[BRINDLEKIN TALES – Book 4: Chapter 10]
Re: Why My Life is a Ruse (and Why That’s a Good Thing)
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: April 18, 2021 3:28 PM
> I signed up for regular emails from them. My clicking habits, my taste for the grotesque and arabesque, was sensed by their algorithm. Sometimes they’re way off, but mostly not.
Thanks, I just looked into it and have already found various bizarre Pinterest pages to subscribe to. I’m also gonna resume by subscription with Tumblr. Checking out intriguing pictures is a rewarding way to spend some leisure time. And you never know which one will stand out at any moment, and perk up your mind.
So, Deek finally showed up again, after two, cold, damp nights outdoors with the pups. Didn’t even offer to have them stay with me for awhile…just wanted more dog food, a disposable razor and a cigarette lighter. Of course, he also asked for another advance on this Sunday’s allowance, but I turned him down, said he’ll just have to wait, as my budget is especially challenging this month. He hardly gave a squeak of resistance, which is impressive. I pet the pooches for awhile, they look just fine and happy as usual. Then off they went, with Deek thanking me again, for all I do. And back hovel I went.
He’s up to something, but I sense whatever it is, is good. I suspect he’s thinking some things over, reassessing his life and taking to heart the important words I’ve been imparting these past few weeks.
He should return this evening, to pick up his cumbersome, lead-acid-battery-powered speaker (god I can’t wait till he gets rid of it), and a smartphone. I have a hunch he’ll also ask me to keep the dogs for the night.
My free US Mobile SIM “try us out” chip should arrive today; I paid $1.99 for fast USPS delivery. But yesterday they sent me a notice that it will arrive some time today, after 5 PM, from FedEx! Which company is ALWAYS a headache to get things delivered to this building. Thanks for nothing, US Mobile..you’re already off to a bad start. My Xfinity installation kit should also arrive very soon, in a day or two. This time from UPS, another headache…so I paid them $4.99 to drop it off at the UPS store on my block. Just to avoid any deliveray mishaps.
Oh brother, just now as I completed the previous paragraph, I heard Deek call “Yo!” below my window again…said the razor I gave him was used. And the last one caused his face to break out. Ridiculous, I always pull a new one out of a bag of Bic razors I ordered from Amazon! He told me to just toss one down, so I held up the bag, to show him they’re new, and flung him the second one. Well, I guess he’s still gotta come up with SOMEthing to complain about, as things running smoothly just ain’t his gig. His face is often dirty, as are his hands, so he shouldn’t blame the razor, he should blame his own hygiene.
At least he’s not hanging out around the corner behind my building. I know, because I just checked. I had to pass through a gauntlet of elevator workers a few times, going up and down the stairs to meetup with Deek and bring his stuff inside, and my stuff outside…as well as lug a heavy box of canned dog food from the lobby, that Amazon just dropped off. AND TWO OF THEM AREN’T WEARING A MASK! Worse yet, then the manager adds himself to the mix, walking up the stairs with a bag of groceries, and PASSES RIGHT BY a maskless worker without uttering a word.
I love how, one moment things are quiet as a church, but then when I have something to do that involves stepping out and back in (especially when it involves Deek) suddenly everyone and his uncle are all around me. I have fantasies of mowing ’em all down with an M240.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Deek showed up yet AGAIN…
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: April 18, 2021 5:31 PM
…to pick up his giant speakers and smartphone, after such a short time! Said he’s in a rush, gotta go somewhere. Right when I opened my door, I heard the building manager come down the stairs, speaking with someone accompanying him. So I was held hostage in the side alcove where they couldn’t see me, waiting until I heard the front gate close, before heading into the lobby.
Deek just said thank you, took the items and departed…didn’t allow me even a moment to hug and pet the pooches. Flaco pulled firmly on the leash, right by the front gate, because she REALLY wanted to go inside! Deek forced her forward, but did NOT show any anger, OR yank on her leash, this time around. He was gentle; that’s an improvement. Both pups looked back several times, and slowed Deek down. I just stood with the gate ajar, gazing at them with love. Flaco turned to glance at me one last time, at the curb, before they crossed.
Well, Deek now has a fresh supply of dog food, that should last a few days. I wonder if he plans to keep them away that whole time, or comes to his senses and has them spend the night here, or two nights here…for warmth, comfort and a break from the mean, cold streets. This is NOT funny, or cute, or decent…their health and lives are at stake, but at the mercy of someone who lets petty emotions like jealousy rule his world. At the expense of two, precious furry angels. Who love my company so much; and I, theirs.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: Why My Life is a Ruse (and Why That’s a Good Thing)
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: April 18, 2021 8:26 PM
> At least you got to pet them. Crucially important. For them, and for you.
YES! Absolutely crucial. I made it very clear to him, numerous times, that if he doesn’t show up with the pups each time he drops by, then I don’t show up to see HIM. If he ever gets rid of the dogs to anyone other than me, then I get rid of HIM. He knows I mean it, and I emphasized I’m being adamant for HIS sake, as well as the mutts’…because he’d wake up in a world of grief a few days later, as he realizes his horrid mistake.
Though it looks like he’s growing out of his immature reactions…just not as quickly as I’d like. He’s been consistently courteous to me, in the last 10 or so visits. Though he SHOULD also tell me to go ahead and spend a few minutes with the pooches, instead of saying he’s in a rush, gotta go somewhere.
> I know the feeling. Or scorching them with flames, dragon-style.
Or have some super-hero power where I could strike terror in their hearts, make weird, fleshy appendages grow from their faces to make them look so disgusting, people puke at their visage! I actually have a lengthy LITANY of vengeful fantasies against these dip-shits. If only ONE would come true, I’d be satisfied. Regardless:
I am confident that Kismet SHALL avenge me, though not necessarily through one of my countless, wrathful vagaries. One of my enemies has already keeled over (Todd in 209), so there ya go.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Here is my smartphone that’s SUPPOSED to work with US Mobile:
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 19, 2021 12:34 AM
I bought it 7 months ago, with Android 9. It only cost me $39, and I really don’t want anything more than a basic setup. I don’t want high quality pics or videos, nor want to play games or watch shows on it, or any other fancy stuff. It will stay at hovel, for phone calls, texting, 2-factor authentication, and maybe some uploading chores. But it WILL come in handy for those times when Xfinity is down. I’ll just top up my data amount to cover that.
My OTHER smartphone, a Tracfone with Android 7 (which I purchased from Boulevard Joe for just $20 three years ago), I will take outside and use to read ebooks, listen to podcasts and music, take photos and videos, and call 911 if that ever comes up. Which is what I’ve been doing all along.
I can’t imagine why people would go about in public with an expensive smartphone that is so easy to lose, break, or steal! And loaded with SO MUCH personal information on top of that. I’d be a nervous wreck taking my cell-service smartphone outside. And the ridiculous prices they charge for a phone! Even the $150 Moto-E offered by US Mobile is too expensive. After all, I’ll only be paying less than $10/month from their service. Even at their bargain price of unlimited service (including 30GB data) which is $30, doesn’t justify a high price tag for a phone.
I’ve noticed that all these bargain cell services sell mostly upper-end phones, with maybe two or three going for less than $200. What a scam! So many good phones are out there in the $39-59 range, why are they not included for purchase in these cut-rate cell services?
Interesting thing I just learned about the Xfinity gateway: its router has a second antenna that sets up a public wifi hot spot that has nothing to do with the customer’s OWN wireless access. Anyone with a Comcast account who is nearby, can log on with their own username and password! Such as a neighbor, or any stranger outside within range. There is supposedly a way to turn that off, but some say that Comcast has recently thwarted it. Unlikely that anyone would piggyback off my modem, but if it WERE being used that way, it could certainly slow down my connection! That’s all I need: a neighbor hogging up my line, so my own connection slows down to barely a crawl!
Well, no pups for company tonight. I wish them love and protection, always.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Chuck from Philly is alive and well! Here’s his email that just arrived.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 19, 2021 10:58 AM
Though unfortunately, his right-wing aspects are all aflare.
Subject: catching up Date: 2021-05-19 08:27 From: Charles Kapinski To: Zeke Krahlin Zeke, it was uplifting to hear you on my answering machine. We don't have Pacific Bell, we have this Verizon shit. Their accounts are screwy; they won't let me make long distance calls, claiming I "don't have a long distance provider." I'm on land line & they're trying to make me go digital. I really hate high tech bullying and this digital shit. I'm looking for a land line alternative. The laptop needs a battery and it's been difficult getting computer time at the only plug in option I have, Staples. Then when I do get ahold of a chance (the only place I can sit with my laptop is at a computer workstation, along comes somebody who wants to use it and I must relinquish the seat. Hence, I seldom ever cover all my destined bases on internet time. I don't know why the server is sending stuff back to you, I'm enjoying the video links you've sent me of Flaco & his playmate. As to my health, such as it is, what I'm suffering from more than anything is a colonic hernia. But the other stuff went away with plenty of apple juice. And until they knock it off with this covid shit, I'll wait them out. I don't want some clinical gestapo trying to force a needle on me. I have seen so much written about beware of the vaccines, the companies are exempt from liability. I don't trust them. So many bars and clubs in lower Bucks County are full and no one is obeying the stupid mask mandate. Sometimes the waitresses do because their bosses tell them to. My heart cries for anyone living in greater NYC, LA or SF metro areas having to put up with this limited business hours everything shut down inconvenience. Being nearly 100 miles off the international busy air traffic ribbon path circling the globe eases things considerably. They don't fear this horseshit in Montana or Wyoming, or even in the South. The real truth about this covid nonsense is that 92% of the deaths are in nursing homes and from co-factors, covid's just the last straw. Biden is a dirty bum with lying eyes. Traitor Joe. The dummies who support him overlooked his campaign backers - the drug companies. He said "I'll lower your drug costs." (now wait a minute, how can he be working for us if he's working for them?). As soon as he got inaugurated, he canceled Trump's order to big pharma to lower the cost of insulin for diabetics, PROVING what a lying piece of shit he really is. Anyway, what I need to do is go to a battery store and get one for the laptop so that I can get online sitting in the car. My friend's kid says there's one at the nearby suburban mall (I hate malls). I will not buy one online. In the beginning of this shut-down hoax, I tried that and I had to petition the credit card agency that they sent me a dud. **************** Further, on a separate note; why don't people see through this bullshit? Every 20 years the corporate banking people who really run the world lay something heavy on us. Hitler Kennedy's bullets AIDS 9-11 this covid-19 shit I can't help but believe it DID'NT come from China, but rather a lab in NYC. Because in the beginning there was a spike in Italy. Very little air traffic between China & Italy, much air traffic between NYC & Italy. All the little stupid people (geese) at the church where I was volunteering to feed the homeless are getting shot with poison. Their leader, the wimpy pastor, told them "we can do this". I told him he was not a leader, but a follower, and presented him with the many points AGAINST the vaccine, especially the fact that the companies are EXEMPT from liability. It has been making people sick. School children received contaminated doses. That was in the news; yet try to find it on a search engine, and you won't. The web is policed. I am fed up with this shit. Constitutionally I have a right to privacy. I am not obligated to "report" to medical authorities. This is a feeble attempt on their part to pry into my personal affairs. As stated above, our bars & restaurants in Bucks don't acknowledge the mask bullshit, as seen in the picture attached (horrible pic of me in the far right circled in red). Philly is almost as bad as Frisco; no mask, no service. But it's different in the burbs. I only know that there is nothing in the air, at least not 75 miles away from any major international airport, something Philly no longer is, thanks to fiscal malfeasance making P-town the next Detroit. Most locals have enough pride not to let the gov't order them around, but every now and again some cunt will bitch about "social distancing". ANYone who doesn't realize that to be manipulative bullshit is obviously missing brain cells. I'm absolutely HORRIFIED by the Chronicle headline I saw at Rosenberg's Deli in your pen testing video about "mask mandates". California has become a damned police state. Ouch. That has to be undone. I want to see the time come when the Democratic party reverts its priority back from censorship about what's not P.C. to freedom of speech and civil liberties. https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2020/11/29/anti-vaccine-message-greets-drivers-on-i-95-sunday-morning/
Re: Here is my smartphone that’s SUPPOSED to work with US Mobile:
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 19, 2021 11:37 AM
> I know. It’s crazy. If I lost my phone, all I’d be losing would be some photos and some highly inconsequential texts. I regularly download photos onto my computer anyway.
Yes, keeping all your sensitive information off a mobile device is wise. This sense of urgency created by the convenience of a smartphone is akin to a meth head tweaking his brains out!
> My first Android phone cost $39.95, worked great for years.
Of course! The two inexpensive ones I have work just great. Except for some reason, the BLU phone doesn’t save any videos I take…and I still haven’t figured out why.
> Why the fuck would Xfinity want to set up free access to wireless? They wouldn’t do it if there wasn’t some profit motive.
Well, the more hot spots they have, the more likely they can gather additional data for resale. Also, spying on citizens that is probably gov’t backed, and rewarded. Or corporation back…same diff these days. They have an instruction page that shows you how to turn OFF public wifi, which will be one of the first things I’ll do, once the kit is up and running.
> I hope they’re with you SOON.
Yep. On a wing and a prayer.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: “Chuck” from Philly is alive and well! Here’s his email that just arrived.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 19, 2021 11:44 AM
> Inflamed, I’d say. Sheesh.
Seems to me that ANYone with right-wing tendencies suffers some sort of bowel impaction. Or perhaps statistics might reveal that those who are born with (or come down with) such a malady, tend towards a Republican bent. Or, as the paraphrased saying goes:
“With friends like conspiracy nuts, who needs enemas?”
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: Why My Life is a Ruse (and Why That’s a Good Thing)
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 19, 2021 1:10 PM
> I’m glad you’re using that leverage on him. Excellent thinking.
He won’t admit it, but I’m his big brother whom he looks up to. Everything shall turn out favorably on all levels…for I have paved the way. Including fending off the beasts in the jungle that is 9666 Market Street, hacking my way through the thick flora in order to establish a sanctuary on behalf of Flaco & Lucky. I feel like gay Tarzan with an Internet connection.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Deek just walked by a few moments ago, but didn’t stop.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 19, 2021 10:09 PM
I heard some gangsta rap growing louder, so peered out the window…thinking it was probably just another car booming its music. But it wasn’t, it was Deek walking up Market Street on the other side, towards Castro. With the pups on leash, looking darling as ever. But he didn’t pause for so much as a second, or look up at my window…he just kept rollin’ on.
If I only had wings.
Re: Deek just walked by a few moments ago, but didn’t stop.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 20, 2021 8:14 AM
> The lunkhead.
It’s like he’s doing that intentionally..knowing how much I adore the pups. But that should NEVER override his concern for the dogs’ own well-being and safety…which does NOT seem to be high on his list. IT SHOULD BE AT THE VERY TOP!
> If I were a New Age type, I’d say: “But you do have wings!”
But you’re not, and I don’t, so I couldn’t just fly out the window to greet them before they disappear around the corner. Not having wings is a great disadvantage in my current situation, Wattson. I envy Pterry Pterodactyl!
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Just picked up my Xfinity installation kit!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 20, 2021 11:33 AM
I’ll be setting it up later today. Here’s the unboxing:
Re: Ebert on “Performance”
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 20, 2021 2:01 PM
> He was sweet on me back when I knew him; I, unfortunately, was only interested in lean, hunky men. Just call me Shallow Wattson.
Well, it’s wonderful you both kept the friendship going. And that’s FAR from “shallow.” He is honored by your fond memories. Anyway:
I got the Xfinity gateway all set up, connected via both ethernet and wifi. But I can’t GO anywhere with it, because I need to register for an online account. Yet it refuses to recognize me! It asks for the last 4 digits of my Social Security number, my date of birth, and my phone number…the exact same info I used to apply for Internet Essentials, which they finally approved.
I first tried to set up my online account three days ago, just to be ahead of the curve. When it refused to recognize me, I posted the problem to Comcast’s Reddit sub. One of their representatives said I need to wait until the kit arrives and I get it set up. WRONG! The first instruction to set up the kit, is to go online and sign in to your account with you ID.
So, today I again tried to create an account (which is when you create your ID), but once more it rejected me. So I reposted the problem to Reddit…waiting for their reply. BUT HERE’S THE OBVIOUS FAUX PAS:
They simply have neglected to add my subscription to the relevant database. Well, I still have my Chronic service until June 5th, so that gives me plenty of time to get it all straightened out. Attached is a pic of my new gateway where the old one used to be.
It’s more than twice as large, and chunky…like it was built in Russia. The coax cable is just long enough to fit flat between the wall and my work station, so long as I keep a throw rug flung over it. The blinking lights on the gateway are all a muted white, so no more lovely, green blinking dots to lull me to sleep. Curses!
I don’t even know if the cable is active, since the “online” light is not blinking. But that may be because I haven’t set up my account yet. No one’s ever used the outlet, as it’s only been ME living there, since they installed it. I was very angry about that, since I turned down Comcast’s offer to do exactly that, TWICE!. But the person who was building manager then, let them in anyway while I was out, and so the dirty deed was done. Now, almost 25 years later, I’m fukkin GLAD it’s there! Funny how things turn out sometimes.
Meanwhile, I’ve disconnected my Chronic ethernet (using wifi only now), and moved their gateway to another spot. I can’t believe I’ll soon be without my landline! But good riddance, it’s clunky and just adds to the clutter.
Oh, Xfinity just replied with:
—
Hello again, i-luv-ducks, thank you so much for reaching back out and I’m terribly sorry to hear about the continued login issue you’re having with your account even after receiving your kit! In rare circumstances, situations like this can happen, however, so that I can now take a closer look and see what tools we have on the backend to help remedy this situation ASAP, please send us a Modmail message with your first and last name, along with your physical address. Thanks again for your time and continued patience!
—
Hopefully, this will get resolved soon. I’ve been jonesing to get Chronic.net out of my life for good. Unfortunately, my username for my online backup service is “ezekielk@chronic.net” and I can NOT change it, even though I CAN change my email. So they’ll be haunting me for some time to come.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: I’m about ready to get another landline service…this is too much!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 21, 2021 9:41 AM
Yesterday’s post to US Mobile’s Reddit sub says it all, Wattson:
–begin:
Got an alert of FedEx delivery, but there’s nothing!
Four minutes ago I got an email that my US Mobile starter kit has just been delivered by FedEx. So I went downstairs to my apt. building’s lobby, to find NOTHING. Checked my mailbox: NOTHING. And it’s also the SECOND time I ordered the kit via USPS, and it was delivered by FedEx anyway, both times. (First time around I ordered the Super LTE whatever, single SIM. Because I was under the impression via this sub, that the ONLY starter kit came with TWO SIMS, not one…and when you order online, they pretty much look the same. So I made a mistake, no big deal, only a few bucks lost. So I ordered again, this time making SURE it was the 2-SIM kit.
I hate FedEx, never use them any more after SO many failed deliveries; haven’t used them for years. For some reason, they claim “delivered,” but just walk away with the package. I think it has to do with laziness, and some workers not bothering with large apt. buildings.
I was PLEASED that US Mobile is supposed to use USPS, but this is certainly NOT the case. I would never have ORDERED from them in the first place, if I KNEW they use FedEx. Jeez!
My landline of many years is set to shut down on June 5th, so I’m kinda pressed for time.
–end
So i looked around again for an Obama cell phone deal, and decided to subscribe to the one service that was the LEAST crappy (though still crappy enough), Lifeline Wireless. FREE phone, and unlimited talk and text, 6GB data for CA residents. But after inputting my email address and zip code, they responded with:
“We are currently not accepting online orders for your residential area.”
Now what? I’m avoiding going back to AT&T like the plague. So here’s another service providing a landline by using a special modem that you can plug your old-timey phone into:
The modem piggybacks on cell carriers in your area, and claims to be very reliable. You pay $20/month for their service, plus an initial $99 for the modem, which simply plugs into a standard outlet. If you pay $180 annually, it averages out to $15/month…but I prefer to pay monthly. And since my Xfinity Internet service is so cheap (or even free) I’m still saving a wad of money, compared to Chronic.net’s ISP/phone package.
However, there seems to be a problem signing up for EBB (Emergency Broadband Benefit), as their application page doesn’t seem to be functioning properly. This is according to one person’s complaint on the Xfinity Reddit sub. Just one screw-up after another! Getting a new phone service, whether cell or landline, should NEVER be such a headache.
I MAY need you help, financially, of $100-150 to pull me through, if I decide to go for that cell-service-based landline. Which I can easily pay back next month, or break it down to two months’ reimbursement. My Facebook account is set up for money exchanges.
Then there’s still the problem with Comcast not letting me register for an online account. And, since the cable outlet has NEVER been used, may require a worker to come out to activate it. So this COULD go on for quite awhile.
Can you imagine if I’m without either an Internet connection OR a phone at the same time? Well, I’ve broken out my old wifi extender, to piggyback on the public wifi from either of the two eateries below my hovel, just in case. I need to get their passwords, though, so I’ll have to order something cheap from each place, and sit at an outdoor table for a few minutes to get that accomplished.
At any rate, I need to figure out something fast, regarding a new phone service. It sucks, but I’ll get through it.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Catching up on the MCN lists with five recent posts.
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: Zeke’s Mailing List
Date: May 21, 2021 10:22 AM
You may be aware (or not) of my participation in the “Mendocino Community Network” (MCN) listserv since March of 2017. Which county (and town by the same name, “Mendocino”) is 154 miles north of San Francisco, where I live. Why did I even get involved if I’m not part of their world? Mainly because I have a very good friend who has made that her home for decades, and who invited me to join. And since membership is free to anyone in the world, I figured “why not?” But also because another who lives up there is a radio host who’s read MANY of my tales, and invited me call in on a regular basis. That is not the case any more, for reasons I don’t understand; he just abruptly halted the association. Be that as it may, I’ve gotten entangled in their local intrigue (albeit willingly)…as well as become a target of a cabal of Republican homophobes who just ABHOR my participation. One of whom is an outright NAZI, who brags about that 24/7 on MCN’s discussion list (one of two lists I’m active on; the other is the announcement list). And, disgustingly enough, most subscribers look the other way, while some even prefer to join in his bullying against yours truly!
I have already dedicated TWO chapters of my Brindlekin trilogy to the MCN listserv, which are: “Checkmate, Mr. Kuzlowski” (chapter 14 of book 1) and “zEEK’S PUPPY GRIFT” (chapter 6 of book 2). As well as inserted further posts from that venue, now and then in other chapters. And which I’m doing again right now, via the following comments which pretty much speak for themselves.
–begin comments:
Re: [MCN-Discussion]- – Garage Door Company
Date: Mon, 17 May 2021 15:44:17 -0700
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: MCN discussion
On Sun, 16 May 2021 15:30:01 -0700 Jared BOOGALOO Fisher squoinked:
> What’s really sad is when you read his self-assessment of his own writing. Here’s what he had to say:
>
> “After all, who wants to read about an old queer living in a crumbling single room and on Social Security disability for decades, composing one failed story after another, daydreaming at the senile age of seventy that he’s still ‘gonna make it after all’ (to quote from the Mary Tyler Moore Show’s theme song), and his vagrant friend’s two silly dogs?”
It’s called self-deprecating humor, Mr. Filcher, and is actually a sarcastic slap at fools who perceive the poor and the downtrodden as pariah, instead of as the human beings they are, and thus deserving of equal rights and the same opportunities as the smug affluent. Which is but one of the MANY lessons I teach in my tales, through humor, adventure, tragedy, cliff-hanging scenes, and inspiring words. Regardless of your pulling that quote out of context, and smearing it
with a hateful diatribe, I see you are up to chapter 15 of Book 1, wherein that passage resides. You are in for quite a rewarding ride, as you progress to later chapters. Glad you find my writing intriguing enough to even mention in this small-town, backwater list. Woo-hoo!
—
Re: [MCN-Announce]- [MCN-Discussion]- Even if you think discussing aliens is ridiculous, just hear me out.
Date: Mon, 17 May 2021 15:54:32 -0700
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: MCN discussion
On Sun, 16 May 2021 15:30:40 -0700 spike BOOGALOO dewars squoinked:
> Just those who don’t think that having a “non urban, non Republican” relationship with negro boys over 30 years your junior is just a normal form of relationship and sexual preference that we are all to admire.
Your homophobia and racism are off the chart, Mr. Psychobitch. None of what you say about me is true, not even in the least. It only exposes your psychosis to the world at large, and how badly you need help, and maybe even locked up for the rest of your life. BTW, what’s this about your previous claims you’ve blocked me, and will never read, or respond to, any of my posts any more? You’re certainly not a man of your word…like every other Nazi in the world. In fact, I wouldn’t even call you a “man.” You have to EARN that, but you have such a long way to go, the universe will probably implode into the next Big Bang before you even get there. Truth is, you’ve NEVER stopped reading my posts, because you’re OBSESSED. And why are you obsessed? ‘Cause you’re a pathetic closet case…so deep in the closet, in fact, as to need a geolocation device and a bug-out pack to find your way out.
—
Subject: [MCN-Discussion]- Brindlekin Tales (was “60 Minutes 2nd Story Content Sunday”)
Date: Mon, 17 May 2021 17:33:50 -0700
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: MCN discussion
On Mon, 17 May 2021 00:38:49 +0000 Alvin Hock posted:
> Why, that’s easy. It’s the one that signs him up!
Of course, BUT…
…it is the public domain status I refuse to give up, that makes them hesitate. However, I believe so firmly in the messages of my tales, that it is important to keep them out there for anyone to read, entirely free of any monetary cost. But so many folks will come to love Brindlekin Tales, they’ll eagerly PAY for a beautiful, bound edition embellished with fairy-tale style illustrations and book cover. I will maintain full rights over my own writing, but books with added images will NOT be mine, but that of the publisher, in conjunction with whatever artist or artists they employ. Each of whom will get a percentage of the royalties, including myself.
Then there is my growing collection of related videos that are a whole ‘nother ball of publishing wax! Both my tales and filmography unravel a profound story of the struggle of one’s soul to do the right thing, and liberate oneself from unworthy desires, goals and intentions. There is profound tragedy and profound joy in these tales, riddled with cliffhangers that will make it impossible to stop reading until you get to the very end (which I have yet to reach, myself). And it is the beautiful spirit of two, innocent little pups who create such extraordinary changes. How they become the mascots of the Castro–and then all of San Francisco–and how this motivates my homeless friend (and keeper of the pups) to become a better person, and how it does the SAME for many residents here in the Castro and beyond…will touch MANY hearts, and spread the goodness of these brindle mutts across the planet. Via not just my blog entries and Youtube videos, but by books, magazine and newspaper articles, interviews, lecture tours, animated films, and so on.
And since my tales are already in the public domain, anyone is free to create their own versions, reproducing them in whatever art form they choose. A small percentage of any profit they make, will go to yours truly…say, one or two percent, but never more than that. There are different kinds of public domain arrangements. In my case anyone is free to distribute my works in any form whatsoever, so long as they remain intact (in whole or in part) , with credit to the author…and they are released or displayed for NO profit whatsoever (just enough to cover costs of replication). Should they WANT to make a profit, then that’s where the one or two percent for “moi” comes in.
That’s it in a nutshell…or maybe I should say, “in a dog’s wag.”
—
Subject: [MCN-discussion]- Brindlekin Tales (was “60 Minutes 2nd Story Content Sunday”)
Date: Mon, 17 May 2021 17:48:27 -0700
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: MCN discussion
On Sun, 16 May 2021 17:53:12 -0700 spike BOOGALOO dewars squoinked:
> Well, if he/they think he’s “that good a writer”, I have yet to see any evidence from what he has posted here.
Nonsense. I composed a whole STRING of posts to you, that are now an entire chapter in the Brindlekin trilogy. During which time you accused me of “stalking” you…when in reality, I merely used that as an opportunity to express my own philosophy about life, including some very humorous passages. That string of posts includes chess-like metaphors from an imaginary board game I made up, called “Battle of the Bodhisattvas.” That would be chapter 14 of book 1.
—
Re: [MCN-Discussion]- Maddow’s Sane Plea for ‘Compassion’ on Mask Wearing
Date: Fri, 21 May 2021 10:07 AM
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: MCN discussion
On Wed, 19 May 2021 19:45:01 -0700 spike BOOGALOO dewars squoinked:
> Ah ! So you’re a Prophet ! Whose words of wisdom and enlightenment shall change all of mankind and it will be translated in all languages and spread throughout the globe as your enlightenment “vastly improve MILLIONS of lives across the planet “. So, essentially you’re a 21st Century Messiah ? Are you to be addressed as Your Assholieness ? Your Sickness ? How are we to address you, oh Prophet ?
Try excluding a space between the end of your sentences and the punctuation mark, you Nazi Nimrod. I am no more a “prophet” than any other author through literary history, who has inspired millions. They are not THAT rare. They may rightly be called prophets, if you so choose that label. The gift of prophecy is common among accomplished artists in any medium. My tales have already inspired many, in the recent past, and have been translated into other languages. To give LGBTs from severely oppressive nations, hope for a better future. My writings have even been translated in such places as Tibet, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Russia, China, India and Malaysia, for examples. My Brindlekin Tales trilogy is just building on that. Had I turned this into a profitable venture, financially, NONE of that would have happened. All my works are public domain the moment they are released online…I give my stories freely.
–end comments
Subject: Deek just dropped by, guess what he asked for?
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 21, 2021 4:02 PM
An advancement on his allowance, of course. I just said, again, “Nope, not till Sunday.” This was from my window. He just walked away after hearing that, so I decided to step out and speak with him. He was by the bus stop with the pooches, whom I kindly greeted. I then explained to him:
“This is a very bad month for me, financially, no point in explaining the details because you wouldn’t understand.”
He was by then seated beneath the overhang, where another, older, white-bearded homeless person was also present…a friendly, harmless type. Deek just ranted on (though in a calm voice, I should note) while I further pet the dogs:
“Well, I’ll just have to hide from someone I owe money, and it’ll be right around your building. For two days, until I get the money. Probably with lots of other people around me, and we don’t care if we make a lotta noise.”
So I retorted (also in sotto voce):
“I’ll just have to call the cops on you. Anyway, keep your fake drama to yourself, please. Stop making up problems, then blaming them on me.”
The friendly vagrant smiled kindly at me (who was also, BTW, smartly dressed in a herringbone suit and a yellow-striped, white shirt; he was portly, and looked like Santa Claus) as I went back and forth to give the pups more hugs on an equal share. Lucky was atop the shopping cart with a cushy blanket to rest on, while Flaco was leashed and standing about. According to Deek, she never likes riding in the cart. That little lady really has a mind of her own.
I noticed that Santa’s grin grew broader when I chastised Deek about his needless drama…he seemed to get where I’m coming from, and approved of my tactic. Better yet:
Besides never raising his voice or speaking in an angry tone, he thanked me several times for all my help. It’s as if, as my bodhisattva, he’s testing my willpower. Which meant that, my caving in to his demands would’ve been the worst thing to do. I also observed how well situated Lucky was, with that comfortable padding in the cart. Both dogs appeared healthy and quite content. Another happy observation:
Deek has been showing up much neater than ever these days, including a tidy cart, and not carrying any trash, or leaving it strewn around! Well, I returned hovel and, a few minutes later, peered out the window to see if he were still by the bus stop. Nope, he wasn’t. So then I stepped into the hallway and looked out the window next to Moe’s corner apartment, to see if Deek and pups were now parked behind my building (like he threatened). Nope, they were not.
So, overall, I see vast improvements in his behavior, which seem to have started a few weeks back.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: This is so sad!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 21, 2021 8:00 PM
Deek returned to pick up his speaker and cell phones. The pups were on a leash each, but as I approached them, Flaco fled from Deek’s hand, ran right up to the font gate and furiously began scratching on it, and jumping up and down. Her happiness was boundless at the very idea of visiting me again! But Deek called to her, she ignored him and kept dancing by the gate. So I came up to her, said, “I’m sorry,” and escorted her back to Deek. I then said,
“How about letting them stay with me tonight, give them a break from the cold? They’ve been outside many days.”
“Naw,” he said, “I take good care of them; they don’t need to stay inside.”
I felt SO sorry for Flaco, for dashing her hopes like this. And Lucky. Deek said, “I get lonely at night without them.”
“I understand,” I replied, “but it’s important to give them breaks from the cold, damp weather, and they just LOVE visiting!”
He shrugged his shoulders: “Don’t worry, I keep them warm.”
I pet the pups some more, Lucky began playfully biting on my sleeve, up and down like a barber’s electric razor…but Deek told him to stop it. I said that’s just the way he plays, and says how much he likes me!
“Not my dogs,” he retorted.
At that point, I pet the doggies a bit more, said I’m really sorry to them both, and returned hovel. He’s now outside by the bus stop, hangin’ out. So near and yet so far! He’s got that very louder Bluetooth speaker and a fully charge cell phone with rap music…I sure hope he doesn’t intend to start a ruckus.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: This is so sad!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 21, 2021 8:22 PM
No, he left. Started to get me worried, though, as he WAS diddling with the speaker for a few minutes. I heard it “beep-boop” on, and a bit of rap playing, but only for a few seconds.
He had given me two small battery packs to recharge, but one of them had a bad USB connection, as it was too loose and the cord wouldn’t stay plugged in. Looked to me like the tiny metal female connection inside the device had snapped off, because there wasn’t any sign of it. So I decided this is the perfect excuse to step out once again, returning the battery after showing him what’s wrong with it.
By the time I arrived at his spot, he was already up and pushing the cart…probably thinking I was gonna reprimand him for turning the speaker on. I stopped him, said “Look at this,” showed him how the plug wouldn’t join. “Do you want me to throw it out?” I asked. He replied, “No,” took it and walked off with the speaker now booming rap songs, and the little doggies in tow, with Flaco glancing back with longing, until I disappeared behind the gate.
It doesn’t feel to me like he’s gonna keep that up; I mean, not having the pooches stay with me. He’s very calm lately, and it’s not simply repressed anger. He’s thinking some things through. I’m glad I stepped out a second time…there was something about it that was good, though I can’t put my finger on it.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: This is so sad!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 21, 2021 10:31 PM
> Jerk.
Yep, he’s a monster. He wants the dogs for companionship, to keep from feeling lonely at night…but doesn’t think about their well-being. Forcing them to remain out in the cold, damp air EVERY FRIGGIN NIGHT, while claiming he takes good care of them. He’s not reachable. Neither the police nor Animal Control will step in unless it’s a truly horrific case of abuse and violence. The pups will die from prolonged hypothermia, then he’ll turn around and blame ME. “You jinxed me!” will be his cop-out. He’s done it before. However:
According to my Bodhisattva Premise, the greatest (and final) test is to manifest a crisis in my world, that appears to be totally hopeless, no solution conceivable, with tragedy the only perceivable outcome. MY responsibility is to learn to stay centered, and rest in faith. IOW: I need not advise Deek about taking better care of the mutts anymore, nor wallow in anger or grief over the present, ugly circumstance. Not that “failing” to do so would lead to a terrible finale, for the pups will nonetheless be fine. I believe I’ve pretty much accomplished the “right thinking” shtick, not obsessing over worst-case-scenario possibilities. But that Kismet seems to be determined to show me the remarkable results that will come of my forbearance and kindness…including training my own mind to stay in absolute balance.
Deek is so good at pressing my buttons, knows EXACTLY what to say to irk me the most. And keeps inventing NEW false accusations just to rub the salt further into my wounds. If he were truly crazy, he wouldn’t be reacting so calmly in his horrid allegations. Which also gives clue to a deeper strategy, one that has to do with my own personal growth. And this is a RECENT change in his behavior…as if his work is almost done, indicated by ceasing the temper tantrums that went on for many months, almost two years in fact, that is: since he acquired the first pooch, Lucky.
I have always sought to be the best I could ever be, so what else should I expect, but some sort of ultimate challenge? My Comcast and smartphone frustrations simply serve to push the envelope a bit further. It will all resolve in my favor. Look at all the other crap I’ve been through these past several months, and how I’ve come out of each crisis smelling like a rose!
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Looks like 208 is finally moving out…
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 22, 2021 11:11 AM
…or at least, it sure looks like it. Friendly, chirpy men and women have been stepping in and out of their apartment for the past half hour or so, lugging furniture, boxes etc. down the stairs and into a U-Haul truck out front. No sign of Myrtle or son, though…who have been nigh invisible the past few weeks. They are active members of the Yoonitarian Yooniversalist Church, so I presume this gaggle of movers are from said cult, assisting their departure. Fast and efficient though; they’re already gone, U-Haul truck just pulled away! Maybe Adisa is living in a drug rehab center for awhile. Better there than here! Those belligerent creeps weren’t his friends, they were sucking him into a cabal of punks, with peer pressure and (possibly) methamphetamine. And I was the one to put a stop to it. Shame on the building manager for siding with them; wonder what HE got out of it. “They’re just teenagers, what do you expect,” my ass!
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Smartphone Update
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 22, 2021 1:02 PM
Not so angst-ridden now, since I’ve learned more about smartphone service and SIM cards. I already have two phones: the LTE Rebel 3 (Android 7), and the BLU Advance s50 (Android 9). The first one is locked into Tracfone, so in a pinch I can run over to Walgreens and get a SIM for $20, which will last me for one month…unlimited calls and text, plus 1GB data. The second phone is unlocked, and SHOULD work with US Mobile, with the OTHER SIM card that I’m still waiting on. If the BLU fails me, then I go Tracfone immediately, for a month or so, just to buy some time to figure out what to do next. That way, I can maintain telephone access, which I’ll sorely need in the likely event I’ll have to deal with Comcast.
Learning curve accomplished.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Re: Comcast is charging $125 for signing up for the EBB, w/o telling you, and wants it the same day!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 22, 2021 4:18 PM
> Christ.
So no one on Comcast Reddit has given me any help with my gateway not connecting. They say they’ll look into it, but they never get back. This has happened TWICE so far. So it looks like I’ll have to waste a lot of time on the phone starting Monday, to TRY to get this straightened out. Not many days of Chronic phone service left!
AND I JUST BLEW $42!!!
I have a genuine Tracfone device that checks out as works with their service…they even have that same model for sale. So I went to Walgreens, got a Tracfone SIM for $10, and spent $25 more for one month’s service (unlimited text and calling, plus 2GB data). Created an account with them online, went through the simple setup…everything fine with keying in my PIN on the card for a month’s use. Then I selected “activate” on my account, which then told me to dial a number, and if the screen freezes, restart the phone and try again. However, my phone says INVALID SIM CARD. So now I have an account that shows me set up for a month of unlimited service, but it’s WORTHLESS. So I searched the web for what to do about this, only to discover many Tracfone customers with the SAME PROBLEM, often after they’ve been using their phone for awhile, with no issues at all. Such as:
https://tracfoneforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=558750
The SIM card and month subscription are NOT refundable, BTW.
So there ya go, Wattson! Another day in hell.
– Zeke K-Holmes
Subject: Let ‘er rip!
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: My Dear Wattson
Date: May 22, 2021 11:35 PM
I decided not to spare Chuck from my wrath.
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: Re: catching up
Date: 2021-05-22 23:29
From: Ezekiel Krahlin
To: Chuck Kapinski
On 2021-05-19 08:27, Chuck wrote:
Zeke, it was uplifting to hear you on my answering machine. We don’t have Pacific Bell, we have this Verizon shit. Their accounts are screwy; they won’t let me make long distance calls, claiming I “don’t have a long distance provider.” I’m on land line & they’re trying to make me go digital. I really hate high tech bullying and this digital shit. I’m looking for a land line alternative.
I was using AT&T’s landline basic service for years, and they didn’t include LD. So I joined a service called OneSuite, which charges only a penny a minute for LD calls. They’re very good, I used them for almost a decade, never a problem. But you need to register online. Because you recharge payments online, through your bank account. You dial one of their local numbers for your area, then you dial the person you want to reach.
The laptop needs a battery and it’s been difficult getting computer time at the only plug in option I have, Staples. Then when I do get ahold of a chance (the only place I can sit with my laptop is at a computer workstation, along comes somebody who wants to use it and I must relinquish the seat. Hence, I seldom ever cover all my destined bases on internet time.
That’s frustrating.
I don’t know why the server is sending stuff back to you, I’m enjoying the video links you’ve sent me of Flaco & his playmate.
It started sending back all my recent emails to you, one by one, for around a two-week period. It is probably a glitch, because it seems to have stopped.
As to my health, such as it is, what I’m suffering from more than anything is a colonic hernia.
Sorry to hear about your hernia, any problems in the stomach or just below it can be MOST uncomfortable and painful, even if not serious. DON’T shovel snow any more, or push a lawnmower around…which overexertion may have caused the problem in the first place. Even if that wasn’t the cause, you can exacerbate it by such strenuous chores. I got sciatica from using a wheelbarrow that I foolishly overloaded back and forth, back and forth. This was when I was doing volunteer work for the Habitat Restoration Project for the GG Park Recreation network. And I know that some hernias are caused by physical trauma.
But the other stuff went away with plenty of apple juice. And until they knock it off with this covid shit, I’ll wait them out. I don’t want some clinical gestapo trying to force a needle on me.
You’re way off the rails on this one, Chuck, just like my brother. It’s part of the Republican hate cult empowered by our former president. Who was far worse than Biden is, or will ever be. ANYthing coming out of the GOP is diabolically frightful, and makes the Dems look like kittens. But it looks like you’ve gone WAY too far down that rabbit hole, for salvation to ever be possible, at this point. Just like my wack-a-loony brother.
You are NOT the Chuck I used to know, not by any stretch of the imagination. I guess your reuniting with old high school friends in Philly caused a sort of peer pressure effect, in that they all became Republicans and Jebus worshippers. If you can’t lick ’em join ’em, eh? When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
You are wrong about every claim you made in your email, but I’m not gonna bother picking it all apart, because you seem to be pretty much under the enemies’ influence at this point.
I have seen so much written about beware of the vaccines, the companies are exempt from liability.
Yeah, mountains of trash passed off as legitimate journalism. Nothing new about that, except the Internet has made such deceptive (and sometimes dangerous) twaddle more prolific and widespread, thus sucking more people in to become conspiracy fools. Like yourself, so it seems.
I don’t trust them. So many bars and clubs in lower Bucks County are full and no one is obeying the stupid mask mandate.
Sounds like a lotta dumb people in your neck of the woods! But they’re everywhere, San Franshitsco no exception. It’s the American thing, dontcha know.
Sometimes the waitresses do because their bosses tell them to.
Good for their bosses.
My heart cries for anyone living in greater NYC, LA or SF metro areas having to put up with this limited business hours everything shut down inconvenience.
Oh, please, doesn’t sound very much like it’s coming from your heart, Chuck. Perhaps you are confusing your heart for an organ much lower down?
They don’t fear this horseshit in Montana or Wyoming, or even in the South.
When it comes to hicks, hillbillies and yahoos, their lack of fear highly correlates with a lack of education. “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” – Hosea 4:6
The real truth about this covid nonsense is that 92% of the deaths are in nursing homes and from co-factors, covid’s just the last straw.
The REAL truth? I’m impressed at what a wealth of truth and knowledge you’ve become! Just amazing. See:
https://www.vox.com/2020/3/23/21190033/coronavirus-covid-19-deaths-by-age
Biden is a dirty bum with lying eyes.
And yet Trump is so much worse. Where’s your outrage towards THAT dumb old fart? Who is personally responsible for turning this pandemic into a nightmare, and loss of many good souls.
Further, on a separate note; why don’t people see through this bullshit?
I know, right? I don’t get it either, Chuck, when the world has YOU to set them in the right direction. I’ll put the word out…starting with Fox TV.
Every 20 years the corporate banking people who really run the world lay something heavy on us.
Hitler
Kennedy’s bullets
AIDS
9-11
this covid-19 shit
INCREDIBLE! You, of all people, have it ALL figured out! I guess that’s what happens when you read so many anti-Jew conspiracy theories, truth just oozes out your pores like sweat on a hot, August day!
I can’t help but believe it DID’NT come from China, but rather a lab in NYC. Because in the beginning there was a spike in Italy. Very little air traffic between China & Italy, much air traffic between NYC & Italy.
Wow, you are WISE.
All the little stupid people (geese) at the church where I was volunteering to feed the homeless are getting shot with poison.
Well, I’m getting my SECOND shot of poison three days from now. Guess I’m just a stupid little goose myself. A stupid little goose who’d prefer to remain in good health and ALIVE, that is! Honk, honk!
Their leader, the wimpy pastor, told them “we can do this”. I told him he was not a leader, but a follower, and presented him with the many points AGAINST the vaccine, especially the fact that the companies are EXEMPT from liability.
I’m sure you’ve rocked his world, Chuck, with your astounding wisdom and insight on the COVID-19 matter. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if he invited you to give a sermon, yourself. Your 15 minutes of fame is coming up, get ready…maybe by pasting a toothbrush mustache above your lips!
It has been making people sick. School children received contaminated doses. That was in the news; yet try to find it on a search engine, and you won’t. The web is policed.
What news? Where? Gimme the scoop, Chuck.
I am fed up with this shit.
Yes, yes you are, I can see that. I’m so proud of you.
Constitutionally I have a right to privacy.
Constitutionally, our rights fly out the window in times of dire crises such as plagues, war and UFO invasions by reptilian homosexual overlords!
I am not obligated to “report” to medical authorities. This is a feeble attempt on their part to pry into my personal affairs.
Or maybe it has something to do with protecting citizens’ lives from a horrific virus that easily spreads, especially by maskless fools like yourself. Just sayin’.
As stated above, our bars & restaurants in Bucks don’t acknowledge the mask bullshit, as seen in the picture attached (horrible pic of me in the far right circled in red). Philly is almost as bad as Frisco; no mask, no service. But it’s different in the burbs. I only know that there is nothing in the air, at least not 75 miles away from any major international airport, something Philly no longer is, thanks to fiscal malfeasance making P-town the next Detroit.
Yes! You know EVERYTHING, Chuck! I am truly gobsmacked.
Most locals have enough pride not to let the gov’t order them around, but every now and again some cunt will bitch about “social distancing”. ANYone who doesn’t realize that to be manipulative bullshit is obviously missing brain cells.
Right, you know all about missing brain cells, I’m sure. Calling a woman a “cunt” because she cares about people is simply BRILLIANT!
I’m absolutely HORRIFIED by the Chronicle headline I saw at Rosenberg’s Deli in your pen testing video about “mask mandates”.
Me, too, Chuck. The NERVE of any gov’t entity attempting to preserve the health and lives of its people. Mercy!
California has become a damned police state. Ouch. That has to be undone. I want to see the time come when the Democratic party reverts its priority back from censorship about what’s not P.C. to freedom of speech and civil liberties.
Yes, because the Republican Party is SO way ahead of the curve when it comes to freedom, equality and democratic values. How could it have taken so long till now, to finally see the light? Philly should hold a grand parade in your honor! I’ll send a letter right off to the mayor, suggesting just that. It’s the LEAST I could do for all your unsung heroism in the line of fire.
Hey, that image you attached, of anti-vaxxers hanging a large sign over a bridge, is pretty cool. But I think this one is better:
- Zeke
P.S.: Imagine if we were living together back there in Philly: we’d have built a wall to keep the other out, by now!
ZekeBlog 2.0 
[…] Speaking of islands, my friend John (who I thought had died, but just learned two days ago, did not) has become an island of Trump madness. While much relieved to discover he’s alive and kicking, I am also disgusted by his right-wing stupidity. Which seemed to have developed over the years, since his return to Philadelphia and old high-school chums. You may read his pathetic email to me, and my response, in my latest chapter. […]