Alex Peak

2008/05/26:  Insanity in Three Acts

Also available in .txt.

Act One

People have adopted images from various cultures to be emblematic of their businesses or individual products.  Some of these businesses sell only one product, and therefore associate each product with the specific image the business’s owner has randomly chosen.  Other businesses have grown in size to sell a variety of products, all under some given symbol chosen by the business.

Nevertheless, virtually all of the symbols being adopted have had some previous association.  These are usually Asian symbols, and as it turns out, many of them deal with Asian gangs or criminal acts.  By associating their products inadvertently with such elements, they have hurt their own abilities to grow.  A few are lucky enough to fully appropriate the symbol, changing its meaning to reflect the business rather than the previous association—but this is hard.

I recall John Lydon.  I recall him pointing out how often bands tip off the styles of other bands.  I recall him saying that it’s easy to be original, if people just try.  How hard is it for these businesses to try something a bit different?

My business is different.  Its style does not rest on some adopted symbol.  Its style is futuristic, roughly cyber-punk.  Why have traditional lighting?  My business uses black lights and an array of other colours to cast varying moods.  Plasma lamps of varying designs decorate the walls.

I don’t know what our service was.

Act Two

To the best of my memory, someone from a parallel universe was in mine.  As she returned to hers, I decide to take a chance and jump through as well, just before the portal, a ball of swirling air, closed.

I do not recall what the woman and I discuss.  The parallel universe looked greatly like our own, but odd differences were here and there.  This woman, for example, has powers to manipulate reality.  I get her to use them a number of times, and the results rock.

The big creature dies, and so we have the opportunity to eat its meat.  This creature is made out of lobster meat, so it’s like eating a huge lobster, without the usual lobster shape.  Some small creature has a chunk of the lobster-thing, and dunks it in some warm butter.  Mmmm.

We also have to convince the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond that he must change his present course before his show is ruined by corny blather never originally intended by its creator.  I’m not sure what dimension this is, or why what anything has to do with that show.

Anywho, the woman cannot overuse her power, or the universe will end up deteriorating.  Shucks.

Act Three

We’re in the future, and people are sexually liberated.  The sexually-liberated people find themselves shocked by someone from the present speaking to them, presenting to them what they consider antiquated, small-minded ideas about sexual relations.  For example, the gentleman finds monogamy to be something worth encouraging people to strive toward.  This guy’s sister, embarrassed by her brother’s faux pas, drags her brother away from the people with whom he is speaking to inform him of her embarrassment.

Meanwhile, I’m hoping for Ali to drive an hour or three to spend the night.  Then I wake up.

Conclusion

None of that made the least bit of sense.