Dark Shadows Episode 221: Barnabas Starts To Mingle

"Nightime in itself can be lonely. But then one gets used to loneliness. It's part of existence" says Barnabas Collins to Maggie Evans after he has surprised her at the cafe as she is closing. She invites him in to have a cup of coffee. She is quite surprised to learn he is a Collins. That is big news in Collinsport. 

Maggie Evans comments that Barnabas' cane is very unique, and probably valuable. He says it is his prized possession, and quite valuable. Then dogs, not wolves begin to howl, and Maggie Evans wonders why they are baying so much lately. Barnabas says he wonders, too, slyly.

After Barnabas leaves Joe Haskell shows up and says he and Maggie should go to the Blue Whale, but as he says it Maggie discovers Barnabas has left his cane at the cafe. Maggie says they should return it to Barnabas that night, and Joe agrees. Joe wonder why the dogs are kicking up such a fuss.

Sidenote: Think I might watch Mannix and ride my Schwinn Airdyne after this.

The door to the Old House opens, and Maggie and Joe enter. No one appears to be home. They notice the candles are burning and conclude someone must be there. Barnabas startles Maggie again, and Barnabas is surprised to learn Joe Haskell is with Maggie. They leave quickly, and Willie appears and questions Barnabas while they were there and what he plans to do with Maggie.

The episode concludes with Barnabas forcing Willie out to feed again, and Maggie Evans telling Joe Haskell she has the feeling that someone is staring at her, someone she can't see. 

At two episodes a night my rudimentary math skills tell me I have two years of this still to go.







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Brother S 1500 Whisper Word Processor

Last free write of the day before I anticipate Jenny will show up and we'll head out to Spring Art Scene. I'm watch The Incredible Hulk on MeTV, and it seems like he's close to Hulking out for the first time. I wonder if the writers had a formula where they were required to make him Hulk out at least twice per episode. 

This is a Brother 1500 S Whisper word processor with an attached printer. I would like to have something like this even though I know there is no way to transfer these files digitally. Maybe I could just write up a few poems, print them out, and stuff them in an envelope the way Charles Bukowski did. 

I think I might have a tablespoon of baking soda before we head out. Sort of settle my stomach and prepare it for whatever carnage might be coming its way. Hard to tell at these art venues. Sometimes they'll be cool and have a few beers or a bottle of whiskey around, but generally its wine, which is an instant migraine headache for me. 

Set off the smoke alarm earlier making chicken wings. There was no smoke at all, I just just think it sense my panic whenever I cook and reacts. I jumped up and managed to grab it from the wall, and it stopped beeping after three sharp, shrill beeps. I ran downstairs with it and hid it under a stack of towels. Now I have to go down and get it. 

Bottom of the hour. I feel like someone is about to twist David Banner's arm within the next minute. 

"You want to fight? I'll give you a fight."

Bad idea, dipshit.

I have been wanting to watch this with Jack since it started airing on MeTV a couple of months ago, but I keep forgetting how early it is on, and tonight he's at grandmas. 

Made a list of Outlaw Poets earlier today. Running Hulk. That's it. Baking soda time.

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The Five Sacred Cities of Outsider Poetry

Been working on something really stupid the past few days. A fictional Outsider Poetry slam league consisting of teams from Rancho Cucamonga, Chemung, Kokomo, Sheboygan, and Paducah. And thus the National Outsider Poetry Slam League is born. Sleeping probably would have been a better option. 

Lazy people such as myself have to be careful what we tentatively title things because those titles almost invariably become permanent. I named the Chemung team the Chemung Shamans, now I realize I have to live with that name. It is only slightly better than the Rancho Cucamonga Kookamungas or the Sheboygan Syllablists.

In this hypothetical league the Kookamungas and Shamans are joined by the Syllablists, the Paducah Page Poets, and the Kokomo Oralists. Each team will play all others twice, with a final tournament being held at Madison Square Garden. 

Not sure why McCloud is still on at three a.m. Maybe there was a hockey game on earlier. This will be my last day of a heavy antibiotic cycle after dental work ten days ago. More to come. It hurt in some ways more than heart surgery or hernia surgery. Not looking forward to a second root canal, or more correctly the pain of that infection being released, but I can't have that infection in my body when I have artificial parts. 

Back to the poetry slam. Sick of talking about it by now. So, let's not. McCloud is in Australia. I never got into these Sunday night detective movies. McCloud, Columbo, McMillan and wife, Banicek, although I have been enjoying Banicek more than the others lately. This means McCloud will be on MeTV all week. 

I don't suppose there's anything with working on something that stupid. It's certainly not the dumbest thing I've ever done. 

My feet are reacting to this Winter a lot better than the last one. I was really trying to enjoy last summer, but it just keeps going by so fast. There's never enough night or enough summer. There's always more poetry than anyone needs. 

jenny and i went to the antique mall a couple of days ago. We saw a roll top desk that looks like the one I'd like to have, but after further inspection it was rather patched together. It had lots of visually pleasing compartments and departments, but it seemed like it was made from cheaper wood and had been repaired many times. also, no real place to put it.

Seems like there's more sacred cities of Outsider Poetry that I have forgotten, like Minooka. I'm always certain that I've forgotten one. I hope i don't remember it as I'm about to doze off into a replenishing sleep. That doesn't happen to me anymore. I don't hop out of bed with great ideas and I don't wake up with erections. Never really got much use out of either of those things in the first place. 

Auguest 15, 2026 update: Oh ya, I had that kind of time. Still do. 

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