living for the moment

Otto woke up to his phone going off loudly, it was sitting on his beside table charging. His ringtone was "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant, which always put Otto in a good mood. So he woke up in a pretty good mood. Otto reached over, grabbed his phone, disconnected the charger, and read the caller i.d. To his surprise it was Scott Rowe. He was intrigued because Scott usually only calls Otto about once a month to buy drugs, and Scott had just visited Otto only a couple of days ago concerning the matter. Otto answered the phone, "Hey, what's up man? Run out of weed already this time?", he said jokingly. "Oh yeah man, I just blew through an entire ounce single-handedly, its been a wild three days, I've pretty much been high ever since I left your apartment that day", Scott said laughing and obviously joking around as well. " "You know Scott, you're turning into one of my favorite customers.", Otto replied. "Nice dude, because you're definitely one of my favorite dealers", Scott said laughing, "Anyway, I called because I just scored a trip for two at this sick ski resort up in the mountains. The guy I was DJing for last night, didn't have any money so he just paid me by giving me his ski trip reservations, pretty sweet huh? You wanna come with?" "Yeah dude, that's awesome, I'm totally up for a little skiing. I'm surprised you're not bringing a lady friend instead though? What's up with that?", Otto asked. "To be honest with you, I'm just tired of hanging with bitches all the time, I need some bro time.", Scott explained. "Oh alright man, I gotcha. So when do we leave?", Otto said. "I'm about to grab a taxi and I'll be at your place in about 20 to pick you up. Just throw some warm clothes in a bag and you'll be good to go, the guy even rented skis for us.", Scott said enthusiastically. "Alright man, sounds like a plan, I'll see you in a bit.", Otto said and hung up quickly to begin packing.

When they got to the ski resort it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon and the snow was thick and fresh and still falling. So they decided to hit the slopes right away. On the ski lift up the mountain, Scott pulled a flask of whisky out of his jacket. “You wanna get a little tipsy before this expedition, you know maybe make it a little more interesting.” “Damn Scott, you really do live for the moment don't you”, Otto said chuckling, “maybe even a little too much, alcohol will screw your liver.” “Yeah, but it makes the present moment awesome and that's what life's all about, or at least that's what it's about for me.”, Scott said. “I like the way you think man, let's have a drink then.” By the time they had reached the top Otto was feeling a little unsteady on his feet and was beginning to wonder if drinking before skiing was such a good idea after all. “Whatever, live for the moment, make the best of it”, Otto reminded himself in his head. “Race to the bottom!”, Scott yelled and took off down the mountain.

Otto was quick to follow but still feeling quite uneasy on his skis. Scott tucked his poles and crouched for maximum speed, and Otto didn't want to loose so he too tucked his poles under his arms and crouched. Otto began gaining on Scott and was building up pretty good speed. As Otto passed Scott, he turned his head back to taught him, taking his eyes off the course ahead. “Haha, suckaahhh”, Otto was saying when all of the sudden. WHAM. He got clotheslined by a low branch going about 50 miles an hour. He felt his ribs crack as he lost his breath immediately. Had he been about a foot to the right, it would have been the entire tree which probably would have killed him.

The pain was dulled by the whisky so Otto was able to stand up slowly and ski gently to the bottom where Scott was waiting for him. “Damn! You got annihilated by that tree so bad!”, Scott said while laughing, “Let's do it again, let's do it again!” “I don't know about that man, I think I have a couple broken ribs, you got anymore of that whiskey?”, Otto said. “Nope, we killed it.”, Scott replied. “Well then I'm definitely done for the day, I'm going back to the lodge.”, Otto said. “Alright, that's cool, I can ski all day by myself, this shit is so much fun! Plus I got a joint that we didn't even smoke yet!”, Scott exclaimed. “Alright, well have fun with that, I'm gonna go lie down and maybe seek some medical attention.” Otto went back to the lodge, wincing in pain. When he got to his room, he lied down and counted his blessings. He began realizing the true importance of living for the moment, because at any moment life can be taken away. And in that moment, lying on the bed, Otto became extremely grateful for simply living.

 

Taking it easy

Otto was reclining comfortably in his lazy boy, watching a game of hockey with his third bowl of Captain Crunch for the morning (or rather afternoon, Otto had slept until noon). He enjoyed doing this often in the winter, since he figured no one really wanted to buy or sell any crap at his second-rate pawn shop anyway, especially on a frigid winter morning. He usually rolls in to open up around 4:30 though. But in the early afternoon of this day at about 2:00, Otto heard a knock on his door. It was his new friend/customer Scott Rowe. Otto liked Scott, he thought he was a pretty cool guy, and plus he gave him good business on a regular basis. "Scotty! What's going on, good to see you bud." "Hey man, you too, listen I'm DJing at this block party later on over at the roller skating rink, you should be there, pretty girls, good music, and plenty of mind altering substances", Scott said to Otto as they did their business transaction. "Oh alright dude, sounds sweet, I'll probably be there. My schedule is completely clear, I don't ever have shit to do anymore, this town is a pretty dull place". "Yeah I hear you man, but you just gotta live for the moment and make the best of it, that's what I try to do, every night my man", Scott said. "Alright well I'll see you later tonight then, enjoy yourself", Otto said. "You bet, bud, right back at ya", Scott said and walked out the door.

The hockey game was over and Otto started watching an old episode of Good Times. A few moments later Otto heard a knock on his door yet again. He thought maybe Scott had come back for something, since he only walked out the door a few minutes ago. But to Otto's surprise it was one man and one woman, dressed in black casual suits. Otto noticed they had pamphlets with crosses on them and immediately assumed they were Jehovah's Witnesses. Otto never really understood these people, but perhaps it was because he never really took the time to. He used to always shoo them away in a hurry and in a rather rude manner. This time, however, Otto was somewhat intrigued with the people that stood before him. "Good afternoon sir, my name is Joseph and this is Margret." "Uhh, I'm Otto, nice to meet you", Otto said in a tone that sounded almost confused. "Well Otto it's nice to meet you too. Now tell me, do you have God in your life Otto?", said the woman. "I don't know. Do I have God in my life? Do any of us have God in our lives? How can I really know?", Otto asked inquisitively. "Well it's called having faith, you just have to trust and believe, and be willing to accept God into your life to help you.", said the man. "We have a pamphlet for you here that should help you in your spiritual journey to finding God.", said the woman has she handed a pamphlet to Otto. "Oh, wow, thanks so much.", Otto said in a dull but genuine voice. "Our pleasure Otto, have a blessed day.", the man said as they moved on to the next door.

Otto decided that he would read through the pamphlet later and reflect on his thoughts of God when he felt the time, it just seemed like too much at the moment. So Otto spent the rest of the afternoon watching Good Times and laughing hysterically. For dinner he went to Casa d'Waffles, just because he hadn't been there in a while. He noticed a familiar looking man sitting at the counter as he walked in. Otto didn't know the man's name, but he wanted to find out. So he went up and popped a squat on the stool next to the man. "Hey, my name's Otto, Otto Vandersloot. You look strangely familiar for some reason, but I don't think I know you from anywhere, do I?", Otto said. "Not that I know of, Vandersloot...Vandersloot, wait, are you related to that guy that just escaped from prison?", asked the man. "Oh, yeah that's my brother, but I don't really even know him that well anymore, what's your name by the way?", said Otto. "Lucas Shaffer, I do plays down at the theater, maybe that's where you recognize me from.", said the man now known as Lucas Shaffer. "Ah yes, that must be it, I've been to one or two plays there." Then out of nowhere Otto got the guts to spontaneously ask Lucas about his thoughts on God, "Are you a religious man Lucas, do you believe in God?" "Well I wouldn't really call myself very religious, I don't attend any church services very often, but I do think that God exists.", said Lucas. "Well what makes you think God exists?", Otto asked. "I guess because it's the only way to really make sense out of all this shit.", said Lucas as he got up and walked out, leaving Otto to ponder deeply on his spiritual life.

Blog #3

Otto woke up uncomfortably cold, under his one thin sheet and his German Shepard, Bruno, curled up by his feet. The old Otto would have been very irritated and angered by the discomfort the cold weather caused. However, after Otto had been enlightened from the whole robbery incident the other day, he was a new man. So Otto simply yawned, got out of bed to get some warmer clothes on, and looked over at Bruno as he raised his head off the bed. “Getting cold again isn't it Bruno”, Otto said as Bruno cocked his head to the side and raised his ears trying to understand what his master's voice was saying. Otto giggled and walked towards the kitchen to pour himself a bowl of Captain Crunch. On his way he flipped on the radio in his living room. The song playing was Mr. Blue Sky by E.L.O. Otto began singing along. The positive upbeat song put him in an even better mood, Otto was feeling better than ever. That one moment of genuine happiness and contentment he felt the other day, as he regained his stolen belongings, had made Otto realize how much he preferred to feel happy rather than pissed-off.
Otto had been in a constant bad mood for so long, he had forgotten how good it felt to be happy. “Oh Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why, you had to hide away for so long, where did we go wrong”, Otto sang pleasantly as he walked out the door. Otto had the immense urge just to talk with someone, and try to make a good human connection with another person. So Otto just spontaneously started walking westbound on Poplar Street with no destination in mind. As he walked by a broke down bus he noticed a very angry women screaming obscenities and a depressed looking bus driver calmly smoking a cigarette. The women reminded Otto of his old self and how he used to treat people. It put a damper on Otto's good mood, he felt terrible when he thought about how he used to act towards people.

So Otto pulled a U-turn and started heading back the way he came. As Otto passed people on the street he smiled, waved, and occasionally gave a friendly “Hey, how are you?” Some people responded in a friendly manner but others gave him funny looks and ignored him. He figured those people were the ones he had treated badly before. He had built up somewhat of a mean, hard ass reputation over the years he had lived in this town. He began to wonder if he could he even make a genuine connection with someone after the reputation he had made for himself in this town.

Otto saw that Casa d'Waffels was full of people this morning so he decided to walk in and order a cup of coffee. It was past 7:15 so Otto didn't get the free waffle. He tried not to get angry when he found out he missed the deal by 4 minutes. Meanwhile, as he sat at the counter sipping his coffee he started to think about how much of jerk he had been most of his life and where it had gotten him. All of the sudden Otto dully mumbled, “Uhh, I wish I could just completely start my life over.”, out loud without noticing it. “Now why is that?”, said an old bald Asian man with a long white beard sitting next to him. “Oh I don't know, I'm just realizing what an asshole I've been my whole life.” “Well congratulations, that's the first step to becoming the person you want to be, you should look at it in a positive way.” “Hmm, I never thought about it that way, I supposed you're right”, Otto said, becoming interested in the man. “To wish for something that you know you can't have, like being able to start life over, is just unhealthy for the mind. Why bother dwelling on the past, when all it does is bring feelings of resentment? We must focus on our current situation and how we will move forward from there.”

Amazed and very grateful for having sat next to this man Otto simply asked, “Who are you?” “Just another human being like you, I like to think of myself as a more awakened and aware being though.”, replied the old man. Fascinated, Otto continued to seek guidance and wisdom from the man and the man proceeded to give it. Otto had found precisely the kind of connection he had been looking for.

Robbed

As Otto returned from the grocery store, where he bought Captain Crunch, milk and Budweiser, which is what he lives on, a women approached him asking if he lived in apartment number 420. "Yep", Otto replied quickly as he continued toward the elevator without giving the women much attention. "Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this but...I'm afraid you're apartment has been broken into", said the women hesitantly waiting for Otto's rash reaction. "What! Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of a sick joke?", Otto demanded. "No, afraid not, I walked past not to long ago and noticed that the door had been kicked in and your things were spilled all over the floor."

Otto rushed to the elevator and went up to the fourth floor, where he found, just as the women had said, his door wide open and the wooden frame busted where the lock was, he things lay all across the floor. "Noooooooo! Damn theives!", screamed Otto in outrage. He went immediately over to his dresser to check for his money stash that he kept under his many pairs of jeans. It was gone, all of it. "Oh I'll find whoever did this if it's the last thing I do, and I'll kill 'em!", Otto proclaimed aloud. "Are you alright?", asked the lady who had informed him, poking her head in slowly. "No I'm not alright, I just got robbed! All my money is gone and who knows what else! Just leave me alone, get out!", yelled Otto. "Sorry, it's just I was thinking and I remember seeing this unfamiliar looking guy walking out of the building as I was coming in earlier. He was walking quickly with his head down and he had on a black baseball cap pulled down low and he was wearing a backpack. Anyway, I think that could have been the guy that did it now that I think about it.", said the woman in a friendly reassuring tone. "Great, now I know that a guy with a hat and a backpack did it, that really helps a lot. Do you know how many people have hats and backpacks in this town?", Otto snapped back. "Sorry, I was just trying to help", said the woman and walked away.

Otto stood there, looking around his recked apartment in disbelief. He just couldn't take it anymore, he grabbed his 18 pack of Budweiser and headed for his pawn shop. The pawn shop was where he usually went when he needed to get away or blow off some steam. As Otto walked past the clinic on his way to the pawn shop, a blind homeless man asked Otto if he had any change to spare. "Right back at ya' man, you and me both", Otto said in a dull depressed voice. His rage had passed and he was now unbelievably sad. Otto walked into the pawn shop, sat down and opened the first of many beers. He just sat there, got drunk, and thought. He was reflecting on his life, something he hadn't done in a while. He realized how much he hated his life and was disappointed with what it had become without him even noticing it. He began to think about the robbery again, and how maybe it was karma for all the terrible things he had done in his past.

As he was exploring his thoughts, a man entered his shop. "Excuse me, hello, I have some things I'd like to sell", said the man as walked up to the counter. "What a ya' got?", Otto said, who was quite drunk at this point. The man took out his backpack and pulled out a set of collector's item baseball cards, a lava lamp, and a small buddha statue. Before the man could pull out anything else, Otto had his 9mm revolver pointed straight at the man's head. All of the items on the counter belonged to Otto. "You son of a bitch, get on the ground right now or I'll blow your brains out!", shouted Otto, "Where's the rest of my money, you thief!" "I-I don't know man, I have no idea what you're talking about, you must have me mistaken, please just let me be on my way", said the man as he trembled on the floor. "Don't play stupid with me you little swindler, all this stuff you just tried to sell to me is mine, it belongs to me and I know you stole it. Now, I'll ask you again, where's the money?", Otto demanded as he put the barrel of the gun to back of the man's neck. "The backpack, the backpack! Okay, it's all in the backpack, everything, I swear!", said the man desperately. Otto grabbed the backpack and found all of his money inside along with more of his belongings. "You know, I still outta kill ya', or at least just shoot you to teach you a lesson", Otto said casually putting the gun to the man's head as if he very well would shoot him. "No, please don't, I'm sorry, this wasn't meant to be. Times are tough for me and I was just trying to provide for my family the only way I had left. Please don't kill me, I'm not supposed to die like this, I can't die like this, please!", pleaded the man.

All of the sudden a strange feeling came over Otto, a feeling he hadn't felt in a while, it was compassion. 'True, it is not your fate to fall at my hands", Otto said as he lifted the gun from the man's head and reached out his hand to help him up. The man took his hand and stood, putting his forehead to Otto's hand and praising him, "Thank you, thank you, oh thank you so much, I'm so so sorry, It will never happen again!" He turned and walked toward the door, thanking Otto again and again as he left. Otto gave a slight smile, went back to his seat, finished his beers and admired his recovered belongings with a new found appreciation for each one.

Otto Vandersloot

The day started with the loud, ferocious barking of Otto's German Shepard Bruno. Bruno was a massive dog and he was on his hind legs at the door of Otto's apartment, barking constantly and fiercely at the old Korean couple yelling at each other in the hallway. "Brunooooo, shut the hell up!", screamed Otto as he rolled over onto his stomach and pulled a pillow over his head.

Otto becomes irritated very easily and spends much of his time being mad about something. The phone rang, adding to Otto's irritation, he moaned loudly and jumped angrily out of bed to answer the phone. "What?", he said in a very unfriendly tone. "Is this Otto Vandersloot?", asked a deep and firm voice on the other end. "Who wants to know?", Otto replied promptly. "This is detective Ross Anderson from the police department, I need to ask you some questions." "Great", Otto mumbled sarcastically, "what's this about anyway?" "Your brother, Arnold Vandersloot, just escaped from prison and his whereabouts are currently unknown. Perhaps you have some information to share with me about your brother.", said the detective in a very accusatory manner. "Look, I haven't even talked to Arnold since he dropped out of high school and moved out, you probably know more about him than I do.", lied Otto, "You're talking to the wrong guy on this one, I can't help you." Otto had always been very close to his brother, and would never betray him especially when the police were involved; Otto hated the police with a passion. "Well if anything comes up, I need you to let me know immediately. My number is 215-842-1918, okay can you do that for me?", said the detective. Otto mimicked the detectives number back and pretended to write it down. "Okay got it, see you later.", Otto said and hung up.

Otto actually became somewhat excited at this news of his brothers escape. He hadn't seen him in about 5 years. Otto thought about the days when he and his brother ruled the motorcycle gang world; those were the best days of Otto's life. He loved the feeling of freedom and power that being in a motorcycle gang brought him. He stiil had his Harly-Davidson and still rode around with his gang from time to time, but it just wasn't the same as it used to be when his brother was around.

Otto put on his boots and walked Bruno outside to let him roam during the day. He decided to hop on his Harley and ride down to the pawn shop to open it up even though it rarely did business. Otto made most of his money through illegal drug sales and laundered the money though his pawn shop. As Otto walked into his pawn shop, he noticed the foul smell of raw sewage; this pissed Otto off. He spent most of the rest of the day in his shop alone, staying out of the hot smelly mugginess and playing darts.