RKNet Blog... Thing

I think I’ve been listening to too much Röyksopp lately. For context, I’ve found myself highly enamored of a certain track off their album The Understanding called “What Else Is There?“. It features vocals provided by Karin Dreijer Andersson from an electronica duo called The Knife (whose album Silent Shout has also been on repeat a lot for me) and I have fallen in love with her unique and expressive voice.

That being said, on the with the description. I was in this housing area, all cheap houses, run down and small. Looking on from a short distance, I saw a huge explosion rip through 3 or 4 of the buildings, seemingly at random. I looked to my companions (who defy description right now, just some people, I can’t remember) and ran towards the damage. I’ve dreamt almost this same thing before, I know it. Sudden fire in run down houses, or an explosion followed by fire. It was chewing up the old, dry buildings.

Then it all reset. Same place, no explosion, none of that. I rode in the mind of someone sneaking through these projects, tiptoeing by back doors and noticing as they all swung open by themselves. Screen doors, all, and cats of different kinds peering out from kitchens or living rooms. Sometimes there were people within, all walking away, not noticing that the door was open. The creeping person was a thief and although no entry was made into any of these houses, the big black bag s/he carried filled up. A small rip showed a blue and white striped piece of terry cloth sticking out. Perhaps the dishes wrapped in the towel to prevent noise? Who knows?

Finally coming to an unremarkable house near the end of the rows, the thief enters and discovers an old man and a fluffy white cat. There’s a moment of mutual surprise, then the cat makes a mad dash for the open door, and the thief follows, trying to track it down through these houses while still remaining silent and unseen, still carrying the full bag. The cat dashes under buildings built off the ground, and finally the thief is able to cut it off at an awkward turn near a wall and snatches the beast up, dragging it back to its master.

There’s a short conversation after that, and the old man says he’s not going to rat out the thief. The thief cautions that there may be some dangerous activity.

Cut to a group of about five or six people. Storm clouds are high, thready, and getting darker, turning the sky to a psilocybin vision of broadly patterned marble. The people are holding onto what appears to be the female end of extention cords, which are all tangled together and tied to a central location, looking to be pipes coming out of one of the houses. They stretch the cords into the road, fanning out in an uneven manner over about a 180° area. A stroke of lightning comes down slowly, almost like a weighted streamer: straight down, but wavering in the air. It is viewed from the eyes of one of the group before it hits them. The power goes through the cords and infuses the others. One by one they begin shouting, calling down the lightning on themselves, despite the presence of others on the scene insisting they stop (but too afraid to act).

There was only one left, hesitant, stupid, afraid of the lightning. The others had disappeared, disintegrated or wandered off or something. The one left walked away. It may have come back to the explosion at that point but I don’t recall.

Other points which are unclear to me now:

• Pulling a large revolver on someone who wanted to come into a house where I lived. It was large and dull and akward.
• Yelling and throwing things at a group of young, grinning hooligans who heaped things in the middle of the yard and doused it in gasoline, intending to set fire to the whole property
• Counciling a very angry young man, sharing tales with him. We were both in Civil War era dress. I slowly went from persuading him to stay, to comforting, to seducing. Anything to distract him from this blind fury.
• A master/husband type figure appearing during the “seduction” phase, unperturbed by the scenario.

Also, for your convenience here are the lyrics to “What Else Is There?”

It was me on that road
But you couldn’t see me
Too many lights out, but nowhere near here

It was me on that road
Still you couldn’t see me
And then flashlights and explosions

Roads end getting nearer
We cover distance but not together

I am the storm I an the wonder
And the flashlights nightmares
And sudden explosions

I don’t know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish

It’s about you and the sun
A morning run
The story of my maker
What I have and what I ache for

I’ve got a golden ear
I cut and I spear
And what else is there

Roads and getting nearer
We cover distance still not together

If I am the storm if I am the wonder
Will I have a flashlights nightmares
And sudden explosions

There’s no room where I can go and
You?ve got secrets too

I don’t know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish

Note: These are just what I found online, I know there is a verse or two missing and maybe a few lines wrong. Care to help me flesh that out?

Man alive is it hard to get a good night’s sleep before a big day! First I ended up staying up until 3am following this Rackspace situation. (And because I couldn’t help following the most traffic I’ve ever had here to date thanks to links from places I’d never dreamed I’d appear. As I told a friend: I’ve died and gone to nerd heaven!)

Then the nightmares started up. I was in this huge, old house. I’d say about three stories, and it was part of a complex of buildings. (This has to be a nod to my friend Amy’s house, since she lives in an old farm complex where the barn et al have been converted to living space.) The family I was with seemed to be a variable cast of mother, father, and various female siblings. The family seemed to live in fear of some horrible spectre, despite the fact that I don’t really recall any hauntings, per se, up until the end.

I - the variable I, always a different character whose head I see through - was trying to talk to the youngest girl, a skinny thing in a white nightgown that would have been at home on Peter Pan’s Wendy. Her dark, wild hair and tired eyes told tales that her mouth did not. I don’t recall if she spoke at all, what I do recall is pleading with her not to go, not to sink into an ominous looking circle of rocks and dirt in the back yard. She insisted she’d died, and had to go back into the ground. The I that I was at the time clutched at a handful of dry pieces of half-bone and reached for the girl in the other. I don’t know when or where that talisman was picked up, but it seemed so critical at the time.

I (and I) lost the battle to save the girl, and she disappeared in a flash of what I can only think to describe as “fuzzy” light. (Think of the filter effect they use on Barbara Streisand.)

THEN the poltergiest activity ensued. It’s sort of a blur but there were tossings and turnings and the family would run out of the house, but ultimately refused to leave.

The last thing I remember is looking up to see someone whom I’d thought we lost to the hauntings appear at the top of a set of sidewalk stairs. He was the only one smart enough to get away, and had come back to check up on things. At that moment, I turned to look in the window to see a spray of blood followed by a limb smack wetly against a window and fall away just as quickly. Carefully peering into the window, the remainder of the family was a sickly blue-grey in the darkness of the kitchen. Their eyes gleamed yellow and soulless. It’s unknown who was torn apart, since there was no body or parts to be seen and the members of the family were inconsistant through the dream. With a strangled effort to draw air I turned away and went to flee with the other, and then woke up.

I love stuff like this. Little snippets of art and generalized text. Sometimes luck of the draw comes up with the most interesting things. I gotta say I could definitely use some pampering and extravagance. Dying my hair wasn't really much of a life-changing experience. I need a freaking vacation, or a bucket of cold water to the face. Something to shake me up out of my recent icky patterns. Something to reduce the number of nightmares I've been having recently would be nice also.

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

I am enjoying my vacation well enough thus far. This from the girl who is wretched at taking vacations (as some of you may well know). Still, let me outline some of the more memorable notes before I vent about the horrible nightmares I had last night.

Pros and Cons of Delta Song flight 2047 from Boston to Las Vegas
Con - Plane was an hour late in bording, an hour and a half late in arriving, meaning I didn’t get to Vegas (did I mention I was going to Vegas by the way?) until about midnight.
Pro - I got a Cosmo (of sorts) some really nice fruit and cheese, and got to watch Adult Swim during the flight.
Con - I was in the middle seat, poor Ian is too tall to fly in anything but first class, and there was a guy in the window seat. Result: I was one squished little passenger.
Pro - For 5$ I got to play Bookworm for most of the flight. 5$ is way too much for a shockwave game on a touch screen that doesn’t work very well, I know, but for me it was totally worth it.
Con - I didn’t have room to take my jacket off and it was hotter than blazes as a result. (Finally managed to divest myself of it before the end of the flight, thank god.)
Pro - There was a way to monitor the progress of the flight via a series of general flight data and satelite mapping. It was pretty cool.

The airport itself in Vegas was a little unimpressive, although mum was right about the slot machines right in the terminal. That was just nuts. The cab ride was pretty standard, and I overpaid the guy because it was really frigging late by my standards. Although I did groggily note that I had offically seen a palm tree in person for the first time. Unless I saw one when I was in Florida and just spaced it off. Okay, so it was the first palm tree I ever remember seeing, how’s that? Blah.

The hotel couldn’t find our reservation, at all. Still, the night crew managed to get us into a room and up we went, to the 12th floor and our nicely appointed hotel (timeshare) room. Is it a suite or a condo if it’s got a full kitchen? Either way I’ve got lots of pictures to upload and I’ll be posting them separately.
The drama continued into what felt like the following day but was really the same day. After lots and lots of phone calls, and still more phone calls (mostly on the part of Ashley I’m sure, I <3 you!!) it was finally all straightened out.
I had some of the best mexican food I’ve ever had - that is not just the 2 strawberry margaritas I had talking - at this restuarant in the casino next door to the hotel called Baja Miguel’s. If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of the South Coast casino/hotel, I strongly recommend paying them a visit.
Anyway, aside from some general stress that was all RCI’s fault, I am really enjoying the Grandview. The staff has been really helpful, the room is really pretty, the view is pretty cool, & I look forward to hitting the pool and the gym at least once while I’m here. I do have to remark that the bed has the expected “unattractive hotel bedspread”. Still, I can’t complain when there’s a freaking jacuzzi bathtub not 20 feet away from where I’m writing. Haven’t fired that up yet, but I so totally will.

I think today we’re going to hit the Strip and see all the huge pretty buildings. Unless I mis-read the flyer, the Natural History Museum is there, and I freaking love those kinds of things. So does he, so it’s a really good idea we pay the place a visit. I’m pretty excited about the whole thing.

Now it’s time to get cleaned up, wake the boy-o, and as my google talk sub-title states get “my freaking vacation on”.
Peace!