope
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): From an astrological perspective, it won’t be a good week to make big decisions based on what you read in newspaper horoscope columns. Similarly, the cosmic rhythms won’t be aligned in your favor if you sit down in the middle of an intersection and beg an angel for a sign about which way you should go. On the other hand, you shouldn’t rely on the advice of practical experts or logical analysts to direct you, either. Their influence would be equally wrong. In my opinion, there’s only one thing you can trust right now: your body. You should formulate specific questions and invite your body to reveal the answers through its feelings and sensations.
How bitterly ironic. My kneecap partially dislocated today. I’m fine, I’ll just have trouble with stairs for the next few days. Clearly, my body is saying to keep up the exercise and get on the diabetic diet or something like it.
Errata
Just a modification to my last post.
If you have the time or the inclination, I’m sure that my Dad (