November 27th, 2017

If it weren't for the attack I had back in August, I'd say this was the worst attack I've ever had.

This morning started out like any other day, got around, got my stuff together so I could go to work. While I was at the gym, I noticed the news concerning the tree in LODO. The city had decided once and for all it was going to get rid of that tree, and they'd brought in a whole construction crew to dig up the pavement around it, and to dig it out by the roots. I guess Melia Floros had finally managed to talk to the city. She wasn't able convince them to leave the tree where it was, but she did persuade them to relocate the tree rather than to destroy it.

So in addition to the equipment that would dig the tree up, there was also a sixteen wheeler to transport the tree to another location. But I guess the city wanted to make absolutely sure that the tree was no longer in that intersection. If they couldn't dig it up and move it, they had brought a wrecking ball to smash it.

There was a lot of noise from the protesters, both sides. No one was happy about this. Those in favor of the tree considered the wrecking ball to be a threat and jeered the crew that manned it. On the other side of the street, those against the tree, they made it clear that they believed the tree should be destroyed. They didn't like that the city was making an attempt to not harm the tree, and very much cheered the wrecking ball crew.

I didn't learn this all at the gym, I didn't spend that much time there. Most of it I learned after I got to work. Despite being a Monday we still had a crowd of people show up early to see the new exhibit. Many of them had been unable to see the exhibit over the weekend because the lines were too long. We had offered them free tickets to come back another day, and knowing the lines they came back early today hoping to not have to wait.

Anyway, with everything starting up around the tree, people stopped coming in. Even the guests we already had were nervous after the riots we'd been having. So the news was turned on and we were set to learn of events as they unfolded.

At about noon, the first crew started digging up the road. It seemed like all was going well, but I started to feel a dizzy spell come on, and I knew in that moment the shit was about to hit the fan.

From my perspective, everything else just went away. It's not like anything happened, as far as my perceptions. It's just that with my attack coming, nothing else mattered. I looked over to Daniel and told him to get a manager, and find Hal. He hesitated not knowing what was going on. Before I could explain, the dizziness hit me like a ton of bricks. There wasn't any pain at first, just vertigo. I had sat down on a stool, and that fist wave caused me to lean so far forward that I fell off. Thankfully Brittany was there, and she was at my side immediately. I just let the ceiling spin, there wasn't anything else I could do.

A manager showed up, but I don't remember who it was. I just remember Brittany talking with them. Shortly afterward I remember Hal kneeling down next to me. I rolled over to put my head in his lap... that was a mistake, vomited all over him. And that was when I first noticed the pain. I was apologizing, asking for some pain killers, and asking to go home all at the same time, I didn't feel like I could get it out in any sensible order.

Hal has been very aware of my condition, considering that was why I was in the hospital when we met. But I don't think he's ever been there for one of my attacks. They are usually just little dizzy moments, sometimes worse, rarely causing me to vomit. This was all of it, and the pain, and I was scared I was going to pass out again. I can still feel that fear. In August I was out for two nights, and that was the first time I'd ever passed out, or even felt the pain. Who knows how long I'd be out this time?

I didn't want to panic though, so I focused on the pain and analysed it. I tried to remember how it was in August, and how it was different. In August, I seem to remember the pain being very sudden and it went straight to 10. I wasn't in pain for long before I passed out. This time, I'm not even sure when it started hurting. I puked, and then realized I was in pain, but it's not like that's when it started hurting. And once I realized I was hurting, I also realized it was getting worse. But it came on, not slow, just slow compared to August. That's why I wanted pain killers, I could feel it steadily getting worse. I had hopped that if I could resist the pain, that would prevent me from passing out. As if it were the pain that caused me to black out before.

Anyway, I struggled like this for a bit, and then I felt someone pressing a couple of pills into my hand and Hal helped raise me up into a sitting position. By this point I realized I had a circle of people around me, but I was too far gone to be embarrassed. I drunkenly tried to get the pills into my mouth, and then almost choked on the water I was offered. I got it down, and then asked Hal again if he would take me home. He nodded and with someone's help they put my arms over their shoulders and half carried, half dragged, me out to Hal's jeep.

I remember Hal trying to explain that he couldn't take me straight home, but I didn't understand why, and kinda didn't care. At some point I did finally pass out.

I woke up at home at about three. Mom was on the phone with Dr. Laurie, and Hal was sitting in Dad's chair watching the news. Hal said I was out, all told about two hours. I apologized again for puking on him, he asked how I was. I told him I was scared, and relieved that I hadn't lost another day or two. He asked if I needed anything, I told him something to drink. When he got back I had him help me stand. I wanted to make sure I had my balance, which thankfully I do.

I sat back down and turned my attention to the news. Hal explained that while I was out the crows in LODO attacked the crew that was trying to remove the tree. He then went looking for summaries of what had happened. The crows started by dive bombing the crews, pecking at their helmets as they passed by and causing a general ruckus. The crews tried to work through it, but eventually had to start fighting back. They pulled out various tools at hand that they could use to swing at the crows as they passed by. And at first it looked like they might have succeeded in driving the birds away.

But the crows learned and started working in tandem. One to distract their target while another crow struck them from behind. Hal said it almost looked like it had turned into a big brawl, and the crows were on top. But they were hitting the helmets, which didn't really do much. Still, it forced the crew to abandon using the jack hammer to break up the pavement. Instead, they got into the two excavators and just started tearing up the pavement from the safety of their cabs. Hal said that's when it got disturbing, the birds started attacking the cabs, flying into the windows hard. More than a few of the crows knocked themselves out striking the windows.

But the excavators kept working. That was when the fireflies came back. And again, the limbs aren't bare, the tree still has all of it's leaves. So the fireflies were coming out from under the leaves and behind branches, like they'd been there the whole time. They swarmed the excavators, flying into every nook and cranny they could find. It seems no one's sure exactly what happened, just that after some time of being swarmed, both excavators shut down. One right after the other. Once they shut down, both gave off a black smoke and wouldn't start. The crews tried to come over to check on the operators and the equipment, but the crows attacked the people and prevented them from approaching the excavators.

At that point, someone made the decision to involve the wrecking ball. The crane started it's engine, and everyone paused knowing what was about to happen. Even the birds seemed to take a step back in flight. But then those opposed to the tree shot up a loud cheer and all sense of order went right out the window. The crows flew into the crowd, whose heads weren't protected by helmets. And the fireflies that had seemed to go away after stopping the excavators, they appeared in flight headed straight toward the crane.

The crew tried to ward off the swarm, only to get attacked. And while they had been mostly immune to the crows, they didn't have any protection from the fireflies. They burst out in welts and blisters, rashes, even little cuts. It was scary, and the crew ran. But while the crows busied themselves with the crowd of supporters and even gave chase to those that ran, the fireflies just moved right on to the crane.

Now the crows were vastly outnumbered by the crowd of people, so they relied on the chaos of the situation. But they weren't immune themselves and the people in the crowd started reaching out to try and catch the crows or strike them. So that was a fight, and reporters are mentioning that the crows took looses.

But there was one crow that stood out from the rest. It had a silver streak running across its chest that was hard to see. Unless it hit the light just right, and then it was very apparent. That crow seemed to be able to pass above the crowds heads and almost effortlessly avoided every hand that tried to grab it or strike it. And when it pecked at the peoples heads, it drew blood. That thing was viscous, and terrifying. Once people started to become aware of that crow, they started running from it specifically. It didn't take much longer and that single crow had the crowd dispersing almost entirely on it's own.

While that fight was going on, the fireflies swarmed the crane. And they just kept coming, it almost seemed as if they weren't getting anywhere. The operator just continued to ignore the fireflies, positioned the crane where he felt it needed to be and started raising the wrecking ball. Suddenly there was a loud pop, or a crack, or crunch and the ball just dropped. It's a good thing no one was under it, because the jackhammer that was was crushed like an empty soda can and the ball buried itself into the road almost a quarter of the way.

It was a dramatic end to everything that was going on, the crew completely abandoned their efforts and their machinery. And the crows didn't limit themselves to driving away those opposed to the tree. They turned on everyone there, even the tree supporters. Now the supporters were wise to just leave. They had just seen what had happened to the others, and fortunately once they got moving the crows didn't fully attack them. But they did circle and dive in warning. They even got threatening with the police and fire department. That was the last time the crow with the silver streak was seen. It flew between the emergency crews and the other crows almost in a protective gesture. After that the rest of the crows turned back to dispersing the crowds.

As far as I know, the whole block around that intersection has been abandoned.

Anyway, Hal stuck around for dinner after Dad got home from work. Mom set up an appointment with Dr. Laurie for me tomorrow, and then called the museum and let them know I wouldn't be able to make it tomorrow. Fortunately I have the following two days off. I'm so tired, who knew passing out was so exhausting? So I'm going to bed way early tonight. Hopefully tomorrow sanity will have returned to the world.

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 13th, 2017

It seems like today has been one long conversation with Batel. Obviously it couldn't have been, I did have work. It's just that all day she's been talking about DIA being strapped because of what happened there. It made it difficult for her to just fly in, and she wasn't happy about driving all the way up from Tucson. Mostly though she's been curious about what happened, which no one had answered satisfactorily. I think what helped make this conversation seem so long was the news report that was released while I was at work.

"Cause of DIA disaster discovered," what is it about the news media and their titles? Anyway, it seems while the construction crews were digging around, they found a weakness in the structural support. They are blaming this weakness for having caused the plane to suddenly veer into the building from a parked position. That something came lose under the tire and the plane rolled and crashed into the building. The weakness itself might have been an even worse disaster had it not gone undetected. So now we're supposed to be happy that this happened, otherwise it would have been worse.

I'm still not sure I'm convinced by that, I remember seeing the video's and the plane moved. It didn't fall. Either way, with this new discovery the construction crew is reporting more work, and longer repair times.

So I get home from work and Max has come over 'cause she was almost our third sister when we were growing up. Batel repeated her complaints from this morning and we all discussed the news. Of course Max had to bring up her conspiracy theories which reminded Batel of the tree. Next thing I knew we were on our way to see it, again. So not telling Candice or Sam about this, I don't care if they've apologized and we've patched things up.

That said, even the parents were concerned about us going. It's only been a few days since the last attempt to cut it down. I think they're right to be concerned though, we were still seeing evidence from the rioting that had happened last week. To the day, now that I think about it.

The tree itself is still standing, but man alive is that one trunk scarred. Even still, it is a testament to how strong the ironwood is. The thing is, as we were walking up from the parking garage, I started seeing what I wanted to say were fireflies. Which is strange, I don't think we have fireflies in Colorado. And even if we did, they wouldn't be out this time of year.

At first I hesitated to ask Max or Batel if they were seeing 'em to. But I had to remind myself that if I'm hallucinating, I need to know for certain. So I sucked it up and asked, "Are you guys seeing this?" They asked "what?" of course, and I directed their attention up where the lights were flying above us. Now that it's getting dark earlier, the lights were pretty visible. To my relief they said yes and were as troubled by it as I was. They started counting them though, and it became apparent that they weren't seeing anywhere near as many as I was. I think I easily saw ten times as many as they were counting.

As we got closer to the tree, I was noticing more and more people looking up at the lights. I also noticed that there were far more surrounding the boughs of the tree and flying amongst them. Still, it seems people were only seeing a portion of the ones I saw. Which makes me wonder what it is I was seeing. Multiple images? Like seeing double? It's a little troubling, and I'll have to remember that next time I see Dr. Laurie.

I did notice people had their phones and cameras out and were trying to take pictures. Max did too, but was only partially successful. Actually, she was extremely successful. The pictures she took showed everything I saw, but because she wasn't seeing it without the camera she thought her camera was broken or something. I'm not sure what to make of that, if there is a hardware issue with her camera, maybe that's what my little death is doing to me.

Anyway, the lights weren't the only thing concerning for us. Each time I've been down here, looking up into the branches of the tree has filled me with a sense of peace. And maybe I haven't mentioned it before, but despite being a deciduous tree, the cottonwood should have shed it's leaves by now. This ironwood still has all it's leaves, even on the trunk that was scarred up by the logging rig. Tonight it seemed that the leaves were rustling in the wind. And I know that breezes can affect trees higher up where we don't feel the wind on the ground. But this seemed different somehow. Despite the nearby park, there weren't any other trees close enough to compare, but it didn't seem like there was any wind to cause the tree to sway like that. This seemed more like a cat when it's agitated, how the tale flicks back and forth. Only in this case it was the branches of the tree.

When Max was happy with her pictures I started suggesting maybe we should get home. It was getting late. I don't know if Batel felt it too, but she agreed with me. Max took one last look up into the tree's canopy and I'm pretty sure she missed the peaceful feeling as well. So we took off.

Got home in time to share dinner with Max, it was almost like high school all over again. We had a lot of fun, and Max and I reminded each other and invited Batel to join us on Wednesday for dinner. Batel does have to leave in the morning, so we can't stay out late, but plans are made.

I just can't get that agitated feeling out of my head though. I'm scarred that the next time they try to cut the tree down, something's going to happen. And thinking back to the crowd of people there, I think they felt it too. It was dark, so understandably there weren't many people there. But it seemed like there should have been more. It seemed like people were leaving without staying longer. The protesters didn't even have the presence they've had in the past, and I didn't see any of the counter-protesters.

I need to get to bed, one last day of work before my weekend.

November 9th, 2017

Where in the hell does he get off? Who does he think he is? Sam's got no right to treat any of us this way, not Candace, not me, and certainly not Max!

I get that going down to see the tree in LODO is risky, but what happened on Monday hasn't been repeated and these last two days have been fairly quiet. Today things were touristy even, the protesters were still there, but beyond being loud they haven't been threatening. Police presence was still high, and they weren't letting people get near the barricade. But both groups of activists actually had tables where they were handing out information concerning their side of the debate and taking interviews.

As if armed conflict was just a debate.

I know, I know, things were pretty bad on Monday, and there were still signs of the violence to be seen. But it's like everyone has settled down and changed tactics, become more civilized. I think that's a good thing, and it's the only reason I agreed to head down there with Max when she stopped by Candace's after class.

But I think what pisses me off most is that Candace is accepting Sam's blow up, even agreeing with it. She didn't put up much of a protest when Max and I left, though she did warn that Sam wouldn't like it. But that's just it, he can not like it, but he can't prevent us from doing so. We're grown women, and he's neither of our parents, we have a right to our decisions and will take responsibility for our own actions. It's nice that he's concerned about us, but he needs to learn how to handle that concern.

Even Max, who'd be thrilled to think he cared about her, was turned off by his yelling. She chewed him out on the spot for jumping our shit, and Candace told her to leave. It was too much at the moment, and I certainly wasn't going to wait around to get yelled at some more, so I left with Max saying they were in the wrong.

I just don't understand what the issue is. I'd have thought he'd be happy we didn't take Candace with us knowing he's so overprotective of her. And in a way, it's flattering that he's extended that sense of protection to the two of us, but it's overbearing, inappropriate, and wholly uncalled for. He has no right to be ordering us around in any way. And no more right to be ordering Candace around either. Why can't she see that? How can she accept it?

We've talked about it before, and I get that she feels safe with him around. I'm just not sure why, and I still don't see what right that gives him at all. If she didn't want to go, and she mentioned as much, she doesn't have to go. It's her decision, just as ours was to go. Sam has no part in that, so I'm frustrated that she leans on him as her excuse. Even more so that she tries to use the same excuse to say we shouldn't go either.

I hope we can get past this, I hope we can talk later, because we need to. I've come to really like Candace these last few months. Even Sam, when he's not being overprotective, he's a very thoughtful guy, sweet and caring. I love seeing him laugh, and he's got a great smile when he lets it show. But if we're going to have any relationship going forward, he needs to learn some boundaries, and I need to establish them. I know I can't enforce those same boundaries for Candace, she has to do that, but I will maintain that she should. For now though we both need to cool down.

So, moving on. I should record that I did have a dizzy spell this morning while I was trying to take a shower. I managed to ease my way to the floor of the tub before I'd lose my balance. Last thing I need is to be breaking my neck in the bathroom. Still, it made the rest of the day that much harder to deal with. I could probably have handled things better.

I did pick up fliers while down at the tree. I made sure to pick up fliers from both sides so no one'd think I was favoring one side over the other. Doubt they were watching, but I've been acting paranoid anyway thanks to Hal. The flier in favor of ridding us of the demon tree is full of god bothering idiocy. They seem to be comparing this tree to the tree that got Adam and Eve thrown out of Eden, as though it were the tree's fault. Though there was a reference to a fig tree too. I don't know, incoherent as always.

It was the flier opposed to cutting down the tree I was most interested in. And sure enough it was showing information about the tree being a rare species of ironwood that is endangered. The flier invokes US regulations for the protection of endangered species. As a proposal to adjust the intersection to accommodate the tree, they suggest making it a roundabout. I didn't see any suggestions for moving the tree, and I tried asking, but the guy at the table didn't hear me and had already moved his attention on to the next person. I did catch sight of Melia, she was being interviewed by a guy and a cameraman. It didn't look like a news station though, so I'm not sure who was interviewing her. I'm sure she'll take whatever attention she can get, the city still seems to be ignoring her.

While we were out there though, Max asked about Hal. I had been avoiding talking about him, which was easy 'cause we'd gotten sidetracked by the tournament and then Halloween. But Max and I had already been talking about his conspiracy, and leave it to Max to never forget a conspiracy. Or the idea that I have a boyfriend. Our nights out have been fun though, when I'm not stressing over the world as we know it coming to an end. And I kept the conversation on that still unsure how to tell Max about the Illuminati and everything. Though looking back on that, I'm not making it any easier to deny that we're dating.

I did let her know how he'd been put off by me having to miss a night thanks to the tournament, and that I hadn't told him before hand. Max was encouraging in how I'd handle it, but she was sympathetic to things from his point of view. Which again, she was leaning on us as dating regularly. I'm just never going to shake that am I?

Despite my avoidance though, Max remembered his thoughts on the conspiracy as we had been talking about it when first they'd met. I couldn't deny that he and I had been continuing that conversation without flat out lying to her. So I told her that we needed to talk, but that "here" was not the place. It wasn't hard to act paranoid about it, and she let me off with a twinkle in her eye that I have a feeling I may regret later. She and I may need to have a girls night out next week.

It was after visiting the tree when Max and I returned to Candace's and found Sam there. He had picked me up this morning as usual, and hadn't said anything to me about the tree. We chatted peacefully enough on the way over, nothing was amiss. And while I was visiting with Candace before Max had picked me up, we were doing fine. Max got there and we asked if she wanted to join us. She turned us down, which was her right, and warned us that Sam wouldn't like it. So yea, when we got back... I've already gone over it. No need to dwell.

It'll be nice getting back to work tomorrow. Though I just realized as I was looking at the calendar, my birthday's coming up. With everything going on, I'd completely forgotten and didn't ask for the day off. Must be getting old. Oh well, Sunday's are hard enough to get off anyway. Mom and Dad haven't mentioned anything, nor Max. I guess we've all been busy. Will have to try and do something on Wednesday. Maybe Thursday, might not be going to Candace's this week. And if my birthday is here, that means Mom and Dad's anniversary is right around the corner. Will have to keep that in mind.

November 8th, 2017

I did some research today, out of curiosity, seeing what I could find. Looked up news from papers and TV stations local to Las Vegas, and anything I could find between there and Phoenix over the last week. There was a lot to cover, and of course I wasn't entirely sure what to look for, but I did find something that seems to fit the bill.

This week Nephmesu is staying at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. The road crew transported him on Monday, and the exhibit was set up yesterday. Today the exhibit went live and will run through Sunday before packing up to head to San Francisco. Interestingly enough, there was another break in on Monday night at the Las Vegas library which is almost right across the street from the museum.

As I was reading over the article, it read like a crime blotter, there wasn't a whole lot of detail. Which if the investigation is still ongoing, that kinda makes sense. Don't want to give too much away until they have something solid. But it got me to wondering, and I looked up the other articles that I'd been shown and other sources for the stories. They are all lacking in details, and the older incidents in San Antonio and Phoenix don't have much follow up. There's a few sites that are announcing security footage found, but they look like rag mag sites, so I'm not as interested in finding out. So it seems the break ins are attracting attention, but from the same groups that tend to publish big foot sightings and UFO abductions. Which is kinda interesting on its own, given what all Hal has been telling me.

Actually, since I'm on the subject now, I'm suddenly wondering if there's more truth to big foot and UFO's than I had thought there were. If ancient mythology turns out to be true, to an extent, why not modern mythology?

Anyway, while the stories on their own are attracting that limited attention, no one seems to be connecting the incidents. Which could be due to the very local coverage of the news, but with the internet connecting these people one'd think they'd pick up on the similarities of the incidents. But the other thing is, they're not making the connection with the Nephmesu exhibit. Without that particular piece of information, they probably don't even know to look.

I have to admit I'm tempted to drop an anonymous tip on one or more of their sites, just to see what happens. No, that wouldn't be a good idea, for a number of reasons.

So I've made sure to print out a reference article so I can share it with Hal. Though I'm not sure what he's going to want to talk about on Friday. I know we're going to see if we can find any books on ironwood trees, but he's made it pretty clear by now that he doesn't want to talk conspiracy away from dinner. I half expect that we'll get to the bookstore, and each of us will take different sections to look and we'll compare notes on Saturday night.

It probably won't be that bad.

As far as local events, things have been calm today. Not quiet, Melia is back leading the protesters in LODO. But the city hasn't tried to cut down the tree, and the protesters seem to be hyper aware of police scrutiny after what happened on Monday. They're making noise, but they're very careful not to make any aggressive motions towards the tree or the police blockade. Any counter-protesters have been directed to protest at the far side of the blockade from the protesters. The two are not allowed to approach each other and police presence is making it clear that they're watching everyone.

I'm feeling iffy about going to see the tree. Visitors are kept at as much of a distance as the protesters, so I'm not sure what more we'd be able to see. I'd love to touch the tree and see what it feels like, but there's no chance of that.

But I also want to go see Melia Floros. I doubt I'd be able to approach her any more than I can the tree, but I'd like to see and hear what she has to say on the subject. I'm fascinated that she's saying publicly what Hal and I are whispering to each other over dinner. Not that we're actually whispering, but it's not like we're broadcasting to the entire restaurant. The point is we're careful of people overhearing us. That's another question I want to ask Hal though, if the Illuminati is going to take action against her. He still hasn't answered my emails, so I don't know what's going on.

Oh well, I'll see Candace tomorrow, and I guess I'll have to make a decision before Max gets there.

November 7th, 2017

It's been a quiet day. Or at least it was a quiet morning. The city seems to be licking it's wounds after yesterday's protests, made even moreso by the snowfall. The police remain guarding the tree along with some firemen. Though there are groups of firemen and police who are speaking out against the force that they were authorized to use yesterday. A lot of city departments have issued statements of regret, which is a good sign. Though City Hall has been quiet.

On the other hand there are a lot of citizen groups who are also speaking out against the weapons and threats that people had brought yesterday. It's nice to see that people are taking responsibility, rather than just pointing fingers.

That's not to say the finger pointing isn't happening. Both sides of the protest are blaming the other for everything that has happened. The only thing they can seem to agree upon is that the city was out of line for attacking the people.

I've seen a few reports of how the injured are recovering. Most seem to be doing better, but a few are in limbo. The police officer that got hit by the molotov has stabilized, though skin grafts are what they're talking about now.

So the streets are what's quiet, and even the museum was nearly empty today. The media has not been quiet. I did finally hear from Melia Floros though. She was interviewed about the protests, which she claims to have had nothing to do with. She said she's spent most of the last few days trying to talk to city officials about preventing the tree from being cut down. But they've rejected and ignored her at every turn. So now she's out protesting again, doing everything she can to be heard.

She's openly stated that the tree is a true ironwood, and that the city has a responsibility to protect it. That it's one of the last of it's kind. I think my jaw just about hit the floor when I first heard that, I can't believe someone said it publicly. I can't believe anyone else knows. I emailed Hal again to try and talk about it, but he must be busy with his secret society 'cause he hasn't responded at all. I didn't even see him at work today.

As far as the two groups of protesters go, the ones that were chanting and singing last night are still there. They seem to have a much more relaxed attitude today, as though they believe the tree can't be cut down no matter how hard the city tries. The others, the ones that wanted the tree removed have gotten even more vocal and nasty. The tree is no longer just some omen, but an evil tree that must be removed. They use a lot of Christian language, and no doubt they themselves are Christian, but I'd hate to think all Christians are in support of them. They've been downright mean toward the tree, it's pagan supporters, and Melia in particular. But as is so often the case, I haven't heard other Christians speaking out against such behavior. And Christians wonder why they have such a poor reputation.

Max said she's been loaded up with make up work for all the classes that were cancelled yesterday. So she's not been very talkative, but she has said she's looking forward to getting together on Thursday. She's still hoping to visit the tree. I called Candace when I got home from work, she said Sam has flat out forbidden her from going anywhere near the tree. She said she hadn't talked with him about us going, just that he had demanded it out of the blue. Candace admitted wanting to go just to spite him, but after everything she'd heard about yesterday, she doesn't want to go. I don't blame her, I'm feeling cautious about it myself. We'll see how things go tomorrow, and use it to judge whether or not to visit on Thursday.

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.

November 5th, 2017

It's weird, I don't think I've ever paid so much attention to the news. But this last week it seems like I've been purposely watching the news every day, and reading the papers available at work. I'd ask when I became so interested in current events, but I know it's been a combination of things. Mostly it's been the conspiracy that Hal has introduced me to and everything he's been telling me about. Max had always shared news items with me. But when the news items she shared started lining up with the things Hal has been telling me, I started paying more attention to the news on my own. Then between what happened at DIA, and that tree showing up in LODO, suddenly I've been watching the news every day just to see what's happening.

With officials unable to provide any worthwhile explanation for what happened at DIA, news on that front seems to have come to a standstill. It seems neglect has been ruled the explanation for what happened, someone didn't set a brake, or forgot to chock a wheel. It was an unfortunate accident, but DIA will make sure everyone affected will have their health care reviewed and compensated where appropriate. Beyond that, nothing.

On the other hand, the tree in LODO has been making headlines. Or at least the protests surrounding it have. City officials have made the decision to go ahead and cut down the tree, and the protesters have somehow found a massive support system. It seems people have been coming in from all around the state and further to protest cutting the tree down. They surrounded the tree today and wouldn't let anyone near it. Police took action a couple of hours ago citing concern that someone might get hurt. Of course, in taking action, some people got hurt.

I have to admit, I'm impressed that the protesters have been so persistent. They were there all day, and while the intersection has been cleared and the police have set up blockades, there are groups of people marching the streets. We could hear one group here just a half hour ago. On the whole the crowds have been noisy, but not disruptive. That said, they've attracted the sort of people who will take advantage of whats going on to cause their own forms of chaos. It didn't take long for the protesters to adapt to the trolls. Now when someone starts causing problems, the entire crowd will back away from the offender and point at them to make them visible. It seems to be having the desired effect.

It's disappointing that all this had to happen, though it's good to hear that the police employed non-lethal forms of crowd dispersal. I still don't understand why the tree can't have been dug up and moved. The protesters didn't want anything to happen to it, and wouldn't entertain any suggestions. But I do have to admit that the cost and effort of moving the tree would be excessive. It is a massive tree, even for a cottonwood.

I've been texting Max, she was really hoping to see the tree again, but if they cut it down we might be out of luck. That is, unless Hal and Tim are right. If it's a true ironwood there's no telling what will happen. I guess we find out tomorrow.