the lehman house [12]

Monday. I worked 6-2:00 with Tim instead of Willy (her daughter went to court for something). Genna came over, and we watched episodes of "The Office" and "The Land Before TIme" and ate scallops for dinner.

Tuesday. I went to the Hilltop after work, saw Rob & Mandy Hoos, Nate, Sam F. and Sarah G. (not the same as roommate Sarah). She's working with Know Sweat and doing work in Cincinnati for two weeks. Back home I watched TV and lounged around until Sarah got back from Keith's. We made stir-fry and watched a movie and ate popcorn.

Wednesday. I had a soft pretzel for breakfast and watched Gladiator. Jessie called and we talked for a bit. Genna came over around 5:00 bearing the gift of pizza, and we watched "The Office."

Thursday. I worked fourteen hours today: Tim called off sick so I had to work dinner with Nathan. So I served breakfast, lunch, AND dinner today. I got back home around 8:00, picked up cigarettes from The Pit Stop, and went by the Hilltop for an iced caramel macchiato; Nate told me to make it myself. I drank it on the front porch and Sarah and I sat and talked for a long time about the temporary nature of relationships. I was up until 3 AM working on a revised edition of 36 Hours. Genna went to a sushi joint and then to a show with Courtney and their friend Jill. She told me they kept asking me awkward questions, but she wouldn't tell me what they were. Courtney seemed happy for her, approved of me. It's so weird, dating a girl who's good friends with the girl I loved, the one to whom I lost my virginity.

Friday. Genna finished Dwellers of the Night, Book Two and loved it. "I didn't get into it at first, but then I couldn't put it down!" I went to Tri-Health for lunch--a Greek pizza and pasta, of course--and utilized their internet. I went and visited Jessie at Aroma's and got an iced coffee. Genna and I went on a date to Thai Taste. We ran by The Party Source across the river for some alcohol. We spent the night drinking and talking on the front porch. Nate came by after closing on his new house. Hartman was with him and we smoked cloves. Jobst came by, too. Genna wanted to meet the Infamous Jobst. 

Saturday. I woke at six, puked my guts out. "Was the sushi as good on the way up?" I went back to sleep and slept till noon. Jessie and I went to Kroger for groceries. Genna came over, and after a Near Death Experience by Drowning (You know what I'm talking about!), I went and visited Jessie at Aroma's. She went on break and we read a Dr. Seuss ABC book. Kitten Kangaroo Kick a Kettle Kite King's Kerchoo. Weird shit. "He had to be on drugs." I went home and ate pizza for dinner while watching The Office.

Sunday. Five thunderstorms came through last night, and they were beautiful. It was raining when I left for work. I hurt my back something awful and was in pain all evening. When I got home, Sarah gave me a heat blanket for my back and we listened to a Dane Cook CD before bed.

Dwellers of the Night: The Complete Collection

The disease comes suddenly, without warning and without mercy. It is an airborne germ that enters the human system through the respiratory tract. Through the capillaries of the lungs it enters the bloodstream, immediately assaulting the brain. Its presence in the human body is marked by bleeding through the capillaries in the face; the capillaries rupture, causing bleeding through the nose, eyes, and ears. In the brain, the germ attacks and destroys the cortex; and in the process, the victim becomes ridden with dementia and hysteria before slipping into a deep coma. Over a period of three days, the germ exponentially replicates in the brain, gaining the power and prominence to stimulate the brainstem. The victims emerge out of their comas, but now they are only shells of what they once were: personality, emotions, and thoughts are absent. All that is left is what appears to be a human being, though it is a mindless body, an organism of primal instincts and impulses, driven by an insatiable hunger and a thirst for survival, clinically insane. They are murderous creatures who only come out at night. They are not the “Living Dead”; rather, they are, simply, sick humans—sick beyond deliverance.

This book brings together into one volume the entire “Dwellers of the Night Trilogy.” Book One details the arrival of the disease and the effects of the plague. It follows “The Man” in his struggle to survive both physically and emotionally. It is, above all, a story of tragedy, hope, and love. Book Two follows the story of “The Man” and his companion, Mark, and their inauguration into a survivor’s community on the eastern side of the city. The story progresses through the next several months and into the spring, diving into the lives of the men and women whom they meet and befriend. Book Three follows the journey of several men and women towards the fleeting promise of a safe haven to the west. Their journey will be met with tragedy, despair, and—above all—hope.

It's available HERE.

the lehman house [11]

Highlands Cafe

Monday. Genna and I are still officially together, though we both know it's coming to a close. She told me she'd hate God if I broke up with her. Sooo over it. I worked 6-2:00, had lots of time to chew over everything with her. We don't click. She irritates and annoys me. I can't handle her drama and unchecked emotions. It's who she is, and I can't be with someone like that. "I'm a God Damned catch and fuck you if you don't see that!" she snarled. Well: some people like flounder and others like tilapia; both are good catches for somebody, but not for everybody. I was happier being single; that doesn't bode well.

Tuesday. I worked 6-2:00, napped till 6:00 and felt groggy all evening. The belt on Willy's car broke, so I'm ferrying her to work on Thursday. Ams made tuna helper for dinner. Genna's reading Dwellers of the Night, Book One. "I can't put it down. I love it!" Jessie, Ams and I went to Highlands Cafe and over cigarettes and liquor--Amoretto, Kahlua, and Irish Cream--we reminesced on the "Old Days," and especially on our Thai friend, whom we miss.

Wednesday. Genna finished Dwellers of the Night, absolutely LOVED it. Her brother-in-law, an English professor, really wants to read it. 

Thursday. I worked 6:30-2:00. After work I went to the Hilltop and hung out with Nate for a while. Jobst showed up from a meeting on Fountain Square, and we went to my place and smoked cigars. Nate came by around 10:30. He's always playfully (and jokingly) begging Sarah and Amanda to get naked. "If you guys ever did," he said, "I'd call you whores and leave."

Friday. I headed to Dayton to see the new Harry Potter movie with Mom and Amanda. It was all right. I returned to Cincinnati and hung out with Sarah for a bit, and then Jobst took me to dinner at La'Rosas in Clifton. I drove, of course, and after dropping him off at the Mad Frog for a show with Isaac, I hurried home and watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Sarah went to Keith's, came back sobbing. Another jackass story. She sat there and cried and I tried to comfort her but apparently the only comfort she needed was Keith's arms so she headed back over there around 1 AM. I shrugged and went to bed. Ams is in Dayton for the next week watching Tanner.

Saturday. I went grocery shopping before Genna came over at 3:00. It was good to see her, we haven't had much drama over the last few days. We got ice cream at Jessie's workplace on Bridgetown and spent the night watching episodes of "The Office."

Sunday. I worked 10-7:30. When I got back home I cleaned around the house and watched "The Office" while smoking Menthol cigarettes Genna left here last night. 

jessie works at an aquarium!

I have found that I really miss making blog posts, and because I don’t have internet at the house (last week’s post was written in Dayton, this one at the Hilltop Café, which is abandoned, mind you), I am going to write a blog post every day, save it to my computer, and then upload them all at once sometime during the week. So why not start with today?

My boss’ car broke down, so I’ve been taking her to work and back for half the week. The water pump is broken and the belt snapped. She lives in the apartments right behind my house, so I picked her up at 5:30 and we made the hour-drive to Camp Whip-Poor-Will. We worked eight hours, preparing breakfast and lunch. Breakfast was continental today: donuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls, granola bars, pop-tarts, cereal (you get the idea). We made an hour-long trip to GFS to buy some food for breakfast and lunch tomorrow, then returned just in time to fix lunch—cold cut sandwiches, applesauce, and potato chips—for the 100 campers. We left around 2:00, and I took her home and then curled into my bed and turned on the air conditioner and closed my eyes and fell instantly asleep. During my sleep I dreamt that my best friend Jessie worked at an aquarium and swam with dolphins, and I went to visit her and she let me feed the dolphins. And then she got yelled at for letting me feed the dolphins and almost got fired. It was a good dream. My girlfriend Genna called me while I was napping but I missed the call. Right now I’m sitting at the Hilltop Café considering whether or not to spend money on a latte, and my friend Jobst is taking the bus over here and we’re going to smoke some cigars on the front porch and just talk about life. I have tomorrow and Saturday off; tomorrow I will be seeing the new “Harry Potter” movie with Mom in Dayton, then returning to Cincinnati to visit Jessie at her ice cream parlor.

the lehman house [10]

Rachel, Sarah, and Ams at The Hoff

Monday. I worked 6-2:00, and afterwards Genna came over. We napped until about 6:00 and then made tuna for dinner. She's obsessed with tuna. She left around 8:30. As I was crawling into bed Kyle came by. We sat on the front porch and talked for about twenty minutes, good times.

Tuesday. Another 6-2:00 shift, followed by a wonderful nap. Genna came over, and we went on a drive to Eden Park, swung by the ballpark stadiums, drove past her high school, Mercy. Courtney went there, too. Back at the house we watched Little Miss Sunshine and went to bed.

Wednesday. A day off work! I spent the day writing and watched 28 Weeks Later.Genna and I got into a big fight. I'm not a fan of how much she drinks, and she flipped out. She said she won't change who she is for me. She's mad that I "waited so long" to bring it up. We've only known each other three weeks! She threatened to kill herself if I broke up with her, said she needed to know if I wanted to marry her. "We've only known each other for less than a month," I told her; "It's unfair of you to expect me to know that." She calmed down, eventually, and apologized. But threatening to kill herself? That's madness. "Manipulation," Sarah says. Even if she was honest, why would she say that? I was suicidal for a while after losing Courtney, but I didn't tell her. That would've been cruel.

Thursday. Work went by quickly. It's really not a bad job at all. The commute is what sucks: an hour all the way pasty King's Island by fifteen miles. I had a headache when I got home around 2:30, so I slept until 6:00. I met up with Genna at her place, and we went to Cancun Mexico off Glenway. Several of Genna's friends joined us, and we ended up going to the Hoffbrough House in Newport for beer and chicken dancing. 

Sarah's 27th Birthday. I woke at 9 AM, cashed my check, and ran errands: Cut-Rate Tobacco in Western Hills, Barnes & Noble near Kenwood, and then I grabbed lunch at Tri-Health while visiting Sarah for her birthday. I got a Greek pizza and some pasta. Her mom showed up and we talked for a bit. Jessie and I went to Target, then chilled at her place for a bit. Genna invited me to a family gathering, but I had lots to do around the house, and since Mom and Grandma were coming by the house, and also since I'd see her later tonight, I said, "I can't make it." She flipped out again, said she'd cut herself in the shower if I didn't come. WTF?! When Mom and Grandma arrived, I told Mom about it, and she was shocked. Sarah's cousin Rachel came over, and when Sarah got back from work, they headed to the Hoffbrough House. Mom and Grandma left, and Genna came over and we talked about the things she's been saying. Tears filled her eyes: "Do you really not want to be with me?" I told her I was trying to figure it out. She calmed down, and we joined the others in Newport. We smoked cigarettes, drank beers. I took lots of pics and we took lots of shots. I had bourbon, a "Black & Blue," a shot of tequila with salt and lime, and "Sex with an Alligator." We all got drunk, except for Ams and Genna (surprisingly). Genna and I walked around Newport in the dead of night and awash in the glow of the streetlights and neon signs. We walked by the aquarium and across the People Purle Bridge, chatting theology and Catholocism. We went back to the house and had a few shots of rum. A stray cat joined us on the front porch. Sarah, Rachel and Ams returned later in the wee hours of the morning; Rachel couldn't stop puking. Genna left, and I crawled into bed and fell asleep to the sounds of Rachel dry heaving in the bathroom.

Saturday. I dreamt about her again last night: Mandy K. I woke realizing things with Genna wouldn't work out. I ran into Professor Dyke on the way home from Kroger. I went to Kyle's to get some books, hung out with him and Karen R. and Annie Pants (Ladybug and Budward died). We talked about work and JBM and Genna. I went by Kroger, saw Jobst and Emily. When I got home, Mykaela was at the house. We watched episodes of "The Office" and dined on pizza. Work starts up again tomorrow with my pizza-slinging 10-7:30.

Sunday. Genna and I got into another big fight. It came out of nowhere, and I'd had enough. She begged me for another chance, but giving her that chance when I know it won't work out would be cruel. She got REALLY upset, and I don't blame her. She started cussing me out and insulting me. It's understandable. I talked to Dad about it. "Do you like her more or as much as you liked Courtney?" I told him No. "Do you see it working out in the long run?" Again, No. "Then you shouldn't be with her." He's right. Mom said, "She's fallen in love with the idea of a relationship, not with you." Honestly, I just want to be done with this. 

this one is for you, Mandy

Summer is halfway over, and that it borderline unbelievable. I’m actually enjoying my job; my friends who had worked at the camp before—Jobst and Sarah, namely—hated it and warned me against it. Now that I’ve gotten into the groove of things, however, I’m actually content to go to work for eight hours a day. Maybe it is simply that the last full-time summer job I had was moving boxes from trucks into school buildings; this certainly beats that, because it is air conditioned, not monotonous at all, and we get all the free food we want! But I only have three more weeks left, and then I’ll be done till the 15^th of August. I’m hoping to be able to work some hours at the coffee shop during early week, because finances are going to be unbelievably tight come next month.

Dad asked me if I knew what I wanted to do when I graduate this December. “Nope.” I’ll have a degree in biblical studies, and right now I’m looking at going into social work or trying to find a ministry job around Cincinnati (they are ridiculously hard to come by, especially for someone with a resume as unimpressive as mine). I may or may not go onto Grad school. I really want to, but it may be financially undoable. I need to get my resume together and start sending it out; they say you’re supposed to do it five months in advance of getting a job.

Dad also asked me if I still write. Having finished Dwellers of the Night several months ago, I’ve been itching more and more to write. But I don’t have any good, solid, concrete ideas. I’ve been rewriting a book I wrote in 2005 called The Sons of Mars. It is a pretty involved story, mostly action, revolving around the Roman Republic and fictional wars against the Gauls. It’s not really the kind of writing I want to do, but it helps. I am like a man craving a cigarette but smoking only stubs. I want the real thing but I can’t really grasp it, at least not yet.

Anyways. My cell phone is ringing. And it’s already 9:00 and I need to take some Nyquil and go to bed. I have to get up at 5:00 tomorrow for work.

That’s an update on my life, Mandy.

I miss you.

the lehman house [9]

the view from the front porch

Monday. I spent the day hanging around the house, working on Dwellers of the Night and reading 1 Corinthians. Exciting, yep!

Tuesday. Dylan came down to visit: we ate lunch at Skyline Chili on Warsaw and then went to Barnes & Noble at Newport and saw "The Hangover" at AMC. We went back to the house and fixed pork loins, rice, and corn paired with Strongbow Cider from The Party Source. We finished off the night watching "Donnie Darko" and sharing great conversation before passing out in my room.

Wednesday. Dylan & I went to The Anchor for breakfast, and then he headed back to Centerville. Genna came over, and I spent the day helping her move out of her apartment and into her parent's house in Western Hills. "My dad likes you!" she said. We went back to my place around 10:00 and hung out for a couple hours. Her mom yelled at her for coming home after midnight.

Thursday. I woke at 3:17 AM, smoked a cigarette, and went back to bed. I ran by the Aldi's in Delhi for grocery. When I got back Ams and Sarah were doing pilates in the living room. I fixed lunch, ran to Kroger, and napped when Ams and Sarah went to the Art Museum. Sarah had a bunch of people over, about a dozen. They all got shit-faced drunk. Jessie, Ams and I chilled in my room the entire time. 

Friday. Genna came over, and we sat on the front porch smoking cigarettes and drinking rum. We spent the day lounging around, and come darkness she lit candles in my room, read me a poem and a letter she wrote, and asked me to be her boyfriend. I didn't want to move this fast, but how do you say No after such an elaborate ceremony? So I said, "Yes," and we cuddled and kissed and talked until 4 AM.

Independence Day. I ran rent money to the landlord Justin's place over in Hyde Park, then went over to Genna's parent's for a 4th of July party. I met her grandparents, two sisters, and her nephew and niece. I got home around 10:00, fireworks going off everywhere, the streets thick with smoke. It rained all day.

Sunday. I hate Sundays because I work 10-7:30, such a droll shift. And I loathe making pizzas. Genna asked Courtney if she cared that we were dating. She said, "Not at all. He's a great guy. I really wish we would've worked out differently and remained friends." I feel awful about calling her foul names in the past. Wounded hearts taint how we see others. Genna is hanging out with Courtney on Tuesday and wants me to come. Umm, no thanks.