Uke

I would suppose…

I got this ukulele as a symbol of a time in my life I made the most changes.

The time when risks were needed to be made or a decent into obscurity.

Driving to work on the island of Oahu, Hawaii along the long Kamehameha Highway coming from one tip of the North Shore to the other.

I lived in Haleiwa and worked at Turtle Bay where a restaurant resided.

The drive along the North Shore was that of dreams. A long stretch of road from the perspective of a tall stick shift SUV was spectacular.

I never had to come out of third gear.

It would take an hour to get to work and I would leave two hours early with my work cloths hanging on the hook in the back seat flapping like a flag in the wind.

Every window stays down…

As low as they can go.

Nothing beats the warm drift of a tropical breeze and the light drizzle of cold rain. The wet air is a touch heavy and pleasant like a weighted blanket.

The kicking up of salt water from the various shore breaks and surf spots along the way can be slightly tasted.

Haleiwa Beach,

Waimea Bay,

Sunset,

Three Tables,

Sharks Cove,

Back Doors,

Pipe Line,

Turtle Bay.

Scent filled air of sweet, salt, coconut and coffee.

Passing by bushels of flowers, stands with fresh coconuts open to drink and coffee stands made from small shacks on the side of the road.

You would only go as fast as traffic and traffic would follow the intervals of pedestrians. This is a leisure destination after all.

Stopping for each person crossing the road as I analyze…

Why does the human cross the road?

Surf,

See,

Swim,

Escape,

Experience.

Often the goto reasons.

Pulling into the parking lot of Turtle Bay Resort…

I enter the farthest lot that sits aside the golf course. The car is parked and I open the back hatch that shows a beach chair, book and a ukulele.

Grasping the chair and with the flip of my wrist…

Pop goes the chair as the metal pipes fastened in such a way that they snap into place locking into a chair like formation.

This chair is meant for bliss not posture as there is no lumbar support.

Grasping the handle on the case of the uke I place it to my side sitting back and taking in the sun.

Eyes Closed & Breath.

Just in board shorts and flip flops…

I begin to pluck away at each string one after another with their corresponding fingers as I traverse many chords in a random and rhythmic fashion.

Transcendence.

A fresh state of mind is just a few chords away with this set up.

Jewel only needed a few chords to make her first hit so we only need a few to find peace.

In the distance the small crack of a golf swing and a “FOUR” shouted from the distance lends itself as a whacky track over the soothing tones of the uke’s reverberations.

Allowing the hands agency to do what they please, tilting the head back taking in all the sun and getting as close to enlightenment as you can in the deepest of meditation.

There is something powerful to the effects of sound on the mind.

Eyes open and I find myself sitting on my balcony in LA looking at a vast landscape of homes, city and in the distance mountains. So far from nature and yet feels like I was just there.

This Uke and its music can always bring me back to those vivid feels. The best part is all I need is three chords and a simple strum pattern.

Memory is fickle.

Music is forever.

Stark Contrast

A dimly lit room…

Bathed in the soft warm glow of a lamp…

That sit upon a table beside his favorite seat in the house.

A glass perspiring…

As a large sphere of ice melts away…

Watering down his vodka and blueberries.

Staring a blank expression upon the glass watching the condensation collect under the glass which will definitely leave a ring behind.

He reaches for a coaster and stops allowing the water to erode and warp the crafted wood of the side table. He lets out a heavy sign.

His wife always insisted on coasters. Grabbing the glass, raising it to his mouth as he grabs a coster placing it on the wet ring left behind. He chuckles softly as he places the coaster down softly.

Sipping the watered down remnants of liquor he places the glass back down and on the coaster this time.

He poured just a little because he doesn’t want to be too dazed, but wants a little help to numb the dull pain for when his son gets home.

Exhaling a deep and slow sigh…

He glances down noticing he hasn’t yet changed out of his suit.

His routine is messed up a bit and realizes his bladder is screaming and has been for an hour as he stared sadness at his glass.

Gripping the arms of the chair he leverages himself up, grabs the glass and shoots the remaining watery liquid down.

Munching on the ice and blueberries…

He gently slaps his face with both hands…

Glazed with the cold condensation from the glass…

Giving a slight jolt of motivation from the cold as he shuffles to the bathroom.

Placing the glass into the sink…

Rinsing it and placing it back in its spot next to the bottle…

For later inevitable self medication.

He likes blueberries in his vodka because… “the antioxidants are good for you,” his wife would always say. So he is sure that there are always fresh blueberries in each glass.

They don’t taste like much to him…

But blue was her favorite color so he continues to buy them.

Looking back at the glass…

Considering another pour…

Dismissing the glass with a wave of his hand as he walks to the bedroom.

Slowly untying his windsor knot from the tie.

His knees buckle…

Eyes water…

As his legs give out and he sits on the bed…

One single tear runs down his cheek.

Leaning forward he unties his shoes and places shoe horns in each before placed in the closet.

Glancing down at his work watch…

It’s almost time for his son to be home as a slight smile graces his face. His son will cheer him up with a welcome distraction.

Pants and shirt are unfastened…

Placed into a hamper meant for the cleaners.

Sitting at the edge of his bed…

Staring at the photo of him and his wife on their wedding day…

He sniffles away the drips of sorrow…

While only in an undershirt and boxers.

Walking into the bathroom he starts a cold shower…

Hoping that jolt will pull him out of this quicksand of funk.

Starting the shower…

As he stands under the head…

Watching the cold water emerge toward his face…

Tilting his head down and he begins to breath laboredly.

The cold is refreshing…

But the sensation won’t shelve the pain of her passing.

She has passed…

But the connection lives on.

The love persists and lives as pain….

That pain reminds him of love had and lost.

Better than not having it at all.

For now.

Karen the Vigilante: Ken’s Training

Last Time On…

Ken showed his worth in an amazing brawl with neighborhood thugs. Karen was impressed with her brother and sought to train him for the next three days for his competition.

“From tonight til your competition for three days we will do nothing but eat, sleep and train at the warehouse.” Karen gets up and walks out of the bar.

The time was currently one in the morning after the brawl seen by all. Most people in the club thought that it was Karen fighting due to the jumpsuits and no one argued the beard at the time. Karen in standing outside in the rain that continues to pour and begins stomping her feet rhythmically like she was performing a rain dance and haka ritual combo.

In an all out crumping like movements Karen begins belting, “Outrage & Justice… These are my virtues and my power is megaphone. My ability allows me to express my opinion without any interruption. This allows me to stop the wrong doings around me. For this I am proud.”

Ken calmly walks out to watch Karen. Just as she finishes Ken says, “So you do that on your balcony right?” Karen nods yes as she is steaming from the heat generated. Ken continues, “Your balcony is super strong! Hahahahaha!”

Ken hears a deep breath and “Pfffft.” Ken grabs his neck and pulls out a dart. “What the fudggggggahhhh…” Ken passes out and just before his eyes close he sees Karen holding a blow dart rig. Ken falls unconscious.

Waking up hours later fully rested, gets up from the cot he is on and stretches wide and stands up stumbling around. Rubbing his eyes Ken sees nothing but darkness.

Tripping on something, “Aaaaggguhhh!” Ken exclaims grabbing his foot hopping around until his heel hits the edge of a bedroom with no wall. Ken looks down to see a warehouse and no stairs down from the bedroom area. Taking in the surroundings he sees an all matt black gym, vehicles in a full garage, wood shop, kitchen, martial arts area and reading nook. Ken then seeing the coffee maker in the kitchen with fresh coffee, then looks above to see a rope to swing down from the room and leaps.

Landing hero pose on the ground thinking, “goooosh my knee!” Ken continues, “how does Karen do that?!”

Stumbling up to the pot of steaming coffee, Ken pours a cup and begins to drink. Exhaling a large plum of vapor from his mouth. Ken then realizes that if that if large cloud came out of him it must be cold in here. Just then he begins to shiver. Ken’s eyes begins to sharpen to his surroundings due to the caffeine kicking in and takes in his surroundings a bit more as he turns on the large lever labeled “Master Lights.” The whole warehouse lights up in seconds.

“Did you really need to turn those on?” Karen asks annoyed. Looking up, “why are you in only underwear?!” Karen points her fingers to fresh cloths hung by the bed up in the loft bedroom and says, “put those on idiot.” Karen has been sitting in her reading nook waiting for Ken to wake up.

Ken standing proudly in his tighty whities and as he is shivering lets out a large hot belch that quenches his shivering. “Right-O!” Ken climbs the rope and dawns the fresh cloths.

“Oye! Were you reading in the dark Karen?!” Ken asks just realizing…

“Yes.” Karen states bluntly.

“Ooooookay Batman…..” Ken says sarcastically as he makes his way back to his second coffee.

Opening the refrigerator Ken sees there is nothing to eat, turns to Karen and says, “you have no food in here!” Met with silence Ken continues, “we will need to goto the store.”

“I have the store I goto,” says Karen.

“Nope!” Ken blurts out! “We are going to MondoMart!” Ken continues to convince Karen, “MondoMart is a warehouse grocery store where you can get pallets of food if you want.” Karen looks up from her book. “And we can get one of those platform karts and ride around as we shop.”

“Lets go.” Karen states getting up and walking to the garage. Karen makes her way to her favorite vehicle a matte black, illegally altered large pick up truck that was restored from an old chevy body.

Ken pounds his third coffee and runs over to the truck thinking to himself, “woooooaaahhh a 1986 Chevy C10 truck body, lifted with monster hydraulics, large bone crunching tires, murdered out in matte black, fitted with a roll cage, ramming shield, truck horn, full stereo system and a large bed to carry all types of stuffs.” Ken is drooling and snaps out of it wiping his face and getting in.

Looking over at Karen as she starts the truck says, “this is amazing.”

Karen looks over and smirks. She hits the garage door button and takes off accelerating down a small hallway leading to the garage door as it slowly open Karen barley misses it from grazing the roof. Karen hits the garage button again watching the door close as they speed off.

Arriving at MondoMart Karen parks far away in the parking lot as she takes two spaces with her huge truck.

“Why did you park so far?!” Ken laments.

Karen quickly snaps a stern look in Ken’s direction.

“I mean more steps are always great,” Ken says sheepishly.

The duo make their way through the parking lot as Karen begins grabbing all karts that aren’t placed in the proper area of collection. Ken notices Karen is no longer walking with him and is standing at the entrance as he watches Karen collect every missed placed kart. Just as Karen rides the last kart like a scooter to the collection area a burly man after loading his car pushes the kart into the garden and walks to his car. Karen scowls as she pushes the kart she is riding into the next kart stacking them as is appropriate. The man was parked right next to the kart area and still pushed it into the garden. Karen is bright red and pissed.

Ken sees what just happened and can see a bright red and steaming Karen, “oh shizzz!” Taking a long exhale, “well guess I gotta just watch they are too far away.” Ken chuckles under his breath because they are only twenty feet away.

The man’s car is backed into his spot as his kart sits pushed into the bush behind his car. The engine starts and Karen walks up to the driver window and knocks….

The man rolls down the window and sternly asks, “What do you want?!”

“Get out of your car and put your kart in the collection area,” as she points at the kart area beside his car.

“No Bit….” The man exclaims as he rolls his window up and puts his car in drive.

Karen noticing his shifting of gears moved to the front of his car. The man can’t back out so he revs the engine threatening Karen that he will go through her. Karen is now noticeably steaming and dripping with sweat just as the car nudges get belly….

Ken gulps and says, “here it comes!”

Karen raises her hands above her head, spreads her fingers, tenses her muscles and from a technique she learned long ago slams her palms down compressing the hood of his car where her hands were placed. Large craters remain with even the finest detail of her finger prints pressed into the aluminum. The man’s eyes dilate and begin to tear up. He gently rolls the window down placing his hands outside the car opening it from the outside and walks to the kart in the bush slowly removing it and walks it back to the collection area. Karen walks away and gets to Ken as the man is heard taking off screeching tires on his way.

“Let’s go in.” Karen says firmly.

As the two make their way inside one of the kart boys walks up to Karen and thanks her for getting all the stray karts. She simply nods and walks off. Karen grabs a large platform kart and vigorously wipes it down with wipes she carries in her fanny pack. As she does this Karen quietly whispering, “does anyone actually clean these?!” As she rhetorically fumes.

“Get on the platform Ken.” Karen states pointing at the platform.

“No way Karen I’m not a child!” Ken states.

“You are today. Get on or I will force you.” Karen says as she makes the same eyes she did at the man and his kart.

“Fine.” Ken sheepishly does so.

Karen had looked at the layout of the store ahead of time so that she would be familiar with where everything is. Armed with an index card and a gel pen she places one foot on the platform, grips the hand rails and pushes off with the other leg….

Karen launched them both down the isle as she yells, “incoming,” the the other people in the isle.

Everyone moves aside like a run away train is coming through and there might as well have been. Both Ken and Karen on a platform with wheels and a push off from Karen is a recipe for a worn out kart. Burning down the isle just before ramming into a family, Karen smirks as Ken screams, as she plants her foot and leans into the kart as it drifts the corner into the next isle. Everyone but Karen is breathing hard. Ken nearly shat himself as he quickly checks his shorts.

Karen then barks to Ken, “from this isle we need bread, cereal and cookies; four of each!”

“Okaaaaaayyyyyy….” Ken yells as Karen takes off.

Ken then pops up on the platform like he is surfing as he begins reaching his hands out left and right grabbing everything from the shelves. Karen with a savage grin continues to burn down the isle. Finishing the isle Karen drifts around the corner and makes her way down to meats. Karen turns the next corner to the long row of meats and fish that leads to produce. Ken is still standing and is now staying ready.

Karen grips the kart once more to take off as she lists whats needed and Ken agrees saying ready when… two ladies walking side by side are taking up the whole isle.

Being that Karen is not a slim lady she thinks to herself, “Damn these two are blocking the whole isle. How is that even possible?!” Karen clears her throat and yells, “ladies single file or I will run you down with this kart!”

The ladies as slow as an arthritic iceberg turn around with the stankiest resting faces on the planet. They look back resemble an attitude that they won’t be moving.

Karen smiles and yells, “THREE… TWO… ONE…” Karen takes off not a millisecond past saying one as Ken begins grabbing foods needed on the way just before hitting the ladies they dive into the refrigerators on either side to avoid the Choo Choo Karen Train.

“Wow they moved much faster than I was expecting,” says Ken laughing.

Karen and Ken make their way through the store loading up the platform and after checking out make their way back to the truck.

“Well the rest of that went smoothly,” Ken says as he loads the truck. Karen put the kart away, jumps in the truck, starts it and takes off.

Pulling back into the warehouse Karen parks the truck into its spot, jumps out and hammer fists the big red button on the wall.

The sound of metal activating can be heard as Ken looks around. Shutters built into the walls and roof start opening up letting in the natural light from outside. The warm light bathed everything black with a soft orange light. Ken takes a true look at this masterfully built facility.

“How long have you had this place?” Ken asks in aw of the loads of equipment.

“Eight years.” Karen says plainly.

“Woah so you have been doing what exactly with this?” Ken continues.

“In my personal life I like very few things, I eat the same things every day and I don’t spend time with many people. Also since giving up the booze I wanted to channel the pain I was downing into something productive.” Karen expresses.

“So you spend your days doing what…. crime fighting, working and sleeping?” Ken asks confused.

“Yes.” Karen states as she walks to the workout area of the warehouse. Ken follows.

In the corner of the warehouse sits a massive regulation boxing ring and surrounding it is free weights for lifting, mats for wrestling, heavy bags of differing sizes, a mini frig of energy drinks and a variety of cardio equipment.

“Woooooohoooo this place is loaded!” Ken says as he runs around touching everything.

Karen picks up a ninety pound medicine ball, scoops it into one hand and throws it at Ken yelling, “lets get to work.”

Ken catches it, falls on his butt and says, “ooooooooffffffff okay.” As he catches his breath.

“First things first get on the row machine and start rowing, I will signal when you are done then you will come to the mat with me. Once done with the wrestling portion we goto the ring and practice drills then back to the row machine and repeat.” Karen states.

Ken gulps, shakes is head, slaps both sets of cheeks and says, “lets get it, but whats the goal here?”

“Ken…” Karen says gathering his attention.

“I got the fight and you got the flight, difference is I know how high you can fly and you don’t.” Karen falls silent keeping heavy eye contact.

“I will push you to your limits only once we have reached them can we break them. I know you are the champ in your wrestling, but you are going for the finals and I plan on you to decimate the competition.” Karen says as if she was on horse back speaking to an army holding a sword above her head.

Ken grabs an energy drink, his keys from his pocket as he jams a hole in the bottom and cracks the top shot-gunning it down. Letting out a large belch he makes his way to the row machine.

Ken straps his feet into the rower and begins rowing. Karen walks over stepping her feet on the feet under the fan that adds resistance to the machine. Holding it down from moving Karen increases the difficulty and gestures to Ken to pick up the pace. As Ken explosively pulls back its as if the rower is trying to take off like a helicopter. Karen nods and says, “keep this pace.”

Each time Ken pulls back the loud engine like noise of the rower reverberates through the warehouse. From the outside it sound like a drag car is warming up. After dripping sweat and gasping for air Karen grabs Ken by the arm pits and pulls him to the wrestling mats and begins to throw him around like a life sized teddy bear in a young boys room. Karen stands him up and slams him down, over and over again.

Large slams can be felt throughout the neighborhood as others in the warehouse district concerned of possible explosions in the distance. Karen stops once she feels that Ken has given up and drags him over to the kettlebells where Karen instructs Ken to hammer out one thousand swings.

Ken completes the swings and Karen drags him to the row machine saying, “Again!”

Gasping for air and dry heaving Ken asks, “how…. many… rounds?” Looking up defeated.

“More.” Karen states.

“You will not stop until you pass out or throw up. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!” Karen yells out.

“Yes!” Ken pops up on his feet and sits at the row machine and continues.

“For the rest of today you will do this with me til your body can’t take any more.” Karen pauses. “If you quit…. Well you won’t.” With a glint of threat in her eye.

People driving by the warehouse can hear the dramatic workout and can see steam as thick as smoke leave the building. Ken is now on his tenth round and keeps pushing. Karen keeping up with him continues to push her brother. Time goes by as Ken is on thirtieth round he sits down on the row machine straps his feet in and blacks out. Ken flops over with his feet still strapped looking like a banana peel draped over the rim of a trash can.

Ken comes to in the bed atop the loft. “Karen?!”

From the reading nook Karen looks up and says, “oh you are awake.”

“What happened?!” Ken asked concerned he gave up.

“You pushed your limits. Well done.” Karen states putting her book down and standing.

“Come down.” Karen commands as Ken slides down the rope from the loft.

“You blacked out at the end of your thirtieth round.” Karen congratulates Ken. Karen also thinking, “I got to fifty rounds, but he doesn’t need to know that.”

“Today was about beating you down to nothing so that we can build up from here.” Karen states.

“If that was today what are the next two days like?!” Ken asks scared.

“What I put you through will be the hardest thing that will happen to you for the rest of your life. I saw how you handled the men at the club and now I saw where your limit is. Now we solidify your technique and flair.” Karen lays out as she depicts this on a whiteboard.

“But why beat me down to nothing?” Ken states. “Isn’t that counter productive?”

“No. Now we know where your limit is and that lets us know how hard to push in competition. Now that you are aware of how much your body can take before you black out; this knowledge will allow you to modulate what you exert.” Karen circles the last thing she wrote on the whiteboard points and says. “Modulate.”

“What did you do the rest of the day while I was out?” Ken asks curiously.

“Fought some local thugs. Took care of some people at the club. Oh and went to see my personal trainer Joey and fed my birds.” Karen lists.

“What!” Ken exclaims. “How many rounds of that hell did you do before all that?” Ken asks.

“Fifty.” Karen says as she walks to the boxing ring.

Flabbergasted Ken stands stunned that his sister not only out did him in that circuit but then did so many other things that night. Karen is standing on the edge of the ring holding the ropes of the ring apron open.

“Lets go idiot.” Karen scolds gesturing to the ring.

Snapping out of his amazement Ken answers, “Right on!” Slamming his scolding coffee down his throat.

Karen and Ken spend the morning doing drills of different moves that Ken likes using during competition as Karen cleans them up. This went on for hours as the two are moving pretty gently, but working up a massive pool of sweat the permeates the canvas of the ring. Once the two got to a point where there wasn’t enough traction on the canvas they decided it was time to eat.

“Wooooooooooohhhhh Time To Eat!” Ken yells!

Ken sprints to the kitchen and begins pulling items out of the refrigerator stacking them on the island behind him. A pile of food items is stacked high.

“What are you doing Ken?” Karen asks.

“I will make us the most epic meal!” Ken says with confidence as he is wearing a full chefs outfit and sporting a chef knife and tongs.

“Very well but clean up after.” Karen states as she goes to her reading nook.

As if one was watching the food network at two times speed Ken begins a flurry of chopping, sautéing, baking and cleaning. He is moving so fast that his hands are a blur to the untrained eye. An hour goes by and Karen places her book after sensing the commotion is done and there is a succulent sent in the air. Walking over Karen sees Ken has made meals and placed them in containers for the next two days of training. The island is stacked high with Tupperware filled with a variety of meal.

“I’m impressed.” Karen states sporting Ken a crisp fist bump.

Ken and Karen continue training, eating and planning. Karen goes out in the night when Ken is wiped out from training and comes back when he awakes. This routine went on until they run out of food as planned.

“Ken I will admit you have come a long way in three days and tomorrow is your competition.” Karen pauses and continues, “you are ready.”

“What is my new costume?” Ken asks excited.

“Lumber Jack.” Karen states pulling out an outfit perfect for a Canadian Woodsman and an axe. “I know your underground name is Jack so I figured you could be..”

Interrupting Karen Ken takes off grabbing the outfit and putting it on.

“Awesome!” Ken states holding his axe above his head like he is Thor summoning thunder.

Next Time On…

Karen the Vigilante: Ken’s Competition Part One

Karen the Vigilante: Ken

“Outrage & Justice… These are my virtues and my power is megaphone. My ability allows me to express my opinion without any interruption.…” Karen belts from her balcony when Ken from under neither her balcony screaming up, “Oh Shut The Muff Up Karen!”

Karen slowly peers over the side looking down whispering under her breath, “no no no not Ken.” Peaking over Karen exclaims sarcastically, “Ken, I thought that was you!”

“Did you come to get your ass kicked or is there more to your visit?” Karen stares down hoping he just walks away.

“Is that any way to greet your brother! Now buzz me the muff in.” Ken laments as he smacks his well crafted muffin top of a gut. “You know I love me a good pun in the mornin.” Ken states as he laughs at his own joke.

“Ha.” Sporting a curtesy laugh Karen rolls her eyes backs away from the side of the balcony and hit the intercom….

Buuuuuuzzzzzzzzzzz….

“Thank you!” Ken says as he drags the last nugget of his cigar and tosses the butt to the floor stomping it out.

Approaching Karen’s apartment Ken hears prehistoric sounds and heavy metal music. Slowly pushing the door open as the grungy low tones of the singer sends vibrations through Ken’s gut.

Extending his arm sllllooooowwwllllyyyy…

Stepping into Karen’s apartment Ken is swiftly attacked from above. Two massive birds start a coordinated attack as they fly by Ken’s head barely grassing him as they smack the back of his head with their wings…

Swoop…

Whack!

Swoop…

Whack!

Swoop…

Whack!

Swoop…

Whack!

“Dang Birds!!!” Ken yelps!

The birds circling Ken as he begins to become enraged swatting at them in the room as Karen laughs in the corner on her recliner.

“You like what I taught them Ken? Only when you visit.” Karen states as she deviously cackles.

Ken throws himself back onto Karens couch as Karen is now in the kitchen opens the refrigerator yelling, “heads up,” as she throws a beer bottle like a ninja star. Ken without looking grabs the bottle mid air, pops the top with his thumb, spins the bottle like a tornado and tips it up as it drains into his keg like body. Erupting with a large belch Ken’s eyes widen as he reads, “non-alchoholic?!”

“Why!” Ken frantically asking as if he just drank poison. “When did this happen?” Ken questions.

Karen simply says, “had to stop.”

“What have you been up to Karen?” Ken asks breaking the awkward silence.

“Same,” Karen plainly states.

“Well I am here for a competition,” Ken says fishing for questions. Yet he is met with silence as Karen is in the other room.

Running to the other room Ken says, “don’t you care what my competition is?”

“Wrestling, you are the state champ in the underground world of professional wrestling.” Karen again states plainly as she walks to another room.

Running back into the living room Ken stammering, “W-w-wait wait you already know?”

“Yes, I know.” Karen states almost annoyed at the question.

“I have seem every one of your competitions and I have notes.” Karen stares down her brother.

“We have much to do before your next competition.”

“Your form is terrible, your moves are boring and you have no flair.” Without skipping a breath.

“Have you forgotten all the fighting I taught you? Who would have thought I would share so much DNA with someone so weak.” Karen sharply exhales out steam from her nose like a wound up bull.

Breaking the silence with a large belch as Ken takes the second beer bottle he just guzzled breaking it over his head. “Then train me!”

Karen without breaking eye contact says, “very good.”

“Clean that glass up and meet me down stairs.” Karen makes her way to her room and emerges in her all black track suit that she wears bouncing at the clubs she works at. Throwing a matching pair at her brother and says, “put these on idiot.”

The cloths cover his face and after emerging from the bathroom the tracksuit fits perfectly. Seems like they are truly related with that barrel like shape to the duo.

Catching a glimpse in windows of the building bellow Ken notices a bedazzled Bouncer on his ass, “What’s this shizz?!”

“You didn’t bring anything under the radar did you Ken?” Karen asks rhetorically.

“Tonight we goto my work and you help me bounce, I want to see what you got and then tomorrow morning we train for three days straight til your competition.” Karen holds her hand out for a powerful forearm handshake like their viking blood magnetically calls for.

Ken reaches out clasping as lightning strikes the background.

Ken blinking his eyes from the glory of the handshake…

Ken thinks to himself… “Next thing I know Karen has taken off running full speed to the club. Standing there Ken reflects back on when they met. See we didn’t grow up together actually we met in our twenties after we both discovered our Dad had separate families. Once we met there was no doubt we are related. The only real difference is Karen has long hair otherwise it is as if our respective Mom’s genes had nothing to do with us. Its as if his DNA over wrote all we got paternally.” Snapping back into reality Ken takes off after Karen.

Standing at the door of the Blue Club staring down at her watch is Karen. Panting Ken turns the corner and is nearly heaving with his hands on his knees and says, “made it!”

“Barely.” Karen jolts.

Ken then observes how Karen walks inside and gives out her crisp fist bumps to all her fellow security members and staff.

Ken thinking to himself, “it’s amazing to see how so many people have such respect for your sister and because we look nearly identical many thought I was her.”

“These damn bedazzled pants!” Ken says in frustration.

Karen is in the corner and waves Ken over. As Ken approaches Karen points to the corner sausage fingers to the V.I.P lounge where the neighboring lounge booths have “crews” that are about brawl. Since Karen is technically off tonight these “crews” think they are safe to fight at this club.

Karen grabs Ken’s should and says, “up ahead are six men total, they are rival gangs three for each side who are in rivalry in the neughborhood, they all have knives and because you look like me they won’t hesitate to take you out together.” Handing over her batons to Ken he simply shakes his head and smiles.

Out of his pockets are two steel brass covered knuckles. “Say hello to my little friends.” Ken states and walks over. Brandishing brass knuckles on his hands Ken pulls out a brush from his pocket and strokes his beard as he approaches the raging men. “Gentlemen, what appears to be the problem?”

Ken is met with silence and glares.

Until one of the men feeling frisky cocks back a fist and rockets it into Ken’s face. As Ken briefly stops brushing his beard and chuckles.

“Now that you have landed the first blow it will be seen by the rest as self defense.” Ken says as he stands unfazed by the seeming lethal punch.

Gently pushing the fist from his face he continues brushing his beard and says, “two choices gents, you….” The music being so loud the men only saw that the man unfazed from a heavy punch is now talking, but no one can hear anyone over the house music. Though as to give him the final respect of finishing his sentence five of the six men lunge at Ken the moment his jaw stopped moving.

Karen stands above the DJ booth eating two protein bars at the same time back to back as she watches what her brother does now. Ken throws his beard brush up to Karen and winks at her.

Karen observing from above begins to analyze the fight, “Ken drops into a boxing stance and as his body begins bouncing side to side, hands are locked in just under his eye sockets and fist gripping into the brass knuckles as they fuse with his skin. Dashing forward at the five men attacking him at once, Ken weaves between each one leaving single and precise hooks to their livers. Dancing around them landing blows in spots meant to shut the body down. Next thing Ken knows five men are passed out on the floor when the sixth stands from the booth, finishes a bottle and axe throws it at Ken. I stand up ready to jump in when…”

As the bottle spins time slows and Ken is mapping his course to victory. Just before the bottle reaches Ken; he strikes the bottle with his forehead and dashes at the sixth man.

“Impressive.” Karen begins to think to herself. “The last one is no joke, he is easily 6’5 and 300 pounds. The man lumbers over my brother like a skyscraper. I must have blinked and next thing I know my brother has this man in the air like mario holding bowser above him as he casually carries the man outside as to not damage the club…. How considerate.” Karen concludes her thoughts and follows to a better vantage point on the roof.

Ken then places the man down and resumes his fighting stance and it looks like Ken wants to brawl and show off.

“Goood gosh that man is heavy!” Ken thinks to himself with a mental pat on the back. “I can see my sister is still watching from the roof so I may as well give her a show.” Ginning Ken walks up to the man hopping around like a rabbit.

This large man lumbers up and begins to throw hooks, hammer fists and stomps down on Ken. Ken is simply humming a sailors tune and dodging each and every strike from the giant.

Karen continues analyzing, “Ken is tiring him out by dodging everything and its working. Big man is tired.” Karen’s eyes widen as she wipes the now pouring rain from her eyes and sees, “Ken is moving very fast much like Mike Tyson in his prime Ken isn’t moving from a small radius around the large man. Ken now leans, pivots and launches power shot after power shot as this giant man begins to be chopped down by Ken like a well sharpened axe into a vast redwood tree.” Karen falls silent in thought as she enjoys the show.

Ken dismantles the man til he is out cold on the ground in a diluted puddle of his own blood and rain. Holding his hands out opened palms to the sky washes down his knuckles. Placing them into his pockets as a police vehicle pulls up. Karen hit one of the panic buttons on the way out so the cops were on their way.

“Karen!… Oh wait you have a beard… buuttt you are wearing Karen’s Cloths?” The two cops stumble over their words.

Karen swings down from the roof on a grappling hook. Landing in a hero pose Karen stands and addresses the police, “Officers.” Shaking their hands both men are baffled. “This is my brother Ken. He took care of this man.” Karen fills in the officers.

“Oh very good! So thats what you would look like with a long beard huh?” One Officer states as Karen glares.

The other Officer punches his partner and says, “lets get this big guy in the car.”

Ken lets out a large belch as he has acquired and finished two beers.

“When did you get those?” Karen states annoyed.

“They were big guys and he wasn’t drinking them. Plus I earned them,” Ken says chuckling.

Karen and Ken walk inside to the Blue Bar and greet Rick who has whipped up a fancy non-alcoholic drink for Karen and a triple shot drink for Ken called The Hellraiser as Rick lights it on fire. Without anytime Ken pounds it back, wipes the flames from his face smashing the glass and saying, “Another!” Rick smiles and does.

Rick slides the goblet of booze over and says, “break this one and I break you.” Walking away.

“Otherwise enjoy!” Rick spins his head around sassy and says.

Ken leans over to Karen and says, “I see why he is your friend.” Karen smiles faintly and nods.

As Ken enjoys his second drink Karen leans over and says, “Enjoy this while you can because where we go next will get you into the shape you need to be in.”

“From tonight til your competition for three days we will do nothing but eat, sleep and train at the warehouse.” Karen gets up and walks out of the bar.

Next Time On….

Karen the Vigilante: Ken’s Training

T-P-C-3

Previously On: T-P-C-2

Welcome to the Thought Processing Center!

I am Charlie!

Now next door to the Conscious Data Highway is the Subconscious Data Highway.

Before we enter The Subconscious Data Highway please put on the hazmat looking suit hanging there. (Charlie gestures to the coat hooks on the wall.) Once you are suited head into the door, keep in mind you will float and where you float is dictated on thought alone. No speaking is allowed and I will communicate through a built in telepathic connection that seems to occur within the area. The Subconscious Highway is built with a similar construction to the Conscious Data Highway, but it is much smaller as the volume of data is lesser here. Think of this as a lazy river of ghost like thoughts. These are the faded remains of thoughts that entered the Conscious Data Highway and over their time as they fade the thoughts will either fade away to nothingness or float out of the Conscious and into the Subconscious Data Highway here. The transition is not visible by the naked eye, but if you reach into the only pocket of the jumpsuit you will find glasses. Put them on and you will see the thoughts chosen to come to the Subconscious Data Highway will simply float through the structures and walls of the other Department to become part of this data loop. Now due to the thought’s new spectral form the only way they can enter into consciousness is by passing requirements of the Highway itself.

Fun fact thoughts that fade into nothingness don’t always fade away forever. If a thought is of vital importance to the development of the Self it can be recycled into different context, but the lesson within the thought stays consistent.

See thoughts have been found to be not a product of the Self. Instead it seems that special types of lessons have their own awareness. They seem to operate individually with a common goal. Thoughts do jockey for integration and all have a special lesson of data in each. Our Scientists of the “Mind” have discovered that these thoughts not only come from outside experience; they also garner knowledge that will repeat in the Self’s life until the lesson is learned. We know this because there have been thoughts cataloged in either Highway that faded and then come back later on with a different situation as its catalyst to the Highway again.

Oooo Double Fun Fact! This Highway’s highest functioning time is when the Self is sleeping. The Subconscious Data Highway does the bulk of its work while the other functions are shut down for the night. Its peak efficiency is when the system is in a REM sleep cycle. In this cycle the Highway will dictate what is worthy of staying within the Highway itself or make it’s way back to Conscious thought. If the phantom thought is special the Subconscious Data Highway can fast track a spectral thought back to materialization and through the Filter to the Garden most likely via a Frog Man. The thoughts that are often fast tracked are those that are experienced as an awakening, enlightenment or life changing moment to The Self. These types of thoughts are rare and yet are the ones that facilitate the upgrades we see in all Departments.

To show you the Subconscious Data Highway at its peak we can simply request a nap from the Counsel and place the Self into a REM Cycle or two. The surroundings as you see will begin to become brighter in color and warmer in temperature. The ideal condition of the room the Self is in happens to be cold the work here is sped up. The converse can also happen. To hot means slower work. As this brighter transition happens you will see certain spectral thoughts go from a bluish gray into a warm gold. This means that the thoughts glowing are most likely chosen to return to the Conscious Highway.

Oh very good look above and you can see a shooting star like streak of light spiraling through the wall toward the Conscious Highway; that is a thought in transition. We can actually follow that thought to the Garden.

Now remember the shooting star of thought has gone back to the Conscious Data Highway where it will materialize and make its way to the Filter where once through will be eaten for certain by Frog Man shuttling it straight to the Garden. Special thoughts like this need more time in the Garden before going to the Development Department. The reason for this will be elaborated to in the next place in the System the Garden.

Next Time On…

T-P-C-4: The Garden

T-P-C-2

Previously On: T-P-C-1

Welcome to the Thought Processing Center!

I am Charlie!

Follow me this way to The Conscious Data Highway…

This is the constant stream of conscious and subconscious thought. Before we enter everyone grab a helmet and jumpsuit and put them on. Once you enter this part of the facility be sure to clip you carabiner to the rail and always hold on with at least one hand. Once you are clipped we can make our way to the observatory bridge that sits above the highway. The clipping onto the rail will engage a headset so you can hear my information over the deafening noise of all the unprocessed thoughts. Now on we go, single file, down the side and up the stairs to the bridge.

Well done folks we are now on the Observation Bridge as you could tell as the door was open before entering the noise was unfathomably loud. This is due to the sheer amount of information on the Highway at anytime.

Now the Highway itself is a sturdy organic mesh donut shape where information from the outside world will come into the perforations becoming pill shaped vehicles that zoom at great speeds in the circular formation of the tube like Highway.

This Highway was inherited from the Female Parental System. Most Data Highways don’t have this porous build to them so due to that design often too much information will come in versus what can be processed out.

Fun fact these types of porous Highways are often found in those with attention issues as it can be difficult to focus on just one thing. Due to this nature of this Highway the thoughts move much faster and with greater volume.

Since the original build of the Highway was inherited this way since its manufacturing date a layer was added over the top of the tube like a Bubble that would aid in ignoring the unimportant information. Within the Bubble that surrounds the Highway are varying sea creatures that feed on the nonsense information. There are various creatures within this sea scape that take care of various duties within the Bubble. This works as its own ecosystem and it as a whole operates without management or error.

The system is still aware of the information, but doesn’t need to focus on it. This protective layer allows for lesser traffic in the Highway itself. The Bubble layer and sea creatures much like the Frog Men of the Filter were installed after 13 years of operation. Those sea creatures will also multiply over time as the Frog Men do.

Now the Highway’s inside looks like a space themed race track with color coded tic-tacks spinning in unison at amazing speed. Each one is a thought as they spin if they are chosen the thought will make its way to the Filter and begin it’s processing. Those thoughts are often perceived as blue in color. Now if a thought spends too much time spinning within the Highway it will fade over time. We are not sure how long each thought will stay viable which is why we do our best to inspect them all. Now you can also see red in color thoughts as well. Those are negative thoughts. These are not often chosen for processing unless something difficult needs to be sorted out by the System. The red ones will also fade over time, but they due tend to last longer than the blue ones. See the inherent flaw with the inherited Highway system is that it allows to many reds in all together. Which is why the Frog Men were installed at the Filter. The Bubble as it were does limit the infiltration of said red thoughts.

Fun fact about the Bubble, it was manufactured from blueprints given by the Male Parental System. It took a while to install, but once it was there it was a night and day difference. As you can see the Highway looks purple in color from a distance due to the more even count of blue to red. Now as thoughts fade they become ghost like forms of their former self. Eventually these faded thoughts are taken by the Subconscious Data Highway.

Alrighty lets make out way back to the entrance we came in at.

Next Time On…

T-P-C-3: The Subconscious Data Highway.

T-P-C-1

Previously On: T-P-C-0

Welcome to the Thought Processing Center!

I am Charlie!

Follow me to…

The Filter

Now what is interesting about the Filter is that it is the defense for any Biased Information and sits at the only off ramp of the hyper loop Conscious Data Highway. The Filter makes sure that the thoughts we consciously want to work on are chosen. Due to it’s function like stated before it will not choose thoughts that have an inherent biased opinion as those don’t make good value bases for lessons that then become Learned Experience. All information that is important for improvement of any System in the Self is collected here.

Fun Fact the Filter has a built with stoicism fabric that had been woven with historically built values. This is how it achieves an unbiased choosing rhythm.

Data that is often selected from the Filter is selected carefully due to the vast information in the Data Highways. It is very easy to loose thoughts in bustling nature of the Highways. The information not being biased is very important and this the Self we reside in will take information for knowledge from anywhere possible. Some of the most profound thoughts chosen by the Filter has set the ground work and foundation for everything we have achieved. If the Filter had not been as efficient as it is the Self would have fallen apart long ago.

Fun Fact! Much of the earliest thought that would become the foundation of this Self’s Confidence came from the heroic nature in superhero based media. These influences such as a tale of space monkeys that persevered all challenges in their way is an amazing source of triumph through adversity. (All Charlie stop and stand in a stare of reminiscence taken away by the story triggered within their memory stores.) Any way… (All Charlies snap back into action.) all these influences have become the Self’s values and knowledge. The Filter is the first judge of character of roaming thoughts.

Now there are two types of data that can slip by the Filter one is negative conscious thoughts and two is certain subconscious thoughts. Now these will be explained more in the Data Highway section, but since the Filter itself was inherited from the Male Parental System it wasn’t prepped with any malware like protection from negative conscious and certain subconscious thoughts. Now look to either sides on the Filter you will see up to four each side Frog Men that will attack and or eat any of these two types of thought from damaging the systems effectiveness. If the Frog Men choose to eat then that is a subconscious thought which is digested and sent to the Garden.

The Garden is to the back of the facility.

Now if the Frog Men choose to attack that is likely a negative conscious thought. They will eliminate any thought bent on harming the system. Those negative thoughts will materialize to the Interrogation Department.

The Interrogation Department is in the lowest bowls of the facility.

Fun fact these Frog Men were not installed until 15 years into operation. Also at the 15 year mark only one Frog Man was added; though what was most fascinating is that the Men over time if properly maintained will multiply.

When it come down to thoughts chosen by the Filter the Frog Men will facilitate the transportation especially if they are in between main duty shifts. Thoughts chosen to be worked on go straight to the Development Department.

Now the Frog Men are by far the most structured and efficient fascists of the “Mind”.

They have three types of shifts…

Restore: This doesn’t happen often, but in times where the Self is experiencing sickness of any kind some of the Frog Men will fall into a hibernation that will preserve them through that time. They often will go through cleaning and updating in these hibernation times. There are currently eight total Frog Men and four are always on Active Duty.

Active: Attack Or Digest are the two rolls in Active Duty. A Frog Man will attack any thoughts meant to hurt the System which are then sent to the Interrogation Department. Or a Frog Man will catch and digest sending a thought to the Garden that may have slipped the Filter.

Now folks when we get to see an attack happen it is amazing. The Frog Men all snap into a synchronized dance of attack the reduces a negative thought to swiss cheese. Charlies anywhere near the Filter at the time of an attack are permitted to stop and enjoy. (As a glint of enjoyment sparkles from Charlie’s eye.)

Interrogate: The Interrogation Department which will described in more detail in its own dedicated section as it is an important department. This is were the Frog Men have fun. They are sometimes a dark bunch when it comes to fun, but (Charlie leans in and whispers) sometimes me and some other Charlies will go and watch the interrogations. With freshly made ideas of popcorn and interrogation is a fun combo for entertainment here in the “Mind”.

Next Time On…

T-P-C-2: The Conscious Data Highway

T-P-C-0

Welcome to The Thought Processing Center!

I am Charlie…

Walk this way to reception where the other Charlies will check you in and then… (As Charlie makes dum roll sounds on the counter.) I will guide you through the wonder of processing raw data into experience.

Starting off I am a Charlie…

Which are the foot soldiers as it were of this section of the System. (Charlie solutes as every other Charlie does as well at the same time.) We are all the same and of a hive mind that will get us doing, what needs doing, constantly. Think of us as bees in the hive. We are each finely tuned and are perfectly synchronized. We are abundant in numbers and yet can as delicate as a micro chip. For if one grain of sand could destroy a micro chip we are also delicate in our own ways. Luckily, we like all parts of the whole system have been upgraded over time. Now a days we Charlies are far more durable as well as full of all the information of the System as a whole. Like monks we are peaceful, but do have built in protocols for (gesturing with fingers air quotes) “rough housing”. (Once again in unison the Charlies all do a backflip into Hero Pose.)

This System (of The Self) was originally created in 1993 manufactured out of California. In that time many upgrades and programs have been installed for vast productivity improvements as well as a greater abundance output.

The Thought Processing Center houses all the necessary departments required within what is understood as the “Mind” of this given Self we all reside within. The “Mind” as it is comprehended by The Self is simply this organic System here. The aesthetics in the fabrication of the System as a whole is different per Self. Each and all look and operate different with some reason of course. The Self does inherit a good amount of the main functions from its Parental Systems. Patterns in all “Minds” can be found.

Keep in mind that this facility “The Mind” is vast and constantly evolves so don’t get lost and mind all protocols within each Department.

So as we go through each department within this System there will be different precautions to follow. Other than that enjoy learning.

Next Time On…

T-P-C-1: The Filter

Karen the Vigilante: Clubbin’

“Outrage & Justice… These are my virtues and my power is megaphone. My ability allows me to express my opinion without any interruption. This allows me to stop the wrong doings around me. For this I am proud.” Standing at the balcony of her patio in a dusky city Karen proclaims.

“Damn! Karen scaring the shit outta me girl!” Rick spinning around as he passes under Karen’s patio. Rick is walking to work and its Friday evening. Rick continues screaming up to Karen,“You know I hate being scared! “Apologize! Now!”

Karen rolls her eyes, peers over and with a heavy breath and a slight remorse in her eyes she exclaims, “Sorry Rick!”

Rick thanks Karen and continues onto work. He thinks to himself that he knows she does this every friday night, but damn she is loud. Rick is one of the bartenders that works at one of the clubs the Karen bounces for.

Yes, Karen is the sole bouncer for two night clubs on Friday and Saturday nights for nearly a decade. Rick laments that the type of men she can casually throw out the door tower over him like sky scrapers. The head bartender at the Blue Club he is an artist when it comes to mixology and Karen will only get drinks from him.

“When I met Karen she took a drink from a bartender I used to work with… Anyway the moment her lips hit the liquid in the cup she rippled it from her face crushing the glass into a powder. Her hand wasn’t even bleeding!”

So I walk over to her and say, “look he doesn’t know the art of mixology… what can I get you?” Instantly putting his finger up Rick says emphatically, “No actually stay quiet and brooding, I will surprise you with your perfect drink.” Rick pauses for dramatic effect locking eyes with Karen, leans in and says, “If you don’t like it you can throw me out the window.” Winking at Karen Rick’s hands start moving with such rhythmic speed they become a blur and from the steam emitting from the friction of his hand slicing oxygen molecules in the air appearing beyond the steam a vibrant green drink. Rick clears his throat, “this is an alien.”

Karen inspects the drink, smells its contents and gently picking up the glass begins to sip as her eyes continue locked on Rick.

Rick stoic and unflinching with his eyes closed in a confident bliss is snatched by his collar by Karen. She pulls him in and whispers, “excellent.”

Karen has loved Rick since. She protects his bar like he is family. Even though Karen doesn’t neglect the Red Club next door but clearly enjoys spending time at Rick’s Bar.

This is the only side by side club built to mirror each other’s design with the only thing being different is the color differences. The clubs are owned by a single owner and because of Karen’s reputation in the neighborhood and that she enjoyed good drinks he took a gamble on her. Offering her a job at both clubs where she can do whatever she needs to do to protect the customers. In her first night she was able to track down every single predatory creature. The owner of the clubs over a few weeks realized she doesn’t take breaks and doesn’t seem to eat and doesn’t drink alcohol. The drinks she gets are non-alcoholic. She will order one after each time she has to man handle people out. Karen won’t take payment so instead the owner pays for Karens tab at her favorite market and will often give her money saying tips. The owner finds his loop holes.

“Anyway enough of all that because today’s shift was something spectacular!” Rick says after shaking his head dispersing the reminiscing about Karen.

“Once I got into work and shook the scare Karen gave me I got right to prepping my lab… well bar, but I feel like Im doing alchemy.” Rick lost in his thoughts.

The night began normal the bar was well stocked, freshly kegged and so clean you can literally lick any of it. Karen strolls in as she passes my bar she pulls a white glove out of her pocket, dawns it sliding her finger across the bar counter. “Inspecting the finger tip Karen grins at me like thats her job and Im a good boi…. Nope!” Rick continues, I skipped my happy ass over to her and said “No you didn’t just check my work!” Karen chuckles and walks away like Tom Cruise walks away from explosions.

The night begins as we open the doors and the door boys survey IDs. Karen is posted up on her favorite stool in the corner of the room and at the end of the bar is her nook. She wedges her broad shoulders into that corner wearing an all matte black jumpsuit with BOUNCER in bold neon white letters both on her chest and butt like some juicy sweats. Both are bedazzled due to yours truly.

Menacing and with a slight smirk Karen waits like a lion spectating on a group of gazelle.

Some nights Karen sits there and waits til her spider like sense will trigger and she will disappear into the crowd like smoke from a douchebag’s vape pen. She will then emerge from the crowd this time separating them like the red sea as she drags a delinquent from the property.

Tonight started slow and Karen was just chilling with me at the end of the bar as I am doing some dishes. Munching away on two protein bars at once Karen suddenly vanishes dropping both remaining chunks of the protein bars on the counter. Rick picks them up puts them in a cup and turns the remaining into a shake for Karen after she deals with whatever. Seconds after Karen vanished like the thunder after lightning striking I hear a man scream like a scared chihuahua. I then see Karen casually walking out of the bathroom with a man easily 6’6 and 350 pounds over her right shoulder. His hands and ankles bound with zip ties, a visible chunk of his underwear above his belt due to a wedgie she assigned him. Waiting outside was a literal cop car and two cops waiting with the back door open. Casually leaning against the car they are smiling as Karen fists bumps them both, throws the douche in the back and shuts the door.

“Hey Karen!” One of the Officer’s exclaimed. “Thanks for the help, but what happened to his pants? And the zip ties on both hand and ankles?”

Karen turns around, as she was already walking away as if forgetting her wallet turns saying, “Right my mistake, this man was in the process of assaulting a lady tonight. Both sets of limbs are restrained because he became violent when I interrupted his fun. As he spun around with his pants at his ankles and luckily for me still undies on dashed at me with the knife he was threatening the lady with. After administering a throat punch I disarmed him while placing the knife in a baggie.” As Karen hands over the baggie with the knife she continued. “Next I restrained his hands, sweeping his feet and as he spun mid air I snared his feet. I hide zip ties in some fake tiles in the bathroom. After he was restrained I pulled his pants up and proceeded to have the young lady pull his undies as hard as possible. A lot of underwear was fished so it may be a mess down there. I then scooped up the punk placed him on my shoulder and helped the young lady up. She is sitting in the employee room with the door locked so she can feel safe for a moment. I told her that I will go with her to the station for a statement and to her court cases if she needs it.”

The Officers thank Karen as they jot everything down in their note pads for their report. Sporting a crisp high five to the head officer Karen came back inside.

Karen sat down seeing a beautiful shake with whipped cream. Staring up at me she said, “did you make this from the remaining protein bars?”

“Indeed I did!” I proclaimed as she guzzled down the whole drink in seconds. Burping for what seemed like a while Karen says, “Thank you.”

Karen made her way back to the employee room knocking softly as the door cracks open and the lady lets Karen in. A few minutes later Karen walks the lady out and to her car.

Karen comes back and sits down. “How did you know that lady was in danger?” I had to know because a spider sense isn’t real I think to myself. Karen looks up at me and smiles, “There are panic buttons all around the club that notify my phone, so from my watch I can dictate which button was pressed.”

“Karen that’s impressive! Im surprised the owner paid for it.” I exclaimed as she then retorted, “not after I explained how it would aid in these kinds of situations; also Im the only bouncer so its necessary.”

I do want to be clear not all the problems happen on the Blue side, but I can only tell you what I see and there is plenty of times Karen is dealing over there in the Red.

Matter of fact my Blue Bar is the best in town because my drinks are works of art. So that’s that. Plenty of other crazy stories with Karen around. I will say though I have never felt more safe at work.

As the night wrapped up I started to clean my bar up as people trickled out. This is Karen’s favorite time because as the lights turn on and flood out brawls can spark out of nowhere. This night was one of those nights… Or mornings I suppose?

Anywhoooooo…

Here’s…

What…

Had…

Went…

Down!

Last call was called and about 30 minutes later the fluorescent lights jolt on and like vampires hit by sunlight all these night clubbers scurry outside. In the mad dash as if target opened it’s doors on black friday people begin to panic like at music festival.

I am not passing out in a crowd again Rick thinks to himself getting flashbacks. Continuing to clean behind his bar the tension in the club grows as these clubbers are growing more restless from the direct fluorescent light. Karen felt this and made her way to the DJ booth were she can have a bird’s eye view. Shoving ensues as people are mushed out the single door like lemons in my press. The single door is part of a larger barn like garage door so Karen standing on the DJ booth now seeing the panic jumps off grabbing the chain that will lift up the larger door. Springing up like Michael Jordan Karen grabs the chain swinging over to the stuffed crowd casserole. The momentum of her swinging quickly hoists the garage door open as she descends gracefully like Indiana Jones. Landing hero pose in front of the crowd of people as they spill out onto the side walk. People begin to get up off each other cursing away beginning to fight. Karen chuckles cracking her knuckles looks at Rick and mouths to him, “Record this shit.”

I brought out my phone and taped it to the bar so I could continue cleaning as I enjoy the show.

Most of these drunks are yelling at each other because either the men are mad that their shoes are dirty and the ladies concerned about the status of their hair. It begins as one man slugs another which lit the powder keg of a brawl.

As if I was watching a John Wick movie Karen snaps out two collapsable batons as she sprints through the crowd only bodying the instigators.

Barreling down the endless corridor of people Karen ducks left dodging a man with a beer bottle swiftly breaking it with her head and disabling the mans legs as he tumbles to the ground. Shaking the glass out of her curly hair Karen continuing to sprint dips right barely missing another mans large fist; springing up she is met by two towering figures… A man 6’8 and built like a hockey player and beside him is his girlfriend a stacked 5’11 bodybuilder. Karen peering up at them sweating, an etched scowl in her brow and two bloody batons she lifts her hand signaling them to make the first move. The hockey player clasps his hands together making a wrecking ball of his hands as he rockets them down from orbit toward Karen. At the same time the girlfriend squares up squats, rotates and hurls a left hook body shot to Karen’s torso.

I closed my eyes as I couldn’t see Karen get wrecked.

I slowly open my eyes and my jaw dropped onto my immaculately scrubbed bar floor to see Karen in a perfect horse pose with her wide tree trunk legs as a base. She simply crossed her arms above her taking the full impact of the hockey player and completely absorbing the body shot. As if the couple hit a brick wall they both fall to the floor in shock with pain ringing through their bodies like sound through a tuning fork. Brushing it off like nothing Karen sprints on laying people out left and right. Skidding to a stop with a huge smile on her face, head tilted to the sky and having run all the way through the group it begins to rain. Opening her mouth wide Karen allows the rain to quench her thirst as she turns slowly to inspect her work.

It was dead silent…

I had been polishing the same wine glass for this later half of the fight and was captivated by the scene. Like right out of a movie there is Karen in her all black track suit, sporting two batons and breathing heavy with a sinister grin of satisfaction upon her face. The rain pours down on everyone and for a moment all we all heard was the rain. In that brief moment Karen scans for any stragglers who may indeed want some more. Sirens begin to sound in the distance as the cops are on their way. Karen satisfied collapses her batons, stands up from her feral fighting stance and exhales slowly.

Light cascaded down from the street lights, as more light breaches the distance from head lights of many cop cars. The rain is coming down so hard that the light seems trapped in a lit cone from the refraction of the street lamps light. Karen begins walking back towards the bar.

With her cup full of satisfaction Karen saunters back to her stool. As she sits Rick picks up a tray from under the bar and placed it in front of her. Karen’s eye widen with joy… “what?!”

“I had some of your favorites delivered as you were mid brawl,” Rick explains.

“I know you are hungry after all that,” Rick says as Karen violently eats.

Karen then suddenly stops and looks up from her plate, “did you record it?”

“Yes, Indeed I Did!” Rick happily states as he slides his phone to her. Karen props the phone on her water glass and gleefully watches her performance.

With a mouth full of food Karen says, “look at me go!”

Rick looks up and smiles as police officers start to walk it taking statements. Rick thinks to himself, Karen really knows how to show up.

Next Time On…

Karen the Vigilante: Ken

Slow Down!

Slow down, they say…

Take a few breaths…

Let the storm pass…

One step at a time.

These statements repel me like opposing ends of magnets. I don’t want to slow down but down shifting is necessary to master before you grind the gears to dust.

Stick shift was what I drove most in my upbringing. For those too out of the loop a manual transmission is the more complicated version of an automatic transition you will find in most vehicles. To be clear manual transmission is actually mechanically more of a simple process but it requires the human driving to do more than turn a wheel and press pedals. Now a days more manual transmission vehicles have paddle shifters built into the wheel. The days Im speaking of are the foot pedal clutch and shifter days. In such manual vehicles it is important to remember that just simply pushing down on the breaks to slow down will degrade the breaks faster rather than learning to down shift the engine as you prepare to stop.

I feel this way about slowing down. For myself down shifting has never been easy and I have always rather stomped on the breaks. This has created a loop of push it and break it that has compounded ignorance interest in the output debt of my body. Not taking the recovery aspect of output has always been the difficult part.

I see this mirrored in my dog. Her name is Sasha and she is a french bulldog and pitbull mix. What this means is we have a 60 pound all muscle french bulldog. Her favorite thing to do when she is at peak excitement or happiness are what my partner and I call rocket ship. This means she with great speed will run into the living room drifting into a loop, hooking back into the bedroom, up onto the bed and drifts back into a loop creating a figure eight. She will do this until one of two things happen…

She becomes so thirsty that she drinks til she gags or she goes so hard that she ends up limping. She most prefers her rocket shipping at a small dog park the size of a decent back yard post poop.

I digress…

This pup only knows go or no go. My mom always said you will get the dog you need not the one you want. Especially when rescuing. Sasha is a clear mirror to how I attack the world of things to be done. My passion feels explosive like a rocket ship.

Learning to enjoy taking off and how powerful I feel when Im pushing it to the limit was amazing to harness when I did. The ability to not be afraid of my own energy was liberating. Though rocket fuel that isn’t properly regulated can leave you like Steve-O. (Find it on youtube. You know if you know.)

You know lets take Steve-O as an example this man embodies the opposite of slow down… I would argue having watched his journey as I grew up it would seem the only times he wasn’t doing crazy shit was when he was in a hospital or rehab. So the only times he slowed down is when something was so serious he would have no choice.

I may not be as destructive but I do carry the same angst to a far lesser degree of course. I always feel like I want to sprint not walk everywhere I go. Stretching and sitting has always been nauseatingly boring. Now Im in a place in life where I have sustained my largest injury which has been compounded interest of too much push it and not enough chill it.

Down shifting a car is far more simple than learning to down shift the enjoyment of output.

Im beginning to learn that the recovery aspect of my training is still training. Getting more flexibility back and strength within will gain me more mobility which will allow me to push it safely.

This will be an on going project…

Possibly even one that take my whole life to fully learn. Yet I will always aspire to do better and better. The whole 1% better each day concept.

I had not realized how much more difficult it would be to slow down until I was forced to.

At the end of the day I am grateful for my angst and that I understand the Steve-Os of the world. After all I would rather be a warrior in a garden rather than a gardener in a war. Learning to garden in my time of regression and shifting down will make me a more explosive athlete.