WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF.


Alright boys and girls, it's time to change things up a little bit here at Tom's Trials. I've always wanted to keep a dream diary, but never had the vehicle to do it right. That was before I started this Blog. From time to time I will be posting my dreams for the entire information universe to see and possibly interpret. It might be fun...and it might be scary. Who knows? Dreams are your brain on vacation. It does what it wants and you can't stop it. So with that being said, here is last night's dream:

It starts on a beach toward dusk. It's me, my wife and my son enjoying a summer picnic on either a lake or an ocean, not really sure at this point. Anyway, as we are finishing up our meal, we are suddenly scared by the sound of multiple explosions all around us. I mean heart-palpitating, loud explosions. They seem to be coming from all directions. We jump to our feet and I do a 360 degree cinematic scan of the horizon. All along the horizon are fire-engulfed mushroom clouds. There isn't a spot where I don't see one. I have only one thought:

END OF THE WORLD!

As we gather up our belongings, we jump into some decrepit automobile. I can't even tell you the make and model. It doesn't start, when I turn the ignition key. It just keeps turning over, but it won't start. My son starts yelling from the back seat, "Dad get us out of here!". I keep turning the key, but to no avail. Unexpectedly, another car pulls up alongside and offers us a lift. The driver of the car is a female that I don't recognize. She has a pit bull in the car with her. At first we hesitate, but then she tells us that he doesn't bite. We get in the car and leave the beach. The skyline is on fire and we'll all waiting for the heat of the sun to disintegrate us into dust from the nukes that were detonated all around us. The traffic on the street is chaotic. We have numerous accidents with crazy drivers fleeing in all directions. It's road rage to the tenth degree. We all keep yelling at our unknown host to keep going, don't stop.
After finally making it through the city, we nonchalantly pull into a McDonald's and eat lunch. We all order Happy Meals and compare the little toys you get with the meals. It was at this point that I woke up.
I would be curious to know what this dream means, so if you come across my little grain of sand in the huge beach of the digital universe, please drop me a reply and let me know what you think.
My dreams usually aren't so vivid as this one...unless I drink wine the night before. For some reason the power of the grape unleashes my unconscious imagination.

Until next time...DREAM ON!

Another Day,
Another Dollar $



Well another day, another dollar. I wonder who originated that phrase? It had to be someone who literally despised their job. I'm not saying I hate my job ... but I'd rather be writing, playing in a rock band or some other exciting line of work that makes me come home and say "Another Day, Another Smile" :)

Now that would be something.

I have to admit to you that I am the great procrastinator. As I'm sweating my dick off training a new route salesperson in 100 degree heat, I keep telling myself to write when I get home. Change your life...be somebody! Believe it or not, but I do have a novel in the works. However, when I get home I do everything but write. I'll play PS2, listen to music, read...but I don't write. I even subscribe to Writer's Digest. This magazine is full of useful tips and motivational articles designed to get you to just sit down and write. I read this magazine, but don't write.

One of the things WD states is that everyone is writing The Great American Novel. But the majority of those people never finish it. It sits in a desk drawer and slowly ages much like the would-be writer. My novel sits somewhere on my hard drive in a stagnant digital state.
Thanks for listening to me vent. Maybe sometime in the near future (when the muse hits) I will post a sample chapter of my Magnus Opus. Until then...

Stay Tuned !

I'm talking to you !


Well what you're seeing above is my latest excursion to a local island near Toledo, Ohio called Put-In-Bay. As you may surmise from the photo, the only real reason to go to Put-In-Bay is to imbibe large quantities of alcohol. The great thing about PIB is the fact that you get to drink a plethora of alcoholic beverages. My usual alcohol consuming itinerary starts with the winery.
Heineman's Winery has a nice wine and cheese garden where you can enjoy the outdoors while you slowly lose all feeling in your legs after two bottles of the local spirits. If you're really adventurous you can sign up for the tour which also includes seeing the world's largest geode. A geode is a crystalline formation deep within the earth. This particular geode is big enough to walk inside. I recommend doing this before sampling their wine. It's a long fall to the bottom of the cave floor.
Next on the itineary is a couple of vodka lemonades at the Gazebo while listening to the delightful tunes of Westside Steve, a regular fixture over at PIB. His song list usually includes a lot of Jimmy Buffett, Bob Seger and the ever popular Jim Croce. We love Westside Steve.
The highlight of the afternoon (that's right, I did say afternoon. We usually start around noon) is The Roundhouse Bar. That's where the above picture was taken. They have a live band and serve buckets of beer. Not glasses, but buckets! The picture of me is after I emptied some beer in the nearest restroom.
Now we are feeling no pain and have no inhibitions whatsoever. In fact most of the visitors to PIB have no inhibitions whatsoever. That's why I love it so much. You can buy beads to offer to the multitude of drunken females willing to bare their breasts to you. All you have to do is ask. Everyone is walking around drunk on their ass.
Now I don't own a boat, but I hear the best parties take place along the docks where you could have up to 10 boats docked together to form the world's largest party place. The music is blaring, the drink is flowing, and God only knows what's happening below deck. I guess I can only fantasize.
Well that's it for now. If you haven't been to the Bay, and you live in Ohio or Michigan, I highly recommend it. It's a lot of fun.

P.S. Leave the kids at home :)