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Of White Whales and Dark Energies
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Link of the day
- Hits: 1866
Science and history made fascinating. A short but excellent read on the history and discoveries that led up to the current theories of Dark Matter.
Dylan Thuras should write textbooks.
Link: www.htmltimes.com
You've let yourself go....
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2374
It's easy when you work from home. You don't need to dress up for work, and so you don't, you stay in all day, in PJ's or sweats sipping coffee.
It's a good life, there's no office politics, no commute you reflect as you sip your fourth cup of coffee for the day and wonder if it's still too early for a nap. You stop shaving, first every other day, then only whenever you remember, your new "time management" strategy, time saved shaving is time that can be used on projects. And bathing isn't so important, when you don't see people every day, and so you save time and money by not running the hot water.
The beard and hair grow longer, but you're not too concerned, you can get it cut the next time you're downtown.
And you love this working from home, no laundry for the dry cleaners, your schedule's your own, until one day you have to run downtown and you notice the homeless are guarding their shopping carts from you, are they afraid you might steal their bottles? And somebody you don't know offers to buy you a coffee, finally you run into an ex co-worker who stops you to chat, she's concerned, and you see yourself in the reflection of a window behind her, the uncomfortable realization growing, a painful flash of self consciousness....
You've let yourself go.
2 Cars. I'll take the bus.....
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2256
I have 2 cars. The first, an blue 80's Chrysler Daytona. A friend gave it to me about 4 years ago, it's been a good car, I've put around 80, 000 Km on it with a minimum of maintenance, 2 alternators, a tune up, runs great. But the doors have stopped opening, or to be more precise, closing, when you open them they fall down off the hinges, and so we keep them closed and hop in through the windows. Apparently this is a common thing for this car. "It's Cool" I tell the kids, but I don't think they believe me. What parent is an authority on "cool"? And the electric's are a bit funny, and so the windows don't always close when you're inside and the speedometer doesn't always work, but these are small things, it's a good car, it runs great. A couple of months ago, though, it got a flat, and so I parked it in the driveway, it's been filling with snow and leaves ever since.
TO fill in the gap a friend gave me her old car, a black 90's Volkswagon Jetta, she had just bought a new car, "this car", she warns me, "could die at any moment", and so forwarned gives me the keys. And I've been driving instead, flagrantly disloyal to the blue car, the children liking the novelty of getting in through the doors, the boy had been getting self-conscious of jumping in through the windows of the old car when I picked him up from school (he wasn't buying my arguments about how this was "Character building", he saw it as proof instead of my lack of worldly success). And he's sort of proud that I've got this new car, this Volksagon, his mom has one too, so I must be coming along in the world.
At first the black car sort of runs OK, but not really, it over-revs, my door and the windows stop working as soon as I take possession, the engine smokes as if it's on fire whenever I stop for a red light or get stuck in traffic. But it's better than nothing. Soon, however, the cars fate is sealed, the transmission dies, there is no prospect of affording another, it's beyond repair, time for me to call the Kidney foundation, or that number I found tucked under the windscreen - 'Cars Towed by Vince'...."how could they tell?" I wonder.....
I'm pissed off. I've just filled it with gas, with antifreeze, I checked the transmission fluid, but it's always the way.
I have 2 cars, but I'll be taking the bus.
The Pimplemaker
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Dreams
- Hits: 2054
It's night and I'm in front of one of those imaginary family restaurants in an imaginary high street somewhere in North Edmonton. I miss this area, the windows into the restaurant are plastered with theatre posters, coming carnivals and events, there's an ice cream poster on the door - "The Pimple Maker" - it's a big single scoop of Ice Cream with a large hunk of chocolate on top, the chocolate has been broken open to reveal a sweet candy mass dripping out onto the ice cream.
Then I'm talking to Milan, apologizing for never visiting him, I'm trapped in suburbia - "So far into South Edmonton" I complain "That I might as well be living in Calgary....."
The dream changes. I'm in a long hallway, generic, patterned carpet, lighting like they have in hotels. I've done well, gambling, made a few million, and as I'm leaving the casino a big black guy, casino goon, comes to stop me. He reaches for his gun but I've got the drop on him, I've taken the precaution of arranging for a third arm, a magicians dummy hand and sleeve, to hang down on my right side with it's hand stuffed with paper, thousand dollar notes on the inside and outside to make it look like money. My free hand is inside my jacket, I reach up and aim a large semi-automatic at the thug, he continues to go for his piece and so I shoot him. I keep walking out of the casino, I see another guy who owes me money, he's coming for me as well, I twist his arm and force him to his knees, gun at his temple, "Do it" he's telling me, I don't want to, he owes me money, 30 something, bland face with clear blue eyes looking back at me "Do it!", pushing his head against the muzzle of the gun....
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