📁 02-24

Yea, I have no idea what the reach was–if there was any reach at all. It was 2009 by a few months, and the typical sunny Florida deposition.

Pretty sure I worked at that location for another six months before I mixed up my day off with my day on. No call no shows accidental or not led to termination. I guess I was one of the lucky ones.

I won’t talk about the events that happened afterwards, this is about the moments leading up to finding an open microphone at the casino. I’m still processing and coping with the events that happened afterwards. Some events were more dangerous than others, but I survived all of it. If I was given the chance to do it all over again I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Even the part of the story in which I lived out of my car during two blistering summer months. My fault regarding my used Honda Civic hatchback living arrangement and my lack of air conditioning. Having thousands of roommates all of a sudden was definitely illuminating too.

I was called to the casino from the race track to pop a new recept roll in a DIY parimutuel wagering machine. TOTE is short for Totalitarian, which is a fancy word for tabulator. We fixed and replaced anything to do with betting equipment. More famously, we made sure the giant race track display was working. All the flipping of numbers and letters. I was known as an operator, and during my shifts I mostly dealt with the self help betting machines. Capacitive touch display Windows devices, or older DOS based resistive touch display models. If needed we would replace all parts other than the money collector of these machines. If someone smashed a screen in anger we’d replace it–after the anger party was escorted from the premisses. During the busy hours (days when races were scheduled at Pompano Park) a technician would take care of the nuts and bolts while the operators took care of the virtual stuff. Server type things using a black and green DOS program–via thin clients. Tracking down lost club cards, canceling wagers generated with stolen money or club cards, etc.

The hum of the server rack took a while to get use to. Those towers start to speak to you if you’re not paying attention. It’s gets lonely at times in the TOTE room. Especially while running the technician shift. I picked up a technician shift for a month and worked 90 hours a week. I guess it had been a while since our tech went on vacation. Had I not, I might not have had a car to live out of for those two illuminating months.

Anyway, so it was a normal call from the casino. I was one of the operators on duty, which if memory serves me was from 10am - 6pm (daytime). The phone rang, on the other end I heard something like, “Need paper on number 300 something”. Second floor of the casino, near the bar and poker tables. The night before I was perfecting my rendition of Aesop Rock’s None Shall Pass for karaoke. Headphones on, play the song, and sing along. Once I got the lyrics down I’d make a few practice recordings using a desktop computer to get the timing and voicing dialed in. That’s why I was so consistent when I sung Intergalactic by the Beastie Boys. If you were a fly on the outside of my room you’d probably hear my rehearsing all these different songs.

So yea, stucco folks re-did the stucco around a bunch of the apartments where we staid, and a well meaning friend looked something up on Google using an apartment computer that drew some attention towards us (nearly certain the place was re-stuccoed after he used Google). Tiled roofs, and colorful stucco–very South Florida stylized gated apartments. Still not sure why there were so many dudes wearing sunglasses walking around German shepard’s. Stucco folks were all over the balcony, and the walls. Dunno.

I knew there were eyes and ears pointed in our direction, but it’s difficult to sum up the scope of it all when you’re in it. Some were tactics to unhinge, and other tactics were to evaluate. This was the tail end of the surveillance era that spawned from September 2001. Where were the eyes and ears? How close where they really? It’s enough to unhinge even the brightest of minds. Especially the prerecorded audio.

With a roll of thermal paper in hand I made my way to the casino to complete the task. We were instructed to follow casino procedures and enter the casino at the security checkpoint. We’d usually just pass through that location under optimal surveillance. For operator tasks that required work on the first floor slot machine area wagering machine we’d need security escort. I disliked waiting for the elevator knowing someone was waiting for me to fix something, so I bypassed all of that. A sidewalk led around Pompano Park and two flights of stairs led up to the side of the casino. Got my steps in or whatever. Still the era in which the word pedometer casted some suspicion.

There was a picnic table that no one used at the back corner of Pompano Park that I walked past for nearly every call. What I didn’t know, was that someone parked themselves on top of the picnic table before I got the call. Just before I left our tech for the night said she’d replace the roll, and mumbled something about a microphone. My ears perked up–I’ve been sitting for a while, so I decided I’d take the call. “Are you sure?” There was some apprehension in her voice, like I might be making a big mistake. “Yep, I got it.”

So, as I passed the picnic table the dude posting out on top during his break flashed a smile at me. Friendly but cautious. I remember there being an extra gleam to his smile. It’s difficult to forget a well placed gold tooth or two.

It was that moment when I switched the song in my head. My idea to sing None Shall Pass that started with “flash that buttery gold” dropped off in favor of Bad Religion’s Sorrow. A song about the why there’s sorrow, and how to affect change. It’s not a song I’ve sung at bars that host karaoke nights, so this was uncharted territory. I use to listen to Bad Religion when I was a kid–not because I’ve been burned by Christianity, but because it’s punk rock. I grew up with The Beatles, Abba, Beastie Boys, and a bunch of alternative rock and roll bands. My Mom took me to both the library (1 hour internet sessions), and the local record shop. I picked up on a lot of interesting concepts shortly after middle school. Bad Religion made sense to me at the time. I guess one can say that going to the library and record store for me was like going to church for other people. Before the age of 12 I had witnessed an attempted murder on my school bus, and the local gas station was robbed at least four times while the manager counted money–so it was nice to see what the rest of the world was doing at the time.

I walked up the two flights of stairs, added new receipt paper to the machine that needed it, and then I found the microphone.

The microphone was opposite the bar. I paced near it for 10-20 seconds weighing all my options. I remember this vividly, because as I sang, one person turned around in his barstool to see the person that had just found a live microphone. I checked it first. “Father can you hear me?”, I sung into the microphone. A timid yet effectively audible singing voice. There was a response. I caught the attention of the one bar patron as well. I can’t recall was said over the PA/intercom system–something like “that was interesting”–I knew the microphone was still tied in with whatever was being announced at the moment. Poker tournament? Was it tied in to a radio station? I had no idea. I tried again, this time with a bit more confidence. I made it close to the end of verse 2 of the song before someone interrupted me. Maybe someone went on a bathroom break before realizing they left the microphone on. I never had the chance to ask him lol. A person responsible for the microphone setup asked me my name as he grabbed the microphone from my hand, and after a moment of silence they swiped at my badge to see my identification. We drank a bunch back them, sometimes bar hopping, though I rarely drank anything other than beer and wasn’t hungover. My instinct took hold, and out popped an old memory. At the time I couldn’t place that I had recalled the lesson of R. L. Stine’s “How I Learned to Fly”, but that didn’t matter. Wanting zero notoriety I grabbed my ID tag in my hand, and went the one way most had trouble following–down two flights of stairs. By the time I was on the sidewalk the person chasing me had just bust through the doors of the casino.

The whole premise of the song is why I’m revisiting an old fishing spot on the 14th. It was at that fishing spot when I sprang the bad news of my first failed grade. It was at that fishing spot where I learned what failing a grade meant–grounded for the next semester. And it was at that very fishing spot when my symptoms of ADHD reared their easily distracted heads. Unnoticed, because of how tied together ADHD symptoms are with general adolescence.

How many semesters was I to only speak when spoken to? How many summers were used to teach me a lesson? How many books did I read instead of doing something to sooth my ADHD symptoms afterschool? How many chores did I start at 6am on the weekends? We woke up around 5am to have fun fishing one morning, and the next morning we woke up at 5am and I silently went about my new chores for the day. Fallen trees needed to be moved. Grass needed to be mowed and bagged. No laughing. No joking. Occasional roof top antenna adjustments. Tigers can be very fucking serious when they suspect something isn’t quite right. When chores were done there was no video games. No phone calls (never knew when someone called either). And certainly no skateboarding, bicycles, or basketball. The only two activities acceptable other than staring at my math homework hoping the answer would appear were listening to the radio, and reading.

And like I said earlier in this post, I wouldn’t have changed a thing if I had to do it all over again. Well, maybe I would be less callous the second time around. I might not adhere to a religion, but I do adhere to being a decent person. I’ve tried to over the years anyway. When you dissect even my darkest moment, I was more awkward than I was aggressive. Still had enough sense in me to wear a raincoat when prompted, even when I was blackout drunk.

So yea, Tigers never stand still. lol

Yesterday I was watching 🔗The Real Ghostbusters when it dawned on me, 🔗Bill Murray did not provide the voice for the cartoon-ized Dr. Peter Venkman. After more sleuthing I gleamed that Mr. Murray did not voice Garfield from the cartoon series 🔗Garfield and Friends either. The late 🔗Gerald David “Lorenzo” Music voiced both characters (Seasons 1-3 of The Real Ghostbusters). Finding all this out recently blew my now adult mind.

These days my refined tastes have evolved to prefer Cocoa Pebbles ofc

Btw, both cartoons are legitimately available here (free):

• 🔗Garfield and Friends

• 🔗The Real Ghostbusters

Tetsuo Katayama produced 🔗DOZENS of shows that primed young 80s/90s minds to enjoy the stylized works of art like 🔗Cowboy Bebop and 🔗Ghost in the Shell–to name a few

One tall cold nitro please (I’m hot enough thank you lol)

#TeamSpengler

Currently looking at ordering a Fitbit Sense 2 to help manage sleep and some ADHD symptoms. Current Mood Ring Color: Snow, cold melting and sliding down my neck snow. Watched a quick CBS New York YT news short about New Jersey folks stocking up on snow shovels and other provisions in total envy. I envy those from New Jersey, I really do. Y’all made Clerks too. Damn.

Seriously, if you hosed me I wouldn’t even be mad about it. Snow. Beautiful snow.

I would have played hockey with a legitimate excuse for knocked out teeth. So envious tho

Y’all got any of that free Canadian healthcare? *absently scritches collarbone through shirt*

Projects and YT music blog playlist are on pause while I figure out this little thing called life for a second. Also got a court date for missing two consecutive jury duty summons. One was missed to take care of family things, and the other was missed because I woke up at 10am. While yes, I do believe someone from an MMORPG attempted to trigger a law enforcement event at my household sometime between 2016-2017, this time around I was visited by a police officer to notify me of my court date.

Have you ever been summoned to attend jury duty? I’ve never met another that has tbh

I may split up these blog posts into single pages. I worried about the 🔗Slashdot Effect when I standardized on a blog style, but now I’m starting to reconsider. Since this is all hosted from Github I doubt I’ll ever see enough traffic to throw the site offline. Gitlab might be a different story. I haven’t touched my Gitlab account in a few years anyway. I consider myself a private person, but there are times when transparency is beneficial for authenticity.

Before I sunset my PineTime in favor of the Sense 2, I HIGHLY recommend this 🔗watch band for the 🔗PineTime (Non-Affiliate Link)! Easier to install than a Barton band

Pls snow tho

I saw potential legal troubles with the URL LGMysteries.com, and so I pivoted. And then spun around a bunch of times. Then I flicked my left leg up to show off all bullion hidden within my sock.

Mo’ bullion mo’ problems

Mentally pivoted. At least now there’s consistency within the current URL and the ‘branding’ of the website.

Favicon should be active. Unless I misspelled something again–I’m good at that

Currently using my initials from my days as a CVS Shift Supervisor as the logo.

Because that’s my best stuff.

Wait, root beer!? Twenty years later and I’m just now noticing that!? Man..

Tbh this old Pixel 4a 5G is manageable for the moment

Mostly harmless. Mag-safe style phone mount in the shower tho 👍

Ok, Fitbit Sense 2 coming in soon. Not sure I want to post a video, but I’ll probably mention it in a few weeks.

To whomever is reading. For whatever reason you do it, I appreciate it.

I lived in that apartment with the A/C unit blocked by a mini palm tree (shown in video). I pulled the unit out of the wall, and found loads of pollen (surprise surprise). I also found dead barnacles inside that wall. That part of Atlantic & Powerline is 1/4 mile from private beaches. I dodged iguanas as I drove to work. After living out of my car for a few summer months w/o A/C, it was wonderful. Pompano Beach, FL.. my first apartment story (2009). A few dozen yards to the left of that rectangle shown above was where a dually truck parked specifically to blast bass music down the hallway that led to my apartment. May have converted their truck bed into a speaker box. It shook the tile floor whatever it was.

Photos of the apartment (my first ‘pad’)

Removed the link recommending Braille Skateboarding from the 🔗About page of this website because of the f-d up Carlos situation, and the change in content type over the past few years.

The ‘You Make It We Skate Series’ was such an intriguing concept for people like me that enjoy the nuts and bolts of everyday things.

Instead of continuing that series, and renting out a storage unit for storing all the concepts, they pivoted the channel into reviewing skate stuff for Amazon.com.

And I can’t overlook the fact that Carlos was a skate instructor for kids. Dude, wtf

Yep, today will be a dozy of a twozy let me tell ya. Yesterday someone piloted a Ditch Witch all over the place (spreading that wonderful fiber cable tho), and the noise for whatever reason caused a few minor flashbacks from my days of utmost paranoia.

The Big Oof Speakith

I did ok considering the circumstances. My family, friends, and roommates were worried, which caused me to pull away and make me think I was toxic. I’m sorry for that.

“Failed flight school and all I got was this lousy book?” “May as well drive a limo to SFL and drop the book off with some magazines.” “That’ll make me feel better.” “Here we go, this gated apartment complex looks like a place to do that. Say, they have a paper product recycling receptacle. Yes, this will do nicely. To finish it off, I’ll dot the I’s and cross the T’s by inflating my self worth.”

God (we’re not on speaking terms atm), Allah, 🔗Ra, or whomever help you.

Speculation.

Yea, it’s probably clear by now that most commercial pilots have military backgrounds and lots of experience. You can’t fake that.

I could have saved you a lot of trouble tbh. “But I have the steady face and gaze of a pilot.” Pilots have a gift, my dude.

My old self was always curious about the random stuff people throw away. Never had a meal out of a dumpster though–botulism. Just computers. The thought of someone like me reading a commercial pilot training manual anywhere in public in 2009–well, that would have been bad. Thanks for the magazines tho ;). I should point out the obvious: you should probably wash your hands more often. I caught a cold right after reading a few of the magazines. Those waxy pages don’t allow for a lot of absorption.

Paranoia is something that eats at us from the inside out, like a parasitical fungus distributed by–man, sure, it’s cool that a fungus can make a insect flap wings enough for flight, but here’s the thing: they can’t do it very well

The negativity pushes upwards as the blood starts to pump through the veins. It almost feels as if poison is coursing through the bloodstream. A poison that enters the mind and propels people into this automated mecha state of survival. It makes people talk about stupid things, like eyebrow muscle status. From what Science tells us, we only have this one shot at life. I may have screwed up enough to work off some sinning as a non-corporal angel–slightly adjusting someone’s arm at the right time, or calling attention to someone not paying attention, but damn. Living like that? Will the ancestors be there to protect you when you fall?

And you used the grapevine for that purpose too? Bruh, seriously?

There are many of us that will see through the guise. That slight hesitation before a handshake. The awkward smiles as they hold your phone for you. The fading of interest during social interactions. Of course, that’s from my state of mind at the moment. It’s probably more like never truly trusting the people you feel should be loyal to you at any given moment. The moon and the stars move for you and you alone. Which is just plain silly. An infinite universe has infinite possibilities. And the state of the solar system is as it will be far beyond even the development of 🔗Dyson’s Sphere.

Something something Free Bird lyrics

Folks, if you’re having suicidal thoughts, or you just need someone to talk to, text or call 🔗988

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some pennies to earn and secure for safe keeping