On the evening of Friday 23 April 2004 (more than a decade before I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease), a few friends and I got together at our friend Ken’s new house in Boulder, Colorado. (Ken took most of the pictures that are in this … Continue reading Broken Cedric
New fiction (© 2022 by Cedric Williams) :
(for part one of this story, click here)
Upon his arrest for possession of controlled substances, Elvin was transported to the City of Denver Municipal Dungeon. Whenever other prisoners asked him what he was in for, Elvin explained the Grand Experiment, and his small part in it. Many of the prisoners were inspired by the idea of the Grand Experiment and offered to help in its execution, once they had done their time in the dungeon, of course. A multitude of them wrote letters explaining the Grand Experiment to friends and family on the outside. Word spread quickly, and soon there were hundreds of Coloradans looking to play their own small role in the implementation of Phase One.
With each concert booked at the Denver Coliseum, the number of Microbus-based substance disseminators grew. Meanwhile, Elvin’s lawyer succeeded in getting the charges against him thrown out. Since the arresting officer had himself commanded Elvin to control the substances, this was a clear-cut case of entrapment. With this verdict, the devotees of the Grand Experiment (or Elvinists, as they came to be known) realized they could not be imprisoned for carrying out Phase One, so long as they made no attempt to control their substances. As a result, the number of Microbus-based substance disseminators skyrocketed. Concertgoers could no longer get to the concerts, as all the area roads were completely clogged with Microbuses. Over time, the would-be concertgoers became furious, to the point of carrying out violent attacks against many a Microbus. In an attempt to avoid these attacks, some Elvinists began driving to the Coliseum in Volkswagen Passats, Rabbits, and even a Golf.
By now, it had become clear to the Supreme Allied Commander of Denver that something had to be done. Accordingly, the Supreme Allied Commander issued a decree making it illegal to get within three miles of the Denver Coliseum in a Volkswagen. Absurdly, this worked. Almost as soon as police began jailing folks for violating the No VW Zone, the number of people who identified as Elvinists began to decline. Within a few months, the Grand Experiment was nothing more than a memory – a passing fad with no more significance than Rainbow Brite or the Hair Bear Bunch. But the No VW Zone law remained on the books…
End of part two
(click here for the end)
Today on ThrowBack Thursday, we return to an area I am quite fond of: western Colorado. On my previous visit to this area, I was focused on Colorado National Monument. This time I went further south and not quite as far west, with the main … Continue reading Western Colorado (July 2019)
Enjoy some new fiction (© 2022 by Cedric Williams) :
Elvin was awake before Dawn. This was not surprising since Dawn had taken a horse tranquilizer before hitting the hay. In any event (except the Volkswagen Sign Then Drive Event), Elvin was grateful for the opportunity to load up the Microbus and hit the road without Dawn’s interference. You see, Dawn disapproved of the Grand Experiment, though she clearly understood how much of his heart and spleen Elvin had put into it. She saw nothing wrong with the Grand Experiment itself, as designed. But she knew Elvin, and she was certain he would screw it up somehow. It was simply too big a job for a run-of-the-mill ham salad chef like Elvin.
“I’ll show her,” Elvin mumbled to himself as he parked the Microbus in front of the Denver Coliseum. “I’ll show ’em all. I’ll show ’em all my toenail fungus, and it’ll make ’em PUKE!”
Elvin proceeded to unload his Volkswagen Microbus in preparation for the crowd that would be arriving in a few hours. The Denver Coliseum was to host a concert that night, by the band known as Korn. The opening act was peas. Not a band called Peas; just a freakin’ can of peas. Phase One of the Grand Experiment called for Elvin to distribute uncontrolled substances to curious concertgoers. He was just about to begin doing so, when a police officer walked up and scrutinized Elvin’s carefully arranged display.
“So,” said the cop, “what have we here?”
“A simple vending kiosk, sir,” Elvin replied. “I sell substances to consumers.”
“Well it looks dangerous to me,” the officer opined. “It looks to me like your substances are completely out of control. I’m giving you 10 minutes to corral those suckers.” With that, the officer walked away from the Microbus, and headed for a nearby Korn dog stand.
Elvin gently cooed to the substances for several minutes, gradually calming them, until at last their behavior was under control. So when the police officer returned, Elvin was immediately and very predictably arrested on a charge of “possession of controlled substances”.
End of Part One
(click here for part two)
And now, the conclusion of a journey that started here. I used to work with a feller who had lived in St. Louis for some years, and I remembered him raving about the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), so I decided to check it out as … Continue reading Missouri, part three (June 2018)
Once upon a time, way back in the 1990’s, my college roommates and I were watching Jeopardy together. One of them came up with the brilliant idea that I, Cedric, should try to become a Jeopardy contestant. Not to win money, but to act the … Continue reading This Is (Not) Jeopardy!
It’s that time of the week! Throwback Thursday – when I finally get around to sharing photos from not-too-recent trips. This week it’s part 2 of my June 2018 trip to Missouri (here’s a link to part one, in case you missed last week). Part … Continue reading Missouri, part two (June 2018)
I’m not a normal tourist. (I’m not a normal ANYTHING, but humor me here.) Most tourists bring home souvenirs from their travels. Not me. I normally just take pictures and blog about my experiences. I haven’t purchased a souvenir since I got that “South Dakota … Continue reading My Favorite Souvenir
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, ThrowBack Thursdays have returned! This week, we wander back to June of 2018, when I had a most excellent vacation in Missouri. Many of my east coast acquaintances asked me at the time why anyone would want to spend … Continue reading Missouri, part one (June 2018)
The Florida trip that I just completed was to be the “proof of concept” for this here Parkinson’s / Travel Blog. So, has the concept been proven? Some reflections:
My insomnia provided me with plenty of time to do my blogging during the early morning hours. And for the first few days, I did just that. After those first few days, I never felt like writing during the wee-soaked hours. I just kept coming up with one excuse after another – couldn’t type due to tremors, needed to plan the coming day’s activity in more detail (e.g., learn the names and details of each roller coaster at the park I’d be visiting), etc. And even when I did get around to writing, it seems I had less and less to say as the trip progressed. My post for Day One was huge (887 words), and I had a couple more topics that I could have written about but chose to leave out. My write-ups for the last three days of the trip were much less verbose (averaging 225 words per day).
Ultimately, I got some likes and some comments that indicated there were people actually reading this stuff as I posted it, so I think I’ll keep at it. My next trip is not much more than a month away, when I will be in east Texas. In the meantime, ThrowBack Thursdays will resume. Next stop: Missouri in June, 2018.
Voyages with Parkinson's 