Indigo Incarnates


I shamelessly stole this one from San

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1. Started my own blog [yes]. I've got three blogs on three severs, but they all say the same thing.

2. Slept under the stars. [yes]. On Assateaque Island. I am surprised that the green-headed flies left any blood in my veins after they spend the whole night biting me.
3. Played in a band. [no]. I do ring handbells in a church choir however.
4. Visited Hawaii. [no] I've been to some very nice beaches in the Caribbean, however.
5. Watched a meteor shower [no]. I've never been at the right place and right time.
6. Given more than I can afford to charity [no].
7. Been to Disneyland/world [no]. I've been to Hersey Park, Six Flags, and Busch Gardens.
8. Climbed a mountain [yes]. A small one. On one of my cruises, there was a 4-hour hike to the top of a mountain. It was pretty cool.
9. Held a praying mantis [yes]. They are pretty neat insects.
10. Sung a solo [yes]. I sang the Psalm in church once.
11. Bungee jumped [yes]. It wasn't from a very great height, but it was fun.
12. Visited Paris [no]. Why would I visit a city that hates Americans?
13. Watched lightning at sea [yes]. On a cruise once – very cool!
14. Taught myself an art from scratch [yes]. I taught myself how to write liturgy for worship services.
15. Adopted a child [no]. All three of our pets are adopted, however.
16. Had food poisoning [yes]. Ick. Several times.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty [no]. Alas, the Department of Homeland Security won't let anyone up there anymore.
18. Grown my own vegetables [no]. I grew sunflowers once, and they're sorta edible.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France [no]. Why would I visit a country that hates Americans?
20. Slept on an overnight train [no]. The closest I've been to being on a train is the light rail.
21. Had a pillow fight [no]
22. Hitchhiked [no]. In my younger/foolish days I used to pick up hitchhikers.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill [no]. Heck, I don't call out even when I am sick.
24. Built a snow fort [no]. I've built walls and such out of snow.
25. Held a lamb [no]. I've held a baby goat.
26. Gone skinny dipping [yes]. In college, at the pool, when I was by myself.
27. Run a Marathon [no]. I've ridden 42 miles on a bike recently.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice [no]. I sure would like to.
29. Seen a total eclipse [no]. I've seen a 90% eclipse and several lunar eclipses.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset [yes]. It's always a pleasure.
31. Hit a home run [no]. Not striking out was a miracle on its own.
32. Been on a cruise [yes]. Doug and I have been on four cruises.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person [no]. Not really my thing.
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors [no]. I'm a changeling that inherited this body in 1982. I don't have any ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community [yes]. I used to live in York and the Amish aren't too far away.
36. Taught myself a new language [no]. Does “ghetto” count as a language?
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied [yes]. Between 1998 and 2000. After Bush got elected, things went downhill from there. It was nice having money back then.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David [no]. I sure would like to.
41. Sung karaoke [yes]. I can't remember what I sang, however.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt [no]. I've seen some geysers in Saint Lucia.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant. [no]. I bought a homeless woman a cheeseburger once.
44. Visited Africa [no]. Just too damned dangerous for way too many reasons.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight [yes]. Lots of nice beaches :)
46. Been transported in an ambulance [no]. I hate hospitals and will do anything in my power to not go.
47. Had my portrait painted [no]. I've had Willow's portrait sketched, however.
48. Gone deep sea fishing [yes]. I caught a 75 pound tuna.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person [no]. I'd like to.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris [no] It's that whole “France” thing.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling [yes]. Snorkeling is a blast!
52. Kissed in the rain [yes]
53. Played in the mud [yes]. In college, I played soccer and damned if the field didn't get muddy when it rained.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater [yes]. The movie was “Blow Out” starring John Travolta. It wasn't a porno, it was a movie about a car accident, har har.
55. Been in a movie [no]
56. Visited the Great Wall of China [no]. China just isn't the safest place to visit.
57. Started a business [no]. I just never had the desire for all that book keeping.
58. Taken a martial arts class [yes]. I used to take Philippino Stick Fighting, but that was before I got a neck injury that reduced my dexterity and balance.
59. Visited Russia [no]. I've heard you can see it from Sarah Palin's house, however.
60. Served at a soup kitchen [yes]. Once. It was kinda scary.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies [no]. I'm a guy!
62. Gone whale watching [no]. I've seen plenty of dolphins though.
63. Got flowers for no reason [no]
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma [yes]. In high school. Alas, the Red Cross doesn't let gays donate blood anymore.
65. Gone sky diving [no]. I've been hang gliding and parasailing.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp [no]. That would be too triggering for me.
67. Bounced a check [yes]. Several times each year!
68. Flown in a helicopter [no]. I've flown in a biplane and it was fun.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy up until my late 20s [no]. I never got to be a child. I incarnated this body when it was already 12 years old.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (Jefferson too.) [yes].
71. Eaten caviar [yes]. It's over-rated.
72. Pieced a quilt [no]. I'm just not that “crafty”.
73. Stood in Times Square [yes]. Every time we see a Broadway play.
74. Toured the Everglades [no]. We almost got to once.
75. Been fired from a job [no]. I've had a few close calls.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London [no]. I'd like to.
77. Broken a bone [no]. But I've had a neck injury and a hip injury that never healed fully.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle [yes]. I had a Suzuki GS450, but I didn't drive it too much like a nut.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person [no]. It would be nice to see it.
80. Published a book [yes]. I have two books in print, but they were real flops.
81. Visited the Vatican [no]. Visit Nazi-Pope and the Pedo-Priests? No thanks.
82. Bought a brand new car [yes]. The itty-bitty Scion xD is just so cute!
83. Walked in Jerusalem [no]. Egads! I'm trying to not get shot.
84. Had my picture in the newspaper [no].
85. Read the entire Bible [yes]. It's got more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
86. Visited the White House [yes] Only the areas that used to be available on public tours.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating [no]. I'm a vegetarian.
88. Had chickenpox [sort of]. This body had chicken pox at age 5, but I was not incarnate then.
89. Saved someone’s life [no]
91. Met someone famous [no]
92. Joined a book club [no]
93. Lost a loved one [Yes]. My grandparents; Jewell.
94. Had a baby [no]. Well, I'm gay, male, and non-human.
95. Seen the Alamo in person [no] I've rented a car from Alamo.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake [no]. The Mormons are too scary.
97. Been involved in a law suit [yes]. Back in 1997 my company got sued and I was cited in the suit for unfair hiring practices. It got thrown out since the guy had ten other suits going at the same time and was just looking for a bucket of free cash.
98. Owned a cell phone [yes]. I'm a tech-junkie.
99. Been stung by a bee [yes]. It sucks too, since the body has a moderately-severe allergy.
100. Ridden an elephant [no]. I've ridden a horse, jetski, and a motorcycle.

Indigo Incarnates

Ah, Baltimore... The City That Bleeds. Doug and I got a chance yesterday to find out firsthand how Baltimore fights crime: we got a $160 civil fine for not mowing the back yard.

Yeah. Baltimore has the highest murder rate in the country. The case clearance for murder is about 30%, which means if you do kill someone in Baltimore, you have a twi-in-three chance of getting away with it. We've got the highest burglary rate too. Oh, one in eight people are addicts as well.

But the cops seem to have enough time to cruise the working-class neighborhoods looking for people to hand fines too.

Granted, my back yard vaguely resembled Viet Nam, but I don't see how that was hurting anybody. Can't the cops have been fighting some actual crime?!

Oh, and the great thing about these civil fines is that the city government will confiscate our house if we don't pay it. So the $160 is non-negotiable.

I can see why the Police in Baltimore get so little cooperation from the citizenry.

Thistle Incarnates

I think often of Deity and how good it is to serve the function for which I was created. Deity shines. Deity is real. It is Deity that granted me life and fashioned me as the being that I am. It is good to have peace with the manner of one's existence. It is my duty to serve Deity. It is my duty to guide Indigo in moral and spiritual matters. This I do.

Indigo's perception of Deity differs from my own. But it is good that he seeks communion with Deity. To call that being "Goddess" is valid. To call that being "God" is equally valid. For Deity transcends gender, and yet humans together reflect aspects of the wholeness of Deity.

It is good to be loved by Deity. There is no hate in communion. There is no fear in communion. There is love and light and wholeness. It is a good thing.

Blessed Be

Indigo Incarnates

Thanks to a big pipe breaking at the courthouse, the court closed at 10:30am yesterday. So, since the weather was really nice and I had six extra hours of free time, I did a 42 mile bike ride on the NCR trail. The trail used to be a railroad line that connected Cockeyesville to York but it's since been turned into a nature trail. A round trip between Cockeyesville (MD)and New Freedom (PA) is 42 miles.

The nice thing about doing the trail on a Monday is that there were hardly any people around. It was nice biking miles at a time without seeing anyone else.

Of course, a regular human would have difficulty doing strenuous exercise for *four* straight hours. But since I am a changeling, I can pretty much make this body do whatever it is that I need it to do. It helped a lot having a sunny day, since changeling thrive in sunlight.

I'm the only case agent working today since the court is only back up to partial functionality. But I didn't want to burn up vacation days for no reason. So I'm pretty much hanging out at the bailiff station and having Pretrial defendants fill out reporting forms since the offices are still inaccessible.

It's raining today, so I might as well work, har har

Indigo Incarnates

There used to be a time that GM built cars and employed Americans. Nowadays, GM seems to be the government's favorite charity case. Now the government owns a controlling interest in GM. Amazing how the times have changed, eh? So, my minions, if you had to pick a new definition for "GM", what would your choice be?

-- Gonna Maybe. (As in "gonna maybe be profitable by the year 2020).

-- Gimmie Money. (As in "We just spend another $10 billion in taxpayer bailouts and have nothing to show for it!)

-- Greedy Millionaires. (Referring to the moribund executives that bankrupted GM in the first place)

-- Got Maintenance? (As in "the taxpayers are on the hook for GM's warranty work".)

-- General Meltdown. (Referring to how GM went from a 50% market share to a 15% marketshare in just five years.)

-- Government Motors. (Referring, of course, to the fact that the President of the United States is also effectively the President of GM too!)


I think this is one of those tests that there are now wrong answers, har har!

Indigo Incarnates

I was very excited yesterday that the citizens of Baltimore managed to pull together to make our city #1 in something. Alas, my excitement ebbed when I realized that we are now #1 in homocide. Yeah, we beat Detroit. That is no small accomplishment. Apparently the recent batch of shootings pushed us slightly ahead of the Detroit in terms of muders per 100,000 people.

For those of you not familiar with Charm City, lemme tell you what the city is like.

Baltimore is a city with a post-apocalyptic feel. Once upon a time, in the 1980s, the city had nearly a million residents. But then crack cocaine addiction spread through the city like a wildfire ouut of control. People moved out as fast as the U-Hauls could take them. The city government taxed the business to the point that they left the city too. When the jobs left, even more people abandoned the city. So in 2009, we have slightly more than 550,000 people who live here.

The city is falling apart. You can drive through some neighborhoods that are just block after block of empty, boarded-up, crumbling rowhomes. Broken glass hangs from empty window frames like dirty jagged teeth clinging to an ossified skull. Broken glass litters the streets, and the only mystery is which is more plentiful: shattered glass or shattered dreams. But the rats are in ascendency here. they are as large as cats and fear not man nor fire.

During the day, the panhandlers camp out on nearly ever intersection, waving crude cardboard signs that promise God's blessing in exchange for a dollar or two. But by evening, these beggars are passed out on the sidewalks after purchasing their daily dose of opiate poisons that they ram into their veins. They looks flat, like dead birds.

Then, too, you can see the junkie-bums staggering about like zombies. they move slowly, soullessly. Their eyes are sunken and the soul's light is gone from their visage. Toothless prostitutes proffer their shabby wares and curse loudly into dilapidated prepaid cellular phones. They can be seen bedewing the pavement with their coagulated yellow-green spittle.

Most of the businesses are gone. Nobody works. The only stores that remain are liquor/lotto/pawn shops where the denizens of the city trade their welfare pittance for scratch-off chances to lose and for their cheap rotgut.

And the feral teens – they hunt in packs in the twilight. Their social skills are demonstrated through the barrel of the gun. Heroin is the secondary currency of the city. The teens cannot read, but instead only know how to breed. They deal their poisons through the windows of cars with stolen tags and tinted windshields. Rap music blares a staccato beat that threatens to deafen all around. And the playgrounds are always empty. Always.

In spring, it rains a lot. But it never rains heavily enough or long enough to wash away the filth and detritus that clings to everything here. The sun comes out and the rats and beggars return as if nothing had happened..

For T-Mobile to be #1 in customer service, it tells me that the telecommunications industry is in pretty bad shape. I seem to keep having this ongoing fight with T-Mobile at the beginning of each month. My "unlimited use" plaan keeps getting cut off after 10 Gb of data transfer. When I call up, they say "Well, it's unlimited from the handset but not unlimited as a tethered modem". However, that's not what the website says.

The other drama is they don't like my phone. Apparently there are a couple different flavors of 3G data service. T-Mobile uses UMTS (~384 Kbps) but my Sony phone is a HSPDA device (~720 Kbps). Last night around 9:00 PM, T-Mobile pushed an update into my phone that caused the tethering feature to be permenantly disabled. Nice.

So... they're making me buy a new phone.

Yeah.

Granted, it's only $40. But in principle, I find it outrageous that they purposefully crippled my phone because it's too fast for their network. Why can't they just restrict the phone to the 384 Kbps channel instead of ruining a perfectly good phone? Of course, no one in customer care had an answer for that question.

I'm really not happy about this.

Indigo Incarnates

I did another ten miles on my bike after work today. The NCR trail is just so pleasant this time of year. There are so many birds twittering and the trees are green. It's nice riding through alternating sun and shade. In the evening, the bike trail is nearly empty. I like the solitude sometimes.

It's nice being able to sense the presence of life. Willow's ability to feel the life force of trees is greater than mine, but I have some of that ability. I am glad for that. There are perks to being a changeling. :)

Since it was really sunny, Thistle got to fly. This is a good time of year for him. Sunlight is important for both him and me.

I'm watching a dreadful MST3K movie called "Future Wars". It's like the whole movie has a dissociative disorder, har har. I haven't figured out if it's a space movie, a time travel movie, a dinosaur movie, or a post-apocalyptic movie. But it's all happening at the same time, har har! The characters include a killer robot, a nun who used to be a junkie-prostitute, and small dinosaurs with goth chains. Egads! The storyline? Well, I've been watching it for an hour and I still couldn't tell ya!

I was disappointed but not surprised that a person on my case book got off Scott-free for a crime he should have gotten 20 years for. This jerk beat the crap out of his 7-year-old nephew and then rammed his head into a radiator. He got a Nollo Proscitu verdict, which meant that the prosecutor didn't even feel like prosecuting the case. Yeah. About 80% of my cases end up with a NP verdict. And you wonder why there's no crime deterrence in Baltimore?! Ashen was not amused.

Indigo Incarnates

Man! It was awful today. I have a pair of dress shoes for work that are only a year old, but I suspect they must have the same quality control as Chrysler. The whole sole of my right shoe came off during my lunch break. Egads! It's a good thing that I keep a tube of krazy-glue in my desk. I used about half a tube putting my shoe back together to get me through the remainder of my work day. What a drag!

I got next to no sleep last night. My mind was racing. It just happens sometimes. But it's a real drag. I usually write better than but I'm just freakin' tired.

Indigo Incarnates

While the Ten Commandments as written in Exodus 20 makes a fine blueprint for a civilized nation, it seems to be a bit outdated in the context of modern-day Christianity. I figure that the next version of the Bible should be updated to reflect the values that Christians *actually* hold dear:

Now, I'm not saying that ALL Christians are hate-mongering, science-condemning, right-wing homophobes. I firmly believe there is a small kernel of the faithful (maybe 5% of the overall membership of Christianity) that actually worships Jesus Christ. The other 95% seems to worship the Angry Desert God of the Old Testament and pay only scant lip-service to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Why is that? My guess is because Jesus has no hate in Him. The Holy Spirit has no hate in Her. But modern-day American Christians need validation for their racism, bigotry, fear, and homophobia. That, in my opinion, is why they refuse to accept that Jesus and the Holy Spirit forged a new way for people to live.

I've met some real Christians: Nick, Doris, Clint, Ed, Joan, and Nancy. I just wish there weren't so few of them. Heck, if mainstream Christianity actually followed the teachings of Christ, I might still be a Christian. But I didn't leave the faith. The faith turned its back on me by declaring war on homosexuals.

Maybe the American Christianity should call themselves "Religious Right Believers in YHVH" or something to that effect.


The Observed Ten Commandments:

- ONE: Thou shalt hate homosexuals with all your mind and spirit.
- TWO: Thou shalt disown one's offspring once they are known as homosexual.
- THREE: Thou shalt not respect the faiths of others, but instead thou shalt bear false witness against them as chance provides.
- FOUR: Thou shalt vote Republican in all matters of political discourse.
- FIVE: Thou shalt hold ecology and the environment in withering contempt. Thou needest not leave a prosperous Earth for thine offspring.
- SIX: Thou shalt trust in God's forgiveness for thine own faults whilest holding the faults of others in public contempt and ridicule.
- SEVEN: A man shalt have a Mistress half his age, lo' many wives if desired. A woman, however, shalt be subservient to her husband through infidelity, violence, and even death.
- EIGHT: Thou shalt blame homosexuals and witches for all manner of flood, fire, tempest, and natural disaster of any kind.
- NINE: Thou shalt withhold charity from homosexuals, witches, Democrats, liberals, and those of other faiths.
- TEN: Thou shalt not interpret the Bible in any way other than literal. Thou shalt not pay heed to contradictions in holy writ. Thou shalt not accept as valid any interpretation of Deity than this one, but instead hold in contempt all those who dare speak of it.