The day started with a bang!  I was stopped at a red light on my way to work when i became the witness to the end of a high speed car chase.  Suddenly a Jeep Grand Cherokee came flying into the intersection and tried to turn but instead skidded and slammed into a telephone pole.  Seconds later three cop cars screeched to a hault surrounding the Jeep.  a cop jumped out of each car and they dragged two young boys from the wrecked vehicle.  They pushed them face down on the hood of one of the cars and search and cuffed them.  Two of them began searching the Jeep while the third walked back to his car and got on his radio.
Just then i realized i knew one of the boys.  He happened to be a life long friend of my little brother.  I just became more than a innocent witness, I know have a personal interest in the situation.  I decided i need to figure out what happened, this kid is practically like my brother after all.  So i get out of my car and walk over to the lone cop on the radio, this is how the conversation went....

Me:  hello sir, i witnessed the end of that chase and was wondering if you needed a statement from me?
Cop:  hey, yeah that would be good.  Its so early your the one of the few on the road right now.  Just go wait over there and ill come get you when im ready for you.
Me:  I don't know if its of any consequence but i happen to know one of those boys.
Cop:  That will be helpful.  I might ask you to validate his information.

He then got back onto the radio and appeared to be done with me.  

(Im about to tell a story that if heard by the wrong people could get me into a good deal of trouble so...  im trustin you guys)

So i noticed that the three police men were all quit absorbed in their tasks so i took a chance.  I went and sat on the curb a few feet from the boys, who were still face down on the hood of the cop car.  I started a hasty and whispered conversation with my friend (who will go by Sam).

Me: What the fuck Sam!?
Sam:  What do ya mean?
Me:  What do you mean what do i mean?!  What did you do?
Sam:  All i did was try to get a ride to school.
Me:  You need to tell me the story and tell me quick before they notice we are talking!
Sam:  Ok, so...   I was walkin to school when i passed the gas station and saw Craig.  (Craig = the other kid)  I asked Craig if i could get a ride the rest of the way to school and he said sure.  So i hopped in the car while he finished pumping gas.  He suddenly jumped into the car and tore out of the lot.  I asked what the hell was up and he said he didnt pay for the gas cause he wasnt payin 4.20 a gallon.  The clerk obviously called the cops and one must have been near by cause we hadnt made it a half mile before one appeared in the rear view mirror.  A few minutes later we were flyin down High St with three cops on our tail and then we went to take that last turn and Craig lost control and hit the pole and i assume you know the rest.
Me:  Well this might not turn out to bad for you then.  you didnt do anything and your a minor.  Did they say if they were gonna call your parents or not?
Sam:  No they havent taken our information yet.  I hope Craig doesnt have anyth....

I cut him off cause i noticed that the two cops who had been searching the Jeep had moved over to the third cop and they were all talking.  I gave Sam a look that meant for him to shut up and i slowly scooted farther down the curb.

(Here comes the adrenaline pumping part)

The cop who appeared to be in charge motioned me over.  He said he was gonna get Sam's info first and wanted me to stand there and confirm his information.  (im not sure why the fact that Sam and i might both lie didnt cross his mind but thats his fuckin problem)  One of the other cops had picked Craig up and was moving him away from us when suddenly Craig shoved the officer to the ground and took off running.  In a moment the cop was back on his feet and him and the other cop had raced off after Craig.  This is the part where i decided to do somthing as equally stupid as it was...  stupid.   The third cop ran for his car while yelling for me to not let Sam go anywhere.  If i were a good citizen and i hadnt know the boy at my side for over 14 years i would have probably followed the cops instructions.  However, since i happened to know that none of Sam's information had been recorded yet i grabbed him by his collar and sprinted towards my car.  I threw him in the back seat and jumped behind the wheel.  I looked over and noticed that the two cops had caught Craig about a block away and the third cop was walking over to meet them.  I started up the car and before they could divert their attention from Craig i was gone.

Thats pretty much the whole story.  I brought Sam to my house and called the high school and told him i was his father and that he was sick and would bring a note tomorrow.  I also called in sick from work.  I decided i wouldnt drive anymore today and see if anything about it was on the news.  Luckily there was nothing about my incident but there was other bad news.  Some crazy guys in southern Columbus took over a gas station with guns and tried to get them to fill a bunch of tubs with gas.  It unfortunatly ended in death.  All the gunmen and one cop.  People are gettin crazy fast around here...

Its late and ive gotta go to work tomorrow extra early to make up for today.  i think my incident is just a small thorn in the side compared to what the other crazies are up to.  I'll have to ask Sam what he hears about Craig and we will both have to pray that Craig doesnt talk...

1 hour, 30 minutes and counting.

I'll see you all on the other side...

So im sittin here thinkin about what kind of skills and abilities i have that are gonna be helpful after the 30th and I'm not really coming up with anything.  I can't think of any practical use for my artistic abilities/knowledge.  Design concepts and color theory aren't gonna help me survive so yeah theres that.  I'm a kick ass cook but that really doesnt mean much in the long run.  Without power and groceries i can't cook.  Not that whipping up some sort of 5 course meal is gonna be a practical use of time.  I'm told im quite charismatic and have good leadership abilities which i guess kinda makes up for my lack of other skills but since I havent yet managed to get anyone to believe me about whats going to happen i dont have anyone to lead.

Well...  perhaps ill design some sort of flyer and put it up around Bustown and try to garner support for our cause.  Yeah, i guess that would be a great use of my art skills!  ok.  so somthing good came of this post.  gotta go get started working.  talk to ya all later!

We are a week away from the 30th and i guess this is the beginning of the end.  The last few days of our "normal" life.  I find the days are dragging and yet at the same time flying by. (if that makes any sense?)  I'm not sure how to go about preparing, although i should have started a while ago i figure better late than never.  I've talked to a few people about whats going on but all of them have told me its just a wild conspiracy and that a crisis wont happen for years.  Guess ill just have to prepare enough for me and them...

I fear what the mass response will be.  I'm puttin my money that its gonna get violent.  I try to promote passifiscm(sp?) but ill defend myself if thats what it comes to!  Perhaps for emergency situations i should go look into purchasing a gun...