Dead Ends

dead ends

Oooh, another idea for a book that I will never ever write.

In the early years of the United States, Thomas Jefferson (or some similar morally dubious but notoriously inquisitive and scientifically/experimentally minded figure) sets up a supernatural system of protections for the new nation, possibly already including plans/provision for a ghost army. Years later, the emergence of the United States military cemetery system has been incorporated into this structure. Many years after leaving the service, a dead soldier is interred in a military cemetery, and finds themself recalled to duty in a spectral military operation.

Thanksgiving

A reddit thread today made me stop and think there really needs to be some kind of grim action movie called JAMESTOWN, taglines including "where it all began" and "forget what you were told in school". It would show the terror of crossing the Atlantic in tiny wooden boats to an unknown shore, the kinds of desperate, stupid, or insane people who would take that bet, the inevitable and understandable Indian attacks, the disease, the starvation, the cannibalism, the arrival of the tobacco brides, the beginning of chattel slavery. Of course the only possible plot I can imagine would be the plucky orphan trying like hell to survive and get on the next boat home.

Pretty certain this would be loudly denounced as anti-American and unpatriotic from certain circles. But it is obvious why schools and society focus on the Mayflower and Plymouth, because who wants to try to explain that shit to a fourth grader?

Party crash

Last night I dreamed that I had ordered a bike part (I don't bike) and hadn't gotten it, so thinking it might have been delivered to an old address I went back to the apartment I lived in 25 years ago and wandered into what seemed to maybe be a small gathering of gods or something there. One randomly hugged me and they were mostly nice to me, except one kept threatening to pick me up and cuddle me so that he could hear me better.

I don't think I found the bike part, though.

Cheshire cat

Would be cool for someone (not me) to get a Cheshire cat tattoo, knowing the yellows and oranges may/will slowly fade out over the years leaving the outline and a smile drawn in bold black.

somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert

Somewhere in the vicinity of Greensboro, NC there is a big billboard by the interstate that says

THIS IS

MAGA

COUNTRY

and there must be something really wrong with people down there. How has no one managed to sneak up at night and change "MAGA" to "BAT" yet?

Dog sculptures turned golden from tourists petting them throughout the years