It was night in the lonesome October...

[Eireann]

(Kudos to anyone who gets the reference.)

This is one of the STRANGEST days I've ever had.

I was online earlier today, and charging my phone. Neighbor fuckheads start blasting the stereo. I pounded on the wall. No effect. I went in the bedroom. They REALLY cranked it up. (It's as though they knew I was in the bedroom.) I got ready in a hurry, grabbed my phone, and got the hell out. After exiting the building, I walked next door and stood with my hand on their doorbell for at least a minute. You know, giving a little back to them.

I had a few errands to run. In one case, I was unable to run the errand, because I didn't have what I needed with me. I then went downtown. I walked around. I saw some sights.

I went to an area where a friend of mine should have been - he's always there on Fridays at that time - but he wasn't there. This was weird.

I did some more walking. Finally, I went out to a friend's place. He and I were supposed to meet this evening, out where he lives.

Now, my phone hasn't been working right, so I realized that if any changes had to be made, my friend had no way of getting in touch with me - I wasn't online, and my phone wasn't working.

I showed up at his building, and rang the bell. No answer. I rang again and again. I walked around to the side of the building. No lights on. I waited. And I waited. I had no way of calling or texting him. I walked around the area, looking for a pay phone. None. I went to a building where another friend lives, and rang her bell. No answer.

Finally, I gave up (I'd been there an hour) and went home.

Now, the coincidences here are too much:

- My phone wasn't working, when I had plans for this evening.
- My phone didn't have the chance to charge, because the fuckers next door were blasting their stereo (something they hadn't been doing lately).
- Because the fuckers drove me out of the building, I couldn't be online, so nobody could contact me that way.
- Another friend was not where he usually is on Fridays at that particular time.
- My friend (the one I was supposed to meet) was not home, when he should have been.
- When I came home, there were no emails from him.
- My other friend who lives in the area, wasn't home.

I mean, really - how often does something like this happen? Is it Halloween already?

[crazyofficeclerk]

Nope, but it is a full moon.

[Eisa]

Ray Bradbury?

That's a sucky series of coincidences right thar...

[Eireann]

Nope, not Bradbury. Guess again!

[Eisa]

He wrote a book titled Night in the Lonesome October, at least. I can't remember who originally said it. I want to say Shakespeare, but I don't think that's it.

[Eireann]

No, not Shakespeare, though another of Bradbury's books gets is title from one of Shakespeare's plays.

Another weird thing happened. I was talking to a friend over Skype, and I heard a very strange noise outside. I took off my headset and walked to the window (kitties looking out the window), opened it, and listened. It sounded like a huge bird fight, or something, but what kind of birds fight at night? Could it have been bats?

I pounded my hand on the sill, and they (whatever "they" were) shut up.

I heard them again, briefly, some time later.

[Mytical]

Not talking about that book that is supposed to be from the perspective of Jack the Rippers dog are you? Snuff? Or Scruff? Something like that.

[Eireann]

I'm not - I don't know if anyone else is.

[Ree]

Edgar Allan Poe:

Ulalume

The skies they were ashen and sober;
The leaves they were crisped and sere -
The leaves they were withering and sere;
It was night in the lonesome October
Of my most immemorial year:

Also used as a title for a novel written by Roger Zelazny.

(*I had to cheat a bit. Google is my friend. )

[TelephoneAngel]

Richard Laymon references it somewhere I seem to recall.

[Ree]

Richard Laymon references it somewhere I seem to recall.

Yes, he does, as well.

[Eireann]

Edgar Allan Poe:


Also used as a title for a novel written by Roger Zelazny.

(*I had to cheat a bit. Google is my friend. )

Cheat! Cheat!

Yes, it's Poe. I do love that poem.

Oh, to add to the weirdness - I got in touch with my friend last night, finally.

Why didn't he show up?

It was an emergency. A friend of his was robbed - the thieves got into his apartment while he was at home! His friend got into a fight with the thieves; luckily this guy has some martial arts knowledge. They got away, unfortunately.

So, my friend went with his friend to the police station (his friend doesn't speak much Czech, whereas my friend is fluent) and spent hours there with him, making a report and so forth.

It was an even weirder day than I thought!

[Food Lady]

I'm glad the friend is ok! My great-grandma had someone break in through the front of the house while she was out back gardening, in broad daylight. Tampa is a cesspool.

[Ree]

Cheat! Cheat!

Yes, it's Poe. I do love that poem.

LOL...I only cheated because I knew it sounded familiar but I just couldn't get my brain around it.

[Andara Bledin]

It sounded like a huge bird fight, or something, but what kind of birds fight at night?

Yeah, birds will fight at night if they get it in their minds to dispute who is perched where. I used to live at a place near where a huge flock of birds would occupy one particular tree every night, and about once a month or so, they'd have some squabble over pecking order in the wee hours. It was an odd sound to wake up to if you didn't know what it was.

^-.-^