Doing my part to make sure that the #blink182 fans get to see the “Wishing Well” video early! Keep that hashtag going!
Morose
The hour was growing late as I stepped through my front door
My long day at work and the bus ride home
Had put me in a mood which was somewhat sombre.
This mood was reflected in my home as the warm summer sun faded
Long shadows cast across my lounge room floor.
I carelessly tossed my bag onto the dining room table
As I made a hopeless expedition to the fridge
Searching
For something that would resemble dinner.
Met only with bottles of expired milk
Limp grey vegetables
And an aroma that went a long way to quell my desire for eating.
A can of soup did little to improve my black mood
Even less to appease my appetite
Unsated
I retired to my armchair to lift my spirits
With a moment of reading, something light and humorous
A dusty satin steel lamp
Did little to break the spell of the setting sun
The room thrust into deep shadows
De-Saturated of all colour.
Apprehension
Darkness
The sun had set, the hour was late
The lull of the warm sun through my window tricking me into sleep
Now, all about was cold, as was every night.
I stood from my chair, my book which had been resting in my lap
Like a sleeping cat, gave me a fright as it fell to the ground
My hairs stood on end as its plaintive thud broke the stifling silence
My front door stood ajar,
Left this way by Natalie, as she left it every night
Outside the warm summer air
And scent of the Port Wine Magnolia beckoned me
I closed my door to their sirens song
The chill and smell of must enveloping me.
Alone?
At the end of my long corridor
A light
Flickering.
From elsewhere
the
long
drawn out
sound
of a cats mewl.
A sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as its mournful sound seemed to inspire dread.
Alone?
My now shaking hand reached tentatively, caressing the wall
Searching..
The hallway light switch.
An inspiring click followed by hopeful illumination as the globe sprang to life.
Its sudden brilliance hurting my eyes.
A whining noise filled the air, the globe glowing more and more intense.
A sharp crack and darkness as the globe exploded
The element fading like the dying embers of a fire.
The light from the end of the hall seeming more inviting yet even more terrifying.
Memories
A fragrance filled the air.
Vanilla
Musk
Sandalwood
Magnolia
…Natalie.
The smell was pleasant,
Soothing
Within moments it became cloying, filling the air
Until it made it hard to think
My head swam and I was hit by a wave of nausea
Steps
Each one like trekking through mud.
Each one a feat to accomplish.
Each one taking me closer to the light from my bedroom
Not a bright inviting light, but a sick pale light
Which seems to ooze from the doorway
Spilling into the gloomy hall like an infection spreads through the body
A whisper from behind me chilled my blood
“Richard”
In the doorway to the kitchen, a shape
Blacker than the blackness that seems to be drawn to it.
I stumbled backwards
Away from the shape
Towards my bedroom
I reached the doorway and the eerie light faded as I crossed the threshold
Slamming the door shut and fastening the lock.
Alone?
Terror
Darkness
I stood in my room,
Shaking violently
Whether it was from fear
Or that the temperature had dropped sharply
I do not know.
A wet heat on my cheeks as tears spilled from my eyes.
I stood
Frozen
Facing the bedroom door, waiting for something –anything, as I do every night
From behind, a weight on my shoulders, the touch of hands so cold it burnt.
My skin crawled as the air filled with the rank odours of things past
Of something long buried
Natalie..
“Why?”
I cannot answer
An explosion of the same sickly light.
The room was illuminated for the briefest of moments.
Blood stained carpet
Blood stained bed
Blood stained knife
Natalie… “Why?”
Alone
I cannot say why
I lay on the floor wracked with tears
Every night I am alone
Every night I wait for the open door
Every night starts and ends the same
Every night…
Natalie.
QIMR links medical condition to proof of human soul. - August 29, 2011 - The Queensland Institute of Medical… http://t.co/znGBGx1
August 29, 2011 - The Queensland Institute of Medical Research released data today that they believe adds credence to the existence of the human soul.
Whilst studying over 700 patients from around the world that have been diagnosed with the rare neuropsychiatric disorder Cotard Delusion, a condition in which people hold a delusional belief that they are dead (either figuratively or literally), scientists made a discovery that they had not expected.
The study, which has been ongoing since October 2008, has discovered that Cotard Delusion, also commonly know as Walking Corpse Syndrome, was much more prevalent in patients that had undergone a near-death experience in their past. While it was initially believed that this disorder was primarily encountered in patience suffering psychoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it is now believed that the condition may be directly related to the trauma created at the time of the near-death experience.
89% of those studied had experienced a near-death experience at some point, be it from cerebral infarction, attempted suicide, near drowning or cardiac arrest. A recent study by Dr. Sam Parnia, shows that, at the time of a near-death experience, patients are “effectively dead”, with their brains shut down and no thoughts or feelings possible for the complex brain activity required for dreaming or hallucinating. This therefore rules out experiences reported by these patients, such as out-of-body experiences, encountering “beings of light’ and the well known ‘tunnel experience’ as simple hallucinations.
According to Parnia, “Arch sceptics will always attack our work. I’m content with that. That’s how science progresses. What is clear is that something profound is happening. The mind – the thing that is ‘you’ – your ‘soul’ if you will - carries on after conventional science says it should have drifted into nothingness.” What is now being suggested is that it is possible, in theory, that people that have suffered a NDE may have indeed ‘crossed over’ with their soul leaving their body, leaving the physical mind with a sense of loss, resulting in a sensation of being disconnected, invisible to a degree to the rest of the world and in more severe cases, Cotard Delusion. A similar study was conducted in 2008 in the UK on 1,500 heart attack patient-survivors. The three year study concluded that people without a heartbeat or brain activity were still capable of visual perceptions.
These near-death experiences are not just bound to modern Christianity either. A study on five ancient civilizations report near-death experiences, and shamanic afterlife ‘journeys’, and regardless of culture-specific differences, all elements of the near-death experience remained the same.
This all ties in to work done by Dr Duncan MacDougall who made weight measurements of patients as they died. His results consistently showed that there was a weigh loss of 21 grams at the time of death. MacDougall attributed the weight loss to the fact that the soul must have some physical weight. He also did studies on animals including mice, sheep and dogs and the results were “uniformly negative” which he attributed to the fact that animals do not possess a human soul.
Studies continue into the existence of the human soul, which could have far reaching effects in the realm of science, and possibly the treatment of what has always been considered a mental disorder, with drugs.
(via hexington)
RT @hexsteph: Great write-up on the ‘gamer’ stereotype by Poster Idol: http://gamerstereotype.wordpress.com/
[video]
Just read this article from “The Telegraph” which talks about addiction therapists having their own Avatars in MMOs like WoW to treat all of out there that apparently have an ‘addiciton’.
Kairos over at “The LOTRO Chronicles” also presents a funny take on the article. Why not take a minute to have a read?
Ayup, that’s right kiddies, its Uni time again (Didn’t we just go on holidays?) and things are looking good so far! I have enrolled in Introduction to Cinematography and Writing For Young People and they both sound really interesting and totally up my alley (I never quite understood this term, as whenever I think of things up alleys they are likely to bring to mind drug deals, graffiti and back door entrances to adult book shops / strip shows) Hmmm.
Also of exciting news is that upon completion of these units, I will have officially finished my ‘first year’ of University studies (though going part time is killing me, so its really my second year).
I have been quite happy with much of the work I have produced over the time I have been here, and have made some great contacts in the process. So, roll on next week - Let the games begin!
Peace!