Writing prompt: the book that is more than a book

So yesterday while I was doing a final cleanup of the station before clocking out for the day, I came across an abandoned book. A usual occurrence, no big deal. Until I opened it up.

On the back page was a sequence of numbers. There was no reference to what they were for, but if I had a guess, I would say they were page numbers. With this came the following scenario, which could be an interesting tale:

What if you found a book that was ordinary in every way that had a torn piece of paper in it. This piece of paper had a partial list on it of numbers that if you went only to those pages the book would begin to do... something.

Now what would the book do and what would it compel the finder to do? And would there be others looking for the book? And what if finder found the missing numbers? Interesting ideas, no?

It's why I am putting it out there for the masses to play with. I have ideas of where it could go, but I would love to see what others could do. All I ask is that if you make a story/novel/script from it, you give me credit for the original idea.

Happy writing!

Childhood things fondly remembered involving my Grandparents McLean

Hello.

I came to realize that my post about my Grandparents McLean might imply that I really have no memories of what it was like being around them.  While it is true there is an extended period that I missed out with them, there are still plenty of fond things I remember when in their presence.   So I figured I would share a few.  So without further ado:
 
Chocolate meringue pies
 
Dessert made from banana pudding, sliced bananas and 'Nilla Wafers
 
Getting my first ever lottery scratch ticket and soon after realizing that gambling just isn't my thing
 
Grandma's big black poodle who instilled a love of dogs
 
Sitting in the kitchen watching Grandma and assorted aunts gossiping
 
Asking to try coffee for the first time and being warned that it would stunt my growth
 
Coming to the realization that I just wasn't a coffee guy
 
Christmas Eve at their house, being the first grandchild, but soon joined by my brother and eventually my cousins
 
Getting my first ever wristwatch at one above said Christmas Eve.  (It was a Star Wars one with R2 and C3PO on the face.)
 
Grandpa getting as a gag gift a pair of 'mantyhose' (which featured THREE legs) and him wearing them around their house
 
Getting introduced to one of the greatest sammiches ever; the Cheesy British from the Hoagie's Corner down the street
 
Lying down in the attic bedroom and looking at the Underdog and Keep on Truckin' stickers on the ceiling
 
Playing on the stairs to the attic with assorted toys and a light blue Jabberjaw lunchbox
 
My Grandma playing a song off her record player that had the lines 'My name us Michael, I have a nickel.  I have a nickel shiny and new,' and telling me this song was about me.  I eventually tracked down the song.  (Clint Holmes - Playground In My Mind.)

Playing an old Disney record on their portable record player that featured a marching song about Alice in Wonderland that I have yet to find

But I continue to look...

Cruel to be kind

Let me tell you a tale from the past.  Don't worry, it's not depressing and it has a point relating to the now...
 
One day when I was a young lad living in Edmonds, I raced out the front door on a nice spring day.  Our front porch was about a 3 by 6 foot slab of concrete that had a couple steps down to the walkway that had the front yard to the right and a small garden-type area to the left.  The garden area had a small wooden fence my dad made.  I cannot remember why there was a fence around it or what said fence protected in the space.  Anyways, I raced out the front door, heading to the front yard for one reason or another.  I started  down the steps-
 
And missed the first one completely.
 
All that forward momentum was now angled downwards and I took a spill into the little fence on the left, where aforementioned fence proceeded to scrape the skin off my left shoulder.  Screaming in pain, my parents proceeded to clean me up, and I put on a clean shirt and went about my way.

 
Cut to the next day...
 
Well the shoulder was healing rather quickly.  Unfortunately it had healed into my shirt, bonding to it. My dad, knowing what had to be done, tried to distract me as he quickly ripped the shirt off, removing it and the skin and scab that had grown.  Needless to say I was NOT happy.  In fact, for a short time I HATED him for what he had done, not comprehending why it had to be done.  A little pain and cruelty now to save me from a lot of pain down the road.  While I eventually understood it, I never thought it would be something I would have to think about.
 
Until now again.
 
My Cappy has a couple scratches on his belly that he just will not leave alone.  It has been nearly a month and they are getting all inflamed.  So to prevent him getting any serious damage and going to the Vets, which hates, I have to show a little cruelty to him by making him wear a cone for about a week so I can clean and bandage his wounds.  I know he is going to hate me and act out in revenge for this (the rug shampooer is on standby), but for his long term well-being I have to do this. 
 
But it makes me sick to my stomach to have to do this.  And I think this is how my dad must have felt. Having to be cruel to be kind...

Unintened Victims

Those who have read My blog may have noticed that I talk a lot about the grandparents on My Father's side.  I haven't really talked about My Grandparents on My mother's side.  There is a reason for that, and it is one of My biggest shames.  I tell this so people will understand that why this happened is not their fault, but Mine in My pursuit to be loved.

 
When My parents started going through the divorce proceedings, one thing became clear to those witnessing it (but not Me at the time, I was just struggling to comprehend how much My world was changing) was that a lot of people were testifying on behalf of My father... including relatives of My mother.  While I am not 100% sure, I believe that included her parents.  My mother, being the petty vindictive person she is, decided to make them pay for this transgression dearly.  And she used her ultimate weapon:
 
Her children.
 
As I have Mentioned in past posts, while people tried to keep Me having an even keel, I still was willing to do anything for the love and acceptance of My mother.  And she knew this and exploited it for maximum effect.  When My brother and I would go visit her during weekends, should would work on Me, using all sorts of tricks to manipulate Me into doing her bidding.  (I cannot tell how well it worked on My brother, so I am not including him anymore in this post.)  When I did as she asked, she would shower Me with love and praise, which I hungrily devoured.  It started out with small things, like details about what My dad was doing, and slowly worked up to bigger things.  Eventually it got to where she had Me believing how her parents were doing horrible things to her and how much they didn't care for Me, implying I should avoid them.
 
And to My eternal shame, I ended up doing just that
 
My dad tried to counteract it, by encouraging Me to visit them whenever we were in Ballard, but ultimately they had no one to counteract the vitriol My mother poisoned Me with like My dad did with his parents.  They were bad people, because My mother, who loved Me so, told Me this. But she never outright said to shun them.  She was far too cunning for that.  She would let Me fill in the blanks.  So for at least a decade I would not associate with them.  It wasn't until I finally realized what happened that I realized what I had done.
 
And it was what I had done.  As much as I would like to claim it was the manipulations of My mother (and probably be justified saying so) I ultimately was the one who chose the path I took.  I did it for what I thought were the right reasons, but that turned out to not be true.  I know they understand what happened and have forgiven Me, but I still have not fully forgiven Myself.
 
These days I try and talk to them when I can, but between My dislike of talking on phones and life, I don't do as well as I could.  Part of it is also My nature to not be the closest of people to be around, another result of My childhood.  But I do try.  But any communication I get with them now is always bittersweet, because there will always be a part of Me who mourns what should have been. 

Who mourns not having great tales of Me and them. 

Who mourns for the loss in My life I created.

The truth about Wyverns

Over the holiday season, in the midst of receiving ornaments for My first tree, I received a care package from a person I consider close to My heart.  Amidst the ornament and edible delicacies was a heavy item wrapped up.  I opened it and stared, dumbstruck.

It was a pewter figure of a wyvern perched on a tree.  That may not seem like a big deal, but it hit Me deep.  Once again the wyvern has entered My life.  I told Her it was strange she picked that specific creature, since I rarely-if ever-have talked about its significance.  She told Me that it called to Her, that it just seemed right.  Teary eyed, I thanked her profusely and promised to tell Her the significance of this.  A couple days ago I kept My word.  And in this I decided to share it with others, to maybe lift some spirits.

Let Me tell You a tale...
 
For most of My life one of My favorite mythical creatures has been the dragon in all its incarnations.  I poured over the old D&D monster manuals, fantasy books, and mythology guides.  Two of My favorite movies are the Rankin-Bass The Hobbit and Dragonslayer.  I would draw them whenever I could.
 
One day, nearly 30 years ago, My Grandfather was talking to Me and said He needed My help for a contest He was going to enter.  The question needing answering was what was a wyvern?  I quickly gave him an answer about how it had two legs and wings, unlike the traditional four legged and winged type, and how it had a distinctive barbed tail.  He thanked Me  for the information.  A few weeks later He came by to tell Me he had won based on My answer and took Me out for ice cream as a thank you.
 
(A small aside:  all these years later I now realize that there most likely wasn't a contest and that He did this to make Me feel just a bit more important in life.  For a young kid whose parents were going through a REALLY messy divorce and feeling lost in the world, it was the exactly right thing to do...)
 
A couple years later, I was reading the Piers Anthony Xanth book Centaur Isle (I know, I know-I didn't have a discerning tastes as I do now) and noticed the cover featured the artist's interpretation of wyverns on it.  Inspired, I took a sheet of paper and My little collection of projector markers (it was My preferred artistic medium at the time) and drew one of them.  When I saw My Grandfather a few days later I presented it to Him.  He loved it and said He was going to hang it up at their house.  I imagined it on their refrigerator or pinned to the office corkboard. My Grandparents did a bit better than that...
 
The next time I went to visit My Grandparents I they opened the front door and on the wall visible directly behind it was My picture.  They (I believe My Grandmother) had cut it and My signature out matted and framed it.  This was an amazing honor for Me.  That picture stayed up there past My Grandfather's death until My Grandmother sold the house.  And when she moved she hung it prominently in the living room.
 
A few years ago she was diagnosed with the onset of dementia.  When it got bad enough to warrant moving Her to a private care facility I was given the picture.  It now hangs proudly in My dining room.  I get to look at it every day and think of how truly amazing and caring they were to Me and how I should try My best to carry on with their ways...

PS- The wyvern figure I received?  It sits on My office desk where I can see it every day, where it brings a smile to My face.

No Collateral Damage

I find myself in a strange position.



I had hinted to others that there were reasons I taken a hiatus on writing my blog. That I had to for fear of revealing too much. That I would tell all after the statute of limitations had passed. And now that they are, I find that I cannot do it.

It’s not that I had a change of heart exposing what had been done to me. No, I will never forget OR forgive what was done to me by the person in question. They did one of the cruelest, most offensive things that can be done to me, and there is no going back from what they did. I seethe every time I think of it. And more than anything I want to expose this to the world. But I can’t, because it would cause grief to another.

At first I didn’t care who got caught in this. I was ready and willing to potentially lose decades-long friendships in my pursuit of the truth. Damn the consequences, I wanted justice for what had been done.

So I had written out my post about this and was going to publish it for all to see. But first, I told a few select what had been done. While they agreed in general with my stand, they all brought up a valid point. The third party did something in all of this that I hadn’t realized what they had truly done. In this entire fiasco, the third party had a choice to make that would affect everything. And despite knowing what it could do, they did the right thing. Even though it would have been easier to do the other choice, they picked for truth.

And I can’t punish them for doing the right thing, no matter how painful it was to me.

So in the end I erased the original post, let my thoughts cool a little, and decided to go this route instead. There are those of you who might know what happened and to you I just ask to keep it to yourself. There are those of you confused as to what happened and what could possibly have been so terrible to me. I might let you know one day. But for now, I must keep this close to the vest. I hope you understand.

So now I will attempt to pick up the pieces and try to resume my writings. I do find them therapeutic in a way, helping me to communicate my thoughts that swirl around my head. I hope I can fully resume, with this helping exorcise the demons plaguing me as of late. Maybe this will do the trick. I will find out as I write. Or as I like to say:

“We shall see what there is to see.”

Voting Record

Hello.

Yet again I have done my civic duty and have voted.  This time I thought I would do something a bit different and post how I voted and why I voted the way I did.  Now I am not going to reveal EVERY vote, since most are minor and just frankly are boring as all get out (West Electoral District Judge Position No. 1 anyone?).  So Let's begin.

-President of the United States:  Michael Scott Robinson  (write-in)

For me a no-brainer.  I am personally not a big fan of either candidate.  As people I have no problem with them, I just find them to be same sides of the same coin- both Party men.  And because of the Electoral College my choice is not a big deal in the state I live in.  You see, Washington State has not gone Republican for a President since 1984.  So if I liked the Republican candidate, my vote would be lost.  And if I liked the Democrat running, I would just be part of the normal Blue deluge.  So I decided that if I am going to 'throw away my vote', why not to someone I completely trust?

-United States Senator:  Maria Cantwell

Unlike her fellow Senator Patty Murray, Maria has not really done anything boneheaded during her time in office.  I am sure Maria's competition is a fine politician, in this case I prefer the Devil I know.

-U.S. Representative Congressional District No. 7:  Ron Bemis

I can not stand Jim McDermott.  He is an embarrassment of a politician, but that's not the reason I refuse to vote for him.  The reason I won't will probably not make much sense to those who have never been in the military.

To his credit, Jim DID serve in the military during the 60s-70s.  So he served while the Vietnam war was going on.  The problem is he has been caught NUMEROUS times claiming he served IN the Vietnam War, inferring that he served overseas there.  He got no further than California.  This act is one of the biggest acts of disrespect a veteran can do to another.  It's like me saying I served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm.  I did not.  I was active during that time and I did serve during it, but I never got further than Virginia.  If I said differently, it would be a slap in the face of those who did go over there and fought, bled, and died there.  McDermott is like the one private that was in my Guard unit when I came back to Washington.  Technically I could have added the Desert Shield/Desert Storm ribbon to my Class A uniform, but I wouldn't.  The other private did.  He was shunned by everyone for that act, since he was the only one in our unit who did. 

-Governor:  Rob McKenna

The funny thing?  If Rob lived just about ANYWHERE else than the West Coast, he would be considered a Democrat.  Even his joining the lawsuit against 'Obamacare' was because of the possibly unconstitutionality of the 'fine' that would be levied for those without health insurance.  You notice he now more or less agrees with it when the Supreme Court deemed that the only way the 'fine' could be constitutional was if it was actually a 'tax'?  My impression is of a man who wants what's best for the people of our state, unlike his opponent, who throughout his career has pretty much just seeking power.

Jay Inslee is EVERYTHING I hate about politicians.  He puts the Party over the People, and just wants the power and prestige that comes from higher office.  I wish the Youtube video was still available where, during a debate with his opponent 2 years ago, was asked point blank if he would be running for Governor, since Gregoire has said she would not seek a third term.  Now if you followed the history of Jay Inslee, you knew the answer.  He failed to get the nomination in the past (he lost to Gary Locke) and everything he had done since that defeat was to get the position.  So how did he answer?  He lied.  He told his constituents he was going to give his all as their congressman and that running for Governor was the LAST thing on his mind.  Cut to a year later...

For the rest of the state offices, I basically alternated between the two Parties, putting the Party I thought would be a better fit for the office.  For example, I voted to have Brad Owens back as Lieutenant Governor and James Wilkins as State Auditor- a Democrat and a Republican respectively.

Initiative 1185:  Yes

This is the 2/3 approval for tax increases provision.  I believe that if the state truly needs a tax increase, you should easily be able to gather 2/3 of the votes needed to pass it.  The last time we DIDN'T have this law in place, the State went crazy with tax hikes, and then as insult to injury slapped EVERY one with an 'emergency' clause, making it so they couldn't go to a referendum vote of the People.  (Thank you, Gregoire...)

Initiative 1240:  Yes

The charter schools initiative.  My reason for approving this falls directly at the feet of the WEA.  While I believe most teachers are good and care about the students, the WEA does not.

EVERY year one of our school districts goes on strike, officially because it's 'for the children'.  Yet even if they are given everything they ask for except the money, unless the pay hike is include, they say no.  For the children indeed.  Also, on a slight tangent, they are the ONLY industry that can strike and not suffer for it.  They still get their full pay, since the government won't shorten the school year.

This initiative will add something desperately needed:  competition.  If the WEA realizes they are no longer the game in town, they might actually start working harder for the kids to prove they are worth the cash we always seem to throw at them.

Initiative 502:  yes.

Ah, the pot initiative.  A no-brainer to me.  Legalize it, tax it, and reap the benefits.  Legalizing it helps eliminate one of the biggest drains on the economies of ALL levels of Government:  The War on Drugs.  You legalize it, it becomes cheaper to purchase and the drug trafficking will greatly diminish.  Do I realize this is mostly symbolic?  Yes, I know Federal law will still trump State laws.  But it is like the next vote I made:  if enough states follow suit eventually the nation will come around.

Referendum 74:  yes.

Gay marriage.  A hot topic at the moment.  While I would prefer that the Government would choose my idea of how to solve this problem (I.E. get the Government to stop issuing Marriage licenses and instead issue everyone Civil Union licenses.  If a person wants marriage, they can go to the religious institution of their choice to do so, but that is not recognized by the Government.  People currently married are grandfathered in.  This idea also removes the potentially sticky subject of the First Amendment conflict of the separation of Church and State (Although I know that is not what the First Amendment ACTUALLY says, it fits.).) this will work.  While I understand the concerns of the people of religious backgrounds, I think it is time to let this happen. 

So there you go.  If you want to let me know what you feel about my choices, let me know.  But I will give you 2 warnings:

1.  Keep it civil.  This IS my site and my thoughts.  I like being challenged, but not insulted.  And if you ARE going to challenge me then-

2:  Party talking points are NOT tolerated.  NO 'War on Women', NO 'Adam and Eve NOT Adam and Steve', NO 'Tax the Rich', NO 'Death Panels' etc.  Think for yourself, people.  You are better than what the Parties think of you...