Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Like a goddamned dog with his tail between his legs. (Day 111)

Yesterday morning, something was very adamant that I not sleep.

At first there was a fire alarm. When I made it to the hallway, after doing all the safety procedures (wetting a cloth to put to my mouth and tapping the door knob) I was fully prepared to save Rizzo when I realized the on key component for a fire alarm: The fire.

So there I stood under a little plastic orb screaming at me that there was some sort of dangerous fire waiting to engulf us all. And no, there was no fire.

I have really sensitive hearing, so this was killing me.

Eventually I ripped the fire alarm off and disconnected the battery.

As I close my eyes, my father runs into my room, instructing anything that's plugged in be relieved of their duties. I was okay with the radio and TV...but my fans? Why god? Why.

I went back to bed, and finally started to drift off. In comes my father, bewildered with his cell phone, "I think I missed a call and I think the left a message." Of course they did. And I get to wade through the other 17 messages left on his phone to get to the one from my Uncle. I dial the number, give the phone back to him. He decides right there is the place to conduct the conversation. Right. Fucking. There.

He loses reception. Leaves the room, and comes back in to inform me he lost reception again.

It's during this time that pesky Rizzo comes into my room. I'm too tired to let him back out. He
always wants attention, never to just sleep next to you. Finally, after half petting him, half falling asleep, he subsides. And there it is. I've finally fallen back to sleep.

15 minutes later there is an other-worldly crash. I look around panicked, only to see the culprits outline. I keep empty wine and Jones soda bottles on my window sill. Don't ask why. I just do. And Rizzo has knocked them all off.

Fine, I'll just stay awake.

So I wind up writing four chapters of this book yesterday through one eye. At one point I thought, "Hey, a nap would be nice." So I go to lay down on the couch. Immediately I'm out. This couch has healing powers. It's so comfortable...

There goes the fire alarm again.

So no sleep for this guy yesterday.

But I did get a lot accomplished on the writing front. So, here's another snippet.



Days Gone By:

I've still got some time to kill, but this time I bring my suitcases with me. I'm sitting at the
bar, and I'm getting bombed. I stopped throwing up hours ago because I ran out of fuel from
my guts. But now I'm loaded, and reloaded.

Staggering back onto the plane, I sit next to an Asian businessman. He's well dressed, and I
look like I just tangled with the gutter and the gutter won. He sits and smiles at me, and
extends his hand. "Jim" he offers. "Chuck. Nice to meet you, sir." We sit there and talk about
why it is we're on the specific plane. He's on his way to Albany to train his replacement. After
34 years, he's being forced into retirement and has no idea what he's going to do.

After 21 years I'm being forced to run away, and I have no idea what I'm going to do.

He buys round after round of wine, and we toast to whatevers going to happen when that tar mac
brings us back to reality.

Here.
We.
Go.

-Until tomorrow.

1 comment:

Velvet said...

HAHA. I have no smoke detector in my house for this very reason. I got pissed at it going off when there was no fire, so I took it down. Safety first.

I love that Ed had to talk to your uncle IN your room. hahaha. Wow.

This makes me want to come hang out.