Mystical Calm

Once again, I attempted to leave early for town on the bus. This morning, I departed Slob Manor (read: rental housing) at 7:40am. I rode the bus to Kahala. I ended up waiting 20 minutes for the Route 23 bus. The Route 24 bus had arrived on time, but it was not heading to Ala Moana Center. I transferred to a Route 19 bus at Ala Moana. I finally alighted in town at 9am.

Repeating the "reenactment" episode of last week, I walked through Kamali'i Park. The small park is looking pretty shabby these days. Not even the homeless hang out there anymore. I procured a cup of Seattle's Best® Colombian coffee at the Pali Safeway®. Then, I stationed myself in my usual spot in the catacombs of Kukui Plaza. I spent about an hour there just sipping my coffee. A deep mystical calm enveloped my entire self. Then, I happened to observe a few sugar ants scurrying around on the concrete wall behind me. However, I did not squish their tiny heads.

I followed the same dull itinerary, albeit in a very leisurely fashion. Later in the afternoon, I was able to procure a Yakitori Bento at Foodland in Ala Moana Center. I also purchased a banana and a big-ass chocolate chip muffin to eat for a snack while I waited for the Route 24 bus. Sadly, I had a difficult time enjoying my snack, what with all the cigarette smoke and all.

I had an interesting discussion with Alan, the only guy living downstairs right now in Slob Manor. Yes, there are still two vacant room downstairs. I am surprised that Pat, the landlord, has left them vacant for so long. Alan has a small cottage business that he runs basically as a hobby. He wants to expand the business and needs more room. He is pretty much doing the work in his very cramped room at this time. He was thinking about renting one of the vacant rooms in addition to the one he has now. I suggested that he negotiate the rent for entire second floor. That way, the Indian guy and I would have to move downstairs. I am not really keen on the idea of moving downstairs, but I believe that it will be better for my sanity. Anyway, another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening awaits me.

Since life sort of fell apart for some of the poor schmucks in the empire like the ol' lavahead, there has been a great disconnect. I have attempted to cope with the problem using the "less is more approach." Mind you, I have been plagued with severe anxieties, the roots of which are too numerous to list at this time. However, a tasty cup of coffee has actually brought a tranquil calm to my psyche. I am not going back to my old coffee addiction, but I am not going to deny myself the occasional indulgence. I am way too old in years to keep denying myself of everything. I suppose that the coffee has an anxiolytic effect. The amphetamine-like substance caffeine appears to reverse the hypertensive symptoms. I am also listening to House Music courtesy Deep House Cat more often on my Palm® TX. Both the coffee and House Music have brought me close to a religious, spiritual, or mystical experience (RSME).

By the way, the Pure T 'n A site has proven to be quite interesting. I have not really taken the time to peruse the nooks and crannies of the site with the exception of the obligatory rules. The site hosts a "private" tracker for hurdy-gurdy "torrents." In other words, it requires a membership. There are specific rules to maintain the membership, the prime directive being equitable "seeding" after downloading. There are various levels of memberships starting at "Virgin" which is directly promotable to "Player." A high degree of contribution and a nomination by a current high-level member can lead to a promotion to "Pronstar" and "VIP." There are also a large number of forums that members can participate in, which is also quite interesting to peruse. Yes, a whole active community devoted to hurdy-gurdy aficionados. Isn't that something?

Return of the Disconnect

A major disconnect has occurred. I cannot put a finger on the exact time and place when the latter transpired. All I know is that I am no longer willing to function under the auspices of the present state of humanity. As I mentioned previously, I have left everything "up in the air." Not much is being accomplished. Days, if not weeks, go by before I complete a single task in the queue. I can distinctly recall when I was a "jack of all trades, a master of none." I was able to multi-task and complete numerous projects simultaneously. Alas, those were the days!

I have been perusing the new "time bomb" (i.e., the Advance Time Technology wind-up clock given to me by moms). I have cleaned it, although there are numerous scratches on the bezel. I have also enclosed it in a plastic bag to protect it. Actually, the Advance Time Technology clock (made in China) is not at all like the old "time bomb." The ticking sound is much quieter. However, it is not keeping perfect time. The artificial life-style, the one I was once immersed in, requires perfect timepieces. Schedules must be followed. Appointments must be kept. Everything must be synchronized. That's why my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer uses three international time servers to insure that its clock is accurate. The Advance Time Technology wind-up clock is unacceptable low technology in this era. That's truly sad.

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day has been sanitized for your protection. I decided to leave for town at 7:45am this morning. However, as I walked to the bus stop, I observed the intended bus pass by. Was the bus early? Were my two clocks to blame? I wanted to take the circuitous route through Waikiki, but my plans were obviously thwarted. I waited 30 minutes for the next bus.

At the library, I completed reading the book, "The Spiritual Brain," by Beauregard & O'leary. I can actually recommend the book. It is truly an objective, almost clinical, overview of the topic. There's no sensationalism. There's really no unwarranted bias. Just the facts. Aside from that, I lapsed in and out of coma for part of the time. No doubt, the horrid disconnect was at play.

I robotically fulfilled my workout obligation at the gym and returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening awaits me. Incidentally, I discovered that Amazon® sells the Advance Time Technology wind-up clock (made in China). There are only two customer reviews, both highly critical, of the poor clock. Apparently, it is so poorly assembled that it is unlikely to last more than a month or so.

Time Bomb

"When I threw the shoe in the face of the criminal, George Bush, I wanted to express my rejection of his lies, his occupation of my country, my rejection of his killing my people. My rejection of his plundering the wealth of my country, and destroying its infrastructure. And casting out its sons into a diaspora." -- Muthatthar al Zaidi

My Nissan® Frontier truck and I were on our way to Hawai'i Kai at 7:45am this morning. My first stop was the Hawai'i Kai Shopping Center in Kuapa Kai. The cheap clock in my squalid room at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) had stopped. The culprit was the battery, easily determined because it was leaking. I perused both Longs® and Safeway® only to discover that I would have to purchase a four-pack of batteries at a whopping $5-plus. Whoa! Instead, I ended up purchasing a cup of Seattle's Best® Columbian coffee at Safeway®. I sat at one of the few concrete tables and sipped the delightful beverage.

Moms and I only made the rounds in Koko Marina with lunch courtesy Yummy's. Later, moms served pumpkin pie and Foremost® coffee ice cream for dessert. I kept moms company until 1:30pm. I then returned to Koko Marina, found shaded parking, walked to the gym, performed my usual workout, shopped at Foodland, and drove back to Slob Manor.

I managed to peruse my Nissan® Frontier truck periodically and spotted no ants whatsoever. Needless to say, I am not going to prematurely proclaim victory over the ants. Thus, I will continue to park the truck on the street indefinitely.

Moms gave me her old Advance Time Technology wind-up clock (made in China). Moms had not really used it much since it was too difficult for her to wind up. I have not owned a wind-up clock since the demise of the "time bomb" (i.e., my long-gone $4.99 wind-up clock). I also happened to find another battery lying around, so the clock in my squalid room is operational again. For how long, who knows?

Power Source (Reprise)

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... amazing, isn't it? At the library, I continued to read the book, "The Spiritual Brain," by Beauregard & O'leary. I am reading the section about religious, spiritual and mystical experiences (RSMEs). What I found interesting is that persons of a variety of religious backgrounds experienced the same or similar phenomena. A correlational problem involves the matter of language and semantics. However, the fact that such ethereal experiences are not exclusive to any one religious belief is an indication that there is no true religion per se. If worship was exclusive to God (of Judaism, Christianity, Paulinity, and Islam), then only He could be "channeled."

I attempted to concurrently begin reading, "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the End of Reason," by Sam Harris. After he mentioned that a "people of tolerance" (i.e., the empire) were forced to go to war in Afghanistan against Islamic "terrorists," I had to to put the book down. Obviously, Harris was more interested in selling copies of the book than revealing the truth. The Christian empire (i.e., the United Fascist States of Empire) has launched a "crusade" against Islam. To make matters worse, Harris is both an avid evolutionist and materialist¹.

As I have stated previously, evolution is a religion onto itself. Faith is very much needed to believe. Thus, die-hard evolutionists believe that some primitive form of humans have been around for hundreds of thousands of years. The more modest evolutionists believe that humans have been around for at least 100,000 years. Even the most dimwitted form of humanoid would have overpopulated the plant, depleted natural resources, and brought humanity to extinction long before such a time period could have elapsed.

My right shoulder is still giving me grief at the gym, even though I have reduced my weight maximums. Obviously, old age is taking its toll. And, there's nothing that I can do about it. Mortality is what has caused humans to engage in foolish behavior. Most likely, religious beliefs originated as an answer to mortality. The ability of the soul (or mind) to "channel" spirituality is probably merely an introspective into the deep recesses of our conscience, our "moral compass." The Creator's intention may have been to endow us with the ability to make sound moral and ethical judgments. Instead, humans came up with religion.

¹Materialist, a believer in the science of materialism wherein only physical observable data is acceptable.

Coins & Ants

Aside from restoring my monk haircut at the Institute of Hair Design, there was no deviation from the urban nomad kind-of-a-day. I did, however, take the circuitous bus route to town via Waikiki and Ala Moana this morning for no particular reason.

This evening, I happened to check the values of the various coins that I had accumulated over the years. At first, I thought that a few of the recent ones had no numismatic value. However, after further Web research, I discovered that the coins are worth more than face value. I am glad that I checked because I was going to deposit the coins in the bank tomorrow.

Earlier, I only made a quick perusal of my Nissan® Frontier truck. I did not see any ants crawling around, which means nothing. The ants could be lounging around in the truck's frame. The nest, wherever it is, will be hatching hundreds of ants very soon.

Vehemence of Silence

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... same old routine. Rude schmucks everywhere. What is the world coming to? The library did not open until 10am this morning due to some kind of power outage. There were quite a few people waiting when I arrived.

I continued to read the book, "The Spiritual Brain," by Beauregard & O'leary. What I am not able to understand is why God (of Judaism, Christianity, Paulinity, and Islam) is always assumed to be the Creator. There are no other options. That has presented quite a problem for me. In fact, the God of the Good Book has me quite confused. I do not understand why the Almighty required a "Kingdom" complete with myriad angels (i.e., archangels, cherubim, seraphim). What exactly do the members of the "Kingdom" do? Certainly they do not spend all their time supervising the earth. Well, in fact, there is supposedly a spiritual war going on between he Almighty's camp and Satan's camp? Yes, that's the same Satan who was barely mentioned in the entire Hebrew Scriptures (so-called "Old Testament").

Then, there is the matter of the Mosaic/Deuteronomic Law in the Hebrew Scriptures. I have not found any reference in the Christian Greek Scriptures (so-called "New Testament") that rescinds the Mosaic/Deuteronomic Law. In other words, Judeo-Christian believers should still be offering burnt sacrifices. "Stoning" should still be the means of capital punishment for certain crimes. Only circumcision is no longer a requirement, at least according to the self-appointed Apostle Paul. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

I am not certain about why I keep belaboring these points about the falsity of the world's common religions. I suppose that it comes as quite a shock to realize that we really have no higher purpose for our existence. There also seems to be no basis for morality. Previously, I asked, "What is the world coming to?" I truly do not have an answer.

Essentially, I have been grasping at straws, so to speak, in order to derive some kind of meaning for humanity. With each passing day, I find nothing redeeming. Just a quick review of the day's "news" verifies the latter. I have not attended to my own affairs. I have left everything "up in the air," when I should have been more diligent about the exodus. The time is coming when I will need to flee at a moment's notice. Will I be ready?

My Name is Not Earl

"You have an ability to sense and know higher truth." -- from Panda Express® fortune cookie

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai with my ant-infested Nissan® Frontier truck ... moms and I made the usual rounds with lunch courtesy Panda Express®. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee and vanilla ice cream for dessert. I kept moms company until 1:30pm.

I followed my usual routine. I performed a leisurely workout at the gym. Then, I shopped for groceries at Foodland. I ran into Mark in the store. We chatted for a few minutes. Before departing for Slob Manor (read: rental housing) from Koko Marina, I checked the truck for evidence of ants. Sure enough, I observed about eight of them crawling around. Naturally, I squished all of their tiny heads. Obviously, the ants are not going away anytime soon.

I wasn't exactly pleased to be back at Slob Manor. For dinner, I ate one Spam® Musubi, a banana, and a navel orange. I was still quite full from lunch. Another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening awaits me. Sheesh!

Over the past few days, I have had to deal with a huge influx of rude people. My tolerance for inconsiderate troglodytes has always been low. I suppose that most of those clowns can dish out and take rudeness because they have families, loved ones, or other social entities in the background which offer some semblance of decency. Loners like myself do not have such an option. We are constantly bombarded by rudeness in the outside world. Then, we must return to harsh living environments. Eventually, one's own heart will be hardened. Humanity becomes one big disappointment, and misanthropic attitudes prevail. There is only one answer for those of us who share the same lot in life ... yes, the exodus.

Reenactment

I left for town at 8:15am this morning, quite early for an urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday. I departed hastily both today and yesterday because the Indian guy was up early on both days for no apparent reason. With all of the accompanying noise, there was no reason for me to sit in my squalid room at Slob Manor (read: rental housing). As I mentioned prior, the Indian guy has been keeping some strange hours ever since he purchased his "babe magnet" automobile.

Once in town, I decided to reenact an old routine that was deprecated well over a year ago. I walked to the Pali Safeway® and purchased a cup of Seattle's Best® Colombian coffee. Sadly, all of the energy bars were gone already. I then sat on one of the concrete benches in the catacombs of Kukui Plaza and enjoyed my cup of coffee. Just like the good ol' days!

After checking my mail at the Post Office, I made my way to the gym. I was 30 minutes earlier than usual, but I was able to catch a microsecond glimpse of the hottie gym trainer. As to be expected, baby was looking mighty fine. My workout was leisurely accomplished. Then, I employed the usual circuitous route back to Slob Manor via Ala Moana Center. At Foodland, I purchased a banana, two greasy Reser's® burritos for a later snack, and a Futomaki Sushi roll for dinner.

I have been trying to maintain a very low social profile, but often I run into someone whom I know. Today, at the gym, I ran into a bus driver whom I happened to get to know because he drove the night Route 1 shift. That's when I used to go to Kahala Mall almost every night. We chatted about the usual gym stuff. I was humored that he thought I was still in my mid-thirties. He's also a vegetarian for the most part. I was surprised because he has been able to keep his weight from declining. Yesterday, at the library, I ran into one of the retired guys that previously went to the downtown gym. Something apparently happened, so he now goes to the Kapi'olani branch. He was one of the nicer guys at the gym. Most of the other fools are completely absorbed in their feigned self-importance.

Classic Urban Nomad (Continued)

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day commenced fairly early. I departed for town on the bus at 7:45am this morning. However, I ended up waiting 30 minutes for the library to open. I completed reading Strobel's book, "The Case for a Creator." As to be expected, the conclusion of the book included the obligatory Christian "witnessing," not that the latter was unexpected. I am now singularly committed to reading, "The Spiritual Brain," by Beauregard and O'leary. So far, the book has been very interesting, and there are no attempts at Christian "witnessing" by the authors.

Yes, I spend about four hours in the inner courtyard of the library for four days each week. I sit at one of the tables along the periphery of the courtyard. The metal chairs are not very comfortable. In fact, I believe that I have the equivalent of bedsores as a result. I turn the chair to face the courtyard and use the back wall as a headrest. Sometimes I lapse in and out of a coma in order to catch up on much needed rest. Obviously, I am not living the life-style of a "winner." Only the homeless spend more time there than I do.

After a leisurely workout at the gym, I headed back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). What a horrid and dismal dump! I could barely stand it in my squalid room. I walked the two blocks to peruse my Nissan® Frontier truck. No vandalism. Only one ant was visibly scurrying around. Naturally, I squished its tiny head. A few minutes later, I decided to drive to Hawai'i Kai. I ended up at Koko Marina in search of something to eat for dinner. What I really wanted was a nice meal to cheer me up. Neither Foodland or Taco Bell® met the criteria. I finally decided upon Loco Moco. I ordered a $8 Beef Curry plate lunch. I was the only patron in the entire dining area. I ate my meal in leisure and enjoyed every bite. Needless to say, I was both stuffed and satisfied afterward. I was able to return to Slob Manor in preparation for another urban nomad kind-of-an-evening.

Classic Urban Nomad

My ant-infested Nissan® Frontier truck and I were on our way to Hawai'i Kai at 8:15am this morning. Our first stop was the Goodwill drop box. I donated my all-in-one corkscrew/knife/bottle-opener (i.e., no more cheap boozin' for the ol' lavahead) and a star socket set. Not a big donation by any means. Yet, every divestiture of useless possessions counts. Moms was home when I arrived. Moms and I only made the rounds in Koko Marina. Lunch was courtesy Zippy's. Later, moms served Double-Layer Guava Cake for dessert. I kept moms company until 1:45pm.

The rest of the day was classic urban nomad. No details are necessary. I was extremely fatigued for most of the day. No doubt, the constant metaphysical pondering that I have been engaged in is finally taking its toll. Then, there is the ant infestation of my Nissan® Frontier truck. So far, my strategy has not panned out. I spotted at least ten ants this afternoon. Of course, I squished their tiny heads. There are probably several hundred more ants still residing in the truck. Only a small fraction of ants are visible at any time. How long can they hold out without food or water?