When September Ends

This year, September began on the 11th day of January. The 11th. That's right, my 'lucky' day. My 'everything good happens on this day' day. The 11th of the month has treated me well in the past. The 11th of July is the day I came into the world, the 11th is the day I received an important blessing, went into the Missionary Training Center and 11 was even the number of my first apartment. Well, since then, the 11th has become just like that rotten ghetto apartment: moldy with a chance of death. Just as my apartment developed holes in its foundation, water in the floor, mold in the carpet and eventual holes in the wall, so has the 11th of the Month been tainted in my mind and in my heart. Well, that is just the beginning of my distaste for that day now. My only hope is that I can now 'sleep' this sorrowful chaos away and that I can wake 'when September ends' to find my bleeding heart bandaged and my bruised soul comforted.

I suppose I could briefly describe the incident that occurred on January 11th of 2010 that caused the lingering pain in my being. I could even dare to post a picture of my dear friends lifeless body. I warn you that the photo is graphic and it has the power to chill you to the bone. Thousands have suffered as I do now, Millions live in fear every moment of their lives because of what I am about to show you. This is not for the feint of heart. Look away. Discontinue reading and go read some blog about Santa or Faeries (a good blog for that is actually at thegossamerjewelbox ) if you don't want to live with horror and pain. Consider this your final warning.

There you have it: my dear friend's empty shell. The infamous Red Ring of Death (RROD*) painted on his disfigured face. I have believed for so long that the hatred of the XBOX gods would be stayed for the sake of my dearest console. My belief has obviously been shattered. I wasn't with him when he went through this. I don't know how long he suffered. I just know that I took him for granted and now he is gone. Gone forever...Or what seems like forever. Let's get real. He's not dead. He is only sleeping. Sleeping through his own September and when he returns home to me, I will wake him from his sorrowful slumber and we will celebrate together. Of course both of us will be weary of any XBOX god. There is not way any such god could truly care for us. No, I refuse to believe. Not when my friend was taken so violently and at such an inopportune time. We had so much going for us.

XBOX Live was a new thing for us. 12 months paid for and only a week of it had when my friend gave up the ghost.. Assassins Creed 2, Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3 (regular and ODST) were all parts of our joyous to do list. I refuse to believe he was taken voluntarily. It was the will of an evil XBOX god, or it was, like the fate of so many other innocent con-souls, a creator error. Either way, my 'faith' is shaken. Shaken like a pepper shaker with only one open hole; but even more unfruitful.

All things aside, my September will end. My dear friend will be returned to me. I have proof. The proof is 'tangible' and real. It does not rely on faith, but is grounded in science, fact and... html. Here is my proof of victory:

That's right! Victory will soon come. It has taken more than a week to reach this point in the recovery process. A week that will not be forgotten (Microsoft!). A week without the matchmaking in Social Slayer. A week without killing the disturbing idiots of 15th century Italy and a week without creating a new Custom Class and kicking some 12 year old's butt across the world from the comfort of my own living room. It is a week that will live in infamy. But life persists and LIVE will live on.

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends
...
here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are
as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends