Monday, August 30, 2010

Chinatown and Gold Coast

I wound up in Chinatown one afternoon. Something was calling me there and I wanted to browse a bit. I went to the shop I had in mind and was poking around here and there, trying to find what I had in mind. As my eyes adjusted to the dimness, I saw the owner hunched over the counter, counting inventory and someone browsing in the back of the store. I headed first for the giant Buddha statue then to the beads, making my way towards the back. I adjusted my bag so I wouldn't knock anything over and saw some figurines that caught my eye. As I perused them, I started looking down the aisle at the other items. I realized that there was no one else in the shop besides me and the owner. I glanced from side to side and there was simply no one. I can't describe the person very well but I would challenge anyone to describe someone they saw turn the aisle in the grocery store. It was like that. I picked up the figurine that caught my eye and left.
I later wandered around the Gold Coast and stumbled upon a slough off of Lake Michigan where the city just melted away. It was an oasis of tranquility amid the hectic hubbub. I spent a few minutes (or longer?) there and soaked up some awesomeness. When I got up to leave I noticed a very large black shape like a cloak or skate leap from a nearby building and disappear behind another building. I kept my eyes open but never saw it again.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

It's Creepy in the Dark

I decided I needed a relaxing day at the spa. Which, for me, equates to going to the gym and spending the entire session in the wet area (sauna, steam, pool, jacuzzi). There were remarkably few people there to contend with and I was able to 'be alone'. Getting lost in the moment, I was looking forward to just relaxing and letting my mind and body rejuvenate.
I was startled by how many ghostly images were lurking there. I realize that ghosts are everywhere and it should come as no shock to have them so close by. But when trying to 'be alone', to gather my thoughts and wits, it was nonetheless unsettling to perceive a ghostly shape stand up next to you when you're 'alone' in the sauna, for example.
I grumble when someone opens the steam room door wide enough for two people to enter at once, then holds the door open longer than necessary. The nature of the steam is to escape to cooler temperatures. But more recently I shake my head not because of their ignorance of thermodynamics but because of their ignorance of the spirits around them. How do people not notice these things? I see them holding the door open longer than necessary; do they not realize that they're holding the door for a ghost?
And showering with spirits? Not as much fun as it sounds.