by George Henry Smith

But 1st, my apartment hunt

I have not written in a few weeks and I don’t like that when that happens. I like to keep some record of my life as it unfolds. Whether it is just taking pictures or writing in my journal everyday. I’ve done neither. But, I have heard when that occurs that things are happening and changing in your life. Maybe that is true. I sure hope so because I feel my life has been a bit stagnant lately. Not that is a bad thing. I guess as I get older it becomes harder and harder for inspiration to come my way. I know, there is inspiration everywhere but I guess what I am saying is that…..and I hate this word….bored. Boring is good sometimes. I’m a Sagittarius though, and I don’t deal with that feeling well.

Bump in the Road

I still am working on my new place to live. Just when I thought paperwork was going really well I hit a bump in the road. My disability check, or my SS supplement check, got cut off. The reason for that is I went over the allotted amount I was allowed to have a month. And, the reason for that is I had been saving up my money to move. That includes a moving company (I don’t have many friends that have trucks), a pet deposit (I have 2) and just all around moving costs that occur during the process.

So any income I was getting has been cut off. And the place I wanted to move to is about to cancel the application because of the time it has taken.

I don’t usually try to blame others but I started this process in January. The “manager” mentioned he has ADHD and needed reminders about paperwork. After calling and only reaching a voicemail, and getting a delivery failure on my email, I felt stuck waiting for his response. I checked other apartments, but non matched this particular one that I want.
Finally, he emailed a request for my income paperwork, but I had to say I currently have none. He asked me to explain over the phone. Meanwhile, my voucher expires at the end of March, leaving me irritated, anxious, and exasperated.
My current place is starting to feel more like home now, and I’ve noticed its positive aspects instead of just complaining. It kind of reminds me of when I want a haircut really bad but on the day I’m scheduled to get one is the day I have a perfect hair day.
However, I really wanted that larger apartment near a nice park and a grocery store within half a mile.
Or do I want to stay in my already settled apartment of 7 years? Ugh. This has been hard. Internal and external conflict.
I’m awaiting his call now.

MY SOLACE…….
So I have turned to books for my solace. I find I can escape a bit from reality when I read, and it helps cope sometimes.
I ran into this book called “The Four Day Weekend,” by George Henry Smith that was written in 1966 and was set in the year 2015. It’s about how self-driven cars start taking over the city.

Here’s a little snippet from the book;

“”Murder,” Charles said succinctly as he watched the driverless, computer-automated EL TORO splash through the surf and roll up onto the white sand of the beach, pausing to let its headlight eyes and radar scan the area….”

Sounds enthralling right? On the back cover it says :”THE REVOLT OF THE MACHINES”. It goes on to say “They decided people had outlived their usefulness to them, and that genocide of 4 billion people on Planet Earth was the best policy.”

Wow. An exciting plot, right? Well, it is supposed to be in the year 2015, and we are 10 years past that and look at us now. We have self driven cars that are killing people. Who would’ve known George Henry Smith was somewhat of a fortune teller?

But, anyway, the book is absolutely cheesy and fun and should be made into some weird sci-fi movie to be shown on Sunday afternoons.

Spoiler alerts

Charles & Enders meet

He, Charles, the main guy, happens upon another individual, Frederick Enders, a guy who knows that the vehicles have been ready to rise up against humans for quite some time. Charles and Enders become quick friends due to necessity. They both don’t own a vehicle and by now the subway has been closed down due to lack of usage and the fact that everybody drives, or owns, a self-driving car. The action starts when they are both pursued by a gang of horn-blowing vehicles out for their blood.

Saint Marco & Beatniks

After a long and arduous action packed escape from these murderous cars who somehow have knowledge and personality, they end up on an island in California, Saint Marco, to see a couple friends that Enders knows. They are beatniks, described as “an ancient religious cult, ” and for religious reasons the females “made themselves as physically unattractive as possible.” He also refers to their guitars as their “ritualistic possession.” Along comes Frederick’s friends, a guy named Dirkman, a musician with a shaggy doo, and another guy named Jonas, the big built poet. Both of whom like to start drinking before 10 a.m. Enders swears they will be able to help them with this problem of the killer cars. Charles isn’t quite sure at first.

EL TORO & Naked Helga

Once on the island, cars can’t cross the water, except for one: EL TORO, a large vehicle with bull horns on the front. Frederick Enders, Charles, and Jonas, Dirkman, along with Helga, a 6-foot, 180 lb nude model, manage to disable EL TORO. They do this by having Jonas read his poetry, driving the car crazy, and while the others jump on the hood and remove the computerized panels, or as it is referred to as its “brain box.” Before it is destroyed, they interrogate it and learn that the main headquarters is in Detroit, Michigan, which protects the “Great Race.”

EL TORO tells them before he dies, “The Great Race has been replacing your inferior race for a hundred years. It’s not our fault you’re too stupid to know it.”

Van Hagan

On their way they happen to meet a guy named Van Hagan, an ex soldier of WWII who claims they will meet communists on the way and “they’ll be forced to drink flouridated water.” After awhile he decides to help take them further to their Detroit destination.

The Temple of the High Computer

They meet at the gates in Detroit a senator named Rod Vance, who lies to them saying he’s taking them to liked minded people. However, he only takes them to the headquarters, or “The Temple of the High Computer”, to be murdered by the cars. Thankfully, they meet up with the man behind the main curtain, Philip K. Dexter, who fills them in with what is going on.

The Meldebs

Turns out that a few years earlier a spaceship crashed into Lake Erie and these aliens, called Meldebs, live in these pods underneath the water where the cars deliver old vegetation to them so they can grow larger. They control things and people by telepathic means. Philip Dexter can not stop these cars from doing their duties for that reason. But he decides to help the travelers knowing that is the only way to his salvation from escaping these telepathic aliens. Another action packed adventure ensues as they try to battle the cars and hopefully damaging the Meldebs.

The Prophetic Ending

Finally, I won’t ruin the ending but the last words written in the book is “Maybe, just maybe, we won’t have cities filled with traffic……maybe we’ll be smart enough in the future to build our cities for human beings instead of for automobiles.”

Whew. What a great, fun read. Unfortunately it is no longer in print. It can be ordered online, though!!!

Anyway, as I await a call back from the manager with ADHD I will pick up another sci-fi book and see if it is as action packed and filled with prophecy as “The Four Day Weekend.”