February 18th, 2018

Today was one of those increasingly rare days where not a whole lot happens. It was kinda nice, except Hal was off doing things with Tim. He did pick me up in the morning for our workout, and stopped by for lunch. It's been a little over two weeks since I sent Efe's letter. So a response from him should be arriving soon. Knowing that I asked Hal if he could get the pictures that we'd taken of everyone printed out so I'd have them ready to send. At lunch he let me know where he'd taken them and gave me the ticket to pick them up. So I did that on the way home.

Mom was a little worried that I'd gotten home a bit late, but having run that chore reminded me I needed to get pictures of her and Dad too. So we had a little fun with that, and at Dad's expense when he got home.

So I've got some more pictures to have printed, and I've just been working on the next letter to send him. With how all the weirdness has been hitting the news, I've decided to start filling him in on anything he can confirm. Assuming he hasn't already heard about it. The tree and the riots, The Stag, though I left out DIA because we're really not sure what happened there. I didn't go into all the stuff we've been talking about during our conspiracy dinners, just what's shown up in the major news articles.

Of course I had to mention the town of Albany, WY. Which I did some checking, they haven't found anyone else yet. Of course there's all the other missing persons cases, and the found persons cases. I haven't been mentioning them, but every day it seems there's more.

I also let Efe know what's been going on with my little death. I didn't tell him exactly why I'd gone to Dr. Laurie in the first place, just that we'd taken some more scans, what was found, and what's to be done.

Not wanting to dwell on the bad, I mentioned meeting Efe's parents. But the big thing was going to the open night with Max and Candace and how much fun we'd had there.

I now have a short story of a letter to send, and I haven't even gotten a letter from him to respond to. At least I'm prepared this time.

January 9th, 2018

I spent yesterday recapping what we'd seen on the news and forgot to mention work almost entirely. Not that it was hard to do, we had almost no visitors. Which considering the events was understandable. Today was about the same, and even those visitors who had come in were surprised to find we were open. No one thought to call ahead to see if we were open, they just showed up.

What it comes down to is that there's not a whole lot to say about today. News has been full of speculation about who the deer head guy is, and even the media is questioning how appropriate it is to call him a hero. Strangely the only people who seem to insist on calling him a hero are animal rights groups. I guess it's not that strange. I'm just thinking of the clear line between those who are pro-tree versus those who are burn it down!

Hal visited for lunch, he's enjoying his new classes. But he's already got a ton of homework. He's acting apologetic about me coming over only to have his face in a book, it's like he's already forgotten that we had agreed to work through it together. Either way, he had lab tonight, so I had to take the bus home.

Mom and Dad gave me a hard time, as though they hadn't seen me in ages. Dad said something about renting my room out. I'm glad he's handling it well.

Chores tomorrow, Candace wants to join me. It'll be nice to have some company.

January 8th, 2018

Woke up this morning to Max frantically texting me to turn on the news. When I did I found out that last night there had been another incident at the tree. I mostly let it play in the background while I got around for the day, but it seems a group of inciters tried to scare away the crows that had been guarding the tree.

Hal came to pick me up to go to the gym this morning, just in time for me to have another dizzy spell. A week since the last one.

Anyway, going to the gym with Hal allowed us to talk about the news a bit. No one seems to be taking credit for what happened, and the inciters weren't wearing the Guy Fawkes masks as has been done before. Though they were wearing ski masks, much more appropriate for the winter. It was rather disturbing, and of course lots of people got cell phone pictures and video's.

The attackers came prepared for the crows, shotguns were employed though later reports claimed only salt pelt was used. Still, it did a number on the crows, which is what was so disturbing about it all. Nets were also used to try and catch the crows, which were not as successful as they might seem. For good or ill, considering they were shooting the crows I'm scared to think what would've happened to the crows that were caught.

What makes the report that much more interesting though, and why Max was frantic about letting us know, was that the new local hero showed up. And with all the cell phone video's, we've not gotten a very good public view. Whoever this person is, they are brutal. They didn't appear to use any weapons, but they weren't against picking things up and using those items. In fact at one point an inciter had thrown a net over the hero, which at first caused issues 'cause it caught in the antlers of their mask. But the mask must be on rather well 'cause nothing was dragged off. Once the hero got untangled from the net, they proceeded to bundle the net up like a think rope and was using it to bludgeon the inciters who were attacking them. And the hero was strong to, later they lifted one of the inciters and threw the inciter into a group of his fellows.

I've been avoiding using any gendered terms 'cause with the mask and costume there's no way to know for sure. But with the way they were moving around and fighting, we got a good look under the cloak. As dark as things were, and only cell phone video quality, we can't make out what they're wearing. It doesn't look like they're wearing any body armor, but the clothing is relatively loose, so they might have on a kevlar vest or something. It's still possible this person might be female, after all she could be about as well endowed as I am, but most likely they're a guy. So until I learn better, he it is.

I also keep saying he's a hero, or using that label. I've only been doing it because that's how he was introduced to us. But I'm not sure I can call him that in all honesty. Especially not after seeing him break one of the inciters legs. Not even incidentally, he used the net to trap a guy and then purposely broke the guys leg against one of the barriers that had been put up around the tree.

And lets not forget about the shotguns the inciters had brought. They did turn them on the deer mask guy, but his cloak must be pretty thick. The way it moved it seemed heavy, like it was made of jean or even leather. He did take one shot to the chest, which only seemed to piss him off. After that he was pretty good about pulling the cloak between himself and any more shots and hiding his face. He got a hold of one of the shotguns and broke the stock over the inciters back.

By then the inciters were already getting the clue that they shouldn't stick around much longer. While the two were dragged away the rest fled.

Anyway, it was over pretty quickly. What was most interesting was that before the deer mask guy left too, and we could already hear sirens in the videos, he approached the tree and bowed to the tree. What crows remained seemed to perch in the trees branches, or on the ledges of nearby buildings. And I don't think anyone saw the crow with the silver bar across it's chest. Granted, it was after the sun had gone down, so there wasn't much light to reflect. So it may have been there, or may not. The intersection looks like a battlefield, but the only bodies are crows.

We watched the videos later after Hal had picked me up from work. It didn't take many before I felt like I'd seen enough. Hal was paying close attention to the deer mask guy. He said something about not noticing any limp or anything for having been hit by a car just a few days ago.

News reports later in the day said police had caught up with a couple of the inciters from last night. They had gone to a couple of hospitals to have their wounds tended to. A broken leg, and a broken rib bone on the back side. Reports are they'd gone to different hospitals thinking it wouldn't raise any flags. The guy with the broken rib was lucky his lung hadn't been pierced.

I can't help but think of Sam's warnings. I doubt he knew any of this was going to happen, but he really seems to have known something would happen. I'm glad I wasn't there, for the riots or anything. But I'm starting to think I should have listened to him after all. I still don't like how he's handling this, just telling us not to go without any explanation. And now I want an explanation. I think this next conspiracy dinner I'll have to take advantage of having the others around me, and confront him about it. But I think I'll also avoid the tree from now on.

December 19th, 2017

It struck me just now, as I was writing today's date, that the year is almost over. I'm not sure why that thought occurred to me, or why now. But now I find myself thinking about how there's less than half a month left. We still have Christmas, and of course the solstice party on Thursday. Max and Candace and the boys all have plans to take me tubing during the winter break between Max and Hal's semesters. But then school starts back up, and New Years hits and wow, that's it.

Kinda makes today feel like it was fast, which is the only thing that does. It was a slow day. We were busy, for usual, still getting those who want to see Nephmesu. But the guests are starting to blur, asking the same questions, kids pretending to be mummies, and that blur makes these last few weeks all seem to have taken place just today. Am I the only one who ever feels like that? Can't be.

Max and Hal were still taking finals. Hal did stop in at the museum today, but he was busy and had texted me before hand that he wouldn't be able to stay. He did make sure to pass in sight of me so he could wave, but that was all I saw of him. He was getting his internship papers signed so he could turn them in for credit in between finals and didn't have time to stay.

It was nice seeing him, but my lunch felt that much more lonely today.

Anyway, after getting home I was able to do some laundry that got me ahead of chores tomorrow. I did pull out some outfits to see what I could throw together for the party. I have to say, Candace's selections are perfect. I'll have to thank her again next time I see her.

After dinner I had some time to myself again, so I did some more research. Current news is mostly focused on cleanup efforts from the earthquake. I-70 has one lane open heading west, both east lanes are open. But I guess there was some damage to the road that will take time to repair and only the one west lane will be available for the next month or so. A lot of that will depend on the weather, but so far it sounds like the high country has been dry this year. So projections are good.

With all the focus on the earthquake, it's like the tree has fallen off the radar. I actually had to go looking to see if there was anything new. The ravens seem to have relaxed their vigil though, people are allowed to approach and even move through the intersection without being attacked. Though they are attacking anyone that approaches the police barriers. The police themselves seem to have taken to enforcing the same limits, and amazingly the ravens seem to accept that. There's been no reports of the one raven with the silver strip on its chest.

With so little else to find, I went back to Melia's site only to find a recorded conversation between herself and a paramedic that looked familiar. It took me a while to place him, but I finally realized it was the same paramedic that had been at DIA and rescued Arlene Dryver. They didn't mention that during the interview though and I had to go look up news footage from the DIA incident to confirm. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's him.

Melia seemed to be asking, Ace was his name, what his fellow paramedics were doing differently after the riots. Both of them kept repeating that they hoped there would be no more such riots, but on the off chance there were they wanted to be prepared for it. Ace seemed mostly focused on the winter weather and how that might affect things going forward. He said most likely the cold weather would discourage any further rioting, even the demonstrations were pretty scarce. But if anything were to happen, the cold could provide it's own danger were someone to get hurt. So that's what they were currently preparing for, making sure they had heat packs, thick blankets, and even thermos with warm drinks just in case. At the very least Ace seemed happy that they were able to pass around warm coco to people and just keep attitudes light.

Melia stressed that she didn't support the rioting, and that while the demonstrations were welcome she hoped people would be smart and calm and not let emotions run high. She seemed to suggest that the rioting was being triggered by individuals not part of the demonstrations, just agitators who wanted to cause trouble. She cautioned people to listen and pay attention, to not get caught up in any provocation.

It was an interesting conversation, and relatively short. I've saved the address so I can show Max and Hal next time we are able to talk about it. I have to admit though that I'm more interested in the paramedic. I really want to confirm if this Ace is the same paramedic from DIA. Doubt I'll ever be able to though.

So, chores tomorrow. Candace and Sam seem very intent on remaining at home this week. I'm not sure why, but I don't want to pry too much. They are entitled to their privacy. So while I won't be getting ready to visit her as I normally would, I do still have the party on Thursday to get ready for.

November 22nd, 2017

It's a lot of work getting ready for Thanksgiving. I had all my normal chores to do today, which was helped by Mom giving me a ride around town. She had already done most of her grocery shopping, but there's always those few items that she's forgot. So I went with, not only to make the stops I needed, but because I needed to get grocery items for what I'm going to make. We also got a card for Efe, and I wrote a note to him thanking him for his Birthday wishes.

I always loved Qatayefs, so I wanted to do those and serve them with honey as dessert. I'm a little nervous about frying them in oil though, I've never done that before, but otherwise they should be pretty easy.

My parents tend to want meals that speak to our heritage, which is fine because it's what they know. But I often feel like I'm missing out on some of the more "traditional" Thanksgiving dishes that everyone talks about. If it weren't for Max bringing me leftovers for our school lunches, I probably wouldn't have any idea what stuffing was, or green bean casserole. So I did some research online hoping to find some way of being able to incorporate an American traditional dish into my parents heritage. I found a recipe for deviled eggs that use olive juice, green olives, and pimientos. They look like fun.

In addition to laundry and my other cleaning chores, I helped Mom clean the house, and especially the kitchen. She keeps the place pretty clean, with our help of course, but once in a while we have to get into the nooks and crannies. It reminded me an awful lot of cleaning at work this last week. But, the place looks and feels so much better now, and tomorrow we'll get to enjoy it.

Then Mom and I did what preparations we could today, to help for tomorrow. Like boiling the eggs. We also cooked some homemade treats that could survive the trip, and put together a basket to be mailed with the card we got. It was fun working in the kitchen with her, we don't do that often enough anymore. But since we'd put in so much work for tomorrow, we ended up ordering pizza. I had to laugh at that, it was not so long ago that Mom would be insulted at the idea of ordering out.

I did get a break though when Candace called. Once I realized it was her I got concerned, she still doesn't like calling out on her phone. We had a nice long chat though. She was worried about having dinner with her in-laws, understandably. I assured her though that Thanksgiving was about being thankful for what we have, that it was a holiday that called to our better selves. If her in-laws couldn't live up to that, then she was welcome to come join my family here. I think that set her at ease, and Sam texted me later to say thanks.

Other than that, I have to admit feeling a little disconnected. We didn't turn the TV on at all, and beyond looking for recipes I didn't get on the net. So I have no clue whats going on with the tree, or the rioters. To be honest, it's a bit of a relief. I'm just worried that if something happens, having my head down might be a bad idea. Here's to the officers and fireman who'll have to spend the holiday guarding the tree. Hopefully nothing happens.

November 21st, 2017

I just realized that with the attempted arson yesterday, I failed to mention what we were doing at work. Since the remodel on the ancient Egypt exhibit is completed, we are now moving things back into the section. All the hardware and stuff was already put up, now we're moving in all the mobile stuff that helps us direct the crowds as they grow and shrink. The belted stanchions, movable displays, things like that. Also a lot of the delicate items that go into the display cases, things that we wouldn't want the contractors to handle for security reasons. Those were handled by museum management, scientists, and security personnel.

With Thanksgiving only days away, things haven't been very busy. It's actually been really good timing. Along with some of the others, I helped move in the less important items. It's a lot of fun watching the whole place come together. Just a few days ago it was a finished space, painted and displayed, but all the cases were empty. Made for a very open and pretty looking space. With everyone moving about and bringing things in, the place looks so much more like what the finished product will be. We even got to watch a lot of the important items get put up for display. It's very exciting. And today was more of the same, so we've got a lot done.

I'm not sure how much more they'll have left to put up. I expect that when I get back on Friday we'll be doing the soft opening to allow museum donors and the like take the first walks through the new exhibit. It won't be complete without Nephmesu, and he'll not be arriving for probably two weeks. Mostly the soft opening will allow us to test all the features and put them through the paces to make sure it all works smoothly. Then if needed we can correct any issues before Nephmesu gets here and the whole exhibit goes live.

This is one of my favorite parts about working at the museum. And we learn so much, the historians and scientists are all there explaining things in that passionate way they do. Best of all, Hal and I were working side by side. He saw me standing around waiting for direction and grabbed me to give him a hand in helping put up one of the displays. He would hold things, I would grab tools, and Dr. Asco would tell us all about the item as he put it in place. And then today we were doing it all over again. It was just a lot of fun.

One interesting bit that I learned is that Nephmesu wasn't a pharaoh like the other mummies. Nor was he one of the interred priests or servants. It's believed he was an influential merchant, and evidence suggests he was instrumental in helping to build one of the pyramids. For his efforts, he was rewarded with the rights to an interment of his own, honored to continue his job at the side of the gods for the rest of eternity. Or so the inscriptions on his tomb tell us. The tomb itself didn't survive the ages as well, and we're lucky the collapse didn't destroy Nephmesu along with the rest of his burial chamber. In fact, it's because of the collapse that he hadn't been found by looters. In a way, it protected him.

Work has been very rewarding these last two days.

As for the riot yesterday, it seems the police have rounded up a number of people that they believe to have been behind the arson attempt. Fortunately there hasn't been any more violence, though it's believed one instigator came from out of state, while two others have fled to other states. As for the tree itself, the vehicles have been removed, and the barriers repositioned. It's base is dark all the way around, but it stands defiantly. The news media seems to be in denial about the lights that everyone had been seeing. But Max has been texting me to say she's found a lot of interesting videos that were taken during the riot yesterday. She's looking forward to sharing them and really wants to know what Hal has to say about it.

Which, while we were at lunch, Hal did seem to want to talk about the arson attempt. But as usual he wanted to wait until our Saturday dinner. We talked about seeing Ragnarok since it would be the first to go. If we're quick we can hit a show time right out of work and then do dinner afterward. But if we do dinner first and then the movie, we'll be out late. So I'm going to have to remember to try and get out quickly on Saturday, maybe talk to the manager about leaving early if possible. Problem is, it'll be the weekend after Thanksgiving. People don't just go shopping, they go out, and that includes to here. So I don't know how this is going to work.

I did tell Hal we didn't have to see a movie, or we could do it another time. He's pretty insistent though, I think he really wants our date to be something more than what we usually do. Something to mark that it is a date. I get that.

November 20th, 2017

While my trip home tonight had a huge hiccup, Mom and Dad are only now getting home. They were out celebrating their anniversary, which is another thing I've forgotten. I'll have more thoughts on that later. Anyway, knowing they were going to be out and that I'd be on my own for dinner, I took a detour on my route home to stop by the mall. I wanted to get something to eat, and also to hit up the card shop to pick something up for Mom and Dad.

While I was doing this, a mob of people stormed LODO, overwhelmed the police presence at the tree and tried to build a bonfire to burn the tree down. After the riots a couple of weeks ago, the police had initially been making a strong standing. But their presence had thinned thinking everything had calmed down. Whoever these people were, they took advantage of the dwindling police presence. And there seems to be a strong connection between them and the counter-protesters. Like before, they were carrying a frightening amount of axes and there are reports of Molotov cocktails though nothing has shown up on video yet. The only difference being these rioters seem to be wearing Guy Fawkes masks with a cross painted on the foreheads.

The rioters took it upon themselves to try to burn the tree down. Probably because there was no attempt on the cities part to cut it down. Video does show them using their axes on the tree while trying to erect their bonfire materials, all to no effect. One was caught on camera as he swung his axe. It actually broke against the tree. The wooden handle did, not the head of the axe. But it seems a lot of the guys who took a swing were inspecting the blade of their axes afterward.

The cities response was to immediately shut down all public transportation, which was how I got stranded. At the time I wasn't aware of what was going on, I was just sitting at the bus stop looking alternately at my clock and the arrival/departure times. My parents however were eating at The Capital Grille, which is just down the street, so they got trapped in with all the chaos.

The rioters did get their bonfire built. Using a couple of pickup trucks, they quickly brought in as many wooden pallets as they could fit in the trucks. Stacked em up around the base of the tree, sprayed lighter fluid all over it, and lit a match. One of the rioters was burned pretty badly, though it's unclear how. They're currently at a hospital receiving care, but officials haven't released who the person is or which hospital they're at.

While one of the trucks had managed to get past the concrete barricade the police had set up, the other wasn't also able to get in. The rioters had to pass the pallets over that barricade, which slowed them down and prevented them from being able to build the bonfire properly. One of the speculations for how the one rioter got burned was that they tried to put a pallet into the fire after it had been lit. In any case, the poorly constructed bonfire didn't have the effect they were hoping for. While it did get hot, it didn't get hot enough to do more than scorch the tree. And because it was so slow in getting built, it didn't take long for fire response to put out the blaze.

That said, the second truck that couldn't manage to get into the barricade also failed to start back up when the rioters tried to flee. And because it wasn't moving, it trapped the other truck inside the barrier. The first truck, inside the barricade, caught fire shortly before officials arrived so it's damaged. And both vehicles have been impounded.

While all this was going on, my parents called me to let me know what was going on. This allowed me to call Max for a ride and is how I eventually got home. But being caught up in LODO, my parents had to wait for the police to allow them to go home. Officials were monitoring the streets and controlling who was able to do what, not wanting any further rioting.

So that was my adventure after work. We are all home safe and sound, as is Max. The riots from before are only weeks gone, but with this happening it's like that fear has returned full force. Max stayed with me till Mom and Dad got home, and we just sat in front of the TV dumbfounded. I did get texts from both Hal and Sam making sure I was okay. They were as well, and Sam was with Candace to say she was good.

I'm still blown away that people can feel this strongly about a tree. But at the same time, because of the riots previously, I can already feel myself numbing in response. Is this going to be the new normal?

I had had some thoughts on why I've been so forgetful lately. I was contemplating that while riding the bus to pick up a card for Mom and Dad. I'd always been so good about remembering these things before. I can't imagine forgetting their anniversary, and my birthday, was just because of what all was going on. It makes me wonder if this might be a side effect of my little death.

I'm seeing things, I'm forgetting things, but there's been some otherwise reasonable excuses too. As far as the things I'm seeing, it seems I'm legitimately seeing them, there is something there to see. But I can't help but worry. And things have been busy, the whole world is changing around me, and it's frightening. I'm aware of it, and more than that I'm looking for signs of it's changes. So I've been otherwise engaged and have a right to forget things.

I just don't want to get paranoid about everything, but what if I am having issues? Maybe I should call Dr. Laurie and set up another appointment. He'd probably remind me about seeing a shrink, come to think of it. I had been considering it, maybe I need to go look up those contacts again.

No, let's not yet. Let's start making an effort to look ahead into the month and seeing what's coming. If I can't remember things even after making that effort, then I have reason to schedule an appointment.

So, what's coming up? How far ahead should I look? I think I'll start with a month for now. That'll give me plenty of time I think.

Thanksgiving in a couple of days. Which I'm already starting to plan for. Speaking of which, Sam did get back to me this morning before all the crazy. His parents are insisting that he and Candace join them for Thanksgiving. Sam is aware of how poorly they think of Candace, so I'm not sure why he's agreeing to this. But it sounds like he's going to be placing some ground rules, so hopefully things go well.

Also, Hal joined me again for lunch today. That gave me a chance to ask him what his plans were. He'll be joining his family, though he also sounded like he might prefer coming to our place. He did say he'd miss his cousins if he did that though. But he did suggest that we should do something for Christmas. I think we both have family plans for then also, but if we plan for a day just for us we can go play in the snow or something.

Christmas is more than a month away, strictly speaking, but I've got that down now.

Oh, I have my dentist appointment coming up on the 13th. See, there are good reasons to look ahead on the calendar.

Nothing else in the works.

Alright, I'm going to go to bed and hide under my covers. One more day and then it's my weekend.

November 6th, 2017

Mom had to take me to work this morning as the public transit system was shut down starting early this morning. Protesters had banded together in mass and flooded LODO using public transportation to get there. From the sound of it, a significant portion of their numbers had come in on foot over night hiding wherever they could within blocks of the tree. They had scheduled their arrival to coincide with the public transit system so that they could rush the tree like a flash mob. They overran the police barricade and made the few police stationed there run. And then in surprising numbers they just continued to arrive by public transportation. Once the city realized how many people were on the buses and light rail headed in that direction, they ordered it all shut down.

Then they brought in the fire department and sprayed the crowds with water to disperse them. Just watching the images made it seem like a battlefield. I'm sure everyone's intentions were to be peaceful, but the police that were engulfed in the early hours were understandably overwhelmed. It doesn't excuse their actions, but it definitely explains them. People got hurt, and the crowds didn't react any better. Part of the reason the city reacted with such force was because a couple of officers were trapped in their car. The crowds were literally rolling it over with the officers inside.

It made for a terrifying morning. The whole city seemed to be in an uproar. By the time Mom got me to work, Bryan was standing outside and was just sending everyone home. Max said all of her classes after lunch were cancelled since so few were even showing up. Campus security was everywhere making sure nothing started up on school grounds.

It's hard to believe all of this happened over a tree. I have to remind myself that the tree showed up fully grown, over night, in the middle of an intersection. Religious groups are calling it a miracle, a sign, an omen, or whatever other term they want to use to express the hope or fear they believe it should inspire. Apparently a lot of talk had taken place in the pulpits yesterday.

So while there were a lot of people protesting cutting the tree down, very quickly it seemed there were people who wanted to see the tree come down. They had even brought their own axes and worse. The fire department had to bring in multiple engines, and one of them got hit by a molotov cocktail. That's one image that has been seared into my brain is the side of the fire engine just erupting in flame. A second cocktail had been thrown at the tree, but it fell short and exploded over one of the barriers.

An officer had been hiding behind that barrier too. Firemen at the scene were able to respond, but she's in the hospital now recovering from burns. The police in the patrol car were beat up pretty hard, but nothing broken. That said, many more protesters were hurt. The officer that had pulled out a baton should face charges, he had broken more than one persons arm. But the injuries to the crowds were mostly self inflicted. A lot of people were trampled, fights had broken out and weapons were involved. Though I think the real miracle today was that no one was shot. Most of the weapons that had been confiscated were axes.

That went on for most of the day, but by three or four the city seemed to calm down. The police and fire department had enough force at the tree to discourage any further action there. Once the crowds fury died down, people seemed to quickly gather the sense to disperse on their own. What small groups remained actually stepped up to help those who had been injured.

While the people were helping out the injured, the city brought in a crew to cut down the tree. By five a new crowd had gathered around the tree, much more subdued given the events of the morning. The police were on high alert but no one tried anything. There are a few video's floating around social media of people filming the guy as he approached the tree with his chainsaw. As he started it up, it's like everything else went silent, and on any video the only sound one can hear is the growl of the saw.

I'm watching one now, the guy revs the engine making sure the saw is working, and then he looks around at the crowds before approaching the tree. Still, no one makes a noise. Though it almost seems like I can hear the wind as it rushes through the boughs of the tree, like the tree itself is sighing. Then the saw revs and screams like some terrifying beast. The man braces himself and brings the saw to bear. And as soon as the teeth touch the tree, it shoots sparks. Bits of chain shot out everywhere like shrapnel, and the saw itself was pulled from the guys hands. There was some scoring, and it seems some of the shrapnel actually came from the bark, but otherwise the tree remains unharmed. At the end of the video I can hear the guy who was going to cut the tree thanking God that he's completely unharmed. Never mind the injuries to the crowd and the fireman who was struck in the back by the chainsaw. Fortunately the fireman was protected by his gear, he got knocked over pretty hard, but is standing as the last frame of the video.

After that the tree has been pretty much left alone. The crowds that surround it now are much smaller, and more peaceful. The latest news reports them singing or chanting, I think someone mentioned them being a pagan group, Wiccan or something. I keep looking for Melia Floros, but I haven't seen any images of her or heard her name. I know she had been leading the protests early on, but she doesn't seem to be making the news now. I'm curious what's happened with her.

I'm also curious what Hal has to say, but I'll have to wait till next Saturday to find out. Unless he responds to my email. Or Friday, I almost forgot we were going to hit up that bookstore.

Max has been incredulous, and she's going on and on about any conspiracy she can think of. I feel like a bad friend for not telling her what I know, but at this point I'm not sure where to start. Maybe Wednesday when we get together. I don't know if we'll be able to see the tree, but hopefully we'll still meet up.