I'm always the lucky one.

Picture used without permission

Well, after a great day of hiking in a trail, watching a Vintage baseball game (quickbaseball is dead now in case anyone cared, my baseball knowledge is lacking and so are my fantasy teams) and watched World War Z. When I got home from the theatre, I cleaned up a little and adjusted the thermostat due to the warm weather and the upcoming warm night. For the next three days, we will be seeing 90 degree highs and 70 degree lows in Southeastern Michigan. I'll be breathing in manufactured air for a while and keeping it cool here, even while I'm at work.

So, at around 10:30pm today, I was going to settle in and get started on research of the Prism project so I could write an article. My phone rings and I'm expecting it to be my work to call me in for a few hours (work till 2am for the third shift), instead it's my ex-girl.

My ex-girlfriend has three kids and two are with her ex-husband who has custody of them. She tells me that she needs a ride to court to have her say in the case, and she needs the ride in the early morning hours (not easy for a second-shift guy like myself). I refuse and tell her how I've been put into the dilemma of people calling me for help on a serious matter for the next day or a few hours coming up... hell, even at a moments notice. And, every time, the person asking for help will attempt to make me feel guilty in that tone: "Well, I'll lose custody of my kids." And/or (getting cliched here) they get aggressive, "Fuck you, help me out here."

My ex went with the guilty tone but I refused, I said I won't help. She did agree that it was fucked-up that she is calling her ex-boyfriend for help and said I was the last resort (gee, thanks...). In the end, although her begs and trying to play the guilty card, I still refused and the call ended. It took all the energy out of my research of the prism project for an upcoming article on Hubpages or Helium  (likely Hubpages) to going over here to complain.

If I could get a dollar for each time I've been called at a weird time to assist somebody in some kind of delinquent situation that needs me up and early in the morning, I would be a fucking millionaire. I suppose it could be worse, like an immediate family member with a broken-down car needing a ride at 3am with a major snowstorm brewing (had that happen to me before, no grudge there), but it's not that, it's some friend or a distant family member who calls me when I'm sitting down to relax or looking to get a project going, and they need me to get the ball rolling in the morning for a ride to the probation office (or they will go to jail) for example.

Back in 04-06, I had a family member who would put me in that situation a few times. He needed a ride to the drug test center when he was on probation, I would drive him there after making him pay some good gas money (in which he was trying to get away with paying me $2 for a 12-mile trip, I jumped it up to $15 or said, call a Taxi). He also needed me to pick-up his underage girlfriend who was 20 miles away ($30 or no go), that ended with a big argument and he finally called another friend who agreed to pick her up for $5, later telling me that I was an asshole for charging $30. And I do recall a time where I got out of work and wanted to relax, but he wanted to go to a party that was a little far away and he'd give $5 in gas money. I refused and the world was going to end according to him.

The family member I have mentioned as sincerely apologized for what he has done, and I have forgiven him. We are cool now.

However, in my whole life that I can remember, there is two types of people that always come walking in or intruding in my life: the person who thinks I'm trying to screw him or her over, or the friend or somebody who thinks I'm a high power that can fix all their woes (regardless of the idea that I tell them that they are wrong and need to see a psychiatrist).

Currently, the person who believes I'm screwing him over is my father. My mom and dad had divorced when I was around 4, but I kept my fathers last name until I was 20, sometime I left the Army. To make a long story short, my father (as he says) is collecting SSI money and he owes my mother for back child support. Recently, the folks who take care of that (don't know the proper name and don't care really, I don't wish to get into my mom and dads divorce woes starting in 1986) have garnished his SSI and blames me and my family for that. He has sent me Facebook rants about how I'm screwing him over, my mom is screwing him over and everybody in the fucking world is screwing him over. Including the CIA! Why would the CIA be after my father? God only knows...

And the weird fuck this time around is a African-American co-worker. He goes by the name Trinier but I call him Stalker. Each and everyday, Stalker approached me with a smile on his face and wants me to give him a high five. I've publicly humiliated him a few times, notably with the Happy Gilmore prank when he uses the nightstick as his wiener and shoves it in the sleeping guard mouth. Only I did it with a broomstick while he wasn't paying attention. And the next day, "Hey Robbee, want to go to the Red Wings game? I'll buy tickets." It seems that Stalker forgets what happens the previous day, or perhaps denial?

In addition to that, he once said, "If me and you are not friends, THEY will get us." I asked who and he didn't reply. When I asked him the question the second time, I said that the plant manager himself will kill us all (WTF?). He also claims that he molests his newborn child, which is uncomfortable to hear to say the least.

Also, he has stated that he hates it when I call him Stalker and he has accused me of telepathicly insulting him at night. Right now, it's 11:43pm as I type this and he is sitting in his house/apartment or whatever and hears me speak to him (as he thinks). And to go back to him trying to be my friend, when he is temporarily convinced of my denial of friendship (emphasis on the word temporarily), he sometimes plays the race card. "You don't like me because I'm black, isn't it? You fucking racist!"

I'm not going to do this 'I'm not a racist disclaimer' so I'll say this, it doesn't matter if your rich or poor or any color, if your the person who is filling the void of me being the 'savior' and gets pissy when I say no, it's not due to your race or status. I'm not the second incarnation of Jesus Christ and believe it or not the Zombies are not going to come due to me saying no.

One thing Stalker isn't, is a compulsive liar. Usually the person who fills the void of seeing me as the savior is a serious compulsive lair, I have stories from a guy saying he killed two people in Europe, and to get away, he swam across the Atlantic Ocean which took him a few days and even an encounter with Jaws himself in which he over-powered the killer Great White Shark.  Yet, just like the compulsive liars, they will call at strange times or even come by quite a lot. And at times, they need me to save them from a shit situation or the following will happen:

Even when they call me past midnight and say they are being chased by an angry black man in a ghetto neighborhood and they need me to pick them up. I ask, "Why don't you call the cops?" he says, "I got coke on me, I can't leave without it." (True story)

Or maybe it's just the weather?



The savior,

Robbee T.

Ring me a bell.

Yes, it's been a while since I've come by to A Walk To Aquarius. But, uh yes, James Gandolfini passed away. 51 years old? I thought he'd be older than that. I never was a fan of the Sopranos and I know him best in The Last Castle. I never hated the Sopranos, it just wasn't interesting to me. However, it's sad to see him go bye-bye.

I was with my cousin Bryan and his friends that range from 14-19, they called me the man of the hour for my preference of woman older than me. Hell, my ex-girlfriend Angie said, "Your a whore for older woman." I think the spikes of my blogs being visited or by them, but yet, I'm unsure if any of them are following me on twitter. Unless they don't use their real names. While talking to these guys, I find myself out of place, since all of them are born between 95-98. I was explaining to them the significance of the OJ Simpson trail and the big car chase of 1994.

If any of them are visiting, how about a visual?

Augh boy.

I remember that night on June 17, 1994, I was at my mom's house which was a flat on Wayburn in Grosse Pointe Park (just recently, we had a murder on that same street). I was good friends with the kid living above me who was two years older. Me and Jan (his name) were watching this unfold on CNN while he was complaining about the cameraman's shaking of the camera while a couple of reporters were doing play-by-play.

I thought it was fucking stupid when one of OJ's friends was also with the reporters. I remember one of the reporters saying, "We think OJ may be listening to us, so we have his friend here to talk to him."

I forgot OJ's friend's name, but he comes up and says, "OJ, if your listening to me, please turn on your emergency blinkers."  ...which did not happen.

Of course, his friend tells OJ to surrender... etc. etc. etc.

For a good idea, take a look at the ESPN film June 17, 1994.


Anyways, been experimenting with Hubpages and looking to write an article on the NSA leaks. I'm not surprised, watch some PBS and take a look at what bullshit lurks (however, PBS can be boring form time to time). I really want to watch the NOVA episode about the Boston bombings. FrontLine has some episodes for free, I wonder if Nova does as well?

Satan finally speaks.

I'm not the biggest fan of Late Night shows, I watch a little bit of Letterman here and there but besides that, the whole Late Night spectrum doesn't do it for me. I was a serious fan of Letterman back in 95/96 and would beg to stay up late till 11pm and watch Letterman back in that day, but most times than not, it would be only a Friday. His jokes were cheap and idiotic as they are today (and with most late night shows), but he made me laugh my ass off.

Anywho, Jimmy Kimmel has his own show. I've tried to watch it but I think he has lost his funny when Crank Yankers went bye-bye. However, I stumbled upon his show and Satan himself had answered the question about  using Twitter can lead you to Hell:

 

Cheap-ass humor, but entertaining nonetheless... especially with a New Ager as myself.

The 80's educational epic: Tomes & Talismans

 

It was around 1993 in my 5^th grade where little Robbee Thomas (or then known as Robert H, I had a different last name at the time) when we would go to the library once a week. Back in the day and I’m unsure if it’s the same these days, but you would go to Gym and Music once or twice a week, and the library once a week. Personally, I found the librarians making us sit down and to read to us rather boring. But for thirteen weeks straight, we got to watch this interesting show called Tomes and Talismans.

                T&T was some made for PBS show about the great use of the library, with emphasis of the Dewey Decimal System. Before the internet was popular, all libraries would have a shelf filled with cards in the order of numbers to show book info and where one could find that particular book. Nowadays, you can fit all that Dewey Decimal System info on a little 8GB SD Card, or 16GB? Could somebody tell me how much the whole DDS for a medium-sized library’s info could fit into one of these cards?

                So T&T, sci-fi apocalyptic educational ‘sitcom’ starts in the year 2123 (but somehow it looks more like 1986, the year T&T was released) where we learn that extraterrestrial aliens known as the Wipers are responsible for destroying communication equipment and also all books, therefore having human beings transport out of Earth and to some galaxy, happily surrendering Earth to these Wipers. So, the show starts with the last humans trying to finish off the underground library (which if you watch this, you can notice a hallway that shows some kind of natural light) before they float on to the galaxy. If I remember correctly, the main character conveniently named Ms. Bookhart and three employees are watching the news (which looks like a crappy public access program that nobody really watches) with the newsman warning all people of Earth to get the hell out, this follows by the Wipers interrupting and kicking the newsman’s ass. The Wipers are rather comical because we are told at the beginning of the show that they are aliens trying to cause the end of the world, but obviously the funds of this PBS show are very limited, the Wipers are vicious rednecks causing some havoc in a PG-rated matter, with the dark space pad sound of the keyboard punching it up (I made this kind of music back in 04-06 before and tried to sell it to a b-movie company… epic fail in my part).

                The library is almost finished but an important book is missing, The History of the Wipers III, written by somebody locally. Ms. Bookhart and the three characters are reminded again that they need to get the motherfuck out of Earth very soon by the newsman who is a victim to these evil aliens (or drunken bad actors from the south) actions. Ms. Bookhart emphasis that this book is needed in the underground library and decides to head over to the authors house to get a copy, thus the other three head to the transport and try to stall there exit, but fail and become one of the last to head to the galaxy, leaving Ms. Bookhart as perhaps last human on Earth.

                Ms. Bookhart (not known that she’s pretty much screwed now) drives in a 60’s crapper bookmobile and radios for assistance (wait, are we in 2123 or 1986?) with no one at the other end, but eventually gets to the authors house who has gone bat shit insane and seems to be out of it. Bookhart does find the copy and needs to get out due to Wipers nearby. She drives around in the bookmobile for a bit until it finally dies. While trying to do some maintenance; suddenly, a ghost-like being appears in front of her that does sorta look like Barack Obama. If I saw this, I’d shit my pants and beg for my mom and my aunt (which we are in not-so-good terms as of now) I can just imagine me: “I’m so sorry, I’ll give my aunt a hug and kiss from now on, j-just please go away, you’re scaring me!” This ghost is known as ‘The Universal Being’ and with a strange voice, he sprinkles some dust on Ms. Bookhart and tells her she will sleep for 100 years without the inconvenience of aging.  

Augh shit!

 



                The start of the 2^nd episode tells us that in 2221, a group of folks known as The Users had made a communications base to Earth. And for the next two years, progress is rather limited. The Users (who are mostly children with a few senior citizens as the high-ranking officers, wearing goofy orange suits) are trying to obtain info about the planet Earth and are looking at the difference between a book and a computer. This leads them to head outside to find more books. The four users who perhaps look like twelve-year-olds with the leader appearing to be in his late teens had stumbled upon the dead bookmobile and find a sleeping (or metabolizing) Ms. Bookhart.

The Users

Before the Users could do anything, the same asshole who had knocked her out a hundred years previously (or as the Users call them 100 ‘star cycles’) appears and has a nice convo with them while giving them some valuable info, and giving me the honest interest to drop acid. Judging by his voice, this guy who played this ghost is probably the voiceover that starts each episode of telling the viewers what happen previously with the highly-synthesized T&T theme. Eventually, Ms. Bookhart wakes up just before some Wipers show up, then we see the dark teaser saying ‘to be continued…’ It does this teaser deal for the first twelve episodes of the show, until (WARNING SPOILER ALERT: Ms. Bookhart and the Users destroy the Wipers).

Going beyond episode three is something I won’t be doing. I personally don’t want to watch each episode and give you a play-by-play: “Ms. Bookhart and Col. Horton are going through the computer and shooting info about the underground library!” So, since I’ve spoiled two episodes and the ending, I’ll let you take a look:

 

Otherwise, like I said, T&T (when saying that out loud is TNT… dynomite!) at the time was more interesting than opposed to the librarians reading us a book and boring us to death. Next for me to fall asleep and get a phone call home from school telling my aunt (since I was living with her at the time) that I was caught falling asleep. Next to get home and hear her say, “You been sleeping during class? I’m gonna beat your ass with the belt!”

Ahh, the good ole’ days. I do miss 1993, I was a little 11-year-old dork trying to be cool by getting into grunge music. And my aunt and uncle won’t hesitate in smacking me around when I acted up, this also includes me doing a Beavis and Butthead impression that year.

While we are at it, another thing I hated is after watching a movie in school is when they turned the lights on and the teacher says, “Now, what did we learn about the movie?” I was never interested in discussing the movie. I do remember a time when no one in class was giving out any feedback and she picked me at random. I just said “well, I don’t know.” Which truly meant, “I don’t want to be quizzed about the movie.” That didn’t go well.

Anyways, as you may know, a Youtube user named emjameson had put all episodes of T&T which a few include the starting countdown reel. I suppose he or she didn’t give a shit to edit that out, but then again, I kinda liked hearing that boop…boop…boop, and even a man with a heavy southern accent stating the info on the screen just before it. Tomes and Talismans was made by Mississippi’s Public Broadcasting which would perhaps explain the silliness of the Wipers.

I'm gonna have nightmares tonight

 

Before going on that, I was curious if any of these actors would go on to other passages. After checking the IMDB, all but one (I didn’t check everybody) is still acting to this day. The man playing Col. Horton (named Traber Burns) is out and about. Checking his IMDB, he’s playing in movies I’ve never heard of and has been in an episode of House, Lost, Medium, Grey’s Anatomy, and episode of Miami Vice before the plug was pulled on that show, and a few others.

I’d imagine that the MPB went to a local drama club to get the child actors and some of the adult actors. Traber Burns’ bio states that he has hung around Louisiana for a bit until he moved to Los Angeles somewhere in the 2000s. Looking at his IMDB reminds me of Sara Holden, someone I knew when I was a teen years who worked for my aunt (the same one I was talking about earlier) who has gone on to be an actress, she also played in an episode in House and played a female hostage in CSI: NY. She mainly does stunts now, including an episode of Sons of Anarchy as a stunt double.

That sucks. She out in Hollywood being not-so-famous but still doing cool stuff, and I’m here in Detroit working in the Auto Industry and being stalked by a weird fucker (who happens to be black, being PC here) who thinks I’m part of the Illuminati (true story) and thinks me and my family are very wealthy members of Wall Street and said once we are ‘out to screw black people.’ Yes, sir, we are out to make black people more poorer while fattening our pockets! Oh, I have stories about dealing with this nutjob, lots! Stay tuned to A Walk 2 Aquarius for more info.

Going back to Sara Holden, truth be told is that I haven’t seen Sara Holden since perhaps 2001 or even before and I’m unsure if my aunt has contact with her. I gotta ask. With the nutjob, I think he watched Bowling for Columbine too many times and took Mr. Moore’s words about how cities like Flint, Michigan went down the tube rather easily. And somehow, to this guy; apparently, I’m one of these evil rich white folks who destroyed Flint. Wow, I didn’t know I had that kind of power. Maybe he thinks I’m responsible for 9/11.

With the Wipers? I’d imagine the MPB may’ve walked into a rural Mississippi bar and picked up some drunken folks for recruitment. I could have sworn I’ve seen the actress who played Mrs. Bookhart (Niki Wood) in another movie around the 80s… guess not.

Also, I was curious on who made that fuckin’ strange music (similar to my 2004 New Age/Ambient album ‘Watch the Sky Turn Red’) and ran into the name Obie Atkins, sounds like a name for a country star so I looked around and it appears that wasn’t the case. All I could find is that after T&T, she or he was involved with some Christmas album made somewhere in the early 90s, but I didn’t give a shit to go further down the road with finding out info about Mr. or Mrs. Atkins career, the name piqued my interest.

And for myself, I don’t think I could watch T&T start to finish, I watched both the first and second episodes and went straight to the last one. But if you are interested in some weird 80s educational shit, by all means, T&T may fill your desire.

Now, I’m not attempting to shit all-over T&T. If I was held hostage and had my choice of watching the bullshit you see in the regular morning TV (The View, The Talk) or T&T, I’d take the second choice. Sounds strange, but I did watch The View once in my life (while at an auto shop waiting for the mechanics to fuck up my Ford Taurus) and I seriously thought about walking in front of a moving semi-truck. God, how can people watch that shit?? This is the kind of shit stay-at-home soccer moms watch when they are not travelling around to the mall with Prince Charming’s maxed-out credit card and his two balls in her purse. I can see why divorces are on the rise; and why I’m 31 and never been married or even engaged.