Archive for the ‘Fictional Life’ Category

January-12-08

A TXT Message Conversation

posted by Smivey

Around 2 am, I got an anonymous message on my phone, which led to the following exchange:

XXX-XXXX: i want ur body

Me:  Yeah? What would you do with it?

XXX-XXXX:  whatvr u want

Me: Seriously?

XXX-XXXX: of course

Me: Like what?

XXX-XXXX: well this is an important decision i don’t want to make it 4 u

Me: What are you wearing?

XXX-XXXX: why does that matter

Me: I see your point. Well, what would you like me to do to you?

XXX-XXXX: do to me? im not following

Me: Sexually.

XXX-XXXX: GROSS

Me: what?

XXX-XXXX: ur sick

Me: You’re the one who said you want my body!

XXX-XXXX: 4 research! we want u to donate ur body to science

Me: Are you fucking kidding me?

XXX-XXXX: no

Me: This is an SMS solicitation?

XXX-XXXX: im merely txting people to c if they want to donate their bodies to science

Me: And I’m paying for these messages?

XXX-XXXX: yes

Me: And you’re OK with that?

XXX-XXXX: as long as im not paying for it

Me: But aren’t you?

XXX-XXXX: shit ur right

Me: So stop txting me!

XXX-XXXX: ok

Me: Thanks.

XXX-XXXX: no problm im touching myself

Me: What? Wait a minute.

XXX-XXXX: hm?

Me: Why are you touching yourself?

XXX-XXXX: i didn’t say i was touching myself

Me: Yes, you did.

XXX-XXXX: prove it

Me: I just replied to a message that said you’re touching myself.

XXX-XXXX: the lines must have been crossed

Me: That doesn’t happen with txt messages.

XXX-XXXX: sure it does

Me: No, it doesn’t.

XXX-XXXX: whatever can i pick ur brain

Me: What do you want to know?

XXX-XXXX: i just asked you

Me: And I said, what do you want to know.

XXX-XXXX: i want to pick your brain

Me: FOR?

XXX-XXXX: duh  4 medical research  i want to dissect it

Me: ARGGHHHHHHHHH!

XXX-XXXX: so?

Me: Fine. Sure. Whatever. Just leave me alone.

XXX-XXXX: cool i’ll have someone sent over with the contract

Me: Good night.

And then I turned off my phone. About an hour later, my land-line phone rang. The call was coming from the intercom of my building. I didn’t answer it. Now I’m afraid to go outside.

December-24-07

Christmas Eve

posted by Smivey

It was December 24th, and there I sat, slaving away at my desk. At around 4:30, my boss came out of his office to see how everything was going.

“How’s everything going?” he said.

“Fine, sir.” I replied. “Can I go home now?”

“Do you have any decent concepts yet?”

“No, sir.”

“Then get cracking. We can’t afford to lose this account.”

“But, sir, it’s Christmas Eve.”

“And?”

“Well, we should be with our loved ones.”

“Oh really? And what do you plan on doing with your loved ones?”

“Uhhh trimming the tree?”

“Smivey, I know for a fact that you live alone and the only thing you have to do is maybe watch Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer for the upteenth time.”

“I forgot to TiVo it.”

“I’ll buy you the fucking DVD.”

“It’s not the same.”

“Well, unlike you, I do have family to go home to. But you know what? They understand that I also have a job to do. Come to think of it, who the hell decided that Christmas Eve was supposed to be some kind of holiday? All you do is run around, trying to find last-minute gifts and buying things that nobody is going to ever use. Oh, and wrapping presents. Why does everyone put off wrapping presents? Is it so fucking hard?”

“No, sir.”

“Of course not, you idgit. Besides, technically, it’s not even Christmas Eve yet. It’s what we call Christmas Eve Day, which is total bullshit. As far as I’m concerned, the holiday doesn’t start until the 25th. Making you working on Christmas Eve doesn’t make me an evil Scrooge. It just makes me a dick, and I can live with that. But just to show you there are no hard feelings, I’m going to give you a gift.”

“You are?”

“Yes, it’s your job. But it expires in three months. In March, I take it back—unless I see something brilliant on my desk from you before then. How does that sound?”

“Good?”

“Right. Now get your ass out of here and go home to your 34-inch widescreen TV.”

“Thank you, sir. Merry Christmas…”

“If you say ‘everyone’, I’m going to strangle you.”

“Uh, Merry Christmas.”

“Bite me.”

November-26-07

Muse Encounter

posted by Smivey

I met my muse. I finally met my muse.

OK, I know what you’re thinking: “Smivey, how could you possibly be inspired by someone you’ve never met?” It’s either that or you’re thinking about cheese. I’m not sure. That’s just the vibe I’m getting. Anyhow, I’m going to tell you about meeting my muse. If you want to learn about cheese, go to this blog and leave me the fuck alone.

Now then, the first thing you have to understand is I’m rather shy. My muse calls it being “a royal pain in the ass,” but that’s neither here nor there nor behind that bush. The fact is, I don’t like to deal with people so much. At work, it’s another story. I’ve learned to adapt and I actually enjoy interacting with my co-workers. But outside of the office, I prefer to be left alone. That’s just the way I am. Deal with it.

Which brings us to the problem: Not many people can deal with it. Sure, they might enjoy my company online, but after a while, they need more. Yeah, that’s right, a face-to-face meeting. For most, this would be easy. You might actually look forward to meeting a person you’ve spent so many evenings with online. But for some of us—mainly me—this kind of thing goes against every grain of our souls.

So why did I finally agree to meet my muse? Rather than get into a four paragraph explanation, I’ll give you the one sentence answer: She gave me an ultimatum. “Smivey,” she said, “if you ever want me to leave Gino, you’re going to have to meet me.”

For those of you who don’t read my blog religiously (shame on you), Gino is the poet who has been shacking up with my muse. Apparently, he’s a better brooder than I am and he’s amazing in the sack. Also, I hear he’s good at sex.

Anyhow, so my muse told me that she couldn’t possibly inspire me unless she could see who I was. So, desperate for an idea, I agreed to a rendezvous at the most natural place for someone to meet his muse: the parking lot of a Target store.

I’ll never forget that day. It was a Saturday morning… or was it Sunday? Hm. Uh, let’s say Sunday. Anyhow, I arrived early and parked my car a good distance away from the store. I figured once my muse actually met me, she’d probably want to jump my bones. So when it came to parking spaces, the more secluded the better. Since I was a few minutes early, I just sat in my car and listened to some music. Those few minutes seemed to go on forever, not so much because of the anticipation, but because my muse was running late. It seems that while my muse is an excellent source for story ideas, she is not very punctual.

To be fair, there was a marathon being held that day and some of the streets were blocked. Unfortunately for my muse, I am not fair. When she finally showed up, I didn’t hesitate to give her a piece of my mind. Surprisingly, she enjoyed the piece I gave her and politely asked for another. Since she was so nice about it, I couldn’t say no. This was followed by another piece. And yet another. And another. Before too long, my muse had collected my entire brain in a Target shopping bag, which she proudly placed on her lap.

“Smivey,” she said. “Just how much do you want your brain back?”

I just sat there in my car and stared out the windscreen.

“C’mon, what are you willing to pay?”

Silence.

“Smivey! Do you even want your brain? How are you going to write?”

A bit of drool ran down my chin.

“Argh! You are so irritating! Just give me a number!”

Of course, anyone with half a brain would want their mind back. But, well, I didn’t even have a quarter of a brain. This one-way barter session went on for about thirty minutes before my muse picked up the Target bag and smacked me in the head with it. Amusingly, it made a rather pleasant tone, kind of like a xylophone. In fact, I bet if you were to line up a bunch of people with their brains removed and arranged them by cranium size, you’d end up with quite an impressive instrument. That being said, I cannot condone such activity, as it is illegal and immoral. Be sure to ask permission first.

Uh, where was I? Oh right, the brain thing. I was left in my car for days with my brain roasting in a shopping bag on the passenger’s seat. Fortunately, a Target employee finally discovered me when he was taking his robotic cart-gatherer out for an afternoon stroll. He carefully replaced my brain and removed from my wallet what he felt was a fair wage for such an operation. In other words, he took everything, even my library card. Funny thing is, I didn’t even know I had a library card until I started receiving warnings that the entire series of Erotic Adventures of Sleeping Beauty books was past due. For the record, I only have The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty and I never even made it through that one. Sorry, A. N. Roquelaure, but you’re no Anne Rice.

In any case, I have my brain back now and it’s slowly getting back into shape. You’re just going to have to bare with me. I mean, you can’t expect a man who didn’t have a brain for three days to be able to write flawless prose immediately. Come to think of it (because I can do that now), you wouldn’t expect him to be living at all. I’m a fucking walking miracle. So stop complaining about me not updating my blog and start calling your friends and telling them about the medical marvel that is I. . . that I am? In which I am? Hm.

Sorry. Like I said, it’s going to take a while to get this brain back into working condition. But I’m determined. I have a psychologist, a hypnotherapist and a life coach working with me every day. Thanks to them, I can now type over 30 words a minute and I’m capable of carrying on a relatively intelligent conversation with just about anyone. I should be grateful. But my success is somewhat bittersweet.

You see, I found out yesterday that my muse had no intention of leaving Gino for me. In fact, Gino was across the street the entire time recording everything on his Sony HD camcorder. She plans to show the video at her next muse meeting and let all the muses have a good laugh at my expense. Not only that, I hear she’s working on a book about her experience titled Beauty and Brains: Memoirs of a Muse. Oh well. Such is life. Farewell, muse. I wish you much happiness with Gino. Just keep in mind, he may be smarter, cooler, sexier and more talented than I am, but he’ll never be as. . .

I am so fucked.

June-10-07

My Muse

posted by Smivey

I have a muse and she is beautiful. She is also very self-absorbed. I mean, she told me to write this.

“Write a story about me.” she said. “Tell them I’m beautiful.”

“OK,” I replied. “If that’s what you want.”

“Yes, that is what I want. I want everyone to know just how wonderful I am.”

“Yeah, but what’s the point of it?”

“Hm?”

“What’s the point of me writing about you?”

“Don’t question me! Just write!”

So here I am, writing about my muse. The thing is, I don’t know what else to say about her. I mean, you’ve read my blog. It’s pretty twisted. That’s because my muse is kind of, well, mentally disturbed. Sure, she’s beautiful and all, but she’s also a bit off.

Last week, she kept telling me to write a story about strawberry jam. I’m like, “Uh, what am I supposed to say about strawberry jam?” “It’s yummy,” she replied. Yeah, thanks for that brilliant insight, muse. So I struggled with that strawberry jam piece for hours, and you know what I got? A giant load of crap. Observe:

There was once this jar of strawberry jam. All day it would just sit in the refrigerator and bother the marmalade.

“Dude, you’re totally marmalade,” the strawberry jam would say.

“Yes, we established that last year,” the marmalade would reply.

“Dude,” the strawberry jam would continue.

“For pete’s sake, what?!” the irritated marmalade would reply.

“You’ve got orange rind in you and shit.”

“Yes. And your point is?”

“You’re totally bitter, dude.”

This went on for some time. Then, one day the refrigerator door opened and the marmalade pushed the strawberry jam off the shelf and onto the linoleum floor. Unfortunately, the strawberry jam was in one of those unbreakable squeeze bottles, so he was just picked up and placed back on the shelf. After the refrigerator door closed, the strawberry jam continued:

“Dude, you totally just pushed me of the shelf!”

“Yeah.”

“That was awesome!”

“Oy.”

“We totally have to do that again, only this time, give me a really good push!”

“Yeah, OK.”

“I want to totally bounce off of that linoleum, man!”

“Yeah, alright.”

“Awesome.”

About an hour later, the refrigerator door opened and the marmalade promptly jumped off the shelf and onto the linoleum floor, shattering its container into several large pieces. Nevertheless, nobody cared, since they never really liked to eat marmalade anyway. They just bought the jar because it looked fancy and impressive when people visited.

Still, the strawberry jam was pretty upset. For days, he just sat in the fridge, mourning the loss of his good friend. It seemed like nothing could make the pain go away. Then, one day, he was introduced to a fresh jar of Georgia peach conserve, and from that moment on, things got very, very sticky. Awww yeahhhh.

Yeah, I don’t know what it means either. In any case, my muse was pleased with my efforts, so I guess that’s all that matters.

By now, you’re probably wondering why I keep this muse of mine around. After all, she’s inspired me to write some pretty weird stuff. To be honest, I’m pretty twisted myself. It’s just that sometimes I get too scared to post a blog entry because it might be too stupid or poorly written. That’s when my muse puts her hands on my shoulders and gives me that little push I need. Just like the marmalade did for the strawberry jam.

April-29-07

My Real Job

posted by Smivey

I hate how some people lie about what they do for a living. My job isn’t that impressive, but I have no problem telling others about it. I’m the head cashier at a Thrifty Drugstore.

“But, Smivey,” you say, “Thrifty doesn’t exist anymore.” Yeah, that’s what they want you to believe. But the truth is, there’s still one in Arizona, hundreds of feet below the Earth’s surface. It’s all part of a giant underground city designed to protect one person. Yeah, that’s right. I work at the President’s Thrifty.

“But why does the President need a drugstore?”

Jeeze, imaginary reader, you are so fucking inquisitive today. I’l tell you why. What if he cuts his finger? Where the hell is he gonna get a bandage? He’d bleed to death, and then where would we be? Uh huh. And what if he gets a craving for some honey-roasted almonds? That would be bothering him all day and he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on saving the world and shit. More importantly, what if he wanted a cylindrical scoop of Thrifty chocolate chip ice cream? There’s nowhere else in the world that he could possibly get that. OK, except for Rite-Aid. Those motherfuckers. But where do you think Rite-Aid gets their Thrifty ice cream?

Yeah, that’s right. We make the Thrifty ice cream down here. Otherwise, it would be pretty boring. Occasionally, a diplomat will stop by for an Abazaba or a Coke. But otherwise, we just hang out here, making ice cream and taking turns singing over the PA system. Oh, and we also process the President’s film. Man, you would not believe the kind of shit that guy and the First Lady are into. Creepy.

One time, we selected a particularly raunchy photo of Dubbya and Laura and created this enourmous banner to surprise the Commander In Chief when he arrived. Of course, we never thought that he might show up with his mom and dad. Boy, that was an awkward moment. It took us over an hour to find the ladder and pull the banner down. Barbara Bush immediately covered her eyes, while the former President couldn’t help but stare at the image. I was pretty busy yelling at people, but I swear I saw Bush Senior give his son a thumbs-up for a job well done. We all almost got fired over that. But then I offered everyone free triple scoops. By the time everyone had devoured their ice cream, all was forgiven.

But, yeah, that’s the way it is down here at the President’s Thrifty. So why do I bother staying? Well, it’s kind of a top-secret place, ya know? I mean, people have quit their jobs here. But after that, we never hear from them again. I’m not saying that they got killed by the CIA or anything like that, but I wouldn’t put it past them. Anyhow, it just kind of makes me think twice about looking for a new place of employment. Besides, we’re all looking forward to the next roll of film Bush Jr. sends over here for processing. I just hope nobody tells him about the advantages of digital photography. That would really suck. Which reminds me of the next photo we’re making a banner out of. Wow, Laura Bush. Who woulda thought.

December-4-06

Getting Help

posted by Smivey

It’s no secret. I’ve had some difficulties when it comes to the fairer sex (that means girls). But last week, rather than run away from my problems, I decided to face them head on like a man—a man with enormous testicles.

Of course, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I mean, I’ve always been pretty shy. And more importantly, my testicles are only average in size. Nevertheless, I was determined to do whatever needed to be done. Even if it meant going under the knife for testicular augmentation surgery.

So there I was, flipping through the back pages of the L.A. Weekly, when I ran across an ad for one of those alternative doctors. Here name was Dr. Double D, and according to her ad, she had all the right equipment to make me feel “all better.” From the moment I saw her picture, I knew that she was special. Underneath her very short lab coat, she wore a black string bikini and a pair of red stiletto pumps. Yeah, this was my kind of doctor: the kind who likes to swim. So I gave Dr. DD a call, and moments later, a soft sultry voice answered the phone:

“You a cop?” she purred.

“Uh, no,” I replied. “Should I be? Would that help?”

“Huh?”

“I’m calling about your ad in the L.A. Weekly.”

“Which one?”

“Uh, I don’t know. It says you can solve my, uh, issues.”

“Ohhhhh right. Yeah, I can do that. You sure you ain’t a cop?”

“Ain’t? Ha. How quaint. Yes, I’m quite sure.”

“OK, pick me up on the corner of Highland and Santa Monica at eight.”

“Pick you up? Ohhhhhh I get it. This is going to be like a real date.”

“Yeah, whatever. Just pick me up.”

“OK, I will be there, my dear, at eight o’clock sharp.”

She hung up. A moment later, a man called me to ask for my name and credit-card number. I guess he was her assistant or something. He said there would be a $100 deposit for the doctor’s time, but that I could do anything I wanted with her as long as she would be back in one hour and I didn’t scar her face (a joke that was in poor taste, if you ask me). I agreed to the terms of the contract and thanked him for providing such a wonderful service.

That night, I drove to pick up my therapist at her office. Oddly enough, I didn’t see any office buildings in the area, just a rundown mini mall and one of those we-serve-everything fast-food stands. Obviously, I made a wrong turn somewhere. I locked the doors and feverishly began flipping through my Thomas Guide. Suddenly, there was a knock on my passenger window. It was one of the freaks from the fast-food stand, probably needing milkshake money. I tried to ignore her, but she continued to knock on the glass.

“Smivey?” she said with a question mark at the end.

I turned and looked. Well, damn if it wasn’t Dr. DD. I didn’t recognize her at first. She was no longer dressed for the beach. She was dressed for the disco. She had on a glittery tube top and a thick leather belt that sort of looked like a skirt. I lowered the window.

“Hey, baby,” she said. “You gonna let momma in?”

“Momma?”

“You gonna unlock the door or what?”

“Oh, sure.”

I unlocked the door and her perfume jumped into my passenger seat, followed shortly by the doctor herself.

“OK, where do you wanna do this?” she asked.

I lowered my window to let some air in and some perfume out.

“Uh, I don’t know. I’m just here to learn.”

“Yeah, that’s what momma was afraid of.”

“You spoke to your mother about me?”

“Shit, you’re not one of those freaks, are you? You better not be planning on cutting me up, ’cause if you try anything, I will slice you first and ask questions later, you understand me?”

“Uh, yes, ma’am.”

“OK, now. Where you wanna do this?”

I suggested that we begin our date at the Hollywood Canteen, an L.A. landmark. They provide a nice, romantic atmosphere in the back where couples can enjoy a quiet meal under the stars. Unfortunately, she had a more casual dining experience in mind.

Ten minutes later, I was sitting on a plastic seat at the Del Taco across the street, staring at a woman who didn’t look anything like a doctor. She was scarfing down her hamburger and inhaling her fries as if she hadn’t eaten all day.

“So. . .” I attempted to draw her attention from her meal.

She glanced up at me. “Hm?”

“I’m sorry, I was just expecting a bit more for my money.”

“Be patient, baby. Let momma eat first, then I’ll see to it that you learn everything you need to know.”

“OK.”

I looked down at my half eaten seven-layer burrito. I had three and a half layers to go and I just wasn’t feeling it anymore.

“So what do you do?” she spoke between mouthfuls of fries.

“I’m a copywriter.”

“Oh, so that’s got to do with lawyering or something, right?”

“Uh, no, I work in Advertising. You’re thinking of copyrighting.”

“Yeah, that’s what you just said.”

“No, but I spelled it differently the last time I said it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Never mind. You’ll see when you read the transcript.”

“What transcript?”

“Forget it.”

“Fuck, you are one of those freaks, aren’t you?”

“That all depends on who you ask.”

She leaned forward, her eyes locked on mine.

“Now, listen to me,” she said. “I got my own car and my own apartment. I work hard for my money, mister. So don’t think I won’t disenvowel you if I have to.”

She leaned back and disengaged her jaw to shovel in more fries. I just sat there and watched her in silence. Finally, I had to say something:

“Disembowel.”

“What?”

“I believe you meant to say ‘disembowel,’ to remove one’s internal organs, usually in a violent manner.”

“What did I say?”

“Disenvowel, I think. No such word.”

“Huh. I really have a problem remembering words like that.”

“That’s OK. We all do. Sometimes I forget words, too.”

“Nah, you’re just saying that.”

“No, really. It’s true. It happens all the time.”

She smiled at me, then slurped the last remaining liquid out of the bottom of her cup. It was just the ice-breaker that we needed. For the rest of the evening, we just sat and talked about various aspects of grammar and how fucked up the English language is. It was a good time and I think I carried myself off pretty well.

So was the therapy a success? I’m not exactly sure. The doctor did offer to give me a “freebie” at the end of the night, but I declined, since I believe people should pay for services rendered. What’s strange is, she pushed me away when I attempted to give her a smooch. It seems my new lady friend has a rule against kissing on the mouth. Bleh. Whatever. Where the hell else am I supposed to kiss her, hm? Women can be so strange.

November-5-06

The Joke That Is My Life

posted by Smivey

I was watching TV the other day when a commercial for a weight-loss program came on. The woman in the ad said, “I’m a chocoholic and any diet that lets me eat chocolate, is the diet for me.” Yeah, right. That woman is a fucking liar. She doesn’t even act like a chocoholic. How would I know? Yeah, that’s right. My name is Smivey, and I’m a chocoholic.

OK, I hear you snickering out there. When I say I’m a chocoholic, I really mean it. Some people can eat one piece of chocolate a day and be satisfied. Others have to devour an entire box. That’s not chocoholism. That’s just a sweet tooth. No, being a chocoholic is a much more serious problem, one that requires years of therapy. And months of dental work.

So how does one become a chocoholic? Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, I think it all started when I was eight years old. I was riding the swing in the playground when the town bully threw a rock at my head. Naturally, I attempted to retaliate. But my small arsenal of pebbles was no match for his boulder and catapult. After regaining consciousness, I ran home crying:

“M-m-m-momma,” I whimpered. “th-th-th-the cataplult-t-t-t-t. . .”

“Oh, shut up,” she replied in her soothing voice. “Don’t be such a fucking baby.”

“B-b-b-b-but-t-t-t-t-t it hurt-t-t-t-t-ted” (She was right. I was a fucking baby.)

Frustrated with my childishness, my mother left the room and returned with a mini chocolate bar and a tall glass of milk. Within minutes, I was feeling better. Not just better, euphoric. Perhaps it was the sugar in the chocolate. Or maybe it had something to do with the caffeine. I didn’t know and, frankly, I didn’t care. Whatever it was, one thing was for certain: I had to have more of it.

Well, it turns out that my mother had slipped a quarter of a tab of LSD into my milk that day, but by the time I found out about it (15 years later), it was too late. I was already addicted to chocolate. How addicted? Let’s just say I wasn’t too picky about what kind of chocolate I ate. I started by devouring entire bags of those Halloween fun-size chocolate bars, but before too long, I was doing shots of Hershey’s syrup and popping M&M’S® like they were. . . well, candy. Hm. You know what I mean.

Of course, a chocolate habit like mine didn’t come cheap, but my parents did everything they could to keep me well-supplied. That is, until I reached adulthood at age 13. That day, right after I blew out the candles on my birthday cake (chocolate, of course), my mother handed me a slice and pushed me out the door. The bitch didn’t even give me a fork.

After that, I lived on the streets, begging for chocolate Kissesâ„¢. Most of the time, this would result in either getting kicked in the face or some horny man nearly molesting me. But every once in a while, someone would know exactly what I wanted. They’d smile at me, hand me a delicious foil-sheathed morsel of chocolate, and then they’d kick me in the face. One time, someone didn’t have any Kissesâ„¢, so they gave me a handful of those chocolate liqueur bottles. Since I was only a minor, I carefully bit off the top of each confection and poured out the icky alcoholic contents before devouring the waxy, tasteless chocolate.

That kind of thing went on for what seemed like months (It was actually five years). Then, one night, I just snapped. No, not literally. That would hurt. I needed chocolate and I needed it bad. The few Hershey’s Kissesâ„¢ and occasional M&M’S® I was acquiring were barely doing anything for me. If I didn’t find a better chocolate source soon, I would probably die. Or have a really, really bad headache.

I set my sights on a small chocolatier located just a few blocks away: Los Chocolette. Fortunately, their chocolate was much better than their French. I sat across from the shop and took mental notes of their entire security system. After a few days, I had the whole thing figured out: There was no security system. All I had to do was pick the lock and before I knew it, I’d be swimming in chocolate—figuratively, of course, but I hear it’s very good for the skin.

That night, as soon as the owner locked up and left, I pulled out my lock-picking kit and got to work. Picking the lock was a lot harder than I thought it would be. For one thing, my lock-picking kit consisted of an unbent paper clip and some old gum. For another thing, it was too dark to see what I was doing. Fortunately, the lighting problem was only temporary. A streetlight turned on and lit the area just perfectly. Well, at least I thought it was a streetlight. Turns out, it was a flashlight—a police officer’s flashlight. Oops.

So yeah, I spent that night locked in a cell with a man who only went by the name of Steve. You could try calling him David or Mikey, but he wouldn’t respond. He’d just look at you like you ate a small rodent. I know this because when I did eat a small rodent, he gave me the exact same look. Hey, a guy’s gotta eat.

Anyhow, that’s not important. What’s important is I did my time and now I live a happy, healthy life. I went back to school and graduated from Junior High with a degree in Marching Band. I even have a real job, working in an ad agency. Yeah, everything is cool, just as long as I stay away from chocolate. Seriously, if I even so much as see something that resembles chocolate, you better get out of the room. I will fucking kill you for chocolate. Well, not white chocolate. That stuff tastes like shit.

October-11-06

Dining At ???

posted by Smivey

Plenty of restaurants in L.A. claim to be exclusive: no sign on the door, no address, an unlisted number. But the fact is, if you know someone who’s been there, you really won’t have any trouble finding the place. That’s not the case with ???. Not only do I not know where it is, I have no idea how I got there.

Seriously, all I can remember is answering the door and some guy spraying a melon-scented mist in my face. The next thing I knew, I was dining on what I have to assume was the most delicious seafood I’ve ever tasted. I’m really not sure. That’s because at ???, you eat in complete darkness—while wearing a blindfold. I guess they don’t like to take any chances.

OK, I know what you’re thinking: If you’re blindfolded, how do you manage to feed yourself? Good question. You don’t. Each diner is assigned a personal feeder. How do the feeders see the food? Uh, I guess they use a pair of night-vision goggles or something.

In any case, very few words are allowed to be exchanged between you and your feeder. For instance, you might hear the words “Item 1″ before you experience an incredibly fresh mango salsa. If you want more of something, you have to refer to it by its number, followed by the word “please,” e.g., “More item 5, please.” Just don’t get too chatty. If you break the rules, they might suddenly pinch your nose or flick your earlobe. Or worse.

Judging from the acoustics, I believe I was in some kind of private room. Not huge, mind you. Possibly a closet. Maybe even my closet. Who knows. The fact is, I couldn’t hear any other people blurting out item numbers or yelping in pain from having their noses pinched or earlobes flicked.

Yes, the rules take some getting used to. But trust me, the cuisine at ??? is well worth it. Which brings us to the price. I don’t really recall paying for anything. But when I went online to check my bank records the next day, I had a new charge on my account for $2,523 from “Uncle Jeb’s Good Ol’ Fashioned Dildo Emporium. Now that’s either a buttload of new dildos (pardon my choice of words) or one incredibly delicious meal.

UPDATE: Turns out that charge was for a lot dildos. I guess while I was still groggy from whatever drug they put in my dessert (an Asian Pear Tart?), I got online and made some purchases that I would later regret. What’s worse, this package required a signature. And since I wasn’t at home, my neighbor signed for it. Right there on the mailing label were the words “Uncle Jeb’s Good Ol’ Fashioned Dildo Emporium. We’ll fix ya up real good.” Oh, and one more thing: a couple of days later, a charge for $583 appeared on my statement. The description simply read, “A Restaurant.” Yeah.

So in conclusion, the ??? restaurant: Good food, bad drugs.

Oh, and if you happen to be shopping for a new dildo (and who isn’t?), you’ll find over one hundred of them on eBay right now, still sealed in their original packages. Cheap.

June-21-06

My Last Day On Earth

posted by Smivey

For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived in a constant state of panic. Worrywort McGee is what they call me, which I always thought was a stupid nickname. Anyhow, the other day, during one of my many anxiety attacks, Sean, a coworker of mine, peeled me off of the ceiling and said to me, “Dude, there’s no time for worry. Life is too short. Live each day as if it was your last.” Of course, normally, I would ignore such inane advice, but since nothing else I was doing seemed to be working, I figured it was time I tried something new. So that’s exactly what I did.The next morning, instead of waking up in a mopey mood, I stayed in bed and thought about what a waste I’d made of my life: thirty-nine years of total bullshit. I cried in my pillow for two hours and then finally dragged myself out of bed.About halfway to the kitchen, I suddenly collapsed on the floor and started crying again: “Why me??!! What did I do??!! What the fuck did I do??!” After lying there in a heap for about ten minutes, I crawled back to bed.Three hours later, I got up and put on a pair of sweat pants and my Fucked Company t-shirt that I never had the courage to wear in public. I didn’t see any point in trimming my beard or showering. Instead, I just called my voicemail to check my messages. Apparently, my boss was pretty pissed off. I suppose I should’ve called in sick, but I didn’t really give a shit. There was so much to do, so many places to see. I wanted to taste cotton candy again. I wanted to witness the miracle of child birth. I wanted to punch somebody in the face.Yeah, hard to believe, but in my 39 years of existence, I’d never had the pleasure of punching somebody in the face. As a pacifist, it kind of goes against my nature. As soon as I throw a punch, my fist seems to stop just before impact. It’s embarrassing, to say the least. Humiliating to the point of nausea, to say the most. So while experiencing freshly spun sugar melting in my mouth would be great, and watching a baby’s head emerging from between a woman’s thighs would be fascinating, I decided that if I had to do anything on my last day on Earth, it would have to be punching somebody in the face. Now, the only question that remained was who. It certainly couldn’t be any of my friends, or anyone that I see day to day, for that matter. No, it would have to be a complete stranger (as opposed to a partial stranger), someone who really deserved it. And so, at three in the afternoon, I headed over to the local bar.When I arrived at The Rusty Blade, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The grey paint on the outside was peeling, revealing a slightly greyer paint underneath. And its steel door had a series of protrusions on its surface, no doubt from the bouncer slamming an unruly patron’s head into it numerous times. I took a deep breath, placed my hand on the grimy door handle and made my way inside.Oddly enough, the interior of the bar wasn’t as dark as I had imagine it would be. It was brighter than day, lit by a series of twelve industrial-strength fluorescent fixtures. I closed my left eye and squinted the right, then approached the bar.

“Give me a whiskey in a dirty glass,” I said.”Fuck off,” The bartender replied.”I’m sorry?”"We don’t want your kind in here.”"My kind?”"Yeah.”"What kind would that be?”He grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me across the bar. “I said, get your hairy face out of my bar.”

I looked around the room, and to my surprise, every person in the bar was cleanly shaven. Most of them even had their heads shaved. Those who didn’t, were sporting crew cuts. Resisting the urge to cry and run away, I looked the bartender in the eye and said something I would later regret:

“And what if I refuse to leave?”

Almost immediately, all the patrons of the bar stood up and started to crowd around me.

“If I was you,” said the bartender, “I wouldn’t push it. “”Yeah?” I paused and looked around, not so much for dramatic effect, but to stop myself from vomiting out of fear. “Well, you’re not me.”

With that, the bartender threw me back, causing me to fall into a crowd of beardless drunks who smelled like a combination of Marlboro cigarettes and Aqua Velva. They grabbed me by the arms and held me in place while the bartender made his way out from behind the bar.

“Well, boys,” he said, “looks like we’ve got ourselves another one.”

Suddenly, all the men started laughing, including me, though I have no idea why. But my jovial mood quickly changed the moment a fist found its way into my gut. As I collapsed, the bar patrons kindly held me up so I could receieve yet another blow — this time, in the ribcage. Again, the hairless freaks started to laugh. I lifted my head to see what was so funny, just in time to witness the bartender’s fist flying towards my face. I remember thinking “fuck that hurt,” just before I lost consciousness.When I woke up, my head was throbbing and my stomach and sides were competing for attention. I wasn’t sure where I was, but there was a strange antiseptic scent in the air. I opened my swollen eyes to discover I was in an alleyway, resting uncomfortably on a pile of trash. And that scent, I suddenly figured out what it was: Aqua Velva. I quickly brought my hands to my face, and too my horror, my skin was as smooth as a freshly shaved baby’s rear end. Those bastards had pilfered my facial hair. Not only that, they’d shaved my head, which might have been cool, but I just don’t have the right head shape for that look. Anyhow, I eventually managed to get up and limp my way back towards home.About six miles into my trip, I was waiting at the corner for the light to turn green, when you’ll never guess who I saw jogging across the street towards me. It was my coworker Sean.

“Hey,” he said. “What happened to you?”"I musth uth ath ag awg,” I replied, not even sure what I was trying to say.”Well, you look like you got into a fight with a gang of barbers and lost. Heh heh heh heh.”"Futh ew,” I replied. That time, I knew exactly what I was trying to say.”Hey, don’t be so down. It’s a good look for you. Besides, it’ll grow out eventually. Like I always say, life is too short. You’ve gotta live each day as if it was your last.”

And you know what? Sean was right. Sure, I had gotten into a bar fight and lost all of my hair in the process. But I also had an amazing adventure that I could tell people about for the rest of my life. And so I thanked Sean for his sage advice, and we shared a heterosexual hug and a hearty handshake. And then I punched that motherfucker in the face.

May-20-06

Still Up For Grabs

posted by Smivey

Well, I held my annual yard sale for the second time this year, and let me tell you, it was not the success I imagined it would be. While people literally fought over my 15″ widescreen TV (actually just a regular TV with a “letterbox” frame glued to the face of it), a lot of other items remained unsold. Some of these items are one-of-kind objects that I created myself. Others are just rare finds that I no longer have room for. If you’re interested in any of the following, please leave a comment and an e-mail address where you can be contacted. Thanks.

  1. Beautiful tampon caddy made with the finest popsicle sticks and felt. TAMPAX spelled out with rhinestones on the top. $95.99
  2. Origami paperweight. $150
  3. Portrait of Wink Martindale eating a bialy, created with dried pasta and the cremated remains of various roadkill. $2,000
  4. Striped headband made from a pair of recycled Fruit of the Loom briefs. $80
  5. Candle designed to look exactly like a chocolate candy bar. It looks like chocolate. It smells like chocolate. It even tastes like chocolate. But if you eat it, it will kill you. $75
  6. Set of five one-of-a-kind macrame cereal bowls (broke the sixth one) $175
  7. Pair of magnetic chopsticks $25
  8. Exercise device for strengthening fingernails. Instructions not included. $400
  9. Various drawings created by my 5-year-old niece. $20-1,000 each, depending on how difficult it is to tell what the object is actually supposed to be.
  10. 2006 U.S. Nickel, featured on a famous blog. $15

That’s about it. Let me know if you’re interested in anything. Oh, and In case you’re wondering why the headband is so cheap, it’s been previously worn. But not as a headband.