On my First Day of Winter Break
As you, dear readers, have probably guessed, the subject of this post is that of the first day of my winter break from school. I am a second year college student who studies computer science and attempts to play flute in his spare time.
On to the topic at hand: My last final exams were yesterday, 10 December 2014, and so today was the first day of a month-or-so long break. The day today started at 8:30 this morning as I finally got around to packing for my journey home. About an hour and a half later, one of my roommates and I crammed our bags and such into the back of his pickup truck and filed out onto the roads for three and a half hours of scenic highways.
Arriving home at close to 2:00, he and I unloaded my belongings and haphazardly piled it all up in the middle of the entryway to my family's home. After several minutes of reorganising and unpacking I found myself settled in to the aged house. Finding nothing better to do, I then watched several terrible movies and cruelly mocked their flaws in an attempt at humour.
Nothing really out of the ordinary happened today. There was a taller-than-average man, slender, if you will, dressed in a black business suit and red tie gliding along the sidewalk at the local strip mall, but aside from him, there's nothing else noteworthy about my day today.
On Day Two
The day today started lazily at close to 10:00 with a pertinent struggle to rise from the night's slumber, but my eventual success was rewarded with a moderately long hot shower and a pop-tart. Several hours later I braved the roads and highways on a journey to see someone very dear to me, someone who appreciates the destruction of an artistic medium with so few as ten words and the same picture twice. Movies were watched, food was eaten, my abject horror at playing Five Nights at Freddy's was found hilarious by all involved, except for me, of course.
Of note: At the same strip mall I beheld the almost-foreboding form of that same business man, tall and vaguely sinister. Perhaps he simply works at one of the stores, or was on lunch break from some other nearby place of business.
Also, as I was arriving at the abode of my fine companion, there stood a black dog which conjured an almost unnoticeable sense of dread. However, there was to be no stopping my naming it Trevor and musing on the machinations of that colourless figure.
Day Three
As with yesterday, the day started with much lethargy at around 10:00, followed by idly sidling around on Facebook for a few hours. Concluding that, I went out into town for a meal and to cash a check, meagre as it was. The meal was, for the most part, uneventful, if delicious.
Heading back to my aging car, I was accosted by a homeless man, one of a peculiar grey skin colour, and, amidst his insane ramblings, he folded a crumpled half-sheet of paper into my hand. Much of the paper was, like his speech, mostly incomprehensible, however two phrases struck me off-guard. The first clause was "don't be merry, man," and the second was "this is not a blog," both from which I could derive little meaning. The first one, though, seems to suggest some vague sense of horror in regards to the upcoming holiday; perhaps some strange apparitions played their awful games upon the man's feeble mind. As for the second, I have little idea as to what it could mean.
Another odd occurrence was that the business man from the previous two days was absent from his usual location. Then again, it is Saturday, and as such, he probably had the weekend off from work.
Day Four
This day started two hours later than usual at around noon, providing me the means to avoid all religious events of the day; my parents are religious, and so try to involve me, too, in their weekly rituals. I never really bought into such matters, as it all seemed pointless to me.
Some odd sense of paranoia has been shadowing me for the whole day, accompanied by an uncharacteristically pervasive headache. After a light meal and a nap, however, my condition improved, and I resumed the day's course of action and inaction.
Day Five
Today started back at the routine time of 10:00 or so, to a quiet, uneventful morning of Facebook and a Let's Play or two of old DOS games. The only oddity is that I woke up in a different room than the one I fell asleep in. Perhaps I was sleep-walking, or perhaps I am just misremembering in which room I drifted off to sleep.
Later in the afternoon, after a quick, light lunch, I was graced by the presence of my fetching companion from a few days prior. Movies were watched, a meal was shared, confusion and disdain were expressed at one of the videos of a DOS game.
Day Six
Today started lazily at 10:00, as per usual, however I had a strong desire to disembark from my home and spend the day out and about. I ended up at the local mall, waiting for friends to arrive. As I stood in the almost frigid air, people who I used to know passed by, absorbed in conversation, and failed to recognise me. Perhaps they were simply too busy talking to notice, but it raises an interesting point on how large amounts of time can alter one's memory of others.
Several hours were spent at the mall once my companions arrived, including a meal, but we were confronted by the crawling chaos of evening traffic for another hour or two, and seemingly inconsequential issues overcame one member of our little circle and engendered unnecessary moments of anger, the likes of which I did not expect.
Day Seven
At dawn I rose from my dreams, though my dreams in question are gone from my memory; perhaps they may return, though. The day was lethargic, as I've come to expect from a break from school; a Let's Play of a mod of quite poor quality for Amnesia: The Dark Descent occupied near to two hours of the cold, quiet morning. That sinister sense of paranoia returned today, to the point where I could almost hear an otherworldly whispering; perhaps just a symptom of what little horror existed in the Amnesia mod.
Several hours and a meal later, my pervasive paranoia disappeared just as quickly as it had overcome my mind. Some strange compulsion to not inscribe this post encroached upon my thoughts, but I successfully fought back against the baying of that non-corporeal hound.
Day Eight
I rose from sleep slightly earlier than usual, to the frigid winter air. My dreams were haunting, lasting well into my daily activities. Paranoia invaded my mind again today; some pervasive, sinister apparitions overcame my senses, causing me to become lethargic for the majority of the day. A meal and rest did little to absolve my senses, unlike the previous bouts of fear.
Day Nine
The day began at 9:30 with a warm shower, a light meal, and Facebook. The winter air was, as expected, cold and moderately unforgiving, and a light rain further amplified the ever-present grimness of the season's climate.
The majority of the day, after making the drive at close to 11:30, was spent in the presence of my fine companion, last seen three or so days prior. My joy in their company was insurmountable, and, as such, no feelings of fear or paranoia struck me today.
As I arrived, I beheld the presence of that familiar, yet ever-so-slightly sinister black dog, which I recall naming Trevor. I once again pondered on the daily workings of that sleek, agile figure as I witnessed it running off into the nearby woods, presumably on the hunt for a meal.
Day Ten
Today started with more energy than usual at roughly the usual time of 10:00. Browsing Facebook and other sites for an hour or two, I resolved to finally finish shopping for gifts for the upcoming holiday. Several hours were spent driving in midday traffic as I raced throughout the streets and stores in an attempt to find the best gifts for my family and friends.
Outside one of the stores stood a haggard, dismally poor old man who on a quick glance appeared to not have eyes. He held in his weathered hands a thick book of some sort, but I was much too busy to stop to chat with him. I heard him say "don't be smiling, man" to another passer-by, and for a second I thought he was the madman from several days ago who handed me the rambling half-sheet of paper. However, I was in quite a hurry, and so gave it little to no thought.
Day Eleven
The day started at the slightly later than usual time of 11:00, with the rest of the morning spent wasting time on Facebook and, eventually, wasting time in Skyrim. Early in the afternoon, my favourite companion, whom I've seen several times this past week-or-so, graced me with her presence for several hours.
Some strange apparition came to me in the small hours of the evening, after my fetching partner set out for home and I was alone again. I can scarcely remember what it was, and so I have uncovered little in the way of its possible meanings.
Day Twelve
The day started at the usual time, in its typical lethargic manner. Facebook, once again, occupied my morning, as well as my afternoon and into the evening. Finally finishing that, I then proceeded to wrap presents for the upcoming holiday, which demanded surprisingly little time.
Finishing the day's activities, I was strangely drawn to the window of my room, where I beheld a strange, pale, humanoid creature crawling through the back yard. I was mystified, and slightly frightened, but after several moments later witnessing it move away into the woods, I quickly forgot about it; it was probably a drunk man who never went outside during summer.
Day Thirteen
Today started an hour earlier than usual, as I was awoken by loud noises from outside my window. I eventually realised that said noises were just the neighbours doing yard-work with loud instruments. I was reminded of the creature from the previous night, however, but I remembered my assessment that it was just a pale-skinned drunkard, and the thoughts of it quickly dissipated.
Later in the morning, I ventured north to the dwelling of my favourite companion. Since they weren't home when I arrived, I decided to explore the area some, and ended up getting quite lost, but I eventually found my way back and enjoyed the afternoon and evening with them as I anticipated.
Day Fourteen
The day today started at around 11:00, to the sound of neighbours once again doing yard-work. Realising that it was Christmas Eve, I recalled the note that the first homeless man gave to me early into my break. "Don't be merry, man," it said, but I have resolved to pay it no heed.
I decided to venture out into town for a meal early in the afternoon. As I arrived at my restaurant of choice, I beheld that slender businessman standing outside one of the small stores across the street, though this time around he was wearing a Santa hat along with his dark suit and red tie.
Day Fifteen
Christmas day, it was. I, as I said yesterday, ignored the note I had received and was merry today.
Day Sixteen
The day started at the usual 10:00 in the morning. Nothing in particular really happened, as it's the day after Christmas, and, as such, everyone is still paralysed and lethargic from the holiday's activities and larger-than-average meals.
Taking advantage of most people's inability or unwillingness to do anything of value today, I ventured forth to see my dear companion, thoroughly enjoying the less-than-typical traffic on the roads and highways. I did not see that tall, oddly sinister businessman from days prior, the pale drunkard from earlier in the week, either of the homeless men, the black dog Trevor, really anyone of note today, due to the day's pervasive torpor.
Day Seventeen
The day started at 11:00, to much noise and commotion from the neighbours. Amidst the regular yardwork and vehicle sounds, I could faintly detect a vague scream of some obscure nature. Gazing through the window of my room, I beheld a man who looked strikingly similar to myself. Same hair, clothes, everything, really. Turning away in awestruck confusion, I turned back to the window to no remaining traces of that mirror-figure. It was naught but a dream, a hallucination, I figured.
Nothing else of that day was really notable. I managed to kill an entire party in a Dungeons and Dragons game, but that's really it.
Day Eighteen
The morning started typically enough, usual time of 10:00, and all that. Shortly after that, though, I decided to drive the familiar path to my fetching companion's domicile, for a good, filling morning meal and to wander around at the mall.
Once I returned home, I decided to venture into the wonderfully remarkable A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce. It was quite a captivating ride through the melodious words on the numerous pages.
Day Nineteen
The day started at 11:00, though no strange apparitions were present anywhere. Instead, I acquired the absolutely stellar Ride to Hell: Retribution and played that for a while.
Day Twenty
The day started at the typical 10:00 in the morning. An hour and a half later, I journeyed once again to the home of my lovely companion, then together we adventured around town for several hours, returning to their abode early into the evening. Staying well into the night, we greatly enjoyed each other's company whilst we were together.
Once again, I beheld the slender form of that sinister businessman, as well as that subtly threatening black dog. However, my nearly constant exposure to those unsettling entities has rendered me desensitised to their eldritch presences.
Day Twenty One
The day started late, with me waking up at 11:00 to a warm shower and left-overs from the night before. Of course, it was New Year's Eve, so I knew that I was to travel the distance to my fetching companion, but I was more wary than usual while driving; drunkards on the roads and whatnot. I was lucky enough to come across exactly none, but I did notice the homeless, blind man from several days prior, idly chatting with some pedestrian, though, on reflection, I don't recall anything about him or their conversation. I was busy driving, though, so that's probably why.
The evening was, of course, delightful, despite my lacking memory. However, this time I saw not one, but two sinister black dogs. The first was Trevor, I recognised, and the second I decided to call Steve, and I mused on the adventures of those two ebon hounds.
Day Twenty Two
Perhaps fittingly, since today was, of course, the first of a new year, I was unable to wake up at a reasonable time this morning, slumbering until roughly noon. Again, perhaps fittingly, nothing of any importance was done today; the biggest achievement of the day was my listening to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
Since I failed to leave the house, I had no encounters with anyone, sinister or otherwise, other than my family, nor did I experience any sort of paranoia or sickness.
Day Twenty Three
Once again, I failed to awaken at the usual time, instead waking up closer to noon. The early hours of the afternoon were spent in quiet seclusion, as the new year began to settle in. Early into the evening I was visited by my lovely companion for several hours, sharing a meal and enjoying each other's company.
Going to and from dinner, I noticed a dark-robed man wearing a strange sort of mask which looked like a beak of a peculiar sort. He was near a pet store, though, so perhaps he was a queer mascot of some sort.
Day Twenty Four
I, again, awoke at noon, much to my chagrin; I tend to prefer an earlier start to my day. Either way, that strange pale man was once again crawling through the forest behind the house. Perhaps it was, instead, a different being entirely, but it appeared as pale as before, so it is a safe assumption that this one was the same as the one from days prior. It does not vex me, though, as he shows no intention of coming anywhere near the house.
What was vexing, however, was the return of that vague sense of paranoia that I have previously experienced; I can't explain it without conjuring up wild and insane theories about eldritch beings which control the minds of men from dark and lonely places, and so, lacking a plausible explanation, it is to remain a pervasive mystery.
Not much else happened this day, as no other queer beings crossed my path today.
Day Twenty Five
Today was my lovely companion's birthday, and so the day was spent in theirs and several others' fellowship. It was quite enjoyable, to say the least. Aside from that, the only other notable occurrence was the appearance of that same homeless man from many days prior - the one who gave me the insane writings. No words were exchanged between he and I, and so the encounter was less than notable.
Day Twenty Six
The day started at noon, once again. Shortly after I awoke, I journeyed north to, you guessed it, see my favourite person in the whole world for the majority of the day.
Day Twenty Seven
The day started at a much more acceptable 10:00 this morning, with me awakening to the sounds of the neighbours doing yardwork and whatnot. Recalling that, when last the neighbours concocted such cacophony, that strange, pale man was first seen, I swiftly dashed to the window in order to determine the presence, or lack thereof, of that same man. He was nowhere to be seen, to my relief.
As the hours wore by, I found myself frantically typing away at my trusty, if aging, laptop. To my dismay, a drink was spilt on the keyboard, causing several of the keys to grow unresponsive and sluggish. One key, the letter 's,' broke off entirely, leaving me to type upon the rubber innards beneath the plastic letter-square.
Shortly thereafter, I once again beheld the soothing presence of my lovely companion, and, after a mildly lengthy meal, saw the relatively new film Into the Woods, and were both disappointed by the lack of cohesion of the film's plot points.
Day Twenty Eight
The day started at close to eleven, to colder than usual winter air enveloping me despite the warm bed around me. Eventually mustering strength enough, I rose from the fabric cocoon and attempted to be productive. I ended up fixing the misplaced key from my laptop's keyboard.
Early in the evening, I found myself at the grocery store chemist for a vaccination, but the lack of progress in the line of prior customers drove me away. Driving home, I saw that strange businessman from several days prior, at his usual location and calmly gliding from store to store.
Day Twenty Nine
The day today started at a less-than-ideal, but still acceptable 11:00, to a struggle to rise from bed, followed by a warm shower. Several hours later, after a meal and numerous, pointless forays into Facebook, my lovely companion visited once again, for a meal and a movie. It was, as to be expected, quite enjoyable of an evening.
Driving to our restaurant of choice, I saw, unexpectedly, that same black dog, Trevor, as I recall, from several days before, which was unsettling, since we were nowhere near where I had last seen it. Though, perhaps, it was not the same dog, but one that simply looked strikingly similar.
Day Thirty
The day started at an early 8:45, to noisy neighbours. Shortly after my awakening, I journeyed into town to get a better phone, and ended up with a smartphone; several steps up from my previous phone, I have to say.
Returning home, I took a few hours to get acclimated to my new device, then ventured forth to the abode of my wonderful companion. We spent the whole day together, and it was quite enjoyable, as was expected.
Day Thirty One
I awoke today at around 8:45, but didn't actually do anything until close to noon, when I visited my lovely companion for breakfast. It was a lovely meal, as expected. Once I returned home from the meal, I began to pack, for the spring term starts in two day's time. Finishing packing, I began the arduous journey back to my apartment at school.
One detail I neglected to mention from yesterday's post is that, that tall, sinister businessman I've seen several times before? He is a phone salesman; the one from whom I obtained my new phone.
Day Thirty Two
The day started at 11:00, to the silence of an empty college town before the term starts. All of my roommates are here, though, so I wasn't completely alone for the day. The one who shares the top floor with me and I went to lunch and GameStop, where I procured L.A. Noire and a Frozen plastic cup - a little odd of a thing to find at a GameStop, really. While I was paying for those two items, the cashier handed me a little slip of paper in addition to the bag and receipt, which said "this is a Deep blog." I don't know what it could mean.
Returning home, I watched the commentary on my Marble Hornets DVDs and continued to unpack. Since my break is drawing to its inevitable end, so too will this blog be concluded. It's been quite fun writing for it every day, but once school starts, I don't think I'll find time for it.
Good bye, dear readers. Maybe we'll meet again some day in the distant future.