Dateline 1-21-2017

***NOTE: Today's Daily Breaker is a bit of an experiment gone wrong in a very mundane way. I will be jumping around in time as I try and navigate the events of the day. This top section is me right now explaining what I had in mind which is still a little cloudy as I type.***

A couple weeks ago, I got my hands on a couple pieces of magic chocolate. It's been a long time since I've done that sort of thing so I was looking for a special occasion. Usually, when I take these things, I like to watch nature documentaries like Planet Earth, which was actually my initial plan for the trip.

Ever since I heard that these things can help with depression I've used them more as a tool to gather insights than as a novelty drug meant for fun for one night. They say that psychedelics help people near death cope with their impending fate, so in a moment of feeling dramatic and deep, I came to the conclusion that I'd be taking these things on Inauguration Day in order to cope with the death of a nation or some other nonsense.

I've been working on getting healthy since the start of the year and now that I have more energy my manicky feelings chime in from time to time, making me think I can revive the character of me that used to come so natural. There was a day when I would've been able to take a challenge like this to all kinds of levels of crazy, now I feel like I was just trying to hang on to a persona that's now just gone.

So I guess I came to grips with the death of something.

***NOTE: Everything below here is my failed attempt to log the day including another introduction of my intentions that may be repetitive but it is what it is.***

Here’s how I pictured today starting… keeping in mind that this is before I realized how early the handoff was going to take place. Me, thinking I’d have until noon to settle into the day. Me, in a mindset where this idea was going to be huge and I’d be able to hit the ground running feeling the same vigor I had that moment the idea struck on that first night.

I thought I would be able to wake up. Make some coffee. Eat something. Sit at the computer and wait for coffee. Get coffee and stir in this weed stirring stick thingy. Check all the things I usually check before I get things going. You know ease into the day.

I thought I’d have enough passion to write a provocative introduction with jokes about aliens, assassinations or some big event that would lead me to bite my tongue if it turned out to come true. After that, I figured I’d be settled in just in time to hear the speeches.

Nope.

I had to set my alarm for 8:00 in the AM which is never an inspiring activity to me. I ended up staying up extra late last night freeing myself of all my obligations for the day. I slept real well, too well, because when the alarm went off I looked up to see the most American graphic that I’ve ever seen. I felt like a news graphic from the movie Idiocracy which I’m sure is a reference that will burn out quickly. It was too much reality for me to take so I fell back to sleep.

This was one of those bouncy sleeps where you jump between dreams and reality as you can’t keep your eyes open but don’t want to go back to sleep. I bounced through the Trump where the only thing that stood out was he yelled something about God. Keep in mind, I’m not even on drugs yet, but that changes real soon.

The news seemed very boring at this time, as I woke feeling uninspired I thought this whole thing was going to be a big underwhelming mistake, so I took a gummy edible and made my way to the store. I need to get my steps in for the day as well as a couple other supplies.

I have a lifetime member to Sirius to I went to their FOX News station and listened while I walked. It’s a crappy rainy day down here in San Diego but I lived in Seattle so, it was a nice touch for the day. The news seemed consistent there didn’t seem to be anything all that controversial going on, which again, led me to question this day.

Then I sat down to write this intro, the edibles I’d eaten earlier were slowly setting in. First, there was a guy on the TV analyzing the president’s speech. I was half listening as I was writing the words above, but if felt like the speaker building up to something as he would say things like, “New World,” or, “Old World Order,” getting me to the edge of my seat until he finally says, “A NEW WORLD ORDER.” Keep in mind I’m a little high so the dramatics might be exaggerated but that is what happened.

Next, they cut to a guy in a four block section in DC where there is protesting going on. There is one news reporter that seems scared shitless standing in the middle of all of this as pressure bombs are going off all around him. It looks like a war zone as the flashes from the bombs seem extremely close to the people. The reporter is rushing through his stuff but will not leave until his air time is done as if he’s trying to prove to the older kids that he’s not afraid.

After those two segment, I feel much more confident in how today will turn out.

***NOTE: From here on I will be going live. I will be checking in at least once an hour as I journal my surreal adventure on a very surreal day.***

12:00 in the pm: Read the intro above.

12:34 in the pm:    I have a fan that is always on as white noise, I just turned it off and everything became twice as surreal. It’s almost like having high definition sound once you take away the self-imposed sound distortion.

12:55 in the pm: They got a late start. That means some time traveler stepped in to save Trump from the incident so apparently, this is all supposed to happen you know, because we’re supposed to be better people in the future and if a time traveler could save the day... just saying.  

1:07 in the pm: This really does feel like its building up to something, keeping in mind I’m high, but they just talked for about five minutes about how everyone has a camera nowadays. As if, if something does go down there will be tons of evidence so we’ll have to believe what we see. I’m aware this is the story writer in me but it is something I see.

1:10 in the pm: Cut from comment above to tons of people booing the president as he drives by. Now I feel like I’m in a cheap action movie as the booing crowd can to nothing but gear as the men in nice suits aggressively stomp down the street. We need Johnny Die Hard or David the Last Boy Scout to step in and save the day.

1:14 in the pm: They are now walking, closer to the destination obviously a more selected crowd to add contrast to the angry mob at the beginning of the scene. “Oh, these guys think he’s good, but we all know he’s bad.

1:25 in the pm: Someone in the crowd made a trumpet noise that felt like it was just for me. There was a wide shot of the crowd when the trumpet noise came in loud and clear as if it were directly on Mic. That got a chuckle out of me.

1:38 in the pm: An interesting addition to the surrealness of the day. As I said, I’m in San Diego where the weather is supposed to be perfect, only it’s so gross outside I have to shut the door. This blocks my only sliver of my view to the outside world. My only connection to the world right now is FOX News on TV.

1:44 in the pm: I need to trim my facial hair before I go nuts.

1:45 in the pm: Again they point out, “Everyone has a cellphone.”

1:46 in the pm: Went to shave, grabbed an energy drink, returned, remembered that I didn’t want an energy drink, remembered that I wanted to shave, shaved, returned and finished my drink.

1:47 in the pm: Time for some edible espresso beans!!!      

2:00 in the pm: Had a funny thought about when this moment in history and has become nostalgic enough to openly discuss how out-of-it we actually were. Where past protesting generation came up with great music and art, all we get is this…     

and I feel fine.

2:15 in the pm: I guess I should note when I pace around the room to fit in my Fitbit steps. Did five hundred steps. The news is weird when they just let the nature sound play minus any commentary. Sometimes it adds an ominous feel to the day.

2:25 in the pm: I should slow down on these espresso beans because it says to wait two hours for them to kick in and I have a bunch of them.

2:26 in the pm: Losing satellite signal because of the rain.

2:35 in the pm: I stumbled upon this game which is very fitting for the surreal tone of the day.

2:40 in the pm: Satellite is out again.

2:42 in the pm: This old guy anchor rambled through some joke only to be called out by one of the other hosts as she pretty much said, what the fuck are you talking about… Thank you lady host!!!

3:00 in the pm: Holy shit, my phone just went nuts with an emergency warning that I am in a flash flood area until about 6:00 in the pm. It scared the shit out of me because the neighbor’s car alarm went off at the same exact time.

3:10 in the pm: Just knocked out 500 more steps for my Fitbit. The pageantry of this event is nonsense. It’s proof of just how much we hang on to the past, but I have to admit the High School Band playing Yankee Doodle Dandy made for a better soundtrack to my future thinking practice of pacing back and forth in a small space as it put a little pep in my step to the point where I have to admit I danced a little as I virtually continued my virtual hike around Valley Loop. I discovered Half Dome River Bend on this leg of my hike and the band marched on.

3:30 in the pm: For some reason, this is giving me flashbacks to the movie Nashville from 1975 that I watched for the first time just a couple years ago. Again, with no commentary, this feels like an experimental film. Almost too real to understand anymore. Why wouldn’t the TV be telling me what I’m seeing as I see it? Where are the voices? WHERE???????

3:37 in the pm: I wonder how that guy who was getting bombs thrown at him is doing. They really haven’t bothered to check in on that situation in a while.

3:42 in the pm: They keep talking about all the balls Trump still has to go to every report so far has had a very subtle hesitance to their voice before saying balls.

3:49 in the pm: There’s that one guy on FOX News that always reminds me of one of the Muppets from the Genesis video for Land of Confusion.

4:10 in the pm: Fit in 500 more Fitbit steps revealing just how strong these Espresso Beans actually are.

4:20 in the pm: Oh no, 420 hits and there’s a guy on the NEWS talking about how Trump was mentioned in the bible. The guy said that conservative Christian were the last speed boat instead of speed bump. Haha.

4:24 in the pm: Satellite when out again. I keep expecting it to come back to chaos making it so I missed the big event as it originally aired. Again, I’m trying to tap into the paranoia being thrown around no matter what direction you turn.

4:33 in the pm: It’s pretty ridiculous that this guy is saying that Democrats need to play along. That said, if you’re talking negotiation over giving in it would be better to do what your enemies couldn’t by just dragging their feet.

4:47 in the pm: Kind of amazed that they are not glorifying the protests at all. They’re making it seem like there is no protesting at all and for all, I know at this time it’s pretty true. Interesting to have this as my only source of news I will stop checking social media and news sites to see how this shapes my view of the events vs what I read tomorrow when all is said and done.

4:52 in the pm: Balls seem to be rolling off the reporter’s tongues now that they’ve said it a thousand times.

5:05 in the pm: Walked off 600 Fitbit steps, holy shit I’m high.

5:20 in the pm: O’Reilly just referred to protesters as “Anti-American People.”

5:43 in the pm: I’m bored for the first time today and I blame O’Reilly.

5:50 in the pm: I don’t know if it’s just how much Saturday Night Live I’ve been watching lately but everything seems like a parody especially these ads for an addiction specialist.

5:52 in the pm: More ball talk. Tucker Carlson actual makes a blue ball joke so you know they love it.

5:56 in the pm: They’re playing both sides of the field showing clips of protest activity saying that the people on the left are now the violent ones but then right away used the fact that it was a pretty calm day as a way to say people are accepting this.   

6:00 in the pm: Ate extra special chocolates.

7:42 in the pm: Just woke from a nap going to take a while to get my energy back.

7:47 in the pm: Why is the limo driver from Back to School yapping about Trump?

7:50 in the pm: The Trump backdrop looks like boobs.

7:56 in the pm: Just had one of those cliché movie moments where my sister texted me a question that I answered with a simple jab at our mom, to have her reply back, “I know right,” how surreal is that?

8:11 in the pm: I swear to God there are Muppets screaming in the crowd.

8:13 in the pm: The president comes out with his wife guy right on mic yells, “Now, that’s a good looking couple!!!!” This is not reality!!!!

8:16 in the pm: I don’t know how fully these have set in but I haven’t felt this relaxed in a long time HOLY SHIT IT IS THE END WE ARE WATCHING OLD PEOPLE AT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DANCE. It feels like all they have to do is add closing credits and it would like the end of SNL… Now what’s this shit with the sword. OH MY GOD, WE ARE BIZARE…Geraldo reminds me that I’m glad I shaved my mustache… typing is hard… moving to the couch… see you later… internet is out???

***NOTE: Back to current me about to publish this post.***

Well, even though last night didn't turn into the crazy internal adventure that I was hoping for it was pretty fun to give it a go. The most interesting I noticed is how FOX News actually left me feeling optimistic. I chose them specifically because I find the way they glamorize world events to be the most polished and over the top. 

Not this time.

According to FOX, all was right in the world and having that as my only window to the world led me to understand how persuasive the media could be. Even the reported with the bombs going off near his head who seem scared shitless was selling the story that all was calm in the world. 

The thing is, this really worked because after FOX cycled through the same four hours of coverage for the third time I started to switch around to the liberal channel and it turns out, this is where I should have gone for the doom and gloom. I wasn't on CNN for more than a minute before there was nothing but talk of war and Russia. 

It's interesting how quickly the propaganda techniques flip the moment there's a change in the power structure. I've pointed out in the past how FOX New always had a lot of red on the screen when covering the president while the other pro-Obama stations would use blue. Last night I noticed that there were various balls where the president and first lady would dance, some were lit with red lights and some were lit with blue, this time FOX would use the blue coverage while the other station would use the red.

There were a couple other subtleties like this that can only be highlighted by drugs but that all that I managed to not.

Sorry for the scattered thoughts. Tomorrow I'll be back with your regular scheduled programming.

Talk to you then,

The Wicker Breaker