Crossing Kevin's Crossing

Hello Dear Readers, I have a quick update for you.  I will post more later but I saw something in the morning paper that made my jaw hit the floor. I arrived at the Steaming Mug this morning for my usual refreshments.  I placed my order with Gemma and sat down on a delightfully worn and stained sofa.  Strewn about was the local newspaper, the Kevin’s Crossing Herald.  I picked it, intending to look for subliminal messages in Want Ads. A headline on the first-page healed my attention, it read ‘Feral dog pack found ripped to pieces!  The work of Jak-Jak?’. These must be the feral dogs Officer Eric warned me about the other week. Can you believe it, readers?  I surely can not.  I just had to share this excitement with you.  Perhaps Jak-Jak does live, after all! I’ll keep you updated!

Hello Dear Readers, Unfortunately, I have not ventured out much lately, again, this time not because of the weather.  I may have made a mistake eating at Yogi’s Sushi Bear.  I have been in bed for several days.  Finally, I am well enough to sit up and post something.  I decided that this is the perfect opportunity for a rundown of all the local graffiti. Like any other place, Kevin’s Crossing has its fair share of graffiti.  Most of it is just names, obscenities, or small murals.  But there are three images/phrases that appear frequently all over town.  They are: Jak-Jak Finger Over Lips Knot Part 1 So we'll start with Jak-Jak.  This graffiti comes in a variety of styles all referring to the local legend, Jak-Jak.  They usually say something like 'Jak-Jak Lives’ or ‘ Jak-Jak was here’ or ‘Jak-Jak’s Revenge’.  The various writing styles suggest several artists. Jak-Jak is a fusion of urban legend, folklore, and a c...

Hello Dear Reader! I just have a quick update for you today, unfortunately not a full post.  Things have been a little slow around Kevin’s Crossing in the strange and unusually department.  Even the morbid and macabre department has been uneventful this week.  So in an attempt to keep things moving, I decided to conduct a test.  I took my art deco lamp into the bathroom and shined the mystery light bulb on the stain in bathtub that looks like Elvis Kissing the Pope. Effect: None. I would like to do more tests with the mystery bulb in the future, but the cord is too short.  Maybe I should buy an extension cord. Postscript I think the mystery bulb will fit in a flashlight! I’ll keep you updated!

Hello Dear Readers, I haven’t posted in while because I’ve been trapped in my apartment because of the terrible rain.  Finally, the skies have cleared, the birds are singing and I’ve taken the bus into downtown Kevin’s Crossing.  I had a strange encounter before I even got on the bus! Part 1 While sitting at the bus stop a few blocks from my apartment, a tabby cat jumped up on the bench with me.  It repeatedly nudged me with its head until I pet would it.  I noticed that it had a ragged collar with an ID tag.  I wanted to look at the tag, fearing this tiny apex predator was someone's beloved pet that had slipped outside.  I expected the tag to have the usual name and address or phone number.  What I saw was quite different.  The tag was diamond shaped, the kind you can print yourself at most fine petcare chain stores.  It read ‘This is not a real cat’. I did a double take and leaned away from the suspicious feline.  It continu...

Hello Dear Readers, For the first several weeks of living in Kevin’s Crossing the center of my universe has been the coffee shop, the Steaming Mug.  It has fed me, been the source of social interaction, and provided me with a connection to the larger world(free wifi).     But like any small town, the true heart of my new hometown is local mini-mart/gas station.  About 1.2 miles from my apartment is Ziggy’s, part of a local franchise found in this area.  Ziggy’s provides essentially everything a person needs to survive.  From food to gas, to basic home essentials, to cold cuts, and sandwiches.     Now that I’m settled into my apartment I’ve been making regular trips on foot to Ziggy’s for supplies.  This is an important milestone since it signifies my new universe is expanding.  My trips are frequent since I can only carry a few groceries at a time(I think I will be investing in a bike soon).  That’s perfect because...

Hello Dear Readers! Today I was fortunate to participate in the great American pastime, antiquing!  With my friend Vic!  I met Vic last week after the unfortunate incident that sent me to the local urgent care, where Vic works as the intake coordinator.  Let us speak no more of this.     Vic’s partner, Jason, is visiting his mother at hospice care today, but Vic refuses to go because he says Jason's mother is “bigoted old coot’.  So I get the benefit of his company.  Hooray for bigotry!     Vic is taking me to Mitchell’s Antique Barn, near the highway.  Vic’s knowledge about antiques comes mostly from Jason, who inherited his grandfather’s antique gun collection.  Mine comes mostly from watching Antique Roadshow. He picked me up in his 1997 Ford Taurus at my apartment.  On the drive across town, we discussed the strangest things he's ever seen working at urgent care(Ewww!), the ending of Lost(awesome!), and ...

Hello Dear Readers! I haven't been able to buy any groceries yet because my fridge doesn’t work.  So I decided to go down the coffee shop, the Steaming Mug to start my morning off with some Earl Grey tea and breakfast.  This works out great since Comcast had rescheduled my wifi installation for the third time, now I can use the cafe’s free wifi. The coffee shop has a brick exterior with a mural on it.  The front of the building had two large plate glass windows, both crowded with plants.  The interior is filled with old mismatched couches and chairs.  Most of the customers are locals.  The college in neighboring Telford is too far away for most students, except for the few with apartments in Kevin's Crossing because it's cheaper. At the counter was a barista named Gemma who had taken my order several times before.  She has a warm but gruff demeanor, like a scratchy wool sweater.  She has a nose ring and heartagram patched pinned to her ap...