Saturday, January 6, 2024

Heartbeats



My coworker and friend lays in a hospital bed as I write this. His heart, usually a steady rhythm, is now beating at a sustained 160 bpm. He's a good man, always had my back in the office and even outside of it. And now, as I sit here in the darkness, I can't help but wonder if he'll pull through. Life is unpredictable, my friends. We never know when it will throw us a curveball that knocks us off our feet.

And speaking of life's unpredictability, I was hit with another gut punch just earlier today. I read that Cindy Morgan, the actress who played Lora Baines in my favorite movie Tron, passed away in late December. The news hit me like a ton of bricks. Tron has always been a special movie to me. It's a world of mystery and adventure, filled with neon lights and a kickass soundtrack. And now, knowing that one of its stars is no longer with us, it puts me in an even worse funk.

I try to escape reality with my writing and videos, but tonight it seems futile. Most of my work is done while sitting at the controls of my Power Computer. I've even activated the Montauk Chair, a time-travel device, to transport myself back to the 90s. Why? So I can have a more mobile and freelance style of data entry. But even with this escape, I can't seem to shake off the heaviness that weighs on me.

So here I am, dear readers, turning to you for some solace. Toad Central, my online presence, has jumped from Twitter to make an appearance here and now. You see, in times like these, uncertainty reigns supreme. We don't know what tomorrow holds, and that's both terrifying and thrilling at the same time. Life is a mystery and we're all just trying to make sense of it.

But for now, I'll raise my glass to my friend in the hospital and to Cindy Morgan who has left this world too soon. And I'll take comfort in knowing that, even in the darkest of nights, there's always a glimmer of hope. So here's to you, dear readers, may you always find that glimmer and keep it close to your heart. Because, after all, that's what makes us human. Cheers.

Monday, January 1, 2024

Current year

 It’s the year 6265

Vortex


I could still hear the music but only inside my head, from a moment that occurred some thirty years ago.  I had to be careful or else I’d get sucked into the vortex of melancholic nostalgia.  Not a bad place to be, but neither a desirable one at that.

I have just sucked down two IPA beers and two glasses of Pinot Noir, the finest beverages my local Walmart had on offer.  I had attempted to sleep off most of it, but the Rose parade blaring from my television set had destroyed my slumber.  Some bizarre homage to the Blues Brothers being performed by a group of energetic pseudo entertainers, no doubt out on parole.

That’s it, relax now, let the alcohol do its job.  And a fine job it was doing at that.  In fact, I’m here and it is now, right in the time place continuum I strived to be.  I had arrived there at some time just past 2:30 PM and things looked promising heading into the late afternoon.

I only wish I could convey the fabric and colors of the thoughts that are now currently appearing in my mind, like a circuit board of high-tech existence.  Nothing better on this forsaken day of 1 January 2024.  To anyone left alive and still standing who happens to be reading this, I salute you.  Now be certain to don your orange tint glasses, for 2024 is going to be a wild ride. 

That is all for now, I must evaluate the situation and get back to you once I’ve found out what exactly the score is on this side of the boundary.