lampshade

perusing huffpost.

clicked, clicked, clicked away and came upon Life.com.

found this.
sick strange world.

?Ellroy numero cinco...o es de seis?

nonetheless, the lil' guy's growing. inch by inch, day by day. a dachshund shnoz ; a long lean torso; stubs for feet; and an omnipresent tail -- waging @ hyper-speed. tad rambunctious as of late -- SOP for pooch's packing pint-sized prairie oysters, ya dig?

memory trigger

i was up near the front, walking through a palm grove near the tigris.

or maybe it was the euphrates.

high on the banks, above the flood zone.

with reeds and brown dirty water floating past.

few jarheads peeing.

taking a piss in the tigris so as to create fond memories, i suppose.

and up on the banks, this house, these little old ladies, and a small contingent of Marines were taking cover as artillery impacted all around.

it's an old story.

told many times before -- even in this blog, i believe -- years ago.

nevertheless, despite the little old ladies crying and sitting and looking up with their jack-o-latern smiles, i forgot an essential detail.

frogs.

frogs and dogs.

this house -- more like a compound, had a large pond that flowed down to the river.

down, down into the murky brown.

everyone knew their part.

Marines clearing the house.

little old ladies crying.

artillery whirring above.

i took a moment.

minute or two.

to bend down, look, and see these weird looking frogs.

big flat heads and grayish-green.

kinda like kermit.

a war-torn kermit, with black pin-head eyes and --

BAM!

a shot rang out.

and this dog -- your prototypical Iraq mutt, went skidding across a walkway -- wounded.

wounded and yelping like dogs so often do.

hauled ass across the grove, never to be seen again.

nobody cared.

me neither -- last of my worries in the march of 2003.

but later that week, or day, or month -- i dunno, things seemed to have blurred in these seven years -- but later, another shot rang out.

BAM!

i didn't see it. just barely heard it.

but another mutt got shot.

hell if i remember who the shooter was -- for some reason i keep thinking it was a zero.

some squid getting his licks in.

my master gunnery sgt. -- a damn good man -- told me a dog got it.

a dirty dead dog.

i was pissed.

but then again, i was always pissed.

anyways, we stopped on the outskirts of Baghdad, near a nice little house -- a Christian house, with crucifixes and Michael Jackson posters -- this kid; this Marine; this peasant with an M-16; heaved his boot into a pup's gut.

i mean -- didn't this guy read books or watch movies?

who the fuck kicks a pup during a war?

the bad guys...

weird.

seen alota dead people thus far.

dead and blown to shit.

hair and teeth and ears where they ain't supposed to be.

i checked this kid; this Marine; this peasant with a M-16; against our Hummer.

his face was gonna meet my fist.

but our Lt. -- one of the good guys -- interceded.

fist did not meet face.

i had forgot.

forgot about that entire incident -- until today.

a random conversation with Annika -- and i remembered.

a memory trigger, i guess.

and i wonder.

i wonder if i survive to be old n' gray.

wrinkled.

with my sword cane and comfortable shoes.

an old lady by my side.

and Sgt. Mandia -- just a few faded photos hidden away between the pages of Walden.

talking viagra and adult diapers.

i wonder...

will it happen again?

Still Questions About Ronni Chasen Murder

Still Questions About Ronni Chasen Murder

now this is interesting...

ellroy et annabel en action

ellroy and annabel in the heat of battle.

no really, they actually love each other.

really...

if you zoom in on ellroy, he looks a bit...possessed by the devil.

WikiLeaks founder Assange has encrypted Guantanamo documents, will release them if arrested - NYPOST.com

for some reason i feel manipulated...by both sides

WikiLeaks founder Assange has encrypted Guantanamo documents, will release them if arrested - NYPOST.com

as the rain poured

we went below deck and hunted ghosts on the Queen Mary.

luckily, we only found one another...

first blood

he had a penchant for gnawing on surplus MREs and dropping deuces on fine linen.

and that baby butt soft wool.

a mouse -- mus musculus

disease spreading house mouse.

with little yellowed teeth and fleas.

and it was slain today.

Ellroy -- my boy -- done got some.

a confirmed kill.

(lets hope dogs don't get PTSD...)

hunting wabbit

up in victorville, cotton tails and jack rabbits abound.

and it sure made Ellroy's day...