Saturday, January 31, 2009
blood in the wire
I had a dream last night that I was an investigator called in to a crime scene because a little boy had been murdered. I got to the crime scene, which was the little boy's house, at night, and everything was really dark. I was carrying a flashlight.
I walked up to the front door and it was opened. I decided I should go inside thinking that maybe everyone else who was at the crime scene would be in the house. It was a white two story house, built in the 1950's.
I started to walk into the door and shone my flashlight behind the door because when I pushed on the door it didn't move. On the other side of the door, at the height of the door knob, was the blond hair of a little boy. I realized he was, I thought, standing with his back to the door. Then I shone the flashlight on his face. His eyes were gone, and where they were supposed to be were two wet maroon holes. They looked like the inside of a nectarine after you pull the pit out. His entire face was criss crossed with black electrical tape in a diamond pattern, like he had his face against a black chain link fence. Then I realized that the little boy was my brother Bob, and that he was taped to the door with the electrical tape.
I stepped back against the door frame in shock, which is when I noticed a key sticking out of the dead bolt on the inside of the door right next to Bob's face. I reached for the key, and right as I pulled it out a man wearing this huge black cape, who had been standing next to Bob but that I hadn't seen in the dark, grabbed both my wrists. He was huge, maybe twice my size. He didn't have a real face, just a flat sheet of skin that had eyes and a mouth crookedly painted on it. He grabbed his cape and wrapped it around me and then I was falling into a hole that was inside his cape. When I put out my hands to grab the sides I realized the hole was my brother's eye socket.
Then I woke up. And decided to not go back to sleep even though it was only 530 in the morning.
Friday, January 30, 2009
the penis eating fish and other egyptian oddities
The first story was about how this fish (they said the name but I can't find the spelling on the internet) ate the penis of the god Osiris, so it was taboo to serve for dinner. No one ever said how or why that fish ate his penis, or if he got the penis back. Osiris was the god of the underworld, and got to decide who became alive again and who got killed again.
You could get killed again after you died because you had to go to this place called the hall of 2 truths. In there you were grilled by a bunch of gods about your life. That is what the book of the dead is used for. Apparently the book of the dead was buried with Pharaohs and it was the right answers to all the questions that the gods would ask you, and the historian who was talking about the book said the papyrus the book was printed on would literally have little notes "fill in name here" for the dead person to fill in their own name. Like one of those climbing forms you have to sign at the gym. Inside the book was the proper answer to questions such as "I did not eat feces. I did not have sex with an animal." Etc.
After you got grilled your heart was weighed. If it was light as a feather you got to go be alive again because light hearts were considered free of sin. If your heart tipped the scale, meaning it was heavy with sin, a god got to eat it and you couldn't go be alive again. They didn't say on the show where you went after which ever god finished eating your heart. Some place bad. Cairo maybe.
The egyptians were very litigious and used to sue each other all the time. Justice was represented by a feather, known as the feather of truth. Egyptians were allowed to not only sue live people, but they could sue dead people too.
Egyptian men were afraid of being bald. They wore wigs all the time. They ate lettuce because they thought it was like viagra.
Egyptians loved their pets, especially their pet cats. When their cats would die they would mummify them and the owners would shave their eyebrows off in some weird mourning ritual. As romans and greeks started traveling to Egypt the egyptians started to raise cats and mummify them for the purpose of selling them as souvenirs. Mummy cats were, back then, all the rage and it was big business. Other egyptians thought this was the wrong thing to do. They probably sued.
Monkeys were another popular pet, of the pharaoh at least. Monkeys were often trained to serve dinner and to act as bathroom attendants. Yes, bathrooms. They were invented by the egyptians. If you were middle class you had a wooden toilet. Generals and people like that got stone toilets. Most tombs even had toilets in them, I guess in case the pharaoh had to poop after he or she died.
Dwarfs were worshipped because, since they were tiny, they were thought to be closer to god (something about how close you are to the earth). Also, because they were small people thought of them as being like children. Youthfulness was very important in egypt. If you were a dwarf back then you had it made.
Of course, all this stuff is known because of people reading hieroglyphics. But, to be honest, if I were working there in Egypt, I would probably just make a bunch of shit up. "Um, yeah, this hieroglyphic means they shaved their eyebrows off when their pet cat died. And this one means, uh, that some guy got his penis eaten by a fish."
from dealer to crusader
They let him, and 7 other people off the plane finally.
When I got to DIA I had a screaming headache from not being able to sleep on the plane and not smoking for a long fucking time. I was rushing out the door when I was stopped by a guy named Charley who asked me for a donation for Environment Colorado. I told him I was already a member. He said he needed only $45 more dollars to make his quota for the day. I gave it to him, and then he followed me out to smoke, and I gave him two cigarettes too.
Charley used to be a marijuana dealer. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Coincidentally, I did statistics work on his prison while he was there (summer internship with Department of Justice). Charley learned to speak fluent spanish there and taught the other inmates.
He said "I used to drive a porsche but now I ride a bike". We talked about EC's initiatives. I related to him a story about how I sent a letter to the president of EC 2 years ago suggesting a green program for Colorado hotels. You could sign up for the program and when you checked in your room would only have one towel, your linens wouldn't get changed during your stay, and there would be a recycle bin. Charley said he is going to get the new president of EC to email me about my idea. I had some ideas on how to fund the initiative too, so maybe they'll do it.
It was nice to finally get home after my travel adventures. The house was spotless, there were groceries, all the snow had been shoveled, and my mail was arranged by envelope size in a little wooden basket. All the junk mail had been tossed. The guest room is still clean. I think house pest 2.0 is going to work out just fine.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
ghost cake
In the dream I was in his dad's house in Philly because Jonas had invited me to his wedding (he has been married for a long time in real life). I met his wife and remember thinking "I wonder why they are getting married again?" but no one else seemed to know that they were already married.
Then somehow we were in another house and Jonas was talking to me and I was like "where is your wife?" and he said "you are my wife" and I said "no, you married someone else" and then he said "if that's true why are you living with me?"
I was really confused, and then his real wife came in, and she was still wearing the wedding dress, and they started talking as if I weren't there. After she left I said "see, that's who you married" and he kept saying "I'm not talking about facts! I'm not talking about facts!" Then he left the room.
After he left the room I realized I was tied to a chair and couldn't move. I was worried that his wife would come in and see me. Then he came back into the room and had a huge wedding cake. He said "See, we are married, and here's the cake to prove it. All you have to do is eat a piece of the cake and there won't be two of everything anymore". I looked around the room and noticed there was two of everything except Jonas and the cake.
He came towards me with a piece of cake, which was really more of a cloud than a cake, and he whispered "please just eat it". I realized it was a cake that, if I ate it, would turn me into a ghost. I started crying because I didn't want to be a ghost. So I said "why can't you just shoot me like everyone else?" All this heavy fabric started peeling off the chair and smothering me because I wouldn't eat the cake.
Then I woke up.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
animals ARE jerks
My first clue that the article was likely going to be stupid is that it was published in Esquire magazine. But, I read it anyway. The conclusion is that people are bigger jerks than animals.
In the article so called "animal experts" say, among other things, that:
- animals are "too busy" to be jerks
- animals are always in packs and can't afford to be jerks because they rely on their fellow beasts
- that you can "enrich" an animal that wants to be left alone and "rehabilitate" it
I don't know where these people got their information or degrees from, maybe Clueless U. Perhaps they should watch some animal shows, or read articles about animals. I'm hardly an animal expert but am able to realize when one great white shark goes up and bites another great white for no reason, she's being a jerk.
And what about squirrels? Are they not considered "jerks" for stealing each other's babies (and sometimes killing the babies), stealing bird eggs, and ripping up people's attics? Monkeys can be notoriously mean to each other. Weaker males are often abused by stronger males until they are forced to go find some other group to live with.
And anyway, aren't people jerks to each other because they are un-evolved? Don't people behave stupidly because they have issues that they haven't addressed? And if they are "not evolved", doesn't that make them like an animal? An animal will kill another animal because it wants food. All you have to do is spend a day in downtown LA to see that same scenario played out on the streets.
I know you think your dog loves you. But if you die, and he's locked in the house, he's going to eat you. At least a human friend wouldn't do that. Normally.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
raising a daughter (for WG)
1. Math and Education - At the end of the day, no one can argue with math. Having mad math skills is the single most important thing you can do as a girl to prepare for the real world. Getting an engineering degree is the second most important. Fuck those liberal art degrees. That will only subject you to being in classes with people who smoke a lot of pot and are annoying. An engineering degree is hard, horrible, will expose you to the chauvinistic attitude you will have to deal with for the rest of your life, and will make you scary to most weak minded men who are looking for a woman that they can push around and breed with. You want to avoid those men at all costs. Never watch TV. Read as much as you can. Do science experiments and spend as much time outside as you can building forts and beating up the neighborhood kids.
2. Sports - Sports teach you how to compete, win gracefully, and lose gracefully, something most women I run across seem to not understand. An interest in sports will also keep you in good shape hopefully for the rest of your life. The average guy finds women with athletic talent scary, and so will weed them out of your life, which is a good thing.
3. Broken bones - Experimenting with activities that will cause you to break bones is a good thing, up to a certain age. After you get out of your teens, it's not advisable to break bones. But a memorable injury or two is a great learning experience and will teach you to deal with pain in your adult life and will help you understand your body's limits. Surviving pain builds character. That being said, I have a few injuries from my youth that are a problem now because rather than letting myself get better I decided to train through them. When you hurt yourself stop doing what ever it is your doing and let your body heal. I really wish someone had told me that when I was in high school and college.
4. Fashion - Having some fashion sense is a bonus, especially if you decide to become a consultant. Understand how to shop, but don't waste time shopping. I wish I had a better understanding of how to buy clothes, instead of having to rely on my gay male friends to help me pick outfits.
5. Eating - Eat only what you want to eat. If you're a picky eater, embrace that as a positive thing, rather than a negative thing. If you're skinny people will always accuse you of having an eating disorder. If you're fat people will always comment on your weight. Be happy with yourself and ignore everyone else.
6. Guys/Boys - There are two categories of males in the world: guys and boys. Guys are good. They are emotionally mature and supportive of you. Hang out with them. Boys are bad. They are emotionally stunted. You can tell someone is a boy because they are unreliable, say mean things, are easily hurt, cheat on you with someone else and then try to claim it was somehow your fault, etc. A boy might eventually become a guy, but don't waste your time waiting for that to happen.
7. Relationships - And along the topic of guys, don't pay attention to them or date them until you graduate from college. Early romance is a waste of time that you need to be spending preparing for the real world. And because you are going through this whole development thing from the age of 10 until 20 or 21, where physical changes to your body can result in weird emotional swings, you might think that you are, for example, sad because a boy you like doesn't like you, when really all that's happening is your brain is jacked up by hormones. Be friends with guys. Get them to take you mountain biking and climbing. But don't get involved with them. This has the added advantage of giving you control over them. When a guy can't have something he wants it more and will do what ever you ask him to in the hopes he might eventually get laid.
8. Sex - Don't have sex until you are at least 21. Have sex with an older guy who knows what he is doing. Never have sex with a guy who doesn't know how to kiss properly. Never have sex with a guy that has a small penis. Never have sex with a guy who won't first take a blood test to prove he doesn't have any kind of ick diseases and an IQ test to prove he isn't stupid. And not an internet IQ test, a real one. These requirements will weed out 99% of the idiots you shouldn't ever fuck.
9. Money - Make your own, figure out how to manage it, and use it to help yourself out. Never give money to a boyfriend to help him out. Never buy anything with a boyfriend. Own your own car and your own house. Never be financially dependent on anyone else.
10. Marriage and kids - If you really, really think it's a good idea, get married. Just realize that you, as a wife, will lose your position in the real world. People no longer see you as your own person, you're now just someone's wife. Being married can also hurt your career because your boss automatically assumes that you have to check everything with your husband (staying late, traveling). As for kids, you don't have to have them. You shouldn't have them until you are completely independent. Don't have them if you can't take care of them by yourself. I know you think your spouse will help out. Think again, he won't. Men like the idea of kids but are normally not that interested in the day to day responsibilities so that falls on you. It fucks with your sex life. It fucks with your body. If you are planning on having kids do it with a guy who has a well behaved dog so you have some kind of track record to go on.
hell, by way of the gym
Yesterday I was on the elliptical, thinking how much I hate the elliptical, and trying to remember back to the days when I wasn't allowed to use it because of my knee, and how jealous I used to be of people who were on it. Next to me was a treadmill, with some idiot guy on it who kept speeding up the belt even though he couldn't run without holding on to the hand rail in front (first sign that you have set the treadmill to go too fast). I kept looking over at him because he looked so retarded, and that was causing him to speed the treadmill up to go even faster.
He was one of those guys who always gets a towel when entering the gym. My thing is, it's a gym. It's SUPPOSED to be dirty. You are SUPPOSED to get sweat on a machine. If the person using it afterwards is so disposed THEY can wipe it off. Towels in the gym are so gay.
Anyway, the guy's arm, at some point, flew off the front hand rail and hit the towel draped over the side rail. The towel fell onto the belt. For god knows what reason the guy tried to jump over the towel. This caused him to let go of the front hand rail with his other hand. He went flying back off the treadmill, and then landed on his ass right behind the treadmill. I was unfortunately taking a drink of water at the time, and sprayed the front of my elliptical. Then, trying not to laugh, I started laughing. Trying even more not to laugh caused me to laugh hysterically, so much so that I had to stop on the elliptical. I almost threw up I laughed so hard.
I knew I should try to help the guy, or at least make sure he was okay, but I couldn't stop laughing. He got up and walked out of the gym. I had the place to myself for about 15 minutes until this other guy came in and started trying to do these weird floor exercises. One involved him laying flat on his back, and then going "huff huff huff", and then projecting his top body up while simultaneously raising his knees, in some kind of weird sit up motion. Some times when he would do this he would fart. Really, how could I not once again laugh?
I got through half my weights and then decided it would be best for everyone in the gym, at that point 5 of us, if I left because I couldn't stop laughing. Tonight after work I went back to the gym, attempting to do another workout. This time the idiot on the treadmill kept jumping off the belt and standing on the sides, and then jumping back on the treadmill. I made it 10 minutes and then couldn't stop laughing once I started.
If I were going to make a tv show, it would be a tv show where a hidden camera is placed in a hotel gym. I'm sure someone could think up a catchy title.
Monday, January 26, 2009
death built egypt
I learned some pretty cool things. First of all, Egypt became pretty poor because of the romans invading and stuff, so instead of building elaborate tombs like the great pyramid, that contained treasures to help a pharaoh in the next life, they started building tombs with writing that would help the emperor whose tomb it was figure out how to get to this dead people place that you have to go to before you can be re-incarnated. The writings in these tombs became known as the book of the dead. It's the oldest known religious writing.
As I writer, I find it somewhat heartening that a society, when it loses everything material, will turn to writing as a treasure, which is as the world should be. It's nice to think of a society that finds words a better bribe than gold, though, Egypt isn't really that way any more, at least not the parts I went to.
I also found out that the reason mummies have masks is so when the soul returns they can recognize their body, and, presumably, climb back into it and come back to life. I guess that's why the Egyptians felt preserving the body was so important, though I'm not sure, as part of getting to be a new person, if you would also get your organs because the Egyptians took those out. I guess then the dead Egyptian would show up with their bag of liver, heart, brain and stuff, and then find their body, somehow pop back in there, and go do whatever. Kind of like those butterball turkeys at thanksgiving.
I wonder if your body got totally jacked (e.g. your arm was cut off) if you could get a better body or if they could some how fix your existing body (e.g. so it had an arm). I also wonder what would happen if like you were this girl and you were in love with this guy, but he married someone else, and then you all died, if you could just pretend to be that other person so that when he got back to life you would get to be the person fucking him. Guys aren't that smart, he probably wouldn't even notice he was fucking someone else.
If I were in Egypt back in the day, I would go into a tomb and re-arrange the death masks so some guy would think he was going back to his body, but he was really going back to a woman's body. Then his wife or what ever, when she came back, could be like "Now who's got the curse, bitch? And who's got the dick? Go make me dinner and clean up after the goats!"
This egyptologist who works with dead bodies said the curse of the pharaoh has to do with the ammonium given off by the dead bodies. It can apparently cause "bleeding of the lungs". Sounds like smoking, I know. Also he said when ever he has to go into a tomb he never shaves because if he cuts himself and has an open wound microbes from thousands of years ago can get into the cut and fuck him up. One would surmise you can't be a crack climber AND an egyptologist.
The best line from the show was when an egyptologist said "death built Egypt" because they never would have built all the temples if it weren't for preparing pharaohs for the afterlife, and those temples then attracting people like the romans who were after the wealth of the country, etc.