A nightmare on my street

I rarely remember my dreams.. but last night’s was quite visual, and very memorable. The scenery was abundant.. the feelings I had during the dream was palpable. But looking back on it, I don’t quite why the night vision had such a foreboding threat of doom associated with it, but it surely did.

The premise was quite simple, actually.

I was driving —I think with my wife but, as dreams go, I can’t remember for sure—and we were in a mountain setting. It was dry and arid, looking like a drought-plagued dust bowl. The interesting thing, though, is that I recalled being there before. And it was not a good place.. 

As the dream went on, the discussion came up: What would be scarier: 1) If we see a house in the middle of this no-man’s land, or 2) if we saw a single person walking alone in the distance across the barren landscape.. We concluded that either would be alarming and would cause unease within the mind.. 

But why?

I mean, yes dreams sometimes take on a life of their own..

Looking back on it now, neither instance—a house or a lone man—really is scary in itself. But for some reason, that dream I had last night was actually a nightmare.. And I cannot figure out why looking back on it now..

This is getting weird

10 people killed Sunday in air taxi crash in Alaska.

Winter 1994. Summer 2013. A tale of two ages

Allow me to write a rambling stream of consciousness for a bit.. I think I know where I want this to go, but we’ll see where it leads..

It was the best of times.. it was the worst of times.

There was a family party today to celebrate a birthday, a graduation and new nurse Kaitlin in the family, and a young man becoming a Marine.

The world is filled with fires, feuds, and retaliation.

Egypt is in turmoil.
The Middle East always is..

Climate change is occurring..
Weather has always been extreme.

But today was one of those days where the trials and tribulations of reality took a back seat to family and kinship..

An interesting parallel existed in my mind’s eye as I watched my family … we’ve grown and aged. I did, too ..

I distinctly remember a moment in time, so long ago now last century, when a teenage me was walking my now deceased dog on Christmas Eve night.. a full moon was above, and my little nephew Shawn Jr. was by my side .. he followed me around in those times everywhere I went. He was a cute little skinny runt, probably around age 3 in my memory.. I recall fondly the cold air, the snow on the ground, and the magic of Christmas in our hearts as he chatted up a storm about what Santa Claus was going to bring for him.

This year, this day, my young son, now aged 2 and a half, was running after his family members one by one —chasing them around the house with a Superman watch that plays a few seconds of the theme song. The watch was a gift for his Uncle who celebrated a birthday today. But it didn’t fit Uncle Shawn, so Ayden now is wearing it for ‘special powers’… And I looked at my son, sweating and laughing in the 95 degree heat, and could not think back to that cold and snowy Christmas eve when my nephew was just his size..

My nephew is now a Marine..
My son has a future ahead of him.. As of today, he is Superman and he is knocking ‘bad guys’ down one by one…

A tale of two ages..
A sign of the times. Not the overall ‘world’ times.. but the localized times. You know, the ones that matter.

My sister made a comment today about how reality exists for us.. but everyone else has their own reality, their own story, and their own piece of the pie of existence. We only know what takes place on a daily basis for our own bodies and souls. We cannot understand or fathom what happens in the lives of others.

And with that said.. I can only remember what it was like to be ME at age 3, living in the mine fires of Centralia.. While I can try, I don’t really know what it was like to be my nephew patiently waiting the arrival of Santa somewhere in the mid 1990s.. and I can love and appreciate everything my son Ayden does, but only he will know what it was like to be AYDEN at his age, and any age..

Isn’t that interesting?

We can be connected to family.. but disconnected all the same…? Strange in a way..

And now a memory may exist for my son Ayden.. a memory in time.. Etched forever. When he looked up at saw his cousin come back from the Marine Corps, looking more than a tad bit different. I think Ayden met a new hero today.

But .. .that certainly didn’t stop him from using his special toddler powers and taking him down..

It may be hotter than the fires of hell but the coal speaker family has the grill fired up and drinks on ice..

Late night grim reaping

If you’re still awake, you may want to tune into Coast to Coast AM, hosted tonight by John B. Wells. 

The topic: THE GRIM REAPER.. 

As the Coast to Coast website describes:

Investigative reporter Peter Lance joins John B. Wells to discuss once secret FBI files that tell the definitive story of Gregory Scarpa Sr. aka “The Grim Reaper;” a Mafia capo, who “stopped counting” after 50 murders, while secretly betraying the Colombo crime family as a top FBI informant.

It’s an interesting topic..

Scarpa is an interesting character I’ve read about years back..

With Wells there is at least one thing you can county on great music. The topic tonight is thankfully not politics or world events.. with some interesting stories of Scarpa and some creepy music, you’ll want to lock your doors and make sure the windows are tightly closed.

This is a pretty cool photo appearing on the Facebook newsfeed for the NEWS ITEM tonight of fireworks over Shamokin PA tonight.. 

I didn’t get to see them, but heard them quite well many miles away..

Great photo. 

I think I can see the Coal Hole in the distance..

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fckR5u2ukeQ?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=374]

Didn’t go to a party tonight, but I went to a block party in Minersville.. Had some good buttery halushkie, and other coal region food at its best and most artery clogging.

Sadly I didn’t hear SAPPHIRE sing Kiss Me Deadly because Ayden  got tired and we had to go home.. But enjoyed the show I saw nonetheless.

It certainly put me in a Lita Ford kinda mood—maybe because so many in this region drink their Yuengling while still dressing like their kissing deadly in 1985..

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Well it’s pretty much official tonight.. the LONE RANGER is a bust at the box office.

Nikki Finke is reporting on DEADLINE.COM that the movie has had a wretched performance since it opened this week.. Not even good ticket sales on Friday. Apparently very few people want to see the movie.. 

While you cannot go by ticket sales to judge if a movie is good, you can at least state that this film is the latest of some big Hollywood budget busters this summer with fetched little money.. 

Finke reported that the movie may not even top $50 mil for the entire weekend.. 

Horrible performance.

Johnny Depp has a following. But apparently the Lone Ranger just doesn’t..

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg: I switched flight to San Francisco

Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said she had planned to take the flight that crashed on landing in San Francisco on Saturday. Sandberg decided to switch to another airline in order to use reward miles, she said in a post on her Facebook page. “Taking a minute to be thankful and explain what happened. My family, colleagues Debbie…

A stroke of luck for Sandberg, who averted having happen to her what is happening to over 180 people tonight.. and of them, over 40 are in critical condition.. One report surfaced tonight saying 2 were dead from the Boeing disaster..

CNN is reporting tonight that there were 307 on board the doomed flight. Nine different hospitals are treating the injured..

There are also some amazing and breathtaking images online. It’s amazing, looking at the scene, that we are not talking about even more grim numbers tonight.. thank God we aren’t.. but that’s no comfort for the 2 already fatally injured and the others who are in serious condition..

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg: I switched flight to San Francisco

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knohDiCp9fg?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=374]

No matter how many times I watch people scare their unfortunate co-worker in this restaurant, I cannot help but laugh in spite of myself..

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

[gallery]

These are just unbelievable images from Canada.. 

fat-feminist:

sayyeahletsbealonetogether:

Pray For Canada.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2357352/Breaking-news-Canadian-town-center-wiped-freight-train-carrying-hundreds-tons-crude-oil-derails-explodes.html

oh my god

Good live blog rolling on PBump.net of the plane crash in California

Good live blog rolling on PBump.net of the plane crash in California

LIVE ON THE INTERNET: The aftermath of a plane crash in San Fran.. as told by those walking away from the crash scene..

shortformblog:

brooklynmutt:

I just crash landed at SFO. Tail ripped off. Most everyone seems fine. I’m ok. Surreal… - Path — David Eun

Wow. Crazy. (follow for more)

Disaster Saturday part 2

A Boeing 777 operated by Asiana Airlines crashed while landing in San Francisco..YouTube videos being posted already show the plane with smoke rising and it appeared to be upright..

Disaster Saturday part 1

From the Canadian-U.S. border, a train carrying oil derailed in Lac-Megantic in the morning. NBC news dispatches report one quote saying “everything that was there is gone”.. Another report has that the Quebec town is ablaze in the aftermath due to what the train was carrying..  MORE HERE

The future of earth: Hostile and angry.. The mid-life crisis for the planet is upon us

A respectable publication, the UK INDEPENDENT, has a headline zooming its way around the Internet(s) tonight thanks to Drudge for linking it.. The topic: The Earth and the sudden mid-life crisis the planet finds itself in..

SEE HERE

The report focuses on the how the future will be quite hostile to life. While we may find it hostile already, the type of planet Jack O’Malley-James is talking about goes a little like this, as the INDEPENDENT reports:

According to leading scientist Jack O’Malley-James, life on Earth will perish in more than a billion years when a warming sun boils oceans and forces out CO2, damning plants and subsequently animals.

Most life will have died by the planet reaches 70s (or 6.5 billion-years-old), he says, with any microorganisms confined to pools of residual water.

“The far-future Earth will be very hostile to life,” Mr O’Malley-James said. “It will be restricted to pockets of liquid water, perhaps at cooler higher altitudes or in caves.

And you thought WE had it tough!

Quite a bad picture painted by this expert—and many others.

The immediate future may not feature boiling oceans.. but we do have a water crisis coming, quite possibly a food crisis, and a changing earth making some rough weather happen in places that never had it. 

That mid-life crisis is never easy..

The Lone Ranger is in some big danger:

From Johnny Depp to Lone Ranger: The reinvention of Tonto..

BUT..

Fourth of July implosion already has happened: LONE RANGER garners disappointed $9.7 mil opening.. 

Could this be the next big summer bust? Disney hopes not, since it was a very expensive gamble for the Studio..

Elijah Wood is really good at promoting himself and horror..

I have been seeing headlines about how much Elijah Wood likes horror movies for weeks now..

The latest here:

Chicago SUN TIMES reports: Elijah Wood’s love of horror ‘borders on maniacal’

Wood says horror equals happiness..

Wood told the AP: “I love Mike Meyers. He didn’t have a long shelf-life because I didn’t love all the iterations of that character. He’s a great rendering of the boogey man. Jack Nicholson’s character in “The Shining” is extraordinary. I tend to find characters from a more rooted, real place to be more frightening and unsettling. What happens to Reagan in “The Exorcist” I love and find horrifyingly scary. Freddy Kruger is more fun. He becomes a jokester which is fun to watch. That’s another angle with horror.”

It’s all about the marketing.. and it seems that Elijah Wood understands that..

Mayhem in Cairo as Morsi Backers Fight for Return

Mayhem in Cairo as Morsi Backers Fight for Return

So now we know. And though we didn’t already:

Polls shows that men hate when women wear wedge shoes..