Day one...

I'm back.  The zombie horde made it quite difficult, but I managed to hook up my portable solar panel and find and abandoned building with enough supplies stocked to keep me safe for a bit.  Well, until the horde smells me again, anyway.
   You learn quickly in the apocalypse that there really isn't any where that you can claim to be 'safe', unless it's in the ground with a bullet in your brain pan.  But with the life I lived?  Nah.  I'm not taking that chance.  With my luck God will hold me accountable for all the zombies I have been taking out in my travels just to draw another breath.  For all I know, I'm condemned to an eternity of those I've shot giving my proctology exams with pitchforks for eternity.  Yeah.  I'll pass and take my chances among the few remaining living.
   We used to measure life by calenders and growth of our children, seasons, all sorts of things.  Now we go by sunsets and stopwatches.
   One moment you're leaning against a wall eating a stale, long out of date granola bar that tastes like old cardboard, then suddenly the creepers come around the corner, having smelled you or heard you crunching on the granola, (whoever decided granola was a food group should be sterilized by a blender, but I digress), and you're suddenly running.
   You learn early on, if you lived past the initial outbreak, that the zombies travel in packs.  Not two or three zombies at a time, either.  The smallest groups I've seen yet are dozens, and those are the little ones.  They're usually followed by the rest, which are hundreds of zombies strong.  They're the new tide.  Relentless, always moving, and pretty much unstoppable.
   You'll learn a lot of important lessons if you made it this far.  First one?  The zombies aren't the worst thing out there.  It's your fellow man.
   They'll shoot you for a flashlight.  Hell, they'll kill you just to get a pair of shoe strings, or for no reason other than that you draw a pulse.
   We are still our own worse enemy, it seems.  Famine, pestilence, death...whatever we've faced, it always comes back down to the same thing.  No matter our foe, we'll always find a way to fuck each other over in the long run.
   Bunch of stupid hairless apes.
   Anyway, thank you NASA for a shit ton of satellites in the sky.  Those bad boys allow those of us who have portable solar units and hand cranks to stay in some semblance of communication.
   We still use Google to blog from, as we have had to streamline our locations.  Once we found a website that was still up and running, we had to hasten to it.
   I'll be back to blog more.  Right now I need rest.  It's been days since I had a break from the heat and the horde, as well as people chasing me from here to hell and back again for my shit.
   I don't' want to admit how many  people I've left lying dead who used to have a pulse.
   There's a journal out there now.  It's just starting, but the word on the street is, it will possess a lot of useful information as time goes on.  Save yourselves my friends.  Be prepared.  I'll come back and provide more information as time goes on to help you survive as well.  See you tomorrow...God willing.

https://www.createspace.com4903872

If you're one of the lucky bastards that has a digital reader you can go here:

http://www.amazon.com/HEL-Godsmacked-Book-ebook/dp/B00LXS3NUW

Journal entry One:

   They're coming.  And soon, too.  That rustling noise you hear?  The sound in the background of rustling leaves that you think is merely the breeze?  It's not.
   It's the horde.  Shambling through the bushes, drawn to the sound of your TV blaring The Voice or American Idol or, in some karmic comedy...The Walking Dead.
 
   You may not smell them, or sense them, but they can smell and sense you.  The odor of delicious fresh human, the soft, warm comfort your body generates, it's a perfume to the former living, those that want to just take a nibble of your tasty bits.
 
   Sure, you can probably outrun them for a while. But not indefinitely.  We're soft and gooey with a chewy, crunchy center, and a beating heart and limits on endurance.  They aren't.  They walk on, never faltering, never stopping, until they catch you when you finally pass out from exhaustion.
 
   And they have patience, too.  Sure, you can climb a tree, or hide on a roof, because doors may as well be walls to them, but they are dedicated.  They will stay at that door, or under that roof or tree, for as long as they can still tell you are on the top of it.

   Because they know, we think, that eventually, your weak human form will require nourishment, escape, a chance to find others of your own ilk, and they don't have wandering thoughts.

   Run little doggie.  Run as fast as you can.  There are over 6 billion of them.  And each and every one has the exact same goal.  To turn you into one of them.

   Nothing else matters.   Nothing else will deter them.  And they are durable and tough.

   Rain, slow, sleet or tornado, they don't care.  They are constant, persistent, and willing to brave the elements.   If only our mailmen were like them...

   Sure, you can split their skulls and stop that one.  And the next, and a dozen others after that if you are lucky.   But how many times can you swing your weapon?  How many rounds of ammunition have you scrounged up to assist you in your zombie slaying journey?

   Not enough, I can tell you that.  You will never have enough, because every time you squeeze that trigger, you're ringing the dinner bell.  You're attracting them to you, letting them know that there's a two legged Twinkie wandering around the area, and first come first serve.

   Yeah...you're going to fail.

   And that is what you will learn as you begin a journey, a journey that starts shortly, a journey that will encompass years of your life, sleepless days, nights filled with the relentless hammering of their fists and hands on the doors that separate them from you, until we reach the conclusion.

   H.E.L. volume one is coming soon.   We're on the countdown to the outbreak.  Do you have what it takes to begin this journey?  To meet those who cannot escape, those who were damned to survive the outbreak and begin trying to forge a new world filled with danger and threats, a war against the fearless and never ending?

   Then sit down and relax.  I'll be providing more information as time goes on.  Because when the power goes out, what are we going to do?

 

Still Kicking, even though bruised

    So, did you give up on me yet?  Sorry for the prolonged delay in an update, but sometimes life has this knack of kicking you in the groin and stepping back and laughing.

    So...I am considering myself well kicked.

    First the disclaimer:  This is not about feeling sorry or pitying myself.  This is just my lets be brutally honest about life, and the secret is how do you deal with it?

    I'll take looking at it optimistically.

    Here's the situation.  The current economy has cost me my house due to no work. I am not getting annoyed, because truthfully, I made an agreement and can't honor it, and they hung in there longer than expected.

    Lights, water (which has been turned off), gas and cable...all are on their last legs.  Even the Captain of the Titanic knew when he was on a lost cause.

   Mine may be a dinghy, but I am aware that it is beyond saving.

    The reality of the situation is simply that my work dried up and left me with relatively no income to speak of.  To the point where we've went on public assistance in the terms of food stamps or the more PC term of TANF.  Doesn't matter which one you choose.  And note that I am NOT getting cash, just grub.(you may fire the torches up after I'm done about becoming another leech on the teat of the government.  My objective is to be back off of it as fast as possible.)

      Fortunately, I found a camper. 28 foot camper to house my wife, three kids dog cats and me.

    My mother has told me to park it in her yard, so that helps.  And as for getting financial assistance from her?  Mom's on Social Security and providing for my brother and his daughter and granddaughter, as well as his two sons.  If she found a nickel under the couch it belongs to someone else, cause she has no disposable income.  Her house is a whopping 1,100 square foot one bath house.

   Basically, we're going from a 2,300 square foot house to a 600 square foot camper.  Should be interesting.  If we get gas and start flatulating all over the place, we'll probably all choke.

   One dog fart and it'll look like a firedrill with people diving out the door.

   Anywho....I'll be keeping up online any chance I get.  Gonna see if I can scrounge up another $200.00 to get a rental truck so I can put all our crap in storage until we recover,   

   Am I depressed?  I'm sure it would be depressing if I gave in to it and let it do so.  I won't.  It's another journey for me to walk down, and, as long as I have my family with me, and we're together, it's all good.  There's people that are in worse shape than we are.  

    Bad as it sounds, I at least have a camper to move in.  There's other folks living in cars or under bridges.

   Bizarre as it sounds, I'll do my best to remain positive and look on the bright side.

   The bright side is we have a camper.

   We'll work to keep everything, and I'll be looking for a job again in a couple of days, even if it means I am flipping burgers at a hamburger joint, I'll be doing so with a smile, because dammit, I'm at least making a check again.

    One day I'll recover from this.  We'll recover from this.  We may get sick of staring at each other in short order, but at least we can still do so.

    In parting, here's my final comments:  Please don't take my post or blog as a downer.  It's not meant to be, nor is it meant to plea for money.  You'll notice I have no paypal or other donate/pay me links.  It's not about that.

   It's about taking a moment, each of us, and not looking at how well the guy down the street is doing, but rather, how well you're doing.  As bad as any of us feel about our position in life, there's someone out there who is doing worse.

   Rather than wanting to rage against the machine, realize that you have things in your life to be thankful for.  We all do.  I have a wife that I love dearly, who is standing beside me, even in this time, and is accepting of it.  My strength and guiding light.

   My kids are with us, and are all pitching in and helping.  

   Realistically, even though my screen name is Zombie Tripper, I do believe in God, and that He never lets us be tested beyond what we can bear.

   If I am in this situation, then He believes this is not too much, and we can handle it, so we will do just that.

   Never doubt yourself, never point fingers at others and pass blame off on them.

   Accept your situation, and roll on from there.  And smile.  I am.  I still have a pulse, my feet still hit the floor when I sit up from bed, which means I have another day to improve my station again.

   Life's challenges should make you appreciate what you have more than they make you envy what you don't have.

   Stay strong.  As soon as I figure out how to post pics I'll post some of my new domicile when it gets hooked up tomorrow, and then I'll try to update every week or so.

  

   Welcome to the first post of Zombie Tripper.  I want to take a moment to thank you for taking a moment from your busy porn surfing schedule to actually, you know, read something from some being on the internet who you have probably never met, never read, and probably never will meet.  

   This is my initial blog, so I want to take a moment to introduce myself.  My name is, obviously, Zombie Tripper.  Guess what I am a fan of?  Go ahead, try.  I'll give you three chances.

   Damn you're good.  You're right!!  It's about...what?  No, Lloyd, it is NOT about Zardal and bake sales.  It's got nothing to do with oatmeal raisin cookies made with pixie dust.

   It's about zombies.  Now go sit down and stop bothering the other readers.

   I'm an old bastard, but I'm happy, usually.  Broke as shit and don't care.  I have booze and snacks.  What else is needed?
      
   Now, take a moment to feel proud of yourself.  Why?  Because, for once, rather than ogling hot young things that wouldn't give you the time of day, you're reading.  Expanding your horizons (however low they might be), and seeing what this is all about.

   Well, this is about having fun.  We'll explore writing, blogging, zombies (duh.) and other aspects of gaming, reading, and life in general.

   Today will be a very short post, but there is really one thing I wanted to cover.  Reading.

   Look, it doesn't matter if you're reading popcorn fiction (what I call fun books, which I'll detail more later) or the classics, such as Tolkien, Hemingway or London, best sellers by King, Koontz, or whoever else is a top rank writer right now.

    Popcorn fiction is the writing by authors that are just, well, fun books to read.  They have no ulterior motive, they aren't written to proclaim earth shaking and high falutin ideals.  It can be anything from Brian Woods and Dead Roots (the Analyst) to Don Pendleton and the Executioner series.  It can be your soft core porn, romance novels, zombie books or Dr. Seuss.

   It just has to be something that makes you relax and slip into another world for a bit of time, and feel better about yourself because you had fun.

   Nothing to make you realize that you have a pitiful existence, (you don't.  No matter how bad your shit is, someone out there has it worse.) or to make you feel superior or safer.

   Of course, when you're reading a DragonLance novel, and the army of Takhisis is heading toward the heroes with a bad case of red ass and someone told them Sturm Brightblade has the last tube of hemorrhoid cream in existence, you having to change the cat litter box seems sorta trivial, doesn't it?

   So...take a moment, settle down, and unwind.  Grab you a book, enjoy something for yourself, a little guilty pleasure, and try not to let others determine your literary collection.  Be it a digital book or a paperback, it doesn't matter.

   Hide from society and escape to some other realm.  I'll figure out something more profound and interesting to discuss next time.  Right now, I just wanted to start this damn thing and see how it works.  I'll keep it going until I just say to hell with it.

   Glad to see you, have fun, and start flipping pages!!