San Francisco to Reno

1:10 pm - Well, so far I count three dogs, one Husky, one pregnant pit bull, and one chow chow that may soon be the pit bull's lunch, and about twenty people on this bus.  We're pulling out.  Prayer of protection said.  We're rolling out!

3:42 pm- rest stop in Sacramento, no munchies in sight, California continues to smell faintly of weed...

4:20 pm- Yup, crawling in Sacramento traffic allows us to exercise our political bug.  I found this quote about Trump's draconian immigration stance quite humorous:


"If they [Trump and his administration] actually are successful in building a wall, you're probably going to have a new generation of Olympic pole vaulters come about," said de Leon, state Senate President from Los Angeles. "And they'll probably be quite successful."

It's crucial to find moments of humor during times of sorrow.

6:27 pm- Man, I just had the ultimate pleasure in driving through the Sierra Nevada mountains.  I took a nap in sunny Sacramento for what couldn't have been longer than an hour, and when I woke up, I found myself in a winter Wonderland high in the mountains, covered with two or three feet of snow on the ground, peppered with happy little and seriously gigantic evergreen trees whose exhausted arms were weighed down by the fluffy stuff.  The plan was to see The Rockies in Denver, but this was a lovely surprise. It's a beautiful country.

To Al and D

Two rays of light,
blinding glory in sight,
kiss the earth to ignite
a love so pure that endures
the trials of distant land
that separate us.

You and the queen
of your connubial bliss
depict compassionate bonds
of iron, steel and amicability,
that are wholly
unbreakable and eternal.

Happy New Year's my brother, and embrace my sister in spirit for me when the time of jubilation comes :)

Some advice for future Rob

Don't let matters you can't control get the best of you.  When you allow others to possess and manipulate your emotions, you empower their ill will against you.  Harness the negativity and filter it through the imagination to create a positive product.

Take this time, and do what you love.  Travel, swim, listen to music.  Bring your tent and your camera, and live your life.  For love's sake, don't let these petty matters dull your shine, for you are a star in the eyes of loved ones.

It hurts, to be subjected to injustice, however you're NOT a victim.  Regret is useless, but remembering what you've learned from the lessons of life is the only idea that matters.  Let your experience harden you, and use the new armor to protect your sensitive soul.

Be grateful to your partner because she embodies loving grace.  Be strong for her especially when you feel you're at your weakest moment.  You've been through worse struggles, and you will come out on top.  This struggle shouldn't drag both of you down, and you mustn't allow it to happen. Instead, hold onto to it like a small, barren seed, and keep it in your pocket.  Don't let it grow and fester inside of you, but keep it close enough to remind you of your troubles, yet never let it take hold of you.

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"the journey"

the mind is a strangely frightening, yet comforting place to live.  most of the time, i work, then go home, then go to work, just to return home, on endless repeat.

i'm grateful to be employed, but i've been caught up in this rut for so long, it shocks me to no end to realize that five long years have crawled by, but i'm in the same place, with nothing to show for it, except for wisdom's trails in the corners of my eyes.

The Sirens have hypnotized me, and i'm on my back, drifting in the middle of the caribbean sea, watching the clouds loom above, giggling with the seagulls fluttering over me.

there's no hunger, there's no sleep, just an unbroken cycle, on skipping repeat.  there i go, floating away, as the waves roll me gently, in and out, in and out, with their guiding touch, and for days, or possibly weeks, i still can't tell...i turn my head to see land in the distance and two massive green peaches...or is that fuzz?

To Karimah,

My ears and mind hear you
 as the clock unwinds: 
loud, 
clear, 
and filled with benign fear,
that my sisters and brothers, 
the water and the earth of our land and great nation, 
now must live in damned nation. 

Yet, 
fear not, 
for resilience and fortitude will return. 

Hardship and strife 
will breathe into us new life, and 
unite us in strength. 

This struggle is temporary, yet 
our spirit will remain indomitable. 

We must serve as a model, and 
illumination, 
we will follow, 
because now, 
especially now, 
is not the time to waste with dark paths before us. 
Only light and hope will lead us forward, and 
forward, 
we will go.

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Chapter 3

"What are you fighting for?"
"What's that?  Did you say something?"
"What.  Are.  You.  Fighting for?"  he rasped, his hoarse voice like the ferocious teeth of 10,000 saws shredding across the metallic trunks of the world's oldest petrified forest, each word crunched by as he tapped his pen on the coffee table like a stoned drummer entranced in the world's longest solo; each beat was a slow echo booming in the silence.

Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap...tap...tap.

The sounds stowed me away into a grandfather clock of the Titans, ticking away useless seconds pointlessly into eternity, and I stood there, looking at myself from outside of my body, shrinking into an ant's oblivion, drifting away into the gears of time, forgotten and lost in my own thoughts.

'What am I fighting for?  Could this furry fluffball of a man, in fact, be my master? Must I triumph at each and every one of his noble quests in order to be in his graces of glory?  Is the fuzzy, naked one my shaolin grandmaster?'  OK, I'll bite.

I turned to him, and as bravely as I could muster, I squeaked, "The Truth."  The Fuzzy One turned his head ever so slightly, and gave me the side eye.  In doing so, he appeared to have solved the elusive riddle of life, arriving at the solution to eradicating all trace of systemic racism, with hairy hide firm and intact, and I saw his peachy ears perk up as he just sat there, motionless to the discerning eye.  Not an inch of him moved.  Counting each grain of sand that existed between desert and shoreline would have been time better spent.  After the last granule of silence plummeted due to gravity's seduction, Furry focused all of his heart's intent, his burning gaze burrowed into my brain.

With serenity's breath, as gently as a giant could, he whispered, "Find The Truth, and bring it here."

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CHAPTER TWO

Somewhat befuddled, but too proud to show it, I walked past Man A and into my bedroom that was located just an arm's length behind him.  You see, I live in a studio apartment in a four-story building, one that usually houses undergrad students at the local college.  It's July, so the college kids have mostly gone home, except for the orphans and/or hopeless ones...so there's not many occupied apartments for the time being; the silent stillness is intoxicating.  It only makes sense that this guy ruined my life and chose my place.

I enjoy living by myself, partly due to my own choice, you understand, but also because I'm broke. Well, not classically broke in the sense that I'm inches away from being face down in the gutter, nothing like that.  More like, I work 40-50 hours a week at twice the minimum wage for the federal government, yet I'm still struggling to pay off my student loan, car loan, credit card bills, etc.  So, at the end of the day, I'm living the dream.  Go to college, get a job, and everything will be alright...yeah, right.  So being broke ensnares all, yet I'm just in a different kind of trap.

Now, first things first; it's time to strategize.  Let's put that college-educated brain to work.  How do I get this dude out of here?  I could ask him nicely to vamoose, but then he'd think I'm a punk...or I could grunt, puff out my chest and hoot and holler like the average American neanderthal, but then he'd probably give me a fistful of dollars to keep the circus in town.  I could also wait until he's finished writing, but heaven knows that could take a year shy of eternity to be completed.  Overall, I have to establish that I'm the one in power, me, Reginald John, and he has no choice but to submit and do as I wish.

'OK Reginald, you get out there and give him the business.  You can do this!  No sweat,' I ponder as I look into my own reflection...Christ, this mirror is dirty.  Hmmm, I don't have any paper towels handy.  Let me go into the kitch---fuck...this guy's still here.  OK, get out there, man.  Man A, gone, then clean the mirror, and onto Japan's mecha-samurai battles we go!  I open the door into the living room/dining room and prepared myself to defend my honor.

I decided I'd start with the nice guy approach, and then hit him when he was least expecting it.

"Hey, man.  You hungry?  I can order us some pizza, I guess, to ummm, help with your writing, but then you're gonna have to---"

"Sure, I'll take a sandwich.  Roast beef, with provolone.  Don't forget the spicy mustard."

"OK, uh let me check if I have...any of that."

"You do.  Bottom shelf.  Everything you need is right in front of you.  Open your eyes."

"Oh, right."  Flustered, I crossed in front of him towards the kitchen, tiptoeing on whatever bare spot I could see, as if I were in a minefield of disorganization trying to avoid stepping on his clothes that would undoubtedly set the entire apartment up in uncontrollable flames of my very real anxiety.  The last thing I want is to aggravate this guy and coerce him into staying any longer than he needs to.

Opening the fridge provided an unfortunate chilling moment of clarity.  Our conversation.  I couldn't believe he drew first blood.  How do I get out of this?  I needed some help.  What would Hiroyuki Watanabe do to his adversary?  Hmmm, he'd strike back and hard...to end all injustices that came into his world.  I now knew what I had to do next, and I just hoped and prayed I had the chutzpah to see it through.