he touched his heart, but it did not beat

I'm not really sure how I feel about my picture being up there. But, I suppose I have to have something to show for the hours I bled away tinkering with Photoshop.

I've been having a run of weird dreams lately.

The one I remember most is set in some dystopian, post-apocalyptic world curiously set in what looked to be my high school. My family and I are crawling down a corridor, trying to escape. I catch sight of a zombie, and I tell everyone to turn back, we're going the wrong way. On the way back, still on our knees, we run into one of my friends from Canada. But, he pretends not to see us, and keeps walking. But, as we're running, an alarm suddenly sounds. And, I think to myself, I should've asked my friend for help. But, I also suspect that he may have been the one to sound the alarm. So we're running, and we reach the covered walk. We crouch down, hiding behind a shelf of lunchboxes and thermoses. There's a swarm of zombies in front of us. With guns. My dad tells me to make a run for it, just run like crazy to the waiting room. He starts pushing me, and I stumble and fall on my ass. He shouts, and I scramble up and run. The zombies see us, and behind me I hear gunshots and roaring and other zombie sounds. I make it to the waiting room with my mother and brother. Mang Baguio is there, happy to see we made it out alive. I realize my dad and my two other siblings are not with us. I turn to my mom, demanding to know where they are. She shakes me and tells me to go back for them. I run back inside, ignoring Mang Baguio who's screaming at me to stay put. When I get to the covered walk, I see a crowd of zombies standing over something. I push my way through the throng, and then I see my dad and two siblings dead, riddled with bullets and covered in blood. I become crazed and I start attacking the zombies nearest to me. They quickly overpower me. This is when I wake up.

Anyway. Birthday weekend was fun. Went back to Goldfish for my celebratory slab of red meat (the first I've had in weeks!) and cocktails. Random debauchery ensued afterward: dubiously mixed liquor, Italian-dubbed softcore porn, and a procured lap dance. The family version was more PG: obscenely expensive sashimi and tapas at Tojo's, penises, and cake. (The penises were kosher... sort of.)

I always get a little homesick on my birthday. It was hard to feel glum on a summer solstice birthday weekend though. (Even for me.)

Ho-hum.