The Signal

A horror film told in three parts, from three perspectives, in which a mysterious transmission that turns people into killers invades every cell phone, radio, and television.




Its Saturday morning.  I have been us since five.  I ate too much Taco Villa.  what is Taco villa.  Besides the obvious, a fast food taco place.  What separates it from other taco places, from the biggest taco place of them all, Taco Bell?  It is the taco place Head and I grew up on.  It is a chain that spread up and down the panhandle of Texas.  It's just what we grew up with.  and we crave Taco Villa.  We would it it when we went back to Amarillo and bring some back in our cooler.  We found a sister restaurant,  Rosa's Cafe.  But it didn't have the same thing. Just the same owners.  Then, then it happened.  A taco villa sprung up near Ft Worth.  It is in a small town, a commuter's town.  Benbrook.  Since we found out about  it  and we go every couple of weeks.  It is a thirty minute drive, or two beers, however you want to look at it.  We pack a cooler and head out.  Last nigh we took the youngest's rental.  His is in the shop getting some body work.  Everyone wants to drive a new car.  So, we headed out and drank our beers and picked up our Mexican food.  The youngest went with.  He sat in the back and ran the radio.  He plugged in his IPod and picked the tunes.

De ja vue.  I think I've seen this particular horror flick.  I see so many and they do start to run together.  THis morning I watched a great alien flick, 'Altered'.  Yep, I've seen it.  Next.  I'll let it play so I can focus on putting this blog together.

Let me lay it out for you. I'm in the Tower.  There are two dog beds under my desk, leaving no room for my feet.  The blinds are raised just enough for the dogs to look out.  They startle me constantly by barking at walkers and neighborhood dogs.  And that cat.  That fucking dark grey cat.  He sits in the front yard and enjoys the dogs going off.  Fucker thinks he owns the place.  And then there's the squirrels   We have lots and lots of trees in the neighborhood.  I mentioned that.  And when you have trees, you have squirrels   The squirrels like to sit and watch the dogs go off too.  The cat must have turned 'em on to it.  Its a running joke in the family.  We have even bought Pinto, the little dog, squirrel toys to play with.  Oh the fun we have.

I've spent the morning drawing.  About to finish my second book up. Half a dozen more to go, then I am getting serious.  My shit looks so crappy, but I have browsed enough blogs to see 'professional' artist blogs and they have some crappy stuff, but mostly good stuff.  I will have to use the real art supplies I horde.  I don't use them.  No. Like your best white shirt, I never wear. I never use my good art supplies.  I save them in art boxes.  What I use are no. 2 pencils, sharpees, and highlighters.  I'm weird about things like that.  And that white shirt, the one I save and never wear,  when I have go to put it on, its too small.


I would like to stop all the materialism right where it is.  I would like to not buy another fucking thing. Amazon wish list wouldn't back me up.  I have lots and lots of things I think I want.  But what do I need? Not a gawd damn thing.  I have more stuff that I could ever use.  I won't live  long enough to use up all the shit I've accumulated.  I should save my money.  Save my money for things I actually need to make something out of the shit I have.  Pardon my rant.

Let's go look for some visual stimulation.

Okay, the end of the album covers. Unless...unless I can find the email my father sent with all the fucked up album covers.

 Meet my little Halloween friend.  I mentioned the party we had in San Antonio for Halloween   Head's sister and husband, Renae and Eddie, always celebrate.  In years past they have organized the neighborhood to put on a haunted house.  It go t be too much work so now its just a few friend and neighbors.

Head bought me this little skeleton for my desk at work.  He sits on my phone and makes me smile.  She picked him up at a casino in Oklahoma.  Her boss to the whole office, giving everybody a hundred bucks to gamble with.l  Her work is a lot different than my work.

 Meet Eddie, my brother in law.
He is using my father in laws crossing guard uniform as a costume.

 Back to the party.  This is Head and her mother, Maybelle.

Head is Pebbles.  No, I wasn't Bam Bam.

This is Head's sister, Reane and her father, Bob.  They are fawning over the litter-mate of Head's dog. Remember me telling you Renae's dog had three pups: one to us, one to Bob and Maybelle, and the other to  Head's brother.

 


This whiskey was my fuel for the evening.  It went down a little too easy if you know what I mean and I think you do.

 Look what it did to me.

 My oldest was an Indian Doctor, Dr. Dre.  Play on words, Dr. Dre being the rapper.

 Renae was a sexy, or at least big titted, phantom of the opera.

 This is my youngest and its at my parent's house the next day.  I was hung over and couldn't breath well. I'd missed work earlier in the week and it wasn't good for me to be out in the yard playing horseshoes and breathing smoke from a bon fire.

We hadn't been to my parent's house before. They just sold the farm and moved to Austin to become full time babysitters for my brother.  That's my mom and dad, duh.


Not bad for a quick blog. Let me finish by sharing Friday's reading of the Tao:


Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu - chapter 24
He who stands on tiptoe is not steady.
He who strides cannot maintain the pace.
He who makes a show is not enlightened.
He who is self-righteous is not respected.
He who boasts achieves nothing.
He who brags will not endure.
According to followers of the Tao,
     "These are extra food and unnecessary luggage."
They do not bring happiness.
Therefore followers of the Tao avoid them.


The father of the family who own's the lab is a major prick. No one as told him he isn't the smartest guy in the room in...forever.  He stands on his 'tiptoes' all right.