“It had moments, for sure, but, in the end, it was too exciting. It was a strange time growing up. Exciting, much like watching a hostage situation on TV.” Vinnie looked up and, with a slight shake of his head, broke from his reverie.
#EverybodyButUs
#LesFicFri

I felt a strange sensation in my belly. My breathing hurt a bit as my heart raced. I looked at Vinnie then back down at my plate. I couldn’t collect my thoughts. Kenzie must’ve sensed my distress.
“You OK? You look sick.” She rubbed my thigh.
#EverybodyButUs
#LesFicFri

“It’s just ahead.” Kenzie hustled me along. “If you got to puke, aim toward the grass. Welcome to my life. If you hadn’t come around, this is where I was heading. This could have been me, real easy.'
#EverybodyButUs
#Thurds
(Reissuing in July)

Springtime is full of promise and the excitement of brand-new beginnings. Summers are long and hot. Everyone is moist, if not dripping wet. The young go shoeless, at a minimum, and run through the freshly mown grass.
#TheLongGame
#Thurds

I let out a low growl, “You just sealed your fate, you bastard!” I took a deep breath and centered myself. There would be time enough later. “Hey, Steph. Caroline. You’re safe now. I brought my papa. We’re going to help you.'
#TheLongGame
#1linewed

'He might be flushed out in the strength department, but if you take the tallest guy in the world, shatter his knee, that’s a universal equalizer. Then it’s a simple side kick to the face. End of story.”
#TheLongGame
#1linewed

It had taken a full day of recuperation just to feel normal again. We both understood that some writers and philosophers believed in the underlying power of tripping, but something wasn’t working for us.
#BuryMeUpsideDown
#BookishTues

Without sincere repentance there can be no relationship with a higher power. Doesn’t matter if you’re Jewish, Buddhist, Catholic or Baptist. Heck, when I did time back in ninety-three, sixty percent of those incarcerated were Baptists.
#TheLongGame
#BookishTues

17 years clean and just for today

Craytus Jones (aka Bob Johnson) Bury Me Upside Down by Ben Rose

This is a poignant and wild ride through an era of garage bands, punk rock, and suburban pretenders to the scene.

amazon.com/dp/B0CVBN44TV

Dawn and I put our CD players in our packs and began walking. I tried to change the mood a bit. “I was listening to Corrosion of Conformity. You?”
“The Exploited. I had it up as loud as I could tolerate.”
#BuryMeUpsideDown
#SatSplat
#SlapdashSat

By the time I returned to the living room, my parents were gone. I hadn’t heard them leave, but I wasn’t listening that hard. I put on my portable CD player and cranked up a CD of “Eye for an Eye” by Corrosion of Conformity.
#BuryMeUpsideDown
#SatSplat
#SlapdashSat

“That was Mahler’s Symphony Number 5. You’re listening to WTLK radio. This is The Schmaltz coming at you with a special request. A caller all the way from Minnesota asked me to play Kindertotenlieder for a couple he met this summer.”
#BuryMeUpsideDown
#SatSplat
#SlapdashSat

Vivi, in sponsoring Rigs, had pointed out that most of the debs had joined at fourteen or fifteen. A chick who wasn’t in was most definitely out and might as well stay off the streets. Riglee had passed initiation, and had helped out in several fights.
#Moxie
#Thurds

“Oh, come on, Gina. I just made Angelo V.P. And you won't let your daughter have a celebratory drink.” Mr. Stugats argued his point.
“Caterina may have anything to drink in celebration…as long as it’s Coke.” My mother smiled graciously.
#DipsoLaFica
#Thurds

'Although, what I would do should you leave, this I don’t know. Go back to being lonely, feeding birds in the park, wishing I had people around to fill the silence. The point I make is that I didn’t ask you to leave, and I won’t.'
#FoundFamily
#Thurds

'Let’s say that Adam and Eve were created as already mature adults. I won’t argue that point, either way. But when they had Cain, Abel, and Seth—among others—their children still had a point where they were neither male nor female.'
#EverybodyButUs
#Thurds

Mr. K. once informed me that all people are both male and female. It’s a yin and yang equation, as well as a biological fact upon conception. At some point we do become one thing or another; at least physically.
#BuryMeUpsideDown
#Thurds

Dalir would bring math books with him and tutor me. The food Nasrin cooked for our family was out of sight. The spicy stews, hearty meat and rice dishes, and various kinds of bread were like nothing I had ever tasted. I would eat to the point of surfeit.
#TheLongGame
#Thurds

Of course #greed eventually came into play. The rat began to control Jillian's mind and actions. Violet used the power to get everything she wanted. Until she realized that the only thing she truly wanted was love. And she'd had it all along.
#7daystory #vss365