Dr. Jane Wormsly in Winter

But receive me, my frensheets, from the emerald dark winterlong!
James Joyce, Finnegans Wake p. 603

I met Lohbado down at the Club Morono Tabernacle the other day. He started telling me all about Dr. Jane Wormsly, a worm specialist. I felt really tired and started daydreaming while he talked. It was pretty cold outside, a quiet cold day, nothing special. I refilled the cup of coffee and tried to concentrate on what Lohbado was telling me. A whole notion about numbers, Lohbado insisted on power in numbers. Yes, it helps to smile and be happy, even though one might sometimes feel sad. It was that kind of late January conversation. I tried to remember what Jane looked like. She's in her forties, brown hair, dark eyes. She also follows the Oogah clock on the wall in the green room where she uses various herbs to stimulate the worms.

Veteran of the Dome

As he prepared to go out for morning coffee, Lohbado knew he’d been exposed to radiation, but not enough to seriously damage his memory, the way it affected the OOO. The OOO experienced severe memory loss, which is why Lohbado was hired. He was hired as a Trainer, to teach the OOO what they needed to know in order to survive in post-apocalyptic society. 

dying man

Even though Lohbado wasn’t superstitious, a dead cat beside the hedge at the edge of the sidewalk, made him stop. He bent over for a better look. He’d seen a few dead humans, but not so many cats. A lot of folklore rushed through his mind, the black cat on a Friday. Six cats all at once meant the devil was nearby. A cat stuck in a tree meant bad weather ahead. If a cat hissed at you from a doorstep, better not enter in.

in the Bull's Blood Tavern Parking Lot

    Zed slipped and fell flat on his back. Ice rain had turned the parking lot into a skating rink. Zed wasn’t drunk. He’d been drinking soda, not alcohol.

The Angel and the Devil

   
    “Lohbado, you have now been liberated from all responsibilities,” said George Potz, Regional Administrator for the Department of Standardization, “Your services are no longer necessary. You are free to go. You will receive a small veteran’s pension, barely enough to keep you alive.”

happy new year

Happy new year. I don't know what it means. Take down the old calendar and put up a new one.