Mega Dump

Rune Stones

I carry a memento around in my pocket... more or less all of the time. Most of them date back years; some of them, to my youth. But this particular one is less than a year old. It commemorates a tragedy... or at least, that is how I see it. The details matter not. And although I say All that Matters is Money, such a statement is patently untrue. Besides, as the Red Queen (or was she the White One) would have you know, it's quite easy to believe a slew of contradictory things before noon.

In truth, as a Runic Representation, this object is incomplete. But I am good at making things work. The face counts as one, the back as two, and the edges (so inconsequential, it really doesn't matter, not one wit, not at all) can stand for three. Though, I wonder if to be truly complete, I would have to work the count up to four.

No matter.

And, yes.

Sometimes it is best to talk in code.

As a further part of this project (everything is a project when one is retired), I started collecting Morgan references. But I only got as far as Bloody Morgan... you know, Sir Henry Morgan the Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.

And in that last, I am reminded of a Visceral Vacation (some might call it a Virtual Vacation... or an Armchair Vacation) I intend to take to Iceland in the month(s) ahead. I wonder what pirates frequented Icelandic ports? I mean, no one said the vacation need take place in the Modern Day... or even in Historical Reality.

Who Knows?

Perhaps, it is the fate of mammalian males to grow angrier and angrier as they age and grow older... until they can't stand anything or anyone.

Tsundoku

I started to collect them, but I never did stack books I got from The Library (Free Stack) into a Modern Art Sculpture. I was thinking a Robot. Now, I'm thinking LEGOs, instead.

Hey! Hey! Bye! Bye!

Facts Be Facts

I will die alone... even if you are there.

See How It Goes

Step 1: Get out of your comfort zone.
Step 2: Make that your new comfort zone.
Step 3: Return to Step 1... and get out of your comfort zone.

Though, really, in all such cases, you should be replaced with me, myself, and I.

On Winning at Chess

Sooner or later I will lose. It might as well be this game. Thinking otherwise is sapping my willingness to take risks.

FISEL

As in, the Fake Internet Search Engine Logo

This has been implemented much better elsewhere on this site. But it's still just a logo.

Ironic Is It Not?

If it was made to be a collectible, it's not a collectible.

Part of my new Greeting Card Line

Everyday is a gift. That's why I didn't get you one. Happy Birthday.

Inclement Weather

A blizzard is when snow sticks frozen to the sides of... well, everything: buildings, walls, fences, trees, and signs.

Truly, it is a sight to behold when snow fills the vision screens of Traffic Signals and they start looking more like Holiday Lights... alas, I have no photographs of that particular sight.

Word!

Money is money. It doesn't measure truth, beauty, success or anything. It measures money.

The Interconnectedness of All

Share your energy, your passion.

I carried this idea forward throughout the night, carrying it with me from dream to dream. I can assure you, it lost energy on the way.

That is... until I remembered that energy was intended to be synonymous with soul.

Same F'ing Pics As Everyone Else

The above being as good as caption as any for most of my (and everyone else's) images.

This started as the name for a business or website.

Same F'ing Pics As Everyone Else Photography

Shall We Dance?

As Art moves into the future, it becomes less Artistic.

Actually (since my noting this), I have come to define Art as equivalent to A Project... and subsequently, as any activity in which the primary objective is to allow another human being watch one at play.

F+

If they were a student in my art class, I'd flunk them.

Meaning, It's Not

Art, it would appear, is as merit based as any other endeavour.

Art

The Emperor Has No Clothes is the understatement of the year. For in truth, the So-Called Emperor is an Insane Asylum Escapee running around naked, shouting at the top of their lungs, 'Catch me if you can!' having long since stopping to care if they are ever found out.

Call Me an Artist

A lot of smart people spend their lives collecting Art. A lot of smart people are pretty darn stupid.

Too Lazy To Delete

And too bored to think about anything else.

Contributor's Page

A list of biographical information. Similar to a contributors list, but all about me. Perhaps, I should copy (the form of) bios that I like.

{Note: This is in the works.}

To wit:

Brett spends his time writing Rants that very few other people read. But for some reason, he can't stop himself. Also, his (current) best friend is a Fictitious Mule, who takes extreme umbrage at the inclusion of a temporal qualifier (however parenthetical) at the start of this statement.

Service

I deny the term, when it comes to Government, Military, and/or (but especially) Public Service.

It's All About the Feelz

My World is so safe, the greatest danger comes from Police Officers.

Forty Two

Life's Difficult Questions can be astoundingly easy... if you're never really forced to answer them.

If you know what I mean...

Them Be Retiring Words

Given that every hour you work is an hour you gift to the devil or some other psychopathic a-hole. I've just got one question for you. How much is enough?

And You... And You... And You...

Perhaps anti-immigration sentiment arises from realizing there are already too many people in America... and the country would be a better place if 50-75-99.99% of them went away.

May He Without Money Throw the First Stone

In the Class War, the first rock was thrown by the rich.

Rage Life

I've lost a lot of time to anger. It's OK. I needed to get used to the pain.

Or in other words, it's a Mad-Mad World.

I'm a Library Bum

If you haven't 'Wasted Your Life', does that mean you've never cashed in your chips?

'Till It Hurts

Charitable and tax exempt mean the same thing. Of course, when it comes to not paying taxes, charity starts at home.

I don't know if I say this elsewhere, but if your government was cool enough, you'd be gifting your donations to it. Failure to do so means it kind of sucks.

And Neither Should You

I'm making a fetish out of avoiding the word should. As in, one should never use it.

All Quid Quo Pro

Thank the past by serving the future.

Ommmm...

It is probably (but just probably) best to stop trying to live forever; and instead, live each moment as it comes along.

I'm So Glad To Be Here

The most important role every actor plays is the one they play for the dailies, media, and paparazzi.

Cowabunga, Dude!

Surf the Bliss.

Ante Up

Winning at Death is Winning at Life.

Either/Or

If you can't push it to the side, bring it to the center.

Cardiac Cafe

What I'm going to call my restaurant if I ever own (or become the chef at) a greasy spoon.

Use The Good China

No sense things growing old in a box. Use it or lose it.

And Vice Versa, I Am Sure

To win in life, you must win in death.

Brett's Mary's

If not a Greasy Spoon, I could start a catering service that specialized in Bloody Mary's. I'd call it Bloody Brett's (but, of course). And as a world renowned mixologist I'd add bacon, pretzels, and even caramel raisin mini-buns to my concoctions.

We Have a Match

It's easy to feel ashamed (and/or guilty) about your sexuality... until you find your other half, that is.

My Only Friend

Those who are born before Near-Immortality is the norm will choose to be mortal, having come of age with a belief in death... and a curiosity about the afterlife... regardless of whether they believe in one or not.

Right Now, Sucker

We live our lives like we have forever. But we do not. We only have tonight.

The Fallacy of Logic

There is no Try, because the only thing a person ever has any control over is their intentions. And if you fail at having good intentions, all this means is that you have bad ones.

Well.

OK.

Fine.

I mean, sure, you could have neutral intentions... or fair to middling ones. But that's not the point.

Tick! Tick! Tick!

There is no future. There is no past. And I for one would not expect this moment to last very much longer.

Can Brett Come Out to Play?

You (the part of my brain in charge of anger) can get as angry as you want. But we (the rest of my brain) don't have to join you.

Get In Line

If you're going to live vicariously, you might as well live as the best.

Sorry, Can You Repeat That?

I have not been here (and now) for most of my life. Let me vow to be here for the remainder.

Check! And Mate!

It is only proper that one be treated like a pawn until the day they rise to the occasion and become a King... or a Queen.

You Fool!

The world is a complicated place. Don't fool yourself by believing you can begin to understand it.

⊥

There is no Truth. Not now. Not ever.

Sky Diving

What I don't want to do outweighs what I do.

The Final Breath

Lying in bed, dying of pneumonia... or the flu... maybe a bad cold... actually, could just be allergies... I feel as though nothing in this world matters. To be sure, I'd rather see more. But perhaps first, I must endure this.

˙

Sickness is meditation. When the whole world spins, like it or not, you are at the center.

≠

There is a profound difference between hoping your money lasts and hoping you last long enough to spend all of your money.

A Book About Nothing for No One

The title has a certain ring to it, don't you think?

FUBAR

Failure is not only an option, but the normal state of affairs.

Who?

I will not be held hostage by celebrity... or my lack thereof.

Anything... Everything

Whatever is given can be taken away.

♥

Her love for me was irrational... as was its demise.

Tit for Tat

If I don't care about my stories {time, life, money, whatever}, how can you expect me to care about yours?

Need Suggestions?

How do you wish to die? It is a serious question.

♥

They can't kill you if you're already dead... inside.

This New Math Sucks

There's no solution. There, probably, isn't even a problem.

Domestic Bliss

I'm just going to sit here and listen to you grind pepper and chop vegetables for as long as I can.

We/I

We/I like to think we/I would do pretty well in a Meritocracy. But there is no Meritocracy. And we/I, probably, would not.

I Write Too Much

I'm not a very good hedonist.

Blessed Be His Name

There is no good. And we all are evil.

Death... Life

Accept the worst. Strive for the best.

F-U!
Your Little Dog!
And Your Horse, Too!

Let us assume there will be a PC backlash... that being criminally indifferent will become chic and cool... a mash of antagonism and racism will rule the land.

Leather Nuns Advocating Paleo Diets

Nazi School Girls Sporting Anti Suffrage Buttons

After all, feeding on (and off of) your outrage is slowly becoming my Reason de Existence.

Dream World Problems

"Go! And go with him!"

There were four other lines from this dream text. But I don't remember them. And likely, never knew them.

Oh!

And the brakes haven't been working on my Dream Time Car (some old tail-fin thing) for some time, now.

The New DSM

It's not so much depression as disillusionment.

I'm Not Not-Wrong

You don't have to be right to be right. As in, the wrong thing might have the right effect. So, it's a context switch.

The Horror! The Horror!

There are no innocents.

Yes

If it can be, is it? Maybe we should just assume so.

So, There's That

On a good day, I don't want (it) in my life. And on a bad, I don't much care for life.

Full Speed Ahead!

The way down (in self destruction and decline) is interesting. And what's more, there is no need to hold back.

What Can I Get For $1.25?

Honor cannot be bought. And if you try to sell it, you have none.

Victory Does, Though

Heroism does not exist in the competitions between Man.

Gurdjieff Inspired This Idea

Take on as your personality their personality.

Gurdjieff Take II

Perhaps, for every personality, there is a reciprocal personality.

And in the purest state (in the purest form), these two personalities are identical.


{Um, I found Gurdjieff to be interesting for a short week. And then, that was that. After all, I hardly need navigational assistance to fly by the seat of my pants.}

I Lead By Example

Rebellion (or Anarchy) is not a clothing style. It is not a thought pattern. It is a lifestyle choice... and an unsuccessful one at that.

Here! Here!

Before you go thinking the government can {fix, run, solve} anything, consider that prisons are the most heavily regimented government institution in existence... and they are rife with gang land intimidation, drug abuse, and violence.

Government at its most intensive is government at its worst.

World Champion Solitaire Player

Well, I mean, if I was lying, how would you know?

Ala Forest Gump

Life is (a lot) like a river. You never know when the waters are going to run dry.

You're Still Wrong

To value another (at the core) is to value their interpretation of reality. Thus, religious, political, cultural, and philosophical disagreements are by their very nature disrespectful... a denial of another's mind and their ability to interpret reality.

Time's Up!

Global Warming: True or False?

It doesn't matter. The jig is up either way.

Go Strategy

So, like, I was thinking about doing this Strategy Guide for the game of Go. But I'm not going to.

1: The first move(s) mark the tentative border(s) between armies. This is the line that will be easiest to defend.

2: If challenged, fill towards your Closest Neighbour.


{And that's about as far as I got.

In many ways, this entire page can be seen as abandoned projects, as most of the ideas could be expanded upon if I wanted. And I've certainly read many a book based upon less.}

Adventures with Chuck & Marge

{Once again, the start of a bigger project (a Story Line List, in this particular case) that I stopped just about as soon as I began.

Oh, and it should be noted that Matt is a character who spends every (and I mean every) weekend with Erin's (his fiancee's) parents: Chuck & Marge.}


1) During a weekend getaway to the woods, Matt must go out of his way (I like the word contort, here) to ensure Chuck catches the bigger fish.

2) Matt pretends to root for Chuck's team, even though he has money riding on the other. 'Yes! Er, no!'

Eternity

At Death, time stands still, in a final meditative moment.

Like Attracts Like

If one is happy, good things are more likely to come one's way. But more importantly, if one is happy, one is less likely to care when they do not.

∅

It's easier to bounce back from nothing.

Nothing -> Next to Nothing

Logic

Q: Why do you wash triple washed lettuce?

A: If it wasn't cleaned the second time, what makes you think it was cleaned the third?

0.0 -> 10.0

Looking at Antique Appraisers and Wine Experts, one (meaning I) wonders how one (meaning I, once again) can become an Expert on Smut. As in, 'This video has been rated 9.72 on the Paufler Scale'. I mean, seriously, who wants to waste their time on lesser porn? Well, apparently the world. But that's a different issue.

NEVER!

Never say 'Never!' Not even when you are telling someone else to "Never say 'Never!'"

Suit Up

When professional athletes stop wearing socks, I'll consider it. Though, I'll probably consider it something not for me. After all, besides absorbing sweat and extending shoe life, socks protect one's ankles from mosquitoes, debris, and chemical pollutants.

You Don't Say

I wonder if Leonardo da Vinci was one man... or many. And if only the one, to what extent his drawings and inventions reflect the zeitgeist of his time?

Download Your Copy, Today!

Hurry up. It won't be here (after I go), for long. My website, that is.

"Poetry"

That's my poem. It's short, so it's much less boring (and repetitive) than most of the other poetry out there.

I'll Have The Regular, Please

Bucking the trend and getting two instead of three items at a plate lunch place is a losing bet. I question whether I've ever gotten as much food in the third scoop, as I did in either of the first two.

Head in the Clouds

Let's Complain

The sequence of events on the Flight Out went something like:

• Mechanical problems grounded the plane.
• So, we waited for a new airplane.
• This is reasonable enough.
• But then, we waited another couple of hours for pilots.
• Pilots!
• A Five Hour Delay, in total.
• With very few of those extra hours being spent on the plane, which was nice.

They put out a snack cart, which I loaded up on. And by loaded up on, I mean the candy lasted me two whole weeks. They, also, gave me a $10 meal voucher, which bought me a Chicken Sandwich. And in theory, I received a $50 Rebate off my next flight. But I'm sure the fine print says something about a full priced fare being required, so it's next to worthless, as the full priced fare is well over a hundred bucks more than the Super Economy Special that I just got done booking... and for which, the airline would not accept my voucher.

Hey, but the fun continued on the Return Flight!

• The incoming flight landed late.
• This is acceptable.
• Actually, the first hour of delay is (basically) a gimme, as I'm not in that much of a hurry.
• We pushed back from the gates, but the airplane's doors wouldn't lock shut.
• Uh-oh!
• Wait for mechanics.
• Wait for push-back crew.
• Finally, they couldn't get the plane's weight prior to take-off out on the runway.
• It's needed to clear the flight plan, apparently.
  • You know, to insure the plane has enough fuel.
• In the end, this part of the delay was particularly pathetic.
  • It was right up there with waiting for pilots.
• Four hours delay, in total.
• Most of it sitting down, on the plane.

On the plus side, we got all we wanted (though, they never announced this) free in-flight snacks, including booze. I got two freebie bottles that I saved for later and which I have, sitting in front of me, right this very moment... along with beef jerk (still in the pantry) and a can of potato chips (you'll never get the brand name out of me) that I ate on the plane for supper.

In the end, food works. Whatever annoyance I felt towards the delay, which was never that great, dissipated upon being stuffed full of free snack food.

Finally (a thing which has absolutely nothing to do with the delay and rather touches upon airplane security), when I ordered the booze, I, also, request a can of Tomato Juice. So, they thought I was making a cocktail of some sort (rather than acting like the squirrel that I am and hoarding the freebies for later). Though, I'm not really sure how many folks drink Scotch infused Bloody Mary's. But that's beside the point. What is the point is that they gave me a needlessly sharp wooden cocktail spear that was the diameter of a thin pencil and around 4-5" long. If sufficiently enraged, spooked, or insane, I am sure I (or someone else who fits any one of the aforementioned qualifiers) would have been more than capable of putting someone's eye out with it.

Food Works!
Candy is Dandy!
Liquor is Quicker!

And while you're at it, you just might want to reduce the size of the weapons you're handing out to your alcohol imbibing passengers.

The same airline got my next set of flights, because Time Slots and Money is what matters to me. But if the flight is delayed for more than five hours again, I'm in trouble.

Foolish Being

It doesn't matter how cool you are if you are happy.

≠ Occam's Razor

Simple is often wrong.

To wit:

1 + 1 = 3

It's simple.

But it's wrong.

Thank You 30s Brett

For:
    Dinner
    Easy Living
    Lack of Vices
    Book-Learning Smarts

For pretty much everything.

So, thank you 30s version of myself.

{The following (and final) four entries of this page are very much like the initial entry (which featured a Morgan Dollar, if you'll remember) in that originally they were intended (and/or conceived) as stand-alone web-pages. But you know how it goes... things change.

More than anything else, this means that instead of originating as one-liners in my Ideas Note File, they started elsewhere (which in this particular case means as individual note files). But I never put enough effort into finishing them... not as stand alone projects... not at this time, anyway.}

Baravon X'lavier

My first, best, greatest, and longest lived Slaughter Quest™ character was named Baravon X'lavier.

He started as a Fighter, morphed into a Druid/Bard sort of character (a transformation and/or developmental arc which took up most of my Senior Year in High School), and lived his Post Game Career out as a Magic Spewing Sorcerer. Don't worry your pretty little head if this doesn't conform to any Gaming System you are familiar with.

First, understand that we are talking about Slaughter Quest™!

Second, I've bought enough Second Hand Gaming Systems to know this is the preferred evolution of many characters... you know, those who do not start off on day one as 36^th Level Necromancers.

At the very beginning (around 7^th Grade), his name was Taran from The Book of Three fame. But that name only lasted a few years. Anyhow, since Taran was an orphan, so was My Character... or at least, that was one of the major reasons My Character had no parents and was an orphan. The other was general laziness. In that, if he was an orphan, I need not put together any parental back-story... or any back-story, at all.

Then, as I've discussed (and the title sequence of this section might indicate), I changed his name (or he did) to Baravon X'lavier.

And then, because I can never leave well enough alone, Baravon X'lavier ended his career as The Dark Liege... and the White Astral Pups he used to hang around with turned into Shadow Wolves & Imps.

I enjoyed playing with The Dark Liege immensely, because by this point, I was slowly abandoning the constraints of a Generic Gaming System; and instead, was veering off into Total Fantasy. Thus, The Liege (Dark) started off with heavy plate armor. But where's the fun in that? So, that turned into a fine mesh chain, which turned into Magical Cloth, which (in turn) turned into a sort of Trans-Planar Cloak, which (when put on) would transport him back to wherever he had been when he had taken his cloak off... and vice a versa... or something like that. The important concept being that he could magically teleport (without fail, no save required) to wherever he wanted... and he was always wearing his Magical Fortress.

Now, Fortress is a bit of a misnomer. Sure, it started (long before the cloak) as some sort of Cliff Castle thing and morphed into a sort of Hunting Lodge with twin spiral staircases on opposite ends of a Hotel Lobby sized Great Room. But in the end (and this is where things get weird and how I know I was just having fun with my imagination, even if it all started from within the confines of some Gaming System), the place where The Liege (Dark) went when he took off his Magical Pan-Dimensional Cloak was some sort of Multi-Room Apartment Complex... very much inspired by Dr Who and his TARDIS. Yeah, sure. There were lots of rooms. But the most important one was the one that contained the desk (with a crystal globe on one side, which in the present moment, I like to imagine as an inky-black ball of smoke filled void, a planetary globe on the other, and all sorts of Magical Tomes, Mundane Books, and Hi-Tech Computer Screens in-between) from which The Man (and he was very much a man, underneath it all... well, until he somehow became a Shadow... and then, a Dragon) would plan his adventures, which (for some reason) always focused on a Heroine.

And since I put years and years into this mental creation (by whatever name you wish to call it), the things I have related here are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg... meaning complete narratives, side stories, nuances, and adventures have been left untold.

Of course, the idea was to tell them, to record all those intricacies. But that is not happening today... or likely, anytime soon.

In fact (other than dropping hints here and there in a totally unstructured way), I am far more likely to build up a Brand New Character from scratch. Of course, even though this New Character will have an alternate beginning, I am sure (in the end) he will become The Liege. So, let us call him The Liege in an Alternative Universe. Meaning, it seems reasonable to assume The Lives of Both Must Eventually (if Inexplicitly) Intertwine.

But I am not starting that project, today... if ever. After all, I've been throwing around that particular Raw Idea for... um, maybe for a few decades, at this point.

I really should get to it before I die.

But as I keep on saying, not today.

For today, I write.

ban_expectations

The name of my non-existent Social Media Page.

I mean, seriously, pick the Social Media of your choice. But as none of them have ever done me much good, I have little need to hype the one over the other.

The name, itself, was created in a moment of weakness... during which I played around with the idea of setting up a Social Media Account. And I got as far as deciding on a Hypothetical User Name. But from there... well, as they say, the rest is history.

Gratitude

In an effort to have a more positive attitude, I tried to track things I was grateful for. I didn't get very far.

1. My Darling
2. Hot Chocolate
3. Endless Free Time
4. Libraries
5. Walking
6. Scientific Papers
7. Giant Comfortable Rocking Chairs
8. Meals Planned In Advance

Maybe, I should do this again.

Of course, I am... only under a different name. My current Diary Project, which I am calling Days of My Life is very similar... if a bit more open ended.

What are the things I am most grateful for? Well, they tend to be the things of which I wish to make note. And then, there are those things for which I tend to express my gratitude in the moment with a kiss on the back of the neck.

Shards of Shadow

The project started as Black Gold, morphed into Shards of Shadow, and somewhere along the line (if ever so briefly) was, also, called Chaos Void and Obsidian.

It's about as close to writing a novel, as I've gotten lately.

The starring role is played by a Goddess of Old who expresses her will (in this world) through shards of obsidian, causing them to dance in the air, form patterns, and act as projectiles. Sometimes these shards are little more than Rock & Dust. And at other times (as in, in other versions of this story), they take the form of marbles. And in their most advanced state, the shards have been formed (by Off-Screen Human Others) into runes, dice, and little figurines... which are works of art unto themselves.

{So (in retrospect), the initial fragment could just as easily have been purchased in a Flea Market or Antique Store... or acquired by some other (more nefarious) method, of which personal theft (call it a mugging) being the first thing that comes to mind... though (since I was already thinking a stolen Hippy Surfer Van might play a role), it's far more likely that first shard is some sort of rear view mirror crystal medallion thing.}

Clearly, it is a story (most definitely) in transition: one that I have either thought about too much (and spoiled) or not enough; and so, it is not yet ripe.

These shards are found (or could have been found, as the following list comes from the first set of possibilities, but I like the van theft idea much better, now) by a low ambition surfer type dude... either on the shore (as sand), in a cave or old mine (as a mineral vein), or an ancient meteor crater, being Heavy Metal from Outer Space. So I guess, in that, we have yet another possible title.

Finally, I sort of like the idea of Obsidian (as The Goddess comes to be called) longing to be an Internet Star. And as such, puts her (levitating, rock dancing) talents to work making viral worthy images and videos.

It still needs a bit of work... in that, I don't have anything close to an ending worked out.

Because, as I like to say, give me a beginning, an end, and a few points in between, and I can come up with the rest of the story, you know, the connecting dots.

Of course (beyond any creative aspect), I, also, have to decide that I want to spend the hundreds of hours it would take to craft such a novel... or the dozens of hours that a short story would entail.

{And that's it for this page. However, if you like this sort of thing, you'll be pleased to know I already have three entries for my next Mega Dump / Ideas Page... a number which has blossomed to seventeen, now that I have finished with the Proofreading & Editing of this rant.}