[BRINDLEKIN TALES – Book 4: Chapter 9]
Subject: Deek’s Stubborn Refusal to Not Park by My Building…
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 12, 2021 11:09 AM
…is starting up again. Attached is a pic of him and pups hanging out behind my building, RIGHT BELOW MOE’S APARTMENT! This was shortly after he picked up Flaco & Lucky and a supply of dog food. It was a friendly visit thank god, but then he has to pull this. Some minutes after I brought the pooches to him, I poked my head out the window to see they were gone. Whence I stepped out for my morning java purchase, only to discover they had only moved right around the corner.
The dogs of course saw me, as I wasn’t far enough away to elude them…but I pretended they didn’t, and proceeded to Rosenberg’s. Upon returning hovel, I repeated my faux invisibility as the mutts quietly watched me cross back, even through the picture windows that allow you to see clear to the other side, a la Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”…minus the noir. Deek was nodding off, head lowered towards the concrete, with a hand on Flaco’s back. That is: HE didn’t see me, but THEY did. It was our little, canine secret, as they eyed me intently, turning their heads ever so incrementally, until I finally disappeared behind sold wall.
So, after sipping my coffee for a few minutes, I decided to step back out and confront him, tell him he’s not supposed to park near my building. He was, of course, obstinate, insisting he has a right to hang out anywhere in the city. So I reiterated for the zillionth time, that this is where I live, and he often brings noisy disturbances that upset my neighbors, so it’s flat out BAD to jeopardize my living situation, after all the goods things I do for him. He finally said okay, okay, I’m going, but I doubted that. Nonetheless, he was calm throughout, unlike his usual, drama queen self…and I returned hovel.
Though after 20 more minutes, I peered out the hallway window again ( which is right beside Moe’s residence) to see that, yes indeed, he was still there. Sprawled on the concrete, with the two pups curled up beside him. So I decided to bring them some water, and marched down with two flimsy plastic bowls (from a batch of 50 I ordered on Amazon for just this purpose). But by the time I arrived, he was already sitting up and noshing on some cold ravioli out of a can, while the pooches placidly soaked up the sun’s warmth.
I was wearing my cyclops glasses, and recorded it all, so here it is…I call it “The Water Bearer,” 3 minutes long:
Subject: FLACO MAY HAVE A SERIOUS INFECTION
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 12, 2021 4:07 PM
At 1 PM it was time to return his devices, including the 20-pound Bluetooth speaker. But just when I was about to retrieve it, I saw that I had neglected to plug it in, in the first place! So I stepped out to tell Deek I’m sorry, but I’m under a lot of stress (most of which is coming from Guess Who), and spaced out. He was only slightly perturbed and, overall, handled it with grace. And he was quiet all the while he was parked below Moe’s residence. So kudos for that. As for Flaco:
SHE MAY HAVE A SERIOUS INFECTION!
One of her nipples is greatly distended, which MAY indicated an infection, such as from sitting in the soil or directly on concrete much of the time. I just learned that, by viewing a web site about female pups’ nipples. HE HAS TO TAKE HER TO AN SPCA VET, PROMPTLY!
He claims he takes the pups there regularly, but I think it’s just a lie to pacify me. Now, when I see him again, I have NO CHOICE but to impress upon him how important this is. She’s a darling, sweet, kind doggy who should NEVER be so neglected. I don’t think she’s even registered in his name, as the police on that fateful abduction day, only showed Lucky’s name on the form. So Deek is highly likely to avoid taking her to a vet, at any and all costs. This is horrendous.
But that’s Deek for ya: just one crisis after another, as he regularly fucks up his own life, and anyone else who gets near him.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: FLACO MAY HAVE A SERIOUS INFECTION
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 12, 2021 5:16 PM
> That’s awful. I don’t suppose he’d let you take her….?
I doubt the SPCA would go for that. Besides, treatment is free if you’re homeless. I’m not, so I’d be charged up the wazoo. But they may refuse anyway, if Deek isn’t there…they might require the “owner’s” permission. Since she’s NOT registered, they may demand I register her in my name, and get her spayed. But that may still be against the law, as Deek has had her for a long time, thus he owns her per common law, and spaying is against his wishes.
The “milk” that he gently squeezed from one of her nipples, to “prove” to me she’s pregnant, may be pus instead. She appears in no pain, so the possible infection is still in the early stages. However, Flaco is eating only about half her usual amount, and loss of appetite can be a sign of infection.
Deek said he’ll be back around 4, so that’s when I’ll do my best to talk him into taking her to the SPCA for a checkup. They will probably insist on charging him money, unless he agrees to getting her fixed.
You have no idea how many times I’ve told him to lay down cardboard, instead of forcing them to sleep or sit on the sidewalk…precisely in order to avoid infection!
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: SOME REALLY GOOD NEWS…
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 12, 2021 7:06 PM
…but I’ll get to that at the end, just to keep you on tenterhooks!
Around a half hour ago, I looked out my window to see Deek and pups strolling down Market Street towards Noe, on the other side. I waited for him to raise his view in my direction, then waved. Instead of approaching my building, he waited for me on the southwest corner, by that tiny garden where Flaco loves to dig holes.
I DID confront him about Flaco possibly being infected, and the conversation went downhill from there, including the pregnancy issue. Overall, he handled it very well, even in his expected opposition to every single point I made. This is all on video (via my cyclops glasses BTW), but will take two hours to upload. Almost 9 minutes long, because it includes my walk home with the doggies, all the way to the door of my SRO. The first 6 minutes are where we converse. Or I should say “argue,” however it DID go amicably, much to my unexpected pleasure.
Upon entering, the pups immediately leapt onto the cot, whence I gave them group hugs…then noticed something different regarding Flaco’s tummy.
FINALLY, THE GOOD NEWS YOU’VE BEEN DYING TO HEAR, WATTSON:
Her nipples are now all drastically reduced in size. False pregnancy, just as I conjectured all along. Deek’s claim of having taken her to a vet recently, who insisted she’s definitely pregnant, rang hollow with me all along. However, now he can’t squirm out of it. AND he never bothered to point out this sudden change in her condition during our latest meetup…the asshole. So what does my Bodhisattva Premise tell me about all this?
That once more I was being tested…to see if I could muster up the courage to confront Deek about her possibly being infected, and he seriously needs to take her to the SPCA for a checkup. Deek’s reaction was NOT explosive in the least (as one would certainly expect), albeit in total opposition. Which indicates he’s one of my testers a.k.a. bodhisattva guardians. He DID have the nerve to say, “I was in a good mood all day, but now you’ve ruined it.” Yet he remained in joyful spirit anyway, and, I think, got a big chuckle out of saying that. As usual, my bodhisattva angels are having fun at my expense. I’m sure that he and Arwyn have great fun talking about the latest prank Deek has pulled on me.
The doggies are in GREAT spirit, their appetite fully restored, as they went nuts again, this time around, for their ducky treats. The nipple crisis is over.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: SOME REALLY GOOD NEWS…
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 13, 2021 10:21 AM
> “The nipple crisis is over.” I’d like to hire a skywriter!!
You’re milkin’ it, Wattson!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Re: Deek’s Stubborn Refusal to Not Park by My Building…
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 13, 2021 9:56 PM
> Such a tragedy. He’s a ruin. I can see the form of the man he might have been.
He’s a monster, and I am trapped in his pit…for the sake of the pups. EVERYthing I say to him, I first think over carefully. But he often puts me in situations where I MUST confront him with honest brutality. Which then makes him consider not letting me see the dogs. He has not returned with Flaco & Lucky, but I hope he will before it gets much later; the night is cold. He’s brought them over for five nights in a row, which is a real CHANGE.
Yesterday I told him to stop forcing them to sleep and rest directly on the sidewalk…use cardboard if nothing else, it’s easy to find. But he reacted by declaring: “I always have cardboard for them!” Well, he didn’t yesterday while they camped by my building. Nor has he almost every time I see them! He OUTRIGHT LIES, even in the middle of committing a wrong.
He is very ignorant; I don’t even think he comprehends the concept of germs, things that are so tiny you can’t see them without a high powered microscope. Because in his mind, if you can’t see them, they can’t exist. And that’s why he doesn’t think COVID-19 is real: who thinks something invisible can float in the air and poison you? It’s like trying to reason with someone from the Dark Ages.
Nor does he think his pups can come down with arthritis, because they’re perfectly healthy now!! He even mocked me for thinking about things that happened more than a few DAYS ago. Including whenever he’s made some vile statement a week or more back, he wonders why I’m bringing that up NOW. Granted, it’s a cop-out, but he also lacks cognition. I’m guessing he wasn’t educated beyond the sixth or seventh grade.
Dogs are companions for him, and that’s good. But he would’ve lost Lucky and his sister months ago, were it not for my persevering intervention, WHICH HE RESENT because he sees how much the dogs love me. When I started walking them across Market Street two days ago, it was all I could do to keep Flaco from propelling through traffic like a rocket, to get to my building. She was THAT overjoyed. And when I leave them with Deek, they watch recede in the distance, as long as they can…which is either until I disappear around a corner or through the front gate, or when Deek forces them to move, as he pushes the cart to which they’re leashed.
So his attitude is dogs only last a few years anyway, not realizing they normally have much longer lives, if you FUKKIN TAKE CARE OF THEM. Anyway, what helps me stay sane and with hope in my heart, is my Bodhisattva Premise. Which in this case is to present me with a seemingly insurmountable dilemma; one which appears BOUND for tragedy no matter what you do! Just one road block after another tossed in my way, especially when I THINK I’ve made a real breakthrough. For THEN is when something ELSE nasty comes along. And it makes perfect SENSE that this should be my challenge, in this advanced stage of my personal evolution.
The lesson here, is to learn to remain calm though any and all crises, and keep resting in faith, envisioning a jubilant outcome, though you have NO idea how that will come about. Every cold night they’re not with me (and MOST nights here are cold), turns what pleasure I COULD have into pointless, selfish distractions. But I MUST remind myself it is DEEK and no one else, who has brought these splendid little souls to me, and gifts me with their company now and then. And working with him to get him to treat them better has certainly given me a very noble mission in my old age! So THERE is the diamond in this pile of crap. Which is a clue of sorts, that no way will the mutts come to a sad end…they are simply here in my world to make me one hell of a better person. This is alchemy in its truest and most enlightening form: the transmutation of the soul into a phoenix of light. That will lead others, just as I am led by two magnificent doggies who have shown me the way. For they are love. Can you say “Arf!” to that? Means far more to me than “mutt”-ering “Amen!”
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Pups are back here with me…hooray!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 14, 2021 12:24 PM
Deek showed up this morning around 10:30, asked if I could sit the pooches, as he’d like to ride around on his bike. I told him yes, it’s always yes for the doggies. He remarked what a cold day it is, and I simply commented (as I have many times before): that’s San Francisco for ya, it’s a city by the ocean. It was a brief meetup, after which he said thank-you, and I wished him a good day, I’ll feed the pups immediately.
Again, Wattson, I want to point out his surprisingly stable behavior: calm instead of bursting with rage. This has been pretty much the case for the past month or so, with an occasional eruption (albeit much less extreme than how he’s been for some years now). Yesterday was horrendous, but had nothing to do with Deek:
I ran the Lenovo Update, including for my notebook’s BIOS…which wound up sabotaging the system from booting up! Apparently, it had wiped out (or obscured) the LInux grub-2 menu, which allowed me to have a dual-boot computer, defaulting to Linux Mint, but Windows is just two down-arrows away. I could NOT load Windows by unplugging the SSD peripheral, on which Linux was installed! Nor did any startup option in the BIOS menu provide me with a workaround!
I tried loading a Linux distro via the plug-in DVD drive (with BIOS set up to load the system from there, first), but the laptop just kept dropping into failure mode, the drive was not recognized! At that point, I was in a panic: what bad timing, considering I’m soon to switch over to Comcast! Then I tried my Windows Repair DVD, selected the “boot repair” option, only to have it reply (after a minute or so of looking around): “Cannot repair.” So then I selected “Advanced Options,” which only allowed me to try bootup repair again, or drop and proceed to load Windows!
Lo and behold, when I selected “Run Windows 10” the old dual-boot menu appeared, allowing me once more to choose between the two OS’s. With that, I loaded Linux, downloaded the “boot-repair” app, and ran it. Resulting in ONLY booting directly into Windows, as if Linux never existed! The app should’ve known better. Well, that’s great I could get ONE operating system functioning again, but I was determined to have Mint up and running, as well. Long story short:
I could never get the dual-boot menu to work, unless I loaded the Windows Repair DVD, and went through the same steps that made such a restart possible. VERY TEDIOUS, because it takes time to load from a DVD, then go through the steps to get that dual-boot menu back (approximately a 7-minute gauntlet of nerve-wracking tedium).
Much time wasted in several more attempts to get things copasetic, including installing Linux to a flash drive. And THAT didn’t work, either, I have no idea why not! And I lost access to Windows TWO MORE TIMES, causing yet MORE angst (and metaphorical hair-pulling because I have none).
Well, good doctor, I finally gave up on Linux, relieved to have Windows working once more. I’ve decided to look into running that OS via a virtual drive withIN windows, now that I have recently upgraded to a whopping 16GB of RAM. Can you imagine if I lost the use of my X230, after all the expense I put into upgrades? Whew! But the nightmare was not yet over:
Happy as a lavender bivalve to resume my writing online, I suddenly discovered I could NOT log into WordPress, because it claimed I had the wrong password! No I didn’t, but after a dozen attempts, I selected the “Lost Password?” option to be done with it. But THAT didn’t work either, until my fourth go at it! Nonetheless, it would only let me access my secondary “Brindlekin” account that I had planned to dedicate solely to the doggy tales, but never got around to it. Instead, I decided to keep them all on my Zekeblog account, under the section titled “Brindlekin Tales.”
There is a “My Sites” link to switch to another account, but for some reason it refused to load Zekeblog, instead just froze up, with a blinking, small, white square taunting me to smash the keyboard! Contacting WP Support was yet aNOTHER headache, as you had to click through many suggestions to try this, try that, before you could email them! They responded a short while later with an auto-bot that said they’ll look into it usually within 24 hours, though it may take longer because COVID-19. Jeez Louise!
So just for the heck of it, I tried to load Zekeblog a few more times and, guess what: I FINALLY GOT IN! Thus leading me to conclude there was a glitch on their end. Would they ever admit that? No. So I posted back, telling them I have no idea what went wrong, but everything’s hunky-dory once again. A reply came swiftly, from someone with a diabolically unpronounceable Sanskrit name containing a passel of J’s Y’s and V’s (and barely a vowel or two) who replied how happy she is that I got the problem solved on my own, and to have a stupendously wonderful evening…om shanti.
And so by the end of the day, all the Imps of Cyber-Chaos were stuffed back into Pandora’s Jar, and I wound up having a relatively pleasant night, praying in the back of my mind for Flaco & Lucky, my beloved brindlekin angels.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: And here they are, comfy and well fed!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 14, 2021 2:02 PM
Re: And here they are, comfy and well fed!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 14, 2021 3:06 PM
> Oh, how I love to see them on their cozy blue blanket!
Brindle-golden hues and radiant blues complement each other in a spectacular way. It is the nicest thing I’ve ever known, to see these two pups snoozing in bliss on my cot. They are infinitely huggable, so much joy from their sweet little souls! Sometimes one or the other will approach me and press their little noggin with a loving weight against my outstretched hand. They’ll push right into you with a comforting force that says, “I’m here, and I love you.”
I adore the scent of a dog; it’s a friendly smell. Before either of them settles in, they make a point of expressing much gratitude and affection towards me…which I simply CAN’T ignore, they won’t allow it! They have turned my room into a TRUE sanctuary of peace and harmony. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if angels started visiting me now and then…the human kind, I mean.
And, I must admit, to be honest about it: none of this would’ve happened without Deek in my life. And there is the paradox, in light of his frequently vulgar behavior.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: I probably lost a friend to COVID
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: Carlyle Lambourne
Date: May 15, 2021 10:14 AM
Chuck Kapinski, my friend of many years (and who is on my mailing list) probably passed away from COVID-19. He returned to Philadelphia 15 years ago, to care for his ailing mother suffering from dementia…but we have kept in touch over the years, via email. Renewing his old, high school friendships had turned him more to the political right, due to peer pressure. Thus, he became an anti-masker and mocked the pandemic as a ruse, refusing to wear a mask on public transit and many other places. (Yet still remained anti-Trump, thank god.) I tried to warn him of how foolishly dangerous that was, so I can’t say I didn’t see it coming!
The last I heard from his was around three weeks ago, where he posted me, saying that he thinks he caught the virus, and what do I think about getting the vaccine. Of course I told him yes, definitely get that shot…and wished him well. Since then, my emails to him have all bounced back. And that is how I figure he may have died, as he would’ve contacted me by now, were he okay. There is still a lingering hope that he is too sick to use the Internet…as he relies on public wifi from Dunkin Donuts, two miles away from his suburban digs. He’d connect two or three times a week, but often less frequently. And we’ve never communicated via telephone. Though I did just call him, and only the answering machine picked up…so I left him a message.
We had a common interest in Berkeley and San Francisco, which I’ve had with no one else. So I will certainly miss our schmoozing over that, especially his cynical takes on the Castro, and his love for everything Berkeley. We took many walks together, through the lovely streets and byways of Berkeley, often stopping for an hour or so at the Cafe Med, a wonderful hangout that shut down five years ago.
Chuck is the one who got me my residency in this building, way back in 1985, through his recommendation to the building managers (a lesbian couple, who have since long departed, replaced by a string of new managers over the years). He lived in a single room two flights right above me, where I visited most evenings, and we talked about many things, as well as watched something fun on TV. A mutual friend also visited, Carl (previously “Michael”) Betza, who finally passed on in 2010. I jokingly called ourselves “the 3 Musketeers.” Because we were a friendship trio, albeit rocky at times. Carl lived on the 3rd floor (also a single room), with me on the 2nd and Chuck on the 4th. Well, it looks like I now remain the last one standing. Many fond memories I shall always cherish.
– Ezekiel
Subject: I just phoned Charles, my Philly friend…answering machine picked up.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 15, 2021 10:56 AM
I didn’t have his phone number (a landline), but managed to successfully look it up, just moments ago. His answering machine kicked in, and for sure, that was his voice! So I left a message, hoping all is well, and let him know about the emails bouncing . I wish I had some way to contact one of his friends or neighbors back there.
This is his home that he inherited from his parents; nice neighborhood, a suburb of Philadelphia (Cornwells Heights):
Click on the “satellite” thumbnail, then on “view larger map” to look around and see the other homes and the street he lives/lived on. What’s curious about his residential address, is the number “6966,” because MY building (which he also lived in for more than two decades, and got me in here on his recommendation) is “9666.”
Meanwhile:
Deek never showed up last night, so the pups are still here. It’s a cold, drizzly morning (45 degrees). They ate very well yesterday (two meals in all), but Lucky isn’t yet hungry this morning, and Flaco ate 2/3 of her share. The fact that Deek has been bringing the pups over ALMOST EVERY NIGHT for the past ten days is an excellent sign of progress and maturing on his part.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: I just phoned Charles, my Philly friend…answering machine picked up.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 15, 2021 1:44 PM
> You could try sending a letter via US mail.
Yes, of course. Go back to the Stone Age. Or even earlier: have Pterry Pterodactyl take an express flight over to his home, check it out, then glide back 3,000 miles to my windowsill and tell me all the dope. Or just teleport; she’s good at that.
RE: I probably lost a friend to COVID
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: Carlyle Lambourne
Date: May 15, 2021 3:01 PM
On 2021-05-15 11:41, Carlyle Lambourne wrote:
> Life is like a party where guests keep slipping away until we find ourselves alone and needing to go, ourselves, if we haven’t been one of the guests to leave earlier.
I’ve had VERY few friends in my life; in fact, I’ve had not a one for at least two decades. I don’t consider my homeless friend a friend in the usual sense…more like a work in progress. For we don’t actually do much of anything when we get together, and our meetups are brief. It is his doggies that give me solace. In fact, I would have driven him out of my life completely, were it not for them.
Chuck, like my other handful of friends, was not the kind of person you could really feel a bond with. But he was certainly better than a stranger, or even a mere acquaintance. I have never known any sort of deep friendship…and I think that’s because those surviving on the lower income scale cannot afford such a luxury. For it takes a certain basic level of affluence that will give you the long-term stability required to build true friendships.
So as far as “life is like a party” goes, guess I’ve never been invited to one. And for that reason, I will never experience a sloughing off of friends during my “golden” years. And I’d say I’m better off for that. Chuck’s swinging to the political right has made it easy to deal with his death.
– Ezekiel
Re: I just phoned Charles, my Philly friend…answering machine picked up.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 15, 2021 3:14 PM
> No, I’m serious. These days, sometimes an actual letter gets more attention than an email or text, precisely because it’s an anachronism!
Were he THAT good a friend, I’d certainly do the snail-mail thing. But as it stands, his shift to the political right and conspiracy theories in the past ten years or so, do not make me feel he’s worth the investment. The worst of which is his horrendous, anti-mask stance which I never expected.
I’d rather just let it go, and if somehow he’s still alive and resumes contact, fine. If not, so be it.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: I just phoned Charles, my Philly friend…answering machine picked up. ERRATA
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 15, 2021 3:22 PM
> I get it.
If there were one or two sweet doggies in the mix, I’d be a lot more attentive to him. Deek is that kind of overinvestment. I will, of course, miss our mutual cynicism over the Castro, and love for Berkeley. There is no one else in my life with those kinds of ties.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Deek just picked up the pups!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 15, 2021 9:42 PM
His demeanor was surprisingly friendly, expressing gratitude for providing them with shelter and food, and being so good to the doggies. In short, it was a delightfully uneventful meetup…absolutely NO drama! It looks like he’s finally stabilizing, and on the right path. Which means a better situation for the pooches, including more frequent stays at my hovel. I’ve told him what you’ve said to me, about dogs being little Jesuses, and is why I give them so much love and respect, in return.
What I’ve accomplished on many levels over the past six months is nothing, if not amazing. Not just regarding Deek, but numerous others, including in cyberspace. I’m surprised that San Francisco has yet to replace Harvey Milk’s face with my own! What’s stopping them?
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Here we go.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 15, 2021 9:54 PM
There’s more here:
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/jesus+dog+art-prints
Including Keanu Reeves as Dog-Loving Jesus:
https://www.redbubble.com/i/art-print/the-lord-by-mosqul/40188435.1G4ZT
Re: Here we go.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 15, 2021 10:12 PM
> “Keanu Reeves as Dog-Loving Jesus.” Oh, me like!!!
The painting depicts him right after he swallowed the blue pill. The dog, however, took neither pill…it just wants to be hugged.
Subject: Deek just wished me a blessed day!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 15, 2021 11:45 AM
Came by this morning an hour ago, to pick up his heavy speaker, and a spare smartphone. I believe he and the pups were camped out across the street and a half-block down, since I heard Lucky & Flaco’s little barks earlier. After retrieving the items, he said he’s taking them to the park now, and wished me a very blessed day. ONCE AGAIN, ABSOLUTELY NO DRAMA! This is such a good change. But I’m still on my guard.
I had recently explained to him what the Buddha taught, re. remaining calm no matter how serious the crisis, or how fucked up you feel. As it is ALWAYS the best way to deal with ANYthing in life. Things will flow more and more in your favor, as you keep this up.
Though I strongly suspect, as I’ve stated previously (and more than once) that he’s more like a bodhisattva putting me through my paces, than someone who actually needs MY guidance. Or IOW: creating a scenario in which I become the hero.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Hollywood Tavern may be one of Chuck’s hangouts…
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 16, 2021 6:44 PM
…going by the attached collage he sent me in 2014. So I searched for “hollywood tavern abington pa,” and found their FB page. So I just sent them this message:
—
I have a good friend of over 3 decades, who moved back to Philly from SF more than 15 years ago. We’ve kept in touch via email ever since, at least twice a month. But for almost a month now, he has not responded to my emails, which have all bounced back to me. He doesn’t answer the phone, either. Last email he sent, said he was feeling very sick. I understand that your tavern was one of his hangouts. His name is Chuck Kapinski, and he lives in Cornwells Heights. Here is a pic of him: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q5MGN14-nyUcxsStdQ8sWdypXaigSGgQ/view?usp=sharing
—
Those pics of him were from another of his hangouts (I presume) called “Squirrel Green.” But I can’t find it anywhere in my searches.
Subject: Hubba-hubba, my dear Wattson!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 16, 2021 7:27 PM
Check out the leading image for this Reddit topic, then see my comment as “i-luv-ducks:”
Re: Hollywood Tavern may be one of Chuck’s hangouts…
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 16, 2021 8:41 PM
> That’s some good detective work. Hope somebody at the other end responds.
Credit goes to my ethereal associate, Pterry Pterodactyl, for digging up Chuck’s old photos and pointing that one out to me. Meanwhile:
Hilarity ensues on Reddit’s Sherlock Holmes sub that I posted you about earlier. I added a third comment, and two others joined in the nonsense. Then Pterry wheezed between puffs on her Malaysian cheroot (sounding much like a resurrected Phyllis Diller drag-queen zombie impersonator from the Las Vegas Comedy Club):
“Crosspost it to r/SuddenlyGay!” Which I did, posthaste.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: Hollywood Tavern may be one of Chuck’s hangouts…
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 16, 2021 10:43 PM
:(
Subject: Why My Life is a Ruse (and Why That’s a Good Thing)
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 17, 2021 11:52 AM
I believe it was Martha Stuart in one of her earlier home-making TV series, who popularized the phrase “It’s a good thing” (or “That’s a good thing”). Just a factoid I though I’d share. Speaking of the devil, here’s a 3-minute MS parody:
Anyway:
It is a chill morning with a light drizzle, yet Deek has not brought the doggies to me, for shelter and warmth. There is always hope he will, for the day is still young. He wandered off with the little furry angels yesterday afternoon, saying they were off to a park. Which park that is, I have no idea. Just him, the two pups, and a small shopping cart minus any blanket or other item to keep his charges warm. Nor any dog food that I could see.
Just the latest chapter in a heartbreaking tale of two homeless dogs of diminutive size (and of sweet disposition), their thoughtless “owner” (who is both a meth addict and bipolar) and a caring friend with a roof over his head: a welcoming sanctuary for Flaco & Lucky. For which Deek’s jealous resentment obstructs more frequent access that would better secure these innocent, loving creatures…and give them a shot at a good life.
Only a sadist would enjoy such a scenario in reality, and I’m surely not THAT. But stepping outside of the plot with an objective view, I’d say it makes for an incredible “doggy” tale of friendship, grief, joy and redemption. The timing of so many crises clustering around me (that threaten to sabotage my attempts to protect the pooches) in a compressed, several months…smacks more of a brilliant SCRIPT than anything mundane. And how my dealing with them in such a responsible manner impacts SO MANY, is truly something you’d expect from a novel, than from any honest documentation.
The pattern and rhythm of these crises, their resolutions, and the many heartwarming scenes scattered therein (like rosary beads strung onto my life’s thread by Lachesis herself), give clue as to intervention by angelic beings, my bodhisattva guardians…and thus, to an inevitably joyful outcome. For it is only such beings that have the ethical wisdom to devise seemingly horrific plots, without being sadists themselves. Because they ALWAYS succeed in manifesting the most positive outcome possible. Or, in other words:
THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING! Using two, adorable pups as the central characters that change the lives of many, for the better. I could never have come up with such a brilliant story myself, let alone the idea for a TRILOGY! I’m simply the recording secretary. So my life is a ruse, akin to Jim Carrey in “The Truman Show.” But if you think I’m upset, then think again: I am actually very pleased (or, to speak more frankly, ecstatic). For contained within these incredible true tales (numbering 61 chapters so far, and still growing) are scattered the seeds of jubilant liberation. Not just for myself, but for many others, including Lucky & Flaco. Allow me now to end this missive on a different note:
The Sherlock Holmes Reddit thread has expanded into a most side-splitting series of posts. Mostly between myself and one other, whose handle is “esotericnumeric.” Who, amazingly enough, discovered the COMPLETE book cover illustration, which reveals a chimpanzee reading the casebook, off to the left. Image attached.
ZekeBlog 2.0 