David Alan Dedin
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Apocalypse Lane

10/26/2014

1 Comment

 
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Spider-zilla
So, I screamed like a little girl today while cutting the grass in my front yard.  Jabba the spider was hanging in my path, and she blended so well within the fall leaves, I literally almost inhaled her.  October is the season for gross creepy-crawlies, and eight-legged monsters looking for ways to enter the house.  I hate to use chemicals, but if I don't spray, my home could easily become the set of Arachnophobia.  That's the joy of old places; they decorate themselves for Halloween.  Spiders in the yard, bats in the attic, and that thing under my porch that likes to kill kids.  (Err, I mean...cats.)  Add my house's ghost to the mix, and I'm ready to scare the hell out of anyone who enters.  Especially if they find their way into my basement playroom.
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From dilapidated shit hole...
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...to a Goddamn Disney palace!
Speaking of haunted houses, the creepy old Queen Anne across the street from me is finally getting a makeover. For years it's been the last holdout in the neighborhood - the last to be repainted, resided, and the very last to have its roof & windows replaced.  These past two years especially, this dilapidated two story has been slowly turning into mulch - with paint & shingles peeling off like psoriasis, and bare wood showing everywhere.  Until recently, the house has been occupied by a widowed old man who's owned the property since the 70s.  But his family interviewed when he grew to old to live alone, and judging from the sudden appearance of contractors, it looks like they're fixing the place up to sell - which is fine by me.  Yes, I'm sad that he's leaving his house, but it will be nice to have fresh faces on the street - preferably gays who appreciate historic neighborhoods.  Chuckling...saying that just made me feel my Zillow rating move in my pants.  
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What happens when you buy one of everything in the Family Dollar Halloween decor aisle? This!
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Zoom in close and squint at the front window. Yes, that is both a diaper and an ALDI bag - instead of curtains.
So, check these pictures out.  They're from a home a few blocks west, in my same neighborhood - but not on a street that's considered "historic."  This house is why I think that both Homeowner's Associations and Historic Society Neighborhoods (with strict bylaws) are GOOD things - especially if they're run by nosy busybodies.  Granted, I was pissed when my current HSN forbid me from buying a Home Depot garage kit to replace my old freestanding one car garage...but had THIS Halloween apocalypse been within their jurisdiction, my HSN would have  thrown pumpkins.  Forgive me for shaming a neighbor, but LOOK at this shit hole!  Even a dog wouldn't poop here!  Even a North Korean would say, "You know what?  We think we take Ryanggang apartment instead."

Take a moment to zoom in close to the living room window.  Notice anything scary?  Like - oh, I don't know - THE ALDI BAGS AND DIAPER TAPED TO THE WINDOW?  It's easy to miss within all the Halloween crap.  Who the fuck hangs diapers in the window?  And does the carpet match the drapes?
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QUICK SIDE STORY: I think it was early last fall when I came home from work and found two vultures perched on my roof.  The sky was the color of Reynolds Wrap, and the buzzards watched me from above like something from a Hitchcock movie.  The whole experience was a little unsettling, until I realized that they were just waiting for traffic to lighten - so they could finish dinner.
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It was also last year when I posed the question: Why do the survivors of a zombie apocalypse always drive such shitty cars?  Seriously, if society had collapsed and we were all living like Mad Max in the suburbs, why would we rolling around in beat-up pickups and undependable RV's?  Is it some kind of survivor's guilt that keeps us from swinging by the Range Rover lot and leaving in a current model?  Something with working AC?  A truck that doesn't break an axle if a walker's spinal column gets caught in the wheel?  If the undead take to the streets, not only do I aim to be well-dressed, I also intend to take to the streets behind the wheel of a blood-colored Cadillac.  With all the damn zombie crap on television, I can't even look at innocent children's toys anymore without thinking of the walking dead.   I mean, look at these Playmobil sets:
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Look at these toys. Seriously, the FIRST thing I thought of was Hershel's camper, the tent where Rick's wife tried to self-abort, and any given empty ambulance.
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Everything your family needs to enjoy the end of days! look...it even has a cat!
Chuckling...in regards to the "Summer Fun" playset, a Barnes & Noble coworker explained that it came with a kitty in case rations got low, and it came with kids in case rations got low in Terminous. 

And yes, sorry...this blog was all over the place.  Think of it as a schizophrenic "Happy Halloween!"

UPDATE: Friday November 7th, 2014: The above mentioned Halloween shit-yard is STILL up, only now it's been rained on.  I wonder if Detroit might consider demolishing an out-of-state property?
1 Comment

Give a Little Bit of Heart and Seoul

10/10/2014

5 Comments

 
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Seoul, South Korea at night...wow!
Hey, minions!  Did you hear the latest from North Korea?  This nifty story was taken from The Telegraph, Sept 30 2014...and despite my love of jokes about Kim's belt size, I suspect that this entire article is little more than bullshit.  You be the judge:

"Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, has become so fat while in office that his ankles have fractured under his own weight, it was reported on Tuesday. The 31-year-old, who has looked increasingly portly since taking power, had to undergo a hospital operation after putting too much strain on his ankles during a gruelling round of official engagements."  

Now, everybody knows that Kim has gained weight since taking office - but I have never even once in my life heard about some fat dude's ankles just "giving out" under his weight.  Not even on television...reality, scripted, or Springer.  Never once have I watched a well-fed welfare mama totter up to the Golden Corral fudge-fountain, and after one too many scoops of sprinkles - SNAP!  Mama gone down! And you'd think that if any country would be known for broken cankles, it would be America - the land of Wal Mart shoppers on scooters.  But no, this ridiculous story came from North Korea,  a kingdom where - with the exception of its leader - is known for mass starvation.  Which got me to thinking...
Picture"I give clown 6 year hard labor!"
At the time of this blog, Kim Jong-un has/had been missing for well over a month.  And the rumors are everywhere:  A coup...?  An assassination...?  A really bad case of gout from eating too much Velveeta...?  

Ultimately, I think the speculation is silly - and that Kim will resurface shortly...leaner, meaner, and with Dennis Rodman sucking his tiny Korean cock.  But I'll admit that it's fun to speculate, and with each day of absence, the rumors get that much crazier.  But until I see both China & South Korea preparing for refugees, I'm going to predict that Kim was just at a fat camp, returning when he slims back down to a B cup.  

North Korea is one of my daily Google searches, a topic I visit after reading Drudge's top stories and catching up on world events.  But the DPRK isn't my only interest.  I also follow events in Dubai, Las Vegas, Arizona, and Washington (as well as within my favorite conspiracy blogs).  Lately, I've also added South Korea to the list; it's only fair I figure, considering how many blogs I've written about the north.  Seoul has caught my attention - especially with last week's arrival of "high level" diplomats from the Kim regime - and I've been researching how Seoul compares to Pyonyang.  

As Seoul is one of the most populated cities on Earth, I've often wondered how those few North Koreans lucky enough to see the city must think of their own restricted lives.  I've read that DPRK defectors have incredible difficulty adapting to South Korean society because the freedom of culture, information, and movement that is available is overwhelming to people who live without electricity.  I mean, think about that.  Even the most modern Pyonyang neighborhoods are 50 years behind those in Seoul.  And most North Koreans don't live in their capital city.  Outside of it's showplace capitol, the quality of life can mirror the third world.  The BBC has aired many documentaries showing North Korean residents livingthe kind of poverty only seen in post-apocolyptic movies.


PictureThis is a real picture. What a beautiful city!
Seoul is larger than Manhattan, more colorful than Vegas, and is considered to be the most "wired" city on earth.  Its almost unfathomable to imagine 25 million people living on such a tiny plot of land.  Lately I've been exploring Seoul through YouTube videos; I've learned that almost everyone lives in apartments, in modern skyscrapers, in a world that's almost science-fiction like.  With more neon than greenery, Seoul reminds me of Blade Runner...or The Fifth Element's New York, where Corbin Dallas drove a cab.  It's hard to imagine that the brilliant lights of Seoul are just 35 miles from the dark North Korean border...and it makes me better appreciate the tension that exists between the two Koreas.  And just like Americans think that terrorism will never happen in their city, the residents of Seoul dismiss North Korea's frequent saber-rattling.  They hardly seem to notice Kim's threats.  It's background noise to them, dismissed as a child's tantrum.  There is little that seems to stop daily life within this mighty Asian metropolis.

Before I get to the point of this blog, I want to take a moment to say how glad I am to live in the United States. I've often complained about how "claustrophobic" my home feels in Aurora, Il - with my tiny lot, my tiny yard, and my (tiny) 1400 sq ft home with 12' ceilings, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and formal living & dining rooms.  I'm not bragging about my house; it's a 111-year-old inner-city home that requires constant maintenance to stay "livable" by my standards.  I've joked that I need a milkman who delivers two gallons of white paint each week, but the truth is that my pad is pretty sweet...especially when compared to the apartments of both North and South Korea.  I'm lucky to be living in such a place.  And despite my complaints about dated kitchen cabinets, I've never wanted for electricity or food for within my refrigerator.  The US middle class ROCKS.  And if I had to live in either Seoul or Pyongyang (or most anywhere else in Asia), I definitely would not enjoy the quality of life I have now.

PictureKohl's cash rocks.
That being said, most of the world enjoys the encroachment of modern technology. It's in our homes, it's in our jobs, and - in most societies - it's in our futures, in regards to how we plan for our families.  I'm writing this blog in my century-old kitchen, but I'm on a new Mac with decent home WiFi.  A hundred years ago, my home's original owners collected water in a cistern - but today I have Aurora's modern utilities, delivering water to my new washing machine - and to my Keurig, bought on the cheap with Kohl's cash.  I'm the epitome of American "middle class," and my middle-class life is pretty damn sweet.  And I know that the "things" I enjoy are available to many other people - not just within the US, but within those countries that allow their citizens freedom.

Which brings me back to North Korea - and what looks like it's recent attempt to reach out to the modern world. God only knows what those "high level" North Korean diplomats said to the South, but again...neither China nor South Korea are preparing for North Korean refugees.  Kim is still missing, but his minions are socializing...and it's clear that the DPRK wants a window into the modern world.  What happens next?  Could North Korea finally be getting tired of living within the early 20th century?  And what will be the final/official explanation for Kim Jong Fat's absence? 

How much longer can this poor country live in isolation?  The cracks are beginning to show, and despite the slowness of change, change is coming - steady & unavoidable - and I suspect that the majesty of "Kim" will eventually be toppled by something as simple as a Keurig's hot cup of coffee.  No, it doesn't warm "cheese," but again I don't believe those rumors...or those broken ankles.

ALL of us know the direction towards happiness, and for the North Korean elite - whose darkened city looks towards the light of Seoul - happiness is just a coup away.  Imagine Pyongyang with a couple of Starbucks...or at least a nice Golden Corral, with more to choose from than kimche.

Picture"Eat! It's the color of our Dear Leader's SHIT!"
Fudge-fountains mean FREEDOM!

And freedom means a LOT more than sprinkles:)

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