I felt like I should blog... just to show y'all I'm still alive. But I don't really having anything important to say, so I'm gonna talk about entertainment news. I caught Access Hollywood last night, and I realized that I've been out of touch with news for a while now.
For example... Britney and K-Fed are getting a divorce. And she broke up with him through a text message. Wow, I'd be furious. And guess what? They're now calling him Fed-Ex. Whoever came up with that is a genius.
And... Borat. Who is this guy? He's everywhere!!! He's got a movie, he's in the papers, he's being interviewed on news shows... apparently it's, like, some kind of character-turned-actual person. That's kinda weird... he's fake, but he's showing up in real life. Wacky idea, isn't it?
And also, what happened with Faith Hill? I heard she was angry at the CMAs, and then it was supposedly a joke... That didn't look like she was just kidding to me. She seemed furious that Carrie Underwood won. :? Whatever. Celebrities.
And have you guys heard about the shirt guitar? That's freakin awesome. http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/a-shirt-that-rocks-your-socks-off/2006/11/13/1163266483990.html
Yeah, so that's all probably really old news to everyone. I just thought it was interesting... considering I've been out of the loop for a while. I'll probably be online later, but for now I'm gonna go off in a corner and read my book. "Christine" is getting good... Stephen King's a genius. (wow... I almost spelled that with a J. Long month.)
11.13.2006
11.12.2006
My Trip To Middletown
Well, I've had an interesting day. I went to the PFC HQ, like I said I would. I took a taxi... Milford's got this cool little taxi service called... um... Milford Taxi. I used Frank's credit card. I figured it probably wouldn't have gotten back to the credit card company that he was dead yet. If it comes back to me later, then whatever. I'll deal with it then.
So, I got to the PFC HQ at about 12:00. I thanked the cab driver and asked him to pick me up outside the building in an hour, and he said he would. So I went inside.
Almost everything was the same as when I was there the other day. The same plants, the same color walls, the same couches. I noticed two things different right away, though. First, there was someone sitting on one of the couches. I'll get to him in a minute. Next, Erik was gone, and there was a girl in his place.
I walked up to the desk and I read the girl's nametag. Other than the nametag, and the fact that her hair was longer than Erik's, I probably wouldn't have known they were two different people. They were wearing the same clothes, had the same facial features, and were reading the same book. Anyway, the girl's nametag said SHIRL AWEROOKE. (Immediately, I thought of Rook/Raven/Crow).
"Hi, Shirl, I was here the other day and I talked to someone named Erik." She nodded, without looking up from Miss Corinn's book. "He said you guys have a job opening for an event coordinator?"
Now she looked up, and I could see her trying to figure out if she recognized me. For a minute I was scared, and then I thought, insanely, "Ceiling cat will save me!" :) And then I could see her let go of the possibility. "Yes, we did have an opening."
"Did?"
"Yes. We filled it."
Uh oh. There goes my "in" at the company. "Well, that's a shame," I said. "I was looking forward to working here. I've heard so much about the PhoenixFire Corporation."
Shirl brightened up. "Have you now? Would you like to talk to a customer service representative?" I nodded, and she picked up a phone I hadn't noticed. She spoke so quietly into it that I couldn't hear, and then she hung up. "We will have someone with you shortly. Please wait on one of the couches."
And she went back to reading her book.
So, I walked back to the couch. The person sitting there was a kid, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. I sat down next to him, but didn't say anything. Before much time had passed, he turned and looked at me. "Was he close to you?" he asked.
I was shocked. "Who?"
"Whoever died. Did you know him very well?"
Now I was beyond shocked. I was creeped out. "How did you-"
"You have bags under your eyes, I can tell you've been crying, and you aren't wearing any makeup. And... I just know. Someone died. Did you know him very well?"
I nodded, trying to keep myself from crying. This kid could see right through me. I'd thought I'd gotten myself together, but I guess not. "He was a good friend of mine."
"Well, I'm sorry he's gone," the kid said. "You look like you could use a friend or seven right now." I thought of ceiling kitty again, but said nothing. "My name is Jason," the kid said. "What's yours?"
"Luisa," I said. "Luisa Ekmel. Why are you here?"
"I've been having strange dreams lately, and I heard this place offers dream interpretations. I've been waiting for a while, though, and I don't think anyone is coming."
"What kind of dreams?"
"Oh, I don't know... like, standing on the edge of a lake... everything's foggy... and I see something moving inside the lake, and then I wake up."
My skin prickled. This kid had been dreaming about the Lake of Departed Sorrows, it sounded like. This was getting weirder by the second.
Just then, someone called out, "Hello, Miss?" I looked up and saw an older man standing there. He beckoned to me, so I stood up and walked over to him. I probably should have said goodbye to Jason, or given him my email or something, but it didn't occur to me until I heard the door shut behind him.
"Hi," I said, holding out my hand. This old guy was dressed just like Shirl and Erik, but he seemed to have more personality; his cheeks were ruddy and he had crow's feet by his eyes. His nametag read "VICTOR M. STUCERESE: Customer Service Representative. I wasn't even going to try and pronounce that, so I said, "Victor, my name is Luisa. I've heard a lot of good things about the PhoenixFire Corporation, so I wanted to come see for myself."
"Have you now?" he asked. "What in particular?"
"Well, I've heard positive things about Miss Corinn's Psychic Readings website." I kicked myself. I hadn't wanted to give any clue as to why I was there.
"Yes, Miss Corinn is a personal friend of mine. Did you ask her for a reading?"
"No," I said. "I'm not really a believer in those kinds of things. I just thought, you know, for people who do subscribe to those ideas... She's supposed to be good..."
Mr. Stucerese nodded and leaned in conspiratorially. "To tell the truth, I'm not really a believer myself. But she's a really nice lady. And, well, I have to be nice to her." He stressed the word have only ever-so-slightly, but it was enough that I noticed it.
"And why is that?" I asked before I could help myself.
"Because that's my job!" He smiled, and I couldn't help but smile with him. It crossed my mind that he might have some psychic powers of persuasion himself, but I tried not to think what would happen if he was able to read my mind.
"And, Miss Corinn's quite a talented poet."
"Yes," Victor said. "That she is."
"What other programs is the PhoenixFire Corporation involved with?" I asked.
"We give free dream interpretations to locals, and we sponsor certain projects that promote awareness of the metaphysical realm. For example, the Dial-A-Psychic Talk Show. And we give tours to local schoolchildren."
"I understand there's something happening this Friday?"
"Yes," the customer service guy said. "We at the PFC are celebrating the birthday of our founder, Jakob Plessing. We're having a variety of company activities as well as a few special events online."
"Like what?"
"Well," he said. "Nothing I'm allowed to discuss."
We stood, looking at each other for a little while. Then I said, "Well, I think I'd better be going. My taxi's waiting. It's too bad I'm not able to help coordinate your events."
"Yes," he said with a faraway look in his eyes. He seemed to have been turned off suddenly, as though someone had decided that he was done talking.
So, without saying goodbye, I turned and left. I think Shirl said something to him, but I couldn't hear, so I didn't bother.
I went outside and saw the taxi was waiting for me already. Surprised, I looked at my watch and saw that it was 1:00 already. Time inside that building had gone much quicker than I had thought; at most, it felt like 15 minutes had passed.
So, that's that. I couldn't get the job, and I didn't really find out much more about Miss Corinn, Katrina, or the Silver Garden. The mysteries just keep getting deeper, though, don't they? This kid has been dreaming about the Silver Garden, even though he doesn't know it. And that's just the one I encountered. Who knows how many more people in the area have been walking the path in their sleep?
Talk to you all soon, and remember: Ceiling cat is watching you!
((Sorry this post was so long.))
So, I got to the PFC HQ at about 12:00. I thanked the cab driver and asked him to pick me up outside the building in an hour, and he said he would. So I went inside.
Almost everything was the same as when I was there the other day. The same plants, the same color walls, the same couches. I noticed two things different right away, though. First, there was someone sitting on one of the couches. I'll get to him in a minute. Next, Erik was gone, and there was a girl in his place.
I walked up to the desk and I read the girl's nametag. Other than the nametag, and the fact that her hair was longer than Erik's, I probably wouldn't have known they were two different people. They were wearing the same clothes, had the same facial features, and were reading the same book. Anyway, the girl's nametag said SHIRL AWEROOKE. (Immediately, I thought of Rook/Raven/Crow).
"Hi, Shirl, I was here the other day and I talked to someone named Erik." She nodded, without looking up from Miss Corinn's book. "He said you guys have a job opening for an event coordinator?"
Now she looked up, and I could see her trying to figure out if she recognized me. For a minute I was scared, and then I thought, insanely, "Ceiling cat will save me!" :) And then I could see her let go of the possibility. "Yes, we did have an opening."
"Did?"
"Yes. We filled it."
Uh oh. There goes my "in" at the company. "Well, that's a shame," I said. "I was looking forward to working here. I've heard so much about the PhoenixFire Corporation."
Shirl brightened up. "Have you now? Would you like to talk to a customer service representative?" I nodded, and she picked up a phone I hadn't noticed. She spoke so quietly into it that I couldn't hear, and then she hung up. "We will have someone with you shortly. Please wait on one of the couches."
And she went back to reading her book.
So, I walked back to the couch. The person sitting there was a kid, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. I sat down next to him, but didn't say anything. Before much time had passed, he turned and looked at me. "Was he close to you?" he asked.
I was shocked. "Who?"
"Whoever died. Did you know him very well?"
Now I was beyond shocked. I was creeped out. "How did you-"
"You have bags under your eyes, I can tell you've been crying, and you aren't wearing any makeup. And... I just know. Someone died. Did you know him very well?"
I nodded, trying to keep myself from crying. This kid could see right through me. I'd thought I'd gotten myself together, but I guess not. "He was a good friend of mine."
"Well, I'm sorry he's gone," the kid said. "You look like you could use a friend or seven right now." I thought of ceiling kitty again, but said nothing. "My name is Jason," the kid said. "What's yours?"
"Luisa," I said. "Luisa Ekmel. Why are you here?"
"I've been having strange dreams lately, and I heard this place offers dream interpretations. I've been waiting for a while, though, and I don't think anyone is coming."
"What kind of dreams?"
"Oh, I don't know... like, standing on the edge of a lake... everything's foggy... and I see something moving inside the lake, and then I wake up."
My skin prickled. This kid had been dreaming about the Lake of Departed Sorrows, it sounded like. This was getting weirder by the second.
Just then, someone called out, "Hello, Miss?" I looked up and saw an older man standing there. He beckoned to me, so I stood up and walked over to him. I probably should have said goodbye to Jason, or given him my email or something, but it didn't occur to me until I heard the door shut behind him.
"Hi," I said, holding out my hand. This old guy was dressed just like Shirl and Erik, but he seemed to have more personality; his cheeks were ruddy and he had crow's feet by his eyes. His nametag read "VICTOR M. STUCERESE: Customer Service Representative. I wasn't even going to try and pronounce that, so I said, "Victor, my name is Luisa. I've heard a lot of good things about the PhoenixFire Corporation, so I wanted to come see for myself."
"Have you now?" he asked. "What in particular?"
"Well, I've heard positive things about Miss Corinn's Psychic Readings website." I kicked myself. I hadn't wanted to give any clue as to why I was there.
"Yes, Miss Corinn is a personal friend of mine. Did you ask her for a reading?"
"No," I said. "I'm not really a believer in those kinds of things. I just thought, you know, for people who do subscribe to those ideas... She's supposed to be good..."
Mr. Stucerese nodded and leaned in conspiratorially. "To tell the truth, I'm not really a believer myself. But she's a really nice lady. And, well, I have to be nice to her." He stressed the word have only ever-so-slightly, but it was enough that I noticed it.
"And why is that?" I asked before I could help myself.
"Because that's my job!" He smiled, and I couldn't help but smile with him. It crossed my mind that he might have some psychic powers of persuasion himself, but I tried not to think what would happen if he was able to read my mind.
"And, Miss Corinn's quite a talented poet."
"Yes," Victor said. "That she is."
"What other programs is the PhoenixFire Corporation involved with?" I asked.
"We give free dream interpretations to locals, and we sponsor certain projects that promote awareness of the metaphysical realm. For example, the Dial-A-Psychic Talk Show. And we give tours to local schoolchildren."
"I understand there's something happening this Friday?"
"Yes," the customer service guy said. "We at the PFC are celebrating the birthday of our founder, Jakob Plessing. We're having a variety of company activities as well as a few special events online."
"Like what?"
"Well," he said. "Nothing I'm allowed to discuss."
We stood, looking at each other for a little while. Then I said, "Well, I think I'd better be going. My taxi's waiting. It's too bad I'm not able to help coordinate your events."
"Yes," he said with a faraway look in his eyes. He seemed to have been turned off suddenly, as though someone had decided that he was done talking.
So, without saying goodbye, I turned and left. I think Shirl said something to him, but I couldn't hear, so I didn't bother.
I went outside and saw the taxi was waiting for me already. Surprised, I looked at my watch and saw that it was 1:00 already. Time inside that building had gone much quicker than I had thought; at most, it felt like 15 minutes had passed.
So, that's that. I couldn't get the job, and I didn't really find out much more about Miss Corinn, Katrina, or the Silver Garden. The mysteries just keep getting deeper, though, don't they? This kid has been dreaming about the Silver Garden, even though he doesn't know it. And that's just the one I encountered. Who knows how many more people in the area have been walking the path in their sleep?
Talk to you all soon, and remember: Ceiling cat is watching you!
((Sorry this post was so long.))
11.11.2006
We Spoke With Frank!
Wow, pretty eventful night. Here's a quick rundown of what happened.
Ok, I was on AIM, and I was talking to Luke and Sylvia in the chat room. Katrina Plessing's screen name (shesheisi) signed on, and it was Frank.
He told us that, when he killed himself, he found himself in a big room with hundreds of other people. He said he stood there for what felt like years, and then he heard Katrina's voice. He looked up and the ceiling of this room turned to water, and he saw Katrina looking down at him. That's really creeping me out, to be honest. The lake is a room? Things are getting really weird. So anyway, he said he convinced Katrina to drink out of the lake, which put him in her body.
We asked Frank if he knew what VUDOFO is, and he said no. He then said that he has the same birthday as Jakob Plessing, which surprised us (obviously.) I went looking, and I realized that in his Oct. 17th blog post he said his birthday was November 17th. I guess I just never made the connection.
Frank was just about to tell us something about Miss Corinn when the connection cut out. Katrina posted on her blog saying Frank was gone.
I'm going back to the PFC HQ tomorrow, to try and find something interesting. I'm gonna tell Mr. Erik (whose name anagrams to I WORK HERE. pretty weird.) that I want the job, and see what happens.
I'm still on AIM, by the way... probably will be for a while.
Ok, I was on AIM, and I was talking to Luke and Sylvia in the chat room. Katrina Plessing's screen name (shesheisi) signed on, and it was Frank.
He told us that, when he killed himself, he found himself in a big room with hundreds of other people. He said he stood there for what felt like years, and then he heard Katrina's voice. He looked up and the ceiling of this room turned to water, and he saw Katrina looking down at him. That's really creeping me out, to be honest. The lake is a room? Things are getting really weird. So anyway, he said he convinced Katrina to drink out of the lake, which put him in her body.
We asked Frank if he knew what VUDOFO is, and he said no. He then said that he has the same birthday as Jakob Plessing, which surprised us (obviously.) I went looking, and I realized that in his Oct. 17th blog post he said his birthday was November 17th. I guess I just never made the connection.
Frank was just about to tell us something about Miss Corinn when the connection cut out. Katrina posted on her blog saying Frank was gone.
I'm going back to the PFC HQ tomorrow, to try and find something interesting. I'm gonna tell Mr. Erik (whose name anagrams to I WORK HERE. pretty weird.) that I want the job, and see what happens.
I'm still on AIM, by the way... probably will be for a while.
Explanations
Well, I've finally figured out why Frank killed himself. He wanted to save Katrina...
I went looking on Frank's hard drive, and I found a file called Nimbus. Obviously, that made me think of Katrina's message from Frank about the cloud. In the file was an email, and here's what it said:
DATE: Nov. 2, 2006
From: “XXXXXXX” plessingphoenix@yahoo.com
To: “Frank Dawes” frankdawes@yahoo.com
Subj: Instructions
Frank, we have Katrina locked up. We will release her upon confirmation of
your death.
I'm pretty pissed off right now. They didn't stick to their end of the bargain, and now Frank is dead anyway.
I'm going back to the PhoenixFire Headquarters tomorrow to see if I can find Katrina, or maybe just get some more information on whatever's happening on the 17th.
I'm on AIM, if anyone wants to talk. You know my s/n.
I went looking on Frank's hard drive, and I found a file called Nimbus. Obviously, that made me think of Katrina's message from Frank about the cloud. In the file was an email, and here's what it said:
DATE: Nov. 2, 2006
From: “XXXXXXX” plessingphoenix@yahoo.com
To: “Frank Dawes” frankdawes@yahoo.com
Subj: Instructions
Frank, we have Katrina locked up. We will release her upon confirmation of
your death.
I'm pretty pissed off right now. They didn't stick to their end of the bargain, and now Frank is dead anyway.
I'm going back to the PhoenixFire Headquarters tomorrow to see if I can find Katrina, or maybe just get some more information on whatever's happening on the 17th.
I'm on AIM, if anyone wants to talk. You know my s/n.
11.10.2006
I Went To The PFC HQ Today
Well, I went to visit the PhoenixFire Corporation today. I didn't tell them who I really was, obviously... I said my name was Luisa Ekmel to see if it would get a reaction, and it didn't.
The building itself is pretty big. I guess they have some kind of factory in there... I don't know. It's ugly, too. Like, really gross. The front door is made out of glass, and it's pretty much the only glass on the entire front of the building that's not broken. I opened it and went inside, and I was pretty surprised at how modern it was.
The floors were silver, like metallic, and the walls were whitewashed. They had flourescent lighting and some pretty big-ass potted plants along the walls. The room you go into at first has some couches, and a table full of magazines... kinda like a hospital waiting room. There's a desk at the far end of the room, and a hallway leading off to the left and the right of the desk. I went up to the desk, because the receptionist was the only person I saw.
It was a guy. He had short black hair and glasses, and he was wearing a white lab-coat looking thing. His nametag said ERIK HEWOR. So I guess that's his name. I said, "Hi, I'm interested in applying for a job here."
He looked up from the book he was reading (which had the name CORINN where the author's name should be... I guess she wrote a book! I couldn't see the title, though.) "Hello there. What's your name?"
His voice was, like, really automatic-sounding. Like he'd rehearsed the lines over and over and over so much that he didn't even know what he was saying any more.
"Luisa Ekmel," I said.
"Well, hello, Luisa!" Erik said. "What kind of job are you interested in?"
"Well, what do you have available?" I asked.
"We're looking for an event coordinator."
"I can do that," I said. Not that I've ever coordinated events before. "When's the event?"
"November 17," he said. I almost asked him what VUDOFO means, but I decided not to. "It's short notice, we know, but..."
Then, for some reason, I really felt like I needed to get the hell out of that building. "Too short," I said, and turned around and walked away. I don't know why. Something in that place is very, very wrong, I'm sure.
So, I chickened out. I'm going back, you can be sure, and I'm gonna do better next time.
Talk to everyone tomorrow!
----
By the way, I'm feeling MUCH better. I'm starting to get over Frank's death.
And, I've been looking for the cloud, whatever that means... haven't quite found it yet. Clear skies today.
The building itself is pretty big. I guess they have some kind of factory in there... I don't know. It's ugly, too. Like, really gross. The front door is made out of glass, and it's pretty much the only glass on the entire front of the building that's not broken. I opened it and went inside, and I was pretty surprised at how modern it was.
The floors were silver, like metallic, and the walls were whitewashed. They had flourescent lighting and some pretty big-ass potted plants along the walls. The room you go into at first has some couches, and a table full of magazines... kinda like a hospital waiting room. There's a desk at the far end of the room, and a hallway leading off to the left and the right of the desk. I went up to the desk, because the receptionist was the only person I saw.
It was a guy. He had short black hair and glasses, and he was wearing a white lab-coat looking thing. His nametag said ERIK HEWOR. So I guess that's his name. I said, "Hi, I'm interested in applying for a job here."
He looked up from the book he was reading (which had the name CORINN where the author's name should be... I guess she wrote a book! I couldn't see the title, though.) "Hello there. What's your name?"
His voice was, like, really automatic-sounding. Like he'd rehearsed the lines over and over and over so much that he didn't even know what he was saying any more.
"Luisa Ekmel," I said.
"Well, hello, Luisa!" Erik said. "What kind of job are you interested in?"
"Well, what do you have available?" I asked.
"We're looking for an event coordinator."
"I can do that," I said. Not that I've ever coordinated events before. "When's the event?"
"November 17," he said. I almost asked him what VUDOFO means, but I decided not to. "It's short notice, we know, but..."
Then, for some reason, I really felt like I needed to get the hell out of that building. "Too short," I said, and turned around and walked away. I don't know why. Something in that place is very, very wrong, I'm sure.
So, I chickened out. I'm going back, you can be sure, and I'm gonna do better next time.
Talk to everyone tomorrow!
----
By the way, I'm feeling MUCH better. I'm starting to get over Frank's death.
And, I've been looking for the cloud, whatever that means... haven't quite found it yet. Clear skies today.
11.09.2006
Never Coming Back
Frank shot himself! He shot himself in a motel room across Milford. He shot himself and he's dead.
I followed the police car to the motel, and they were bringing his body out covered in a sheet. I got out, and the police guy was going to turn me away but he saw how upset I was. He asked me if I knew who this might be, so I said yes, yes I knew him.
He led me over to Frank's body on the stretcher and asked me if I wouldn't mind identifying the body. I said I would like to, just to have some closure for myself, and he said OK. He warned me that they had found Frank's driver's license in his back pocket, so they already knew it was him, but some police procedural thing said someone involved had to ID the corpse.
So anyway he lifted up the sheet and oh my god there was so much blood... he shot himself in the head and now he's dead and I don't know what to do. I'm so depressed... I've been sobbing for the past three hours. They wanted to take me down to the police station but I wouldn't let them. The policeman was nice enough but he shot himself and...
My god. I'm not going to sleep tonight because I know I'm going to have nightmares.
Maybe I'll be on later to talk to you guys, but maybe not. It depends on how I'm feeling.
It's amazing. I didn't really know Frank that well, but he seemed so... with it. He seemed to know exactly what needed to be done to undermine this company. And he offered me a place to stay when the Coven was after me. And he was so nice while I was here... He even offered to get us bagels.
But that's the trouble, wasn't it?
Oh, I just don't know what to think any more. I'm so depressed, I'm repeating myself, aren't I?
Too much death lately. Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm cursed or something. Jakob ; _ ; / Cal / and now Frank. Maybe it's all my fault. Frank is gone and I'm alone...
I followed the police car to the motel, and they were bringing his body out covered in a sheet. I got out, and the police guy was going to turn me away but he saw how upset I was. He asked me if I knew who this might be, so I said yes, yes I knew him.
He led me over to Frank's body on the stretcher and asked me if I wouldn't mind identifying the body. I said I would like to, just to have some closure for myself, and he said OK. He warned me that they had found Frank's driver's license in his back pocket, so they already knew it was him, but some police procedural thing said someone involved had to ID the corpse.
So anyway he lifted up the sheet and oh my god there was so much blood... he shot himself in the head and now he's dead and I don't know what to do. I'm so depressed... I've been sobbing for the past three hours. They wanted to take me down to the police station but I wouldn't let them. The policeman was nice enough but he shot himself and...
My god. I'm not going to sleep tonight because I know I'm going to have nightmares.
Maybe I'll be on later to talk to you guys, but maybe not. It depends on how I'm feeling.
It's amazing. I didn't really know Frank that well, but he seemed so... with it. He seemed to know exactly what needed to be done to undermine this company. And he offered me a place to stay when the Coven was after me. And he was so nice while I was here... He even offered to get us bagels.
But that's the trouble, wasn't it?
Oh, I just don't know what to think any more. I'm so depressed, I'm repeating myself, aren't I?
Too much death lately. Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm cursed or something. Jakob ; _ ; / Cal / and now Frank. Maybe it's all my fault. Frank is gone and I'm alone...
I Think Frank's Gone
I hear sirens. Sirens in the town. An ambulance just drove past the Hattree Inn and there goes a police car.
I'm going to follow them.
Pray for Frank, please.
I'm going to follow them.
Pray for Frank, please.
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