Life continues as it should, I guess. Trying to stay positive. While neither the Caffineator and the Creamery Kid nor Golden Grog hired me as they wanted more of a retail background than I could manage, I landed a temp gig doing data entry for a bicycle company. The commute is a pain and the pay isn’t that much but it’s better than I would have gotten at either establishment. But, hey, a job's a job. It also allows me the rarest of commodities in most of the jobs that the wife and I could find, a full hour lunch. This gives me time to write on my laptop and try to find out what is going on in my next sci-fi novel and just get my time in after scarfing down a sandwich or what have you.
If the muse doesn’t catch me, I have my back ups. One is a casino program that is pretty much just there as a time killer when I can’t get my butt in gear. It’s used a bit too often for my tastes and yet, I‘m not uninstalling it any time soon so what does that tell you? The other is a book I bring with me in my backpack, my so called Gag-Bag.
The book right now, you ask? Do you even have to guess? "How to be a Hero," by Dr. Felix Styx, AKA Doctor Quantum. Oh, like you don’t have something you geek out about.
I have to say it’s pretty fascinating. Besides his relaxed and nonjudgmental writing style, something rare in the self help variety of books that, on average, I try to ignore, he treats all pain equally, recognizes situational differences, and tries to be as uplifting as possible, even if the reader is pretty much at the end of their collective rope. Mostly, he reinforces the opinion that the world at it’s core is a good and noble place, that we can, with will and effort, actually make it a utopia of sorts where people feel protected, nurtured, and at peace. At his central message of this book, no matter how down trodden or how victimized a person is, they can, should they have the will and the hope, be a symbol of something greater and help those around them. We can all embrace life as a hero, if we choose. And those that can’t or don’t aren’t weak or helpless either, but like a supers team, others can assist until they are strong enough to defend others. It’s a great message. We are all in this together and we can be something great if we truly wish to be. I guess that’s one of the reasons his critics often make him sound like Willy Wonka, or Gene Roddenbery in the later years. But then who among his critics has gone toe to toe with Xenos, Water Witch, Mammoth, or Grand Master Grav, or even the Entity itself!
And what did he do after achieving such fame? Did he while it away on luxuries or crowning himself emperor or something or other? Did he try to create a new kingdom of metas like Chevron or Lord Quantum did? No, he was the first to open hospitals and training ground for metas after the Unicorn Blight hit. He stage managed the creation of the Quantum Academy, Quantum tower, and established Quantum’s Questers. He integrated metas and norms as much as possible advocating a pattern of working together, a positive symbiosis. Who else can say that?
OK, yes there is Golden Triscale Industries and their Triscalers. CEO Jessica Montebank has both advocated with him and against him, but that’s what rival companies do right? Rarely has she talked about symbiosis or a golden age, or anything like that. What words does she keep using? Security, Defense, and opportunity. We have heard those words before from profiteers. (Legal: no, I’m not accusing them of any wrong doings or ethical violations. I have no evidence collaborating those statements. If any at GTI is reading this, please remember, that this is just a personal journal filled with the rants of a fan who is still bitter over loosing treasured items attached with said organization. Oh, for the love of… I’m a Mets fan, and you’re the Yankees. Just deal ok?) So yes, there is a reason I’m a huge fan of the man, his extended quantum famiy, and his organization as a whole. Actually, I’m kind of glad they moved into the Transnational Pyramid and dubbed it the Quantum Tower. And yes, I’m sorry to hear they got evicted.
There is one small silver lining that I guess I have to mention. Brigdeton is brimming now. With San Niebla getting far to expensive to live anymore unless you are GTI employees or a handful or people lucky enough, more and more people are coming up here. Now I have a rant about that that takes longer than you can think. I’ll try to include in on further entries just to get it off my chest. But this also opens the door to the Quantums. I’m told they have some of the Quester team searching the city and surrounding environs for another auxiliary location. Who knows, maybe they will move here.
I say this to me as much to anyone else today
Keep Dreaming
Daniel
Well, it seems I was right.
The State Unemployment department isn’t letting me back on my stipend again. The reason? They want to investigate how I lost my last job. Yep, that one; the nice admin job in the horrifying conditions with a good window view of a professional office space where my trainer sat and the eye of a massive muck monster of doom. From what I’m told it’s been weeks and they still can’t get close to where my desk was, not after the building collapsed, sprayed with defensive toxic chemicals in the battle to drive it back, and taking from me income, pride, and my favorite mug. Apparently my coffee containers sacrifice was in vein. In situations like this, the government says they have everyone’s back, but the more I deal with the nonsense here, I’m finding myself wondering how this happened in the first place and who didn’t leave high school behind. I admit, I have had to use the government teat on more than one occasion. It’s not my favorite thing to do at all, but when temp job after temp job collapse, when companies lay off whole departments when buy-outs failed to come through, and when I discovered that I liked teaching but couldn’t deal with the local politics, then it’s back to calling in every week, assuring someone that I did indeed look for work, but no one wants a computer game designer, a teacher, a writer, or apparently, an administrative assistant/executive assistant.
(Yes, I have been all those in my life. I have also been a comic shop clerk, a computer sales man, a help desk technician, and a tarot reader. Feel free to ask me how those worked out. Also those ways I listed of getting laid off actually happened too.)
In the meantime, while they review the report, they have suspended my payments, though feel free to keep applying. It might get overturned and all the money I’m owed would be sent out. Maybe. That’s nice and all, but I can’t afford to sit on my duff all day while my wife works hard doing [redacted: at wife’s request]. I love Kay and I would hate for her to be put through the crap at her job forever simply because I can’t find anything. And I have applied, by the gods have I applied. I’m actually heading down to the local branch of the Golden Grog for a barista job, believe it or not. Like a true starving artist, it’s to java town I go.
Now, I’m told that not everyone knows about the Golden Grog and in a way I’m not entirely surprised. I had no idea what an In and Out burger was until we moved west. Most of my friends here have no idea what a Whataburger is and thus don’t know what they are debatably missing out on. The Golden Grog is quite possibly one of the biggest attractions in the Bridgeton area after Nexus books and Nick Scratch’s Donuts. While known more as a brewery and a tavern, they do a great stock and trade in the caffeinated beverage field, all thanks to the founder, Edgar the Ettin. I’m already envisioning a thousand empty and blank expressions, people scratching their heads and wondering what the hell I’m going on about. Let’s try this.
The Golden Grog is actually owned by a retired struggling super from the 70’s who claimed to be a half troll, or an Ettin. He had a decent mostly local career as the massive powerhouse for the Crusaders before they split up in the 80s. According to legend and internet culture, he suffered a severing of his Achilles heel to, of all people, Skeeball of the Arcade Gang. By that time he was pushing 50 and openly retired. Then he openly and loudly started the Golden Grog, restaurant, pub, and, as of 2006, a coffee brewery. They are also known for the vast brewing vats seen throughout the restaurant. These are always in use and produce different concoctions available depending on the season, weather, and moon phase, many of which are known locally as the best completely eco-friendly brews. The signature drink, “Golden Grog,” a hearty, amber beer made with trade secret ingredients, is still made year round and is by far the most popular beverage. I have had some. It’s definitely nice with a mild honey aftertaste and belch that reminds me of all things, jasmine green tea that had been brewed over the course of an afternoon. It’s great after a long day of geek trivia, held every fourth Thursday of the month including Thanksgiving. I’m told they offer the most amazing turkey.
The walls of the Golden Grog, a wooden and rustic interior you first think is pulled out of the best Renaissance festival you have never attended until you see the photos on the wall. Among the open cross beams, painted murals of the Ettin’s adventures done in a Pre-Raphaelite style, and polished wood are 8x11 black and white photos dating back to the early days of the pub. Most of the photos are of famous guests, actors, politicians, superstars, and of course, metas. That’s what fascinates me most about the place; it’s probably the only place where metas and capes from both sides of the aisle have sat peacefully to have a nice meal or a drink. There are photos of Formora (who apparently is only allowed on the patio now and has a 3 drink maximum per visit rule) Meanstreak, (who can also sing at open mike night) the and can be seen right next to Raguel the Avenger, El Magnifico (,whom Edgar arm wrestled for charity. El magnifico won then split the proceeds between both charities), and even Mr. Atomic. I’m told most of the Quantums have shown up but few stay for a photo. The front sign reads “Supers of all types welcome, but take it to the roof.”
The founder Edgar “Ettin” Gunderson, still can be seen around the place but little more than a mascot and a master of ceremonies. His son has taken over most of the reigns of the company with his father’s permission. Ettin is still available for autographs for eager fans on occasion. I got to say he looks great for his age, if not for his wild grey hair, I would say he wasn’t a day over 35. The gut he has picked up has not diminished his muscular frame one bit. I half expect to see him put his old fighting leggings on, rip off that silk shirt he loves, grab a table leg and bash villainy down at any moment.
Ok, if I get in maybe not a bad place to work. If I get in. It’s been a long while since I was behind the counter of anything let alone a prestigious place like this. If I don’t, if we can afford it, I should hang out here more often. There are always supers hanging around.
On the way out I managed to talk to a student who asked me about my blog. She says that she is part of the new campus of Quantum Academy that might be opening its doors in Bridgeton in a while. I’ll keep everyone informed. I won’t divulge the name or alias of my source until I get confirmation.
Thanks all
Keep Dreaming
Daniel
Are we still here?
We are?
Good, just checking.
It looks like the Golden Triscale Industries in the neighborhood accidentally knocked out power for two local blocks. They say it was when they hit a power line with a maintenance truck. If that was the case, why did Formora herself show up. And how exactly do they expect us to believe, first that she isn’t there? First of all, she is woman who can grow up to 50 feet in height with proportional strength who’s skin turns to stone or bark or something usually wearing something bright green with a shamrock over the heart. Most people can spot a four leaf clover when it’s seven feet wide.
Then they had the nerve to tells the public that she just happened to be there on a conference, something about conglomerating the small factions that make up the GTI label? That’s just nuts. Semper SubRosa, a guy on one of my lists, suggests that Formora, the most renown of the Triscalers, was there to stop some experiment gone wrong. Apparently a local drone enthusiast posted a blurry picture of Formora and a team of Triscalers trying to get a fiery entity like an genie or a Djinn back into a mirror somewhere in the complex that GTI has bought out from the former global tech giant that feel to pieces long before I got here, so I never learned the name. Everyone here either calls it the Tech Center or GTI Now. There are four other pics posted but each was corrupted. He also suggests that an entity called the Green Man in local legend was there to make short work of the “Ifrit.” Of course, Semper still doesn’t trust them after he “discovered,” get this, that GTI was the ones behind the Unicorn Blight a few years ago and not a band of terrorists and extremists. He also believes that until 2001, far fewer metahumans existed. Sure that’s true Semper, as the blight made more metas possible while it killed off 4.3 million people from the world’s population. But that still doesn’t take into account reports of the the Cane as early as 1914 or the great grandparents the Lyons dynasty, Captain Nathaniel Lyons and Lady Elizabeth Lambert where known to stop monsters as early as 1867. By all accounts he had super-strength and a powerful roar while she controlled some energy field only called “Aether Green” at the time. Aether Green? Well, it’s a romantic name I’ll give it that.
Look, I know not everyone follows the Heroes as closely as I do. (Everyone has to have a hobby right?) I also know that there have been heroes for a very long time. People even attribute stories of demi-gods with the meta gene and early records of people doing supernatural achievement. There are some who even classify Gilgamesh and Enkidu as the first meta humans and first team up. Personally, I think that would be cool, but again, I’m a romantic. I don’t know. Maybe there have been these kinds of people for centuries and it’s organizations like GTI that have been hiding it, glamorizing it up as narrative for their own purposes, and using those they could control to their various ends. I mean who wouldn’t try to use that kind of unexplainable power to further their goals and probably confuse and control the populace.
Great. Thanks, Semper. Now you got me thinking this way. I can hear him now. “Only now are your eyes open, young one. They have been watching you and now you can see them too.” This is why I have to head down to the Grog later. Get these ideas out of my head.
More soon, Everyone in Internet Land….
Keep on Dreaming
Daniel
