Post 4, Base64

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-The0

Long Day, Short Temper

Whoever said it is always darkest before the dawn is full of horse piss. I was heading off to work at an ACTUAL obscene hour today (4:30 am) and I could see the sun's hateful fucking rays starting to lick the horizon. Things will usually give a sign that they are getting better, and today I will not see a fucking single one of those signs. I'm not even going to see the sun at all today. I'm calling back to a post where people can't do their job. Guess who picks up the slack? Your local favorite cross-bearer.

My overtime is ridiculous, though.

-The0

The Hell?

My thoughts exactly as Walter, his wife and I approached my neighborhood after dinner. There, parked flashing, and waiting nearby were roughly 20 police vehicles, to include S.W.A.T. vans and firetrucks. We parked, and we joined the growing droves of people on the sidewalks. After much listening in, we learned it was some kind of hostage situation or police standoff. A guy with a radio scanner even heard talk of a sniper having a shot, and being told to hold his position or something. Very exciting, but ultimately a waste of time. All the cops were gone in the morning, and I can only assume there was a peaceful resolution.

I got a funny feeling that this whole ordeal was bringing the community together. People who hadn't seen each other in months were sharing smiles, and someone even brought out a table and chairs. "Hey! I remember you! We met at the standoff last week! Let's network!"

Pictures of the lovely mess.

Apparently, the guy was simply armed and alone in his house. Waste of time.

-The0

I thought I was a public risk.

So I was barely awake for a shift that began at what I would call, "Obscenely Early." I was already minutes behind, but decided it would be far wiser to be a little late with some form of energy drink in hand than to show up on time wanting to murder everything I saw. I'm waiting at the traffic light, taking is what morning looks like, when the vehicle next to me starts charging forward by feet at a time. I see that the light is still red, and I'm wondering, "Where the hell this guy is trying to go?"

I take a better glance, and see that he has been rear-ended. More than that, he keeps getting hit and pushed a bit forward. This is a terrible way to start your day, especially for the person behind. You are invariably at fault, you've got damage to your car, and on top of that, the sun is shining and birds are chirping gaily like that's their freaking job. I look back even farther, rubbernecking to catch a view of the poor rear driver's face. I see her, she's not reaching for her insurance or her phone. No, she's busy having a seizure. The man in front reacts, calls 911, and tries to shut her car down. I think to myself, "I should get out and help, but he seems to have it. Plus, my light has just turned green, and there are people behind me."

I drive across the street, wishing there was more I could do, and pull into the gas station. To my surprise, there is a police car sitting in the lot, and the officer was standing right inside. I went in, made my selection, completed my transaction, turned to him and said, "There has been an accident at the intersection of ______ and ______, right down there. The lady involved is not well, you should probably get there." We both left, he was the third one on the scene, and I continued on my way.

I did a good deed today through no fault or effort of my own. Plus, I was only a minute late to work!

-The0

Always

So like many of my generation, my media affiliation has been totally dominated by [adult swim] (yes, the brackets are necessary. I'm not sorry.) They had recently plugged endlessly a game they created called "Robot Unicorn Attack" with a one-song soundtrack, "Always" by Erasure. Under ANY other circumstance, I would have no damn clue what the hell that song was or where it came from.

I was walking through Lowe's one lovely afternoon with Dr. Girlfriend, when suddenly we paused, mid-selection of items, and we heard this song over the PA. We sang, we laughed, we even danced a minute bit. We thought of the randomness of the moment, and then we went back to selecting furniture pads.

We were struck with the idea that the music was totally out of place in a hardware store. What self-respecting contractor or home repairman would be caught listening to something as purely pop as "Always"? Stereotypes aside, Erasure is out of place anywhere, saving of course a game like Robot Unicorn Attack. I'm not saying I can do better, but if this is the idea of a joke for the one girl that works at Lowe's, then well done!

Living in Harmony, Harmony, oh Love!

-The0