Video[One bedroom, early morning, a tangle of sheets pale in the darkness. Someone enjoyed last night. Beneath the sheets, there is a woman, features indistinct in the poor light. The pillow beside her is shadowed where her bedpartner's head rested until recently ( Read more... )

I would have prefered an option for braids if the City's determined to give hair growth a small boost. The goatee lost its appeal months ago, although the challenge of maintaining one without a mirror did have its charms. It's like knife-throwing. People wonder how you can manage without looking. It also happens to help if you actually can ( Read more... )

The deities expect us to help them capture what is, essentially, Yogi Bear updated for the Information Age, inclined to harrass people on the network instead of at picnic sites. Is there a wildlife relocation plan in effect, or is the bear going to go back to the "containment" that evidently cannot hold it ( Read more... )

I shouldn't be surprised. Reptilian chicken hybrids and my brother going within three feet of a stove are on my list of known fire hazards. "City curse" may be the most reasonable cause so far that I've had to use a fire extinguisher. Possibly the least costly provided the ammunition stays safely stored ( Read more... )

Life is full of departures. Everyone eventually leaves someone, something, somewhere, and everyone is eventually left behind. Minimize your connections, and those departures are relegated to inconveniences and necessities. It was always easy for Cal and me to move on. Collect your last paycheck if you had the time, throw your belongings in the ( Read more... )

Video[Nik appears to be going about his business without interruption despite the day's myriad curses. He passes through the living room, and thus in front of the camera, several times as he completes his chores. Twice, he comes through with sorted laundry. Three times, he disappears into the kitchen, from which the sounds of cleaning (or ( Read more... )

All of us realize sooner or later that the City lacks something we consider important. We tend to recognize the obvious first: missing family, missing friends, missing streets and possessions. It takes longer to recognize the difference in background noise, those things that are so basic, so all-encompassing that we've become habituated to them ( Read more... )

Parents lie to their children. They tell them that Santa Claus is real, that their father still loves them even though he had to leave, or that their mother will be just fine as soon as she finishes therapy. They tell them that the family dog goes to a better place when he doesn't come back from the vet and that the family cat who ran away will ( Read more... )

Voice Post (via phone)

Five times. Five that I've broken my promise and lost him. We never speak of it. There are too many literal monsters pounding at the door. Our conversations may skirt the edge of the topic, but it's our Medusa. Don't look at it directly. In our home, if you can help it, don't look in the mirror at all ( Read more... )

Recently Acquired

1 little brother (Need I give the speech again? Do not incur my ire ( Read more... )