The Malicious Monocle

Like so many people as they age I’ve fallen into a rut where 90% of the music I listen to was produced twenty or more years ago. Most of the music I buy now is from bands I was listening to back when I graduated from high school in 1989. The only ‘new’ bands I’ve bought in the last five or so years are:

Black Eyed Peas

The Donnas (because they sound like a perky all-girl version of the Ramones)

The Gorillaz

The White Stripes

and now:

Dresden Dolls

I’ve been hearing bits and pieces of various songs from the Dresden Dolls for a few months now but today was the fist time I’ve actually purchased something of theirs. Their music isn’t the most melodic and the lyrics are pretty depressing, but I like it.

The album I bought came with a video of one of the tracks, Girl Anachronism. It’s a fun, happy tune. Sort of.

Watching that video I almost wish I could look as good in a bowler as the drummer. My favorite lyrics from the song are:

“and you can tell from the full-body cast

that you’re sorry that you asked

though you did everything you could

like any decent person would

but I might be catching so don’t touch

you’ll start to believing you’re immune to gravity and stuff

don’t get me wet because the bandages will all come off

because the bandages will all come off”

I also really enjoy the song “Coin-Operated Boy”. I love the music. The lyrics are sad, but an all too common refrain I’ve heard over the years.

So I’m not just posting a bunch of videos here, I’ll also recommend checking out Youtube for their videos Backstabber and Sing Chapter II. Sing has a number of iconic images from history in it. Backstabber is just fun. I found myself giggling a bit during the video. It is hot, creepy and silly in turns. Just the way I like my music.

I bought another CD today as well.

It was Depeche Mode. Oh well, I guess 1 out of 2 will have to do.

Now off to drink.

Also, TONIGHT is when the clocks are set back. My friend Computer told me so.

Fans of the Malicious Monocle, don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten the story, I’m just playing with some stuff in my head before setting pen to paper. (Yes, I actually write most of it by hand rather than typing on a computer.)

I believe I have all of the Monocle sections collected and properly ordered on the, “Secret Origins” page. It’s getting late and I’m feeling a bit worn out from today so I can’t promise it’s all there or if it’s all in the right order. If you notice a part missing, let me know.

I’ll go through and make the necessary Wiki links on another night as well. I’m definitely too tired to do that at the moment.

It’s been a while.

The

have the

Cobra smirked as it became obvious Bengal and his troop had missed Orangutan at market. Rather then just heading back to the barracks, the traitor was wasting everyone’s time by waiting here while a runner checked back with Command. Cobra’s smirk over missing Orangutan twisted into a sneer when he noticed Bengal’s ramrod-stiff posture while waiting for the return of the runner.

Bengal waited patiently for the runner to return. Hoping something, almost anything would delay the runner while on his mission. The longer the runner took on his mission, the better Orangutan’s chance to avoid being arrested. Bengal wasn’t fooled, he knew that Hedgehog wouldn’t be interested in a simple cheat. Hedgehog must think Orangutan knows something about the Raja.

The runner returned with instructions that the troop was to proceed to Orangutan’s house and arrest him there. The warrant for Orangutan’s arrest carried the charge, “Intent to Defraud”.

Inwardly Bengal grimaced at this news, but outwardly ordered his men into ranks and led them out of Patna’s market. The march to Orangutan’s village wasn’t hard, but the sun had set when the troop marched up to Orangutan’s door. Bengal stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Her hands trembling, Rhesus wordlessly read the letter. She quickly scribbled a note for her husband Orangutan about running errands in Patna and left the house. Catching herself at the garden gate, she dashes back and locks her house up. The contents of letter had clearly rattled her badly.

Just a quick update this evening after finishing homework. I’ve realized the last couple posts have been severely out of order with the chronology of the story. I’ll take care of that sometime this week and put them all in the right order on the Malicious Monocle page.

I’ve also been wondering just what the hell Lemur might be up to at this point. Cobra and Bengal as well. I shall just have to depend on my skill with fancy words.

Rhesus Macaque watched her husband Orangutan leave with Zebu for the market. Their baskets were full of the best their gardens would yield. Orangutan had told his wife that morning over breakfast that he had a plan which would help Zebu and him sell more than they ever had before. Rhesus just hoped that the plan didn’t involve anything illegal or malicious.

As Rhesus was finishing up with washing the dishes from breakfast she heard a knock at the garden door.  Standing at the door was the postman Rat. He had the same run of the mill mail for Rhesus that he always delivered, but today there was a surprise for her.

The letter had no return address on it and Rhesus did not recognize the hand that had addressed the envelope.

Orangutan was growing concerned at his wife’s absence. Her note hadn’t been specific. It had only said that she was going into Patna to run some errands. Orangutan didn’t even have any idea what errands she had to run. She was supposed to be keeping an eye on Elephant, making sure he’s taken care of and hidden from Hedgehog’s men.

Orangutan had given up and prepared some Tilkut for himself when the sun set. (Tilkut being a local delicacy made from pounded sesame seeds and sugar.) The sugar was just starting to melt on Orangutan’s tongue when a fist rattled his front door. The Tilkut turned sour as Orangutan answered the door. Bengal and his men stood there. Up and down the street curtains twitched as neighbors pretended to not be watching as Bengal and his men arrested Orangutan and then searched his house for clues to Elephant’s location.

Today is when children will be permitted to go from door to door and beg for sweets in my town of Kenosha. I have some candy here and I even went out and bought some more today. Rather than horde the candy all for myself, as I might usually do, I will place the candy in a bowl and pass it out to the urchins. The weather is nice today so I want to get some more painting done on my minis before the weather starts being foul as a rule rather than an exception. Hopefully the neighbor kids will come over for some choccies. Rustlan and Juli are sweet kids.

This morning I went out to a coffee shop and got a bit of homework done. I finished up reading a book on den Hitler Jugend and started a book about a foster kid during the Great Depression. I also managed to get the most recent episode of the Malicious Monocle written and make some decisions as to the directions the story will go over the next few episodes.

I’ve managed to get mostly caught up in my DVR viewing this weekend as well. I still need to go back and catch up on some episodes of Flash Gordon and the Bionic Woman, but they won’t take too long. I managed to get caught up on my first tier shows like Heroes, Numb3rs, NCIS and Criminal Minds.

Zebu tried to relax while he read his copy of the Chennai Times, but couldn’t. The headlines were screaming the same news that Sgt. Bullgod had recently called out in the village square. The headline’s article was accompanied by an illustration showing Governor Hedgehog meeting with the Raja in the garden of the Governor’s Palace. The caption under the illustration read, “Nobly gracious, Raja Elephant bows before Her Royal Majesty’s Governor, Brigadier General Hedgehog.”

Zebu studied the illustration of Elephant. He couldn’t be sure, but the ears in the picture looked bigger than Elephant’s ears really were. This was only a newspaper illustration of course and so he couldn’t be sure. Perhaps the Chennai Times had a new illustrator who simply drew ears bigger than they were in reality.

The final sentence of the article announcing the crowning of Raja promised a serial about Elephant in the days leading up to his coronation.

Orangutan and Zebu returned to their village, splitting their take from the market before heading to their respective homes. With a wet, wispy whistle trailing between his horns, Zebu decided to take a slight detour to the newsagent before home. 1/12 anna yielded Zebu the five star edition of the Chennai Times.

Orangutan came home to an empty house. His wife Rhesus wasn’t home. She had left a note explaining that she had an errand to run and had to go into Patna.

The bugler, Sgt. Bulldog blew a staccato call for attention in the village centre. As the notes faded into the azure sky the bugler drew himself to attention as he shouted his message.

“By order of Her Royal Majesty’s appointed representative, the Governor Hedgehog Elephant is to be returned a measure of the lands once held by his family as well as the title of Raja. The Raja will be crowned in the Governor’s palace at Patna in one week’s time.”

Elephant listened to this in a state of confusion. How could he be crowned by the Governor if he was on the run? Who was the Governor actually going to crown in a week’s time?