off by one for 2006 January

Wed Jan 25 21:05:16 PST crash landed:

i'm not sure how i got here but i'm in some kind of strange new land... i think it's earth, late 20th century or possibly early 21st century. the locals are humanoid but I have not been able to determine if they are actually humans or if they just undergo surgery in order to appear that way. only dna testing will show for certain. i also can't quite make out the geography or geology... it is an arid land, but close to an immense ocean. i'll do some recon and report my findings to this journal. one thing's for sure... i'm definitely not in kansas anymore.

(1) Fri Jan 27 21:33:31 PST stolen bandage:

I found a used bandage in the street today so I should be able to do some dna testing once I can cobble together a suitable testing kit.

The terraforming these creatures have undertaken is ambitious. it appears that there are no substantial fresh water sources nearby, yet i would imagine the metropolis holds nearly 10 million of the indigenous species... and fresh "water" (that's what they call the yellow liquid that comes from the tap) flows freely. they must be piping it in from somewhere. i can only imagine the "reverse terraforming" that's happening in those areas... i'll have to try to gain access to some of the drainage and waterworks and see what i can find...

Sun Jan 29 22:23:39 PST atmosphorming:

I went hiking in the large, sedimentary/morphic mountains near the metropolis today. Because they are obviously the ocean floor of a bygone era it's clear that there have been some cataclysmic earthquakes in this area. It boggles the mind that this civilization would choose to build in such a desolate, dangerous area. What's more mind-boggling is that they appear to dislike the natural proportion of oxygen in the atmosphere and have undertaken great pains to increase the carbon monoxide and particulate content of the local air to great success. From the mountains a you can see a kind of great pall floating over the city. I imagine that through millions of years the natives have grown to require this specialized atmosphere much like certain cockroaches require the electromagnetic fields of breaker boxes for effective reproduction...

Mon Jan 30 20:55:03 PST religion:

I am still trying to determine the natives religious beliefs. It all seems very pagan to me; some worshipping their transport vehicles, others pretending to be the undead. but I think that the most uniform religious pillar in this community is the worship of youth. It is clear that almost everyone in this place is obsessed with beauty and strength; many people have personal attendants (witch doctors) who try to help them stay "in shape" (the desired shape is not clear). some people even go so far as to drink elixirs made of crushed plants and fruits; these are supposed to alternatively cleanse or fortify, depending on their construction. visions of youth are everywhere; by contrast, the elderly are locked away in shabby towers where they won't be seen on the street.

certain elites in the community are well known for their youthful looks and good breeding; they are the paragons to which the locals must aspire. these paragons are so influential that the news of their comings and goings are front page fodder; they are clearly the royalty of this community. seeing them in person is apparently understood to be some kind of good luck charm; any time anyone enters a public place, all heads turn to see if the newcomer is one of these paragons -- and the expression of disappointment at the sight of a normal citizen is slight but consistent. Fascinating.

I've ordered some parts from a chemical supply company... hopefully my DNA testing kit will be complete soon.

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