A Splintered Mind

Through My Drinking Glass Originally uploaded by Darkstream . Sometimes I just need to get out of the apartment to get work done. That may find me sitting in a parking lot somewhere working on my MacBook at 2am, or, as in this example, hanging out at an all-night restaurant. The IHOP “ambience” was probably nicer than other places I've been in, but the patrons at night tend to be coarser and far more inebriated than daytime customers. Moments after taking this picture I was treated to Punch & Judy. They started off sweet enough, but suddenly he was mouthing off over and over again at the top of his emotionally sensitive lungs about how he didn't give a copulating pair of rodents about her past life. She laughed. Then pressed on. She wanted to discuss what she learned from her relationship with her ex-husband and he just wanted to eat. Truly it was a relationship destined for greatness. With luck she will never date him again. I didn't get much done until they l...

Bounderies of Shadow Originally uploaded by Darkstream . I shouldn't being seeing this. I shouldn't be shambling about the nocturnal landscape. There needs to be something wrong with standing on a main street and taking photographs without worry of being hit. Yet there I am. Years ago I would waste the wee hours of the morning away playing import Japanese video games. "Hey," I reasoned. "I'm already up!" I would explore those virtual worlds all night and into the morning. But honestly, there was so much more I could have been doing—so many more creative things that could be brought to life with my time. Then again, sometimes I'm just restless.

It seems there’s been nothing but illness, sickness, ailment, infirmity, and infection in our home lately. On top of that my teenage daughters are doing their best to give me a heart attack with boys, friends, and clothing. I’ve tried explaining to them they may want to wait for me to get published before driving me to my grave, or at least until I have a beefy life insurance policy. I’d be worth more to them then, but you know teenagers. There is no time for adult advice. Mostly, my life has been bouncing from bronchitis to ticking and back again until my body is so confused that every time I tic I need a cough drop. Honestly, what is there in my life that is interesting to write about? Or even tweet about? It’s Dullsville on mothballs over here.

Bamboo & Shadow Originally uploaded by Darkstream . Up late. Listening to the ethereal trance sounds of Above & Beyond's Tri-state . But not sleeping.

This article was originally published at dadomatic.com . I have a seven year old with learning disabilities. She’s a cute kid, and I love her tons, but she has a small problem that challenges me on a daily basis: She’s mentally a five year old with the reach and appetite of a seven year old. Case in point, I have sugar cubes I like to add to my tea. No matter where I store them, she’ll invariably find them and eat them—every single one. At this point, I may never drink tea again. It’s quite difficult to get out the ladder and climb to the eaves where I’m currently hiding them. Yesterday, she was on the prowl for some cookies my wife had picked up. When I told my girl that not only had I hid the cookies, but that she couldn’t have them until after dinner, I was met with a classic tempersulktrum. First her spine seemed to liquify as her body collapsed in upon itself while she simultaneously threw her arms upwards. Then they came down in a masterfully timed descent with the crumpling of...