A Day in the Life of Ken David Stewart

July 2017 – The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Sat, 1 Jul 2017 08:03:00 -0700

July 2017 – The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

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noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Sat, 29 Oct 2016 08:09:00 -0700

Winter Dreams (the Continuing Adventures of Rick Miller)

A Sequel to Summer Dreams

Rick Miller was sitting alone in a booth at The Red Top Restaurant. The year was 1969 and it was a cold, windy December morning in the Canadian Prairies. He had just arrived as his geography class at Maplewood Collegiate ended. It only took him a few minutes to walk across the street from the high school to the restaurant. He lit up a Rothmans cigarette and began to daydream about Sasha, his former summer love. He had to admit that he missed her now that all was said and done, but he was beginning a new chapter of his life. Shirley, the waitress approached his booth.

“What will it be today Rick, the usual?”

“Yep, my favorite, hot chocolate,” Rick answered with a smile.

Rick figured that Shirley was in her mid-forties. She had gained a bit of weight over the years, but was still relatively attractive for someone her age. Rick noticed that Shirley had a short pinky finger on her right hand. The finger must have been amputated, but Rick didn’t allow his curiosity over-ride his impeccable good manners. He had never asked Shirley about what happened to her finger.

Rick’s high school was just across the street from The Red Top. Just as Shirley brought Rick his hot chocolate someone walked in the door of the restaurant. The new customer was a very thin young man roughly Rick’s age. He had long, dirty, unkempt strawberry blond hair. He stopped in front of Rick’s booth and asked if he could join him. Rick was a little surprised as had never seen this fellow before, but he motioned for him to sit down.

“Thanks for letting me join you, man. My name is Peyton Ramparts. I have a spare this period and felt like I needed a cup of java. I was up until two in the morning last night. My band had a really bitchin’ good practise.”

Peyton wore a long black coat with gold striping on the side. It looked like he could have stolen it from Jimi Hendrix.

“What’s your band’s name?” Rick asked.

“Winter Dreams,” Peyton answered. “Hey man, can I bum a smoke off you?”

“Yeah, no problem. I hope you like Rothmans. I smoke whatever brand my dad is smoking at the time.”

Peyton started to laugh as he pulled out a cigarette from Rick’s pack.

“How did you come up with the name Winter Dreams for your band?”

“I can’t remember for sure. A guy from my band came up with it during a break from practise. We were all passing around a joint at the time while looking out the living room window. All I remember is watching a heavy snowfall. Then Pick said, “This is sort of like a winter dream and Chevy said that it sounded like a great name for our band.”

Rick was just about ready to ask Peyton another question when both boys felt a sudden rush of cold air breeze through the restaurant. They both looked towards the door and saw a young attractive female come through the door.

“Sorry I’m late, Peyton. I had to ask Mr. Pierce for an extension on my research paper for history class. Who’s your friend?” the girl asked.

“I don’t know his name yet. We just met a few minutes ago. Peyton reached across the table to shake Rick’s hand. “Sorry I should have introduced myself. I’m Peyton Ramparts.”

“And I’m Rick Miller.”

“Let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Sabrina Davis,” Peyton said as Sabrina slid right next to him on the booth.

“I think I’ve seen you at school Rick. You’re in grade twelve aren’t you? I hear people talking about you in the halls all the time. You’re the Cougars star goalie,” Sabrina said brushing some snow off her navy blue coat.

“I don’t know if I’m a star, but I try to play my best for the team,” Rick responded with true humility.

Peyton was already starting to feel comfortable with Rick. He felt that he could trust Rick and be real with him. Rick was sensing the same thing about Peyton. They both had the feeling that they could be honest with one another.

“So how did your meeting with Mr. Pierce go? Is he going to give you an extension on your homework assignment?”

“Yeah, no problem. I told him about my grandmother moving into our house and that she needed me to do things for her. I told Mr. Pierce that my extra duties were causing me to get behind in my studies.”

“What did he say about that?” Rick asked as he put his cup of hot chocolate back on the table. He was starting to feel right at home with Peyton and Sabrina.

“Oh, he said that he understood and would give me an extra week to work on my paper. He said that there was a time in his life when his mother was very sick and he needed to help her out a lot. Of course, it also helps that I’m very cute. All the girls in my class have noticed the way that Mr. Pierce looks at us. He definitely has a thing going for young high school chicks,” Sabrina answered with a chuckle.

“You sure know how to play him,” Peyton said with a bit of admiration. He always felt that Sabrina was smarter than him. She certainly got much better grades in school than he did. Peyton had very little interest in school. He attended the minimum of his required courses basically to keep his parents off his case and to be with Sabrina.

“Rick, do you know that Peyton is in a band. He plays lead guitar as well as writing some original material for the band. His group is called Winter Dreams and one day they are going to make it big. Record a single and an album. The whole nine yards,” Sabrina said proudly.

“We’re not as great as Sabrina says, but we’re not bad for a group that’s only been together for three months. We’re playing a gig tonight at Maplewood Community Center. Why don’t you drop by and check us out, Rick?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s been a blast meeting you guys, but I have to get back to the school for my American history class.” Rick said as he put on his white down filled parka and got ready for a biting rush of cold winter air.

Episode 2:

After his last class of the afternoon was over Rick headed home. It was about a three block walk from Maplewood Collegiate to his home. There was a light snowfall. While the snowflakes landed on the branches of the trees Rick revelled in the beauty of the winter scene. The sun was shining brightly and this added to Rick’s aesthetic joy. He loved the snow and he loved the winter season. He even liked the crunching sound that his boots made when they pressed down into the snow on the sidewalk.

As it was a Friday with the weekend to look forward to, Rick had a spontaneous idea. He would walk to the neighborhood library and look for something to read when he got some free time on the weekend. Very few people knew how much Rick loved books and libraries. It was just a few blocks out of his way to the local branch of The Winnipeg Public Library.

When Rick arrived at the library he stomped his feet on the red carpet at the entrance. He was careful not to bring any snow into the library. As soon as he stepped inside Rick was overtaken by the captivating scent of books. He had very acute sensory perceptions. These senses would either produce a positive or negative emotional response in Rick. The special odor that one encountered only in libraries always gave Rick’s spirits a lift.

He had developed am interest in a wide variety of topics. The subjects that Rick liked to explore included history, literature, politics and psychology. His pattern was to study a specific topic for about a month at a time. Over the summer months Rick had become engrossed in the topic of current political, social and cultural changes that were presently taking place in The United States. He devoured the pages of the new underground magazine, Rolling Stone. Rick not only found the stories to be fascinating. He loved the look and smell of Rolling Stone as it was a magazine that looked and smelled like a newspaper.

Episode 3:

As Rick entered the main foray of the library he was greeted by Denise Carr, the librarian. Rick had been to this branch of the library so many times that Denise knew Rick by name.

“So what are we looking for today Rick?” the attractive thirty-five-year-old brunette asked.

Rick answered in a distracted manner, “I’m not sure yet. I’ll probably be checking out the new releases. I want to see if I can find anything on the cultural revolution happening in the United States.”

“You’re such an intellectual, Rick. I’ll have a look myself to see what I can come up with,” Denise said.

It didn’t take Rick long to find the cart that contained the new releases. Over the summer Rick had read a variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction. Although Rick was on the university entrance track at Maplewood Collegiate he would often be intrigued by what the students in the general course stream were reading as part of their prescribed curriculum. Rick discovered that he liked the novels in the general course better than he liked his university entrance novels. Classic novels like The Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Animal Farm and Brave New World intrigued him. As far as non fiction choices went, Rick was drawn to any books that dealt with the burgeoning nineteen-sixties counter culture.

As Rick checked out the new releases he found a book written by one of his favorite authors, Norman Mailer. He eagerly picked up Mailer’s new book, The Armies of the Night.

As Rick moved onto the regular book stacks he noticed that he had lost track of the time. He realized that he would be late for supper if he didn’t leave the library soon.

Episode 4:

Rick looked up to check the time on the library’s clock. It read 5:03 PM. Rick put on his parka and black toque and headed out the front door of the library. The wind was strong and it felt to Rick that it must be at least twenty below zero. He pulled out a cigarette from the side pocket of his parka and attempted to light it with a pack of matches, As the wind was high Rick moved close to the wall of the library and tried cupping his hands around the cigarette and matches. It took Rick three tries to successfully light his Rothman’s cigarette.

It was already dark outside when Rick left the library. He knew that he would have to keep up a quick pace to keep warm on his five block walk to his parents’ house. The street lights were already turned on and Rick liked how they reflected off the snowbanks next to the sidewalk. He also enjoyed the crunching sound that his winter boots made as they pushed into the snow.

When Rick arrived at his house he saw his father sitting on his favorite sofa reading the paper. He heard his mother calling from the kitchen. “Supper’s ready. Let’s get moving to the dining room.”

Rick and his dad immediately walked towards the dining room. They both knew how frustrated Mrs. Miller could get if her family waited too long before they got up for their meals. Rick’s mother was in her early fifties and still retained an attractive figure. She continued to wear her dark brown hair long as that was what her husband wanted. Rick was the eldest of the Miller children. He had a younger brother named David and an even younger sister called Beth.

As the family passed the turkey, stuffing, potatoes and peas down the line, Rick was deep in thought. When he passed a bowl of peas over to his father he was reminded of the dreadful experience he had over the summer working at his dad’s printing plant. His father had tried to help Rick out by hiring him as summer help. Who knows? If things had worked out for Rick, he might still be working at the printing plant today.

Unfortunately, that’s not how things played out. Rick was just not cut out to be a blue collar, factory worker. He was not well coordinated and had great difficulty performing most manual labor tasks especially those that required fine motor skills or spatial reasoning. No matter what tasks his foreman assigned to him Rick could not get the hang of it and performed poorly on these jobs. Rick worked with a small crew of other young adults who laughed at Rick and berated him as he struggled with his assignments. They told him that they could train a monkey to do his job. After three frustrating and humiliating days on the job Rick told his father that he was quitting his job. He told his dad why he was resigning and apologized if he had embarrassed his father. His dad was very understanding and was not really surprised by Rick’s decision to leave his position.

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Sun, 9 Aug 2015 06:25:00 -0700

Pastor Murder Mystery

Pastor

Episode One

Pastor David Noble shook hands with the young, attractive social worker as she was leaving his humble, cluttered office. He was planning to return to his tattered and torn executive chair when his phone started to ring. The pastor answered the phone while standing up. When he picked up the receiver all he could hear from the other end of the line was loud wailing. David Noble recognized the mournful sounds as coming from his son, Dexter.

“Calm down Dexter. Why are you so upset?”

Dexter was able to regain just enough of his composure to answer, “Mom's dead!”

“What!” David managed to stammer as he grabbed onto his desk for support. He was afraid that he was about to faint. His ex -wife, Melissa, had divorced David three years ago. While they had been married David Noble was the well- respected pastor of a local church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

To say that the last three years of his life had been tumultuous was a great understatement. David's life had quickly begun to unravel. Melissa had exhausted all of her emotional resources by the time their marriage had finally collapsed.

Up until the last year of her marriage, Melissa had never seriously considered leaving her husband. Although her marriage to David was not what she had hoped for it was still a better one than those of most of her friends. After fourteen years of marriage Melissa’s life with David had become intolerable.

Melissa first met David at a popular nightclub in Fargo. She was shocked when David told her that he was a studying theology at a nearby seminary. He didn’t seem to have the DNA of your average Bible College student. David drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes and would occasionally swear. Melissa noticed that David’s vocabulary included the usual profane words, including the f-bomb, but he never took the Lord’s name in vain.

David was the life of the party. His personality exuded youthful exuberance. He was a young man who had ambition and was ready to take on the world. Melissa found that she could not help being attracted to him but she had the uneasy feeling that she was like a fly being drawn into a spider’s web.

Episode Three

Donald Noble reached the chair in his office and dropped into it. The seat was soft and comforting. “Try to calm yourself, son. Where are you now?”

Dexter was sweating profusely and was taking deep breathes. He was sitting in a maroon colored Lazy Boy chair in his mother's living room.

“I'm at Mom's place. I was just coming over to pick up her Camry. She was having some problems with her car and asked me to take it into the Toyota dealership to have it checked out. Mom didn't answer when I knocked on her door. After I'd waited a couple of minutes I opened the door, walked in and called her name. Still no answer. I started checking all the rooms in her house until I came to her bedroom. The door was partly opened and I could see Mom lying against her bed. Her throat was slashed and there was blood all over her tee shirt and jeans. It was horrible, Dad.”

“So what did you do next, son?” David picked up a pencil and started to tap the eraser end against the palm of his left hand.

“I called emergency. They told me that an ambulance and the police would arrive shortly. Then I phoned you.” Dexter started to cry.

“You did everything right, Dex. I'm on my way to your mother's house.”

David was in a state of shock and was running on automatic pilot. He climbed into his white Ford Taurus and started the frantic drive to Melissa's house. The pastor still loved his ex-wife and he began to fervently pray that Melissa was not already dead.

As he drove down one of the main thoroughfares, a torrent of random thoughts flooded David's mind. He thought about the divorce. For the most part David blamed himself for the breakdown of his marriage.

After their first meeting at the nightclub David became very infatuated with Melissa. He couldn't seem to get her out of his head. He knew that a great deal of what he was feeling for her was lust. He kept thinking of her long, golden hair, her long shapely legs and a smile that could light up the darkest room. David was head over heels in love. The drive to her house usually took about half an hour depending on the time of the day and the traffic. David raced to her house and arrived there in just over twenty minutes.

When he attempted to enter the home David was stopped by a young attractive female police officer who asked him to identify himself.

Episode Three

Donald Noble reached the chair in his office and dropped into it. The seat was soft and comforting. “Try to calm yourself, son. Where are you now?”

Dexter was sweating profusely and was taking deep breathes. He was sitting in a maroon colored Lazy Boy chair in his mother's living room.

“So what did you do next, son?” David picked up a pencil and started to tap the eraser end against the palm of his left hand.

“I called emergency. They told me that an ambulance and the police would arrive shortly. Then I phoned you.” Dexter started to cry.

“You did everything right, Dex. I'm on my way to your mother's house.”

When he attempted to enter the home David was stopped by a young attractive female police officer who asked him to identify himself.

Episode Three

Episode Four of The Pastor

“I’m David Noble, the pastor of New Beginnings Church. I’m Melissa’s husband and Dexter’s father.”

As soon as David could get these words out of his mouth he saw the police officer get jostled out of the way by a team of paramedics. A young athletic looking paramedic spoke up.

‘Where’s the victim?”

“She’s in the bedroom. I’ll take you there,” Dexter said.

When the paramedics entered Melissa’s bedroom they could see that Melissa had bled out from the deep and wide slash to her throat. Her clothing and the once grey rug were now saturated in blood. They tried to get a pulse but were unable to find one. Two of the paramedics took turns performing CPR on Melissa but she remained unresponsive.

The young paramedic asked Dexter to return to the living room. Dexter took a seat on the sofa next to his father.

“I’ve got some terrible news for both of you. Melissa is dead.”

Pastor Noble covered his face with his hands and began to weep. Even though he was sitting down he felt dizzy and disoriented. Who could do such a horrific thing to his wife? David couldn’t think of anyone who disliked Melissa.

The thought crossed his mind that this tragedy probably wouldn’t have happened had he and his wife still been living together. An almost tangible wave of guilt overcame David.

After he graduated from seminary David had mixed feelings about becoming a pastor. He had always been an intellectual, enjoyed studying The Bible and engaging in theological debates with his professors and fellow students. Still, David felt that something was missing. He knew about God but he doubted that he had a personal relationship with Him.

Just prior to graduating from seminary David married Melissa. Nine months later Dexter was born and David now had a family to support. Fortunately. David was very ambitious and charismatic and was offered a pastoral position in a Baptist church in an affluent suburb of Winnipeg just one month after his graduation.

Episode Five of The Pastor

One year earlier:

David arose at four o’clock in the morning after having another dark night of the soul. Lately he had been having too many of these. While working at his office at Brownstone Baptist Church, David was now experiencing panic attacks. He would begin to feel disoriented and become very agitated. He would pace the room walking back and forth like a caged hyena. Bill would perspire profusely and would have trouble catching his breath. He felt like was being tormented by demons. Although he was alone in his office he would hear voices in his head. The voices would speak to him and say things like. “You’re a fake pastor David. You don’t really have a strong belief in God. Admit it David, you are really an agnostic. Your faith wavers from day to day and from hour to hour. If your congregation knew this they would fire you as their pastor and they’re beginning to get suspicious. You can see it in their faces when you are preaching your message on Sunday mornings. You should do the right thing. You should tell them the truth, spare yourself the humiliation and quit your job.”

David began to shout, “Shut up. That’s not true!”

Episode Six of the Pastor:

All David knew was that he had to get out of his office. He desperately needed to get away from the church and his family. David dashed out of his office with a look of pure terror on his face. His secretary, Julie, barely had time to say, “Pastor Noble, what’s wrong? Where are you going?”

David did not answer. He made a mad dash for his red 1999 Mercury Sable. The pastor started up the engine and was soon out of the church parking lot. He was now functioning on automatic pilot and took the fastest route to Pembina Highway. David was headed for the Canada/US border. The voices continued to mock David. “What are you going to do now David? Run away to the United States? Leave your job and desert your family? What kind of man are you David?”

David talked back angrily to the voices in his head, “Go to hell! You don’t know what you’re talking about. If you were under the same intolerable stress that I have to endure you’d crack up too.”

The Pastor Murder Mystery | The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Sun, 9 Aug 2015 05:42:00 -0700

The Pastor Murder Mystery | The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

Infinite Realities Excerpt Six by Ken David Stewart | The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Mon, 3 Aug 2015 08:54:00 -0700

Infinite Realities Excerpt Six by Ken David Stewart | The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

Pastor Murder Mystery Excerpt Five | The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Mon, 3 Aug 2015 07:04:00 -0700

Pastor Murder Mystery Excerpt Five | The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

Infinite Realities Excerpt Five | The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Sun, 2 Aug 2015 06:40:00 -0700

Infinite Realities Excerpt Five | The Weird and Fantastical Writings of Ken David Stewart

(1) Lake Mariposa Chapters 38 to 41 - Wattpad

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 07:43:00 -0800

(1) Lake Mariposa Chapters 38 to 41 - Wattpad

Episode 116 of The Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart - kendavidstewart.org

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 08:26:00 -0800

Episode 116 of The Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart - kendavidstewart.org

Episode 97 of The Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart | kendavidstewart.com

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Tue, 7 Jan 2014 06:56:00 -0800

Episode 97 of The Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart | kendavidstewart.com

Episode 70 of The Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart - kendavidstewart.org

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 14:47:00 -0700

Episode 70 of The Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart - kendavidstewart.org

What's Up? With Ken David Stewart June 22, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 11:16:00 -0700

What’s Up? for June 22, 2013

I motivated myself to go to Shapes for a workout this morning. I concentrated on a light walk on the treadmill and then moved on to the weight loss program on the elliptical trainer. Now that I am back at home I don’t appear to be feeling any bad side effects. My Charlie horse seems to have healed. Yesterday, I went for a forty minute ride on my mountain bike. Now that subbing season is almost over I plan to get in a lot more physical activity this summer. During my working season I found it very difficult to work up the energy to go to the gym after work. My goal is to lose a substantial amount of weight during the summer months. Last summer I was quite self- disciplined in sticking to a physical training program. On most days I would either take our dogs to the dog park for a run, go to Shapes or go for a ride on my mountain bike. I made some muscle gains but did not lose any weight. I guess I’’ll have to work on my diet more seriously this summer.

When I got back from the gym this morning I started listening to both The Beatles red and blue compilation albums. Their music certainly stands the test of time. This summer I’m going to try learning to play the bass lines for some of their songs from these two albums.

Yesterday marked 22 years since Martha and I first met at a Grant Singles baseball game. I remember being in a bad mood that evening and was not too interested in talking to some body new. My bad mood had lifted by the time we got to the post game wind up at Pizza Hut. The rest, as they say, is history and we are still in love with each other after all this time. God is good.

What's Up? June 20, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 12:32:00 -0700

What’s Up? June 20, 2013

I got up early this morning and listened to one of my audio books, Pro Blogger by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett. These two guys have made a decent income from their blogging and blog related activities. Darren and Chris are definitely exceptions to the rule. Most bloggers don’t make any money from their blogging activities or at best, very little. However, there are always exceptions who make blogging work for them. Most of us just blog as a hobby.

After listening to a bit of Pro Blogger I wanted to listen to some music. I played selections from some old Beach Boys and Beatles albums. I was surprised at how good the newly re-mastered CDS by The Beatles sound.

After listening to some music I decided to write my first blog of the day. I have a Wordpress blog called The Spiritual Journey. I haven’t written anything for it in a long time. I was doing some reading from a Bible promise book and got inspired to write a devotional for today’s blog. I may even put together a collection of my spiritual posts and make it into a devotional book.

I have had to put my exercise program on hold due to a recent Charlie horse injury. Today I decided to try going for a ride on my mountain bike. The ride went okay and I don't feel any worse for wear. Tomorrow, I will busy working another sub teaching gig.

I got in a couple of practice sessions with my bass guitar this afternoon. As I haven’t practised guitar for a while my fingers will continue to hurt until some calluses are formed on my fingertips.

What’s Up? June 20, 2013 | kendavidstewart.com

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 12:26:00 -0700

What’s Up? June 20, 2013 | kendavidstewart.com

The Fear Factor Devotions With Ken David Stewart | The Spiritual Journey

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:51:00 -0700

The Fear Factor Devotions With Ken David Stewart | The Spiritual Journey

Episode 59 of The Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:34:00 -0700

Episode59:

On Tuesday morning the university students led by Kyle were seated outside Dean Sanderson’s office. Ryan and Monique arrived a few minutes later. They were directed by the receptionist to take a seat and wait for Dean Sanderson to call them. Dr. Phelge was already in Dean Sanderson’s office seated in the red leather chair.

“I’m eager to meet your students Lionel. I’ve probably seen most of them in the cafeteria at one time or another. I’d like to hear what their ideas are,” said Dean Sanderson.

“I think that you will be pleasantly surprised Edward. They are a very intelligent and creative group of young people,” said Lionel.

“As I told you earlier they will be accompanied by two summer vacationers who would also like to be part of the project.”

“All right. Let’s get the young people in here and hear what they have to say,” said Dean Sanderson.

As the group of young people entered Dean Sanderson’s office he directed them to have a seat on a long maroon sofa.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about you people from Dr. Phelge. I’ll first ask Kyle to explain how you guys came up with the idea for your research project,” said Dr. Sanderson.

“Well, to tell you the truth sir, we were sitting in the university cafeteria discussing how boring the articles are in the student’s university newspaper,” answered Kyle.

Dean Sanderson burst out laughing after hearing Ryan say this.

“I’m glad it was a student and not me that said it. I’ve read the student’s newspaper so I know what you’re talking about. I understand that you have recruited two extra people who are visiting form out of province,” said Dean Sanderson.

“Yes, that would be Ryan and Monique. They are here for their summer vacations and have shared some very interesting information about the Ogopogo,” said Ryan.

“Well, I’d be very happy if they shared this information with Dr. Phelge and myself. What about it, Monique?” said Dean Sanderson.

The Memphis Three and Casey Anthony

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:38:00 -0700

The West Memphis Three and Casey Anthony

I have always enjoyed the true crime genre in movies and books. Truman Capote’s, In Cold Blood is still one of my favorites on both video and in books. Robert Blake was spectacular in his portrayal of Perry Smith in the film version.

I have recently been reading the novel, The Devil’s Knot by Mara Leveritt. After reading the book I couldn’t help thinking about the Casey Anthony case. There are several similarities and differences in the two cases. Both were considered to be extraordinary cases for their times. In both crimes the victims were children who appear to have been murdered under loathsome circumstances. The accused suspects were both considered to be unlikeable characters.

Casey was a key suspect due to her unusual behavior during the thirty days that her daughter was reported missing. Damien Echols of the West Memphis Three was known to have studied both about the occult and the wicca religion. Damien was thought of as an unusual, troubled teenager who had an interest in Anton LaVey and Alistair Crowley. These attributes and circumstances did not endear either Casey or Damien to the general public or to the jurors.

Both crime scenes were in wooded areas.

Law enforcement personnel had circumstantial evidence in both cases but their physical evidence pointing to the suspects difficult to prove.

pressing in part two - kendavidstewart.org

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 05:16:00 -0800

pressing in part two - kendavidstewart.org

Pressing In Part Two:

Here are some other actions that I have taken to “press in”:

Attending a church that preaches the full gospel including faith, anointing, mantles, supernatural healing, signs, wonders and miracles.

I have nothing against churches that don't emphasize these doctrines but I find that they don't satisfy my spiritual needs. I don't go to church to be entertained or to be dazzled by the latest technology. If I want to be entertained by technology I have more than enough at home (but I still like to add to my collection).

I started attending Harvest Family Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Harvest is a very spirit filled church in which one can feel God's presence. This is something that I have long been looking for in a church. I want a church in which I can encounter God in a powerful way. I also want a church where I can be individually ministered to and have an opportunity to minister to others.

For about the last ten years I rarely attended church although I would attend the odd conference that looked interesting. For a long while I became quite comfortable not attending church on any regular basis. I thought that with my easy access to different translations of the Bible, Scriptural teaching on the internet and through anointed books and cds I had more than enough ways to fill my spiritual needs.

I this last month or so, God has led me back to regular church attendance. I have found that I have enjoyed my return to church as it is a church that is suited to my needs. I als o realize that I have missed out on the fellowship of other believers.

Episode 32 of the Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:08:00 -0800

Next Scene:

Garry Phelge couldn't take it any longer. He got up out of his seat and walked to the front of the bus in order to talk to the driver.

“Driver, I want to get off the bus right now,” said Garry.

“I can't let you off the bus here, sir. We're in the middle of nowhere. We're about twenty miles away from the next scheduled stop,” replied the bus driver. “Why do you want to get off here anyway?”

“There are people on this bus who are out to get me. They are going to try to stop me from seeing my aunt and uncle in Kelowna,” answered Garry.

“Which people are you talking about, son?” asked the driver.

“The ones with the heads like reptiles,” replied Garry.

“With heads like what?”

“With heads like reptiles. Can't you see them? They're extraterrestrials,”

The bus driver used to work as a residential care worker for people with severe psychiatric disabilities. It didn't take him long to figure out that Garry suffered from schizophrenia.

“What's your name, son?”

“Garry Phelge.”

“I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Garry. In less than half an hour we'll be stopping for a break in the next town. Everybody will have to get off the bus for thirty minutes. When the break is over I won't let the reptilian creatures back on the bus. Will that make you feel better?” asked the bus driver.

“Yes sir, it will. I just hope the reptilians didn't hear our conversation,” replied Garry.

“Don't worry. Reptiles have very poor hearing. Why don't you go back to your seat now and let me deal with situation,” said the bus driver.

Garry thanked the driver as he walked towards his seat at the back of the bus.

Once the driver saw that Garry was safely seated at the back of the bus, the driver called 911.

“Hi. I've got a situation on Greyhound bus 74. I have a passenger who is delusional and thinks that there are extraterrestrials on the bus who are out to get him. The passenger is a young man who likely suffers from schizophrenia. I'm afraid that the young man may be a danger to either other passengers or himself. My bus should arrive at the bus depot in Regina in about twenty -five minutes, “ explained the driver.

“Do you think that your passenger will be okay until you arrive in Regina?” asked the emergency response operator. “Do you know the young man's name?”

“I believe so. He says his name is Garry Phelge. I told him that I would kick all the extraterrestrials off the bus at our next rest stop.”

“Good thinking sir. I'll have the RCMP and an ambulance meet you at the Regina bus depot.”

“That sounds like a plan to me. Thank you for your help,”said the bus driver as he put his cell phone away.

Episodes 29-31 of The Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 07:36:00 -0800

Next Scene:

After two long days of traveling, John, Ryan and Stephanie finally arrived at Aunt Meg's place in Kelowna, British Columbia.

“Well, we made it here in one piece,” said John. “I told you that the old Taurus would get us here.”

“Yep, miracles do happen,” said Ryan grinning.

Aunt Meg owned a large beautiful house that resembled a log cabin. It reminded Stephanie of the main lodge at Camp Woodlands. There would certainly be plenty of room for everyone. The house was surrounded by trees on all sides except for the gravel road that led to it. The place was very peaceably secluded with Lake Okanagan was very close by.

Meg heard the car coming and was already outside waiting to greet the family. The two dogs, Scruffy and Skippy leaped out of the car and ran up to greet Meg. They were both friendly dogs that like people.

“You're just in time for lunch,” said Meg.”You guys must be both hungry and exhausted.”

“We haven't been eating very healthy food the last couple of days,” said John. John, Stephanie and Ryan all loved junk food.

“Yeah, you should see our dad on car trips. He drives ten to twelve hours per day with very few pit stops,” said Stephanie.

“That's right. Dad just stops for gas and we run into the convenience store to buy potato chips, chocolate bars, coffee and soft drinks. Around suppertime he'll stop at some hamburger place along the way to have dinner,” said Ryan.

“It sounds like your dad hasn't changed at all. That's exactly how I remember it when I went on road trips with him,” said Meg.“Which hotel did you stay at overnight?”

“Motel 6,” said John.

“That's just like you,too. John. Always trying to save a buck,” said Meg.

“That's right. I'm not making the type of coin I used to when I was teaching public school full time,” said John. “Subbing pays poorly and writing fiction pays worse.”

“I thought you told us that your cousin Ronnie left you a substantial inheritance,” said Ryan.

“It was a pretty large chunk of money but I didn't win the lottery. I'll need to use some of the inheritance money to pay the bills that my subbing and writing efforts don't cover,” John answered.

Next Scene:

After Roland and Natasha finished telling Ryan and his friends their Ogopogo story it was time for the couple to leave. They had a dinner date scheduled at Natasha's parents place that evening.

“Do you believe their story?” asked Ian.

“I think they're telling the truth. I noticed that Natasha turned pale and her hands started to tremble when Roland told the story,” answered Ryan.

“Yeah, the chick was scared out of her wits, probably traumatized by the experience,” offered Jasmine.

“I have some exciting news for you guys,” said Ryan.” I was just talking to Professor Phelge and-”

“Did you call him on your cell phone when you were in the bathroom?” asked Keisha.

Ryan laughed. “ No, he's here on the other side of the pub. I had a chance to talk to him for about fifteen minutes and pitched our research project to him.”

“Man, you have guts, Ryan,” said Brendon.

“Yes, you are the man,” Kyle agreed.

“That's why he's the first string quarterback on the football team,” said Keisha.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence guys. Now let's get serious. It turns out that Dr. Phelge is starting a one year sabbatical today,” said Ian.

“That's really fortunate for him especially if it's his performance review year,” added Kyle.

“Yeah, the old guy hasn't been himself since his wife passed away,” said Keisha.

“Are you taking any of his classes this year?” asked Jasmine.

“Yes, I'm taking a second year marine biology class with him. Last year I took his introductory course. You wouldn't believe the difference in him from this year to last year,” said Keisha.

“Yeah, I'm in the same class with Keisha. Professor Phelge has definitely lost his spark. Last year he taught intro biology like a man possessed. He had such energy and passion for his subject. And this year the fire has gone out. He teaches like he's in a daze most of the time. It's as if he can't wait for the class to be over,” said Kyle.

“It sounds like he's depressed. He's probably still grieving the loss of his wife,” said Ian.

“So, how is the professor going to be of any use to us in the state that he's in?” asked Brendon.

“When I first sat down with Dr. Phelge he did seem sad and preoccupied, but when I started telling him about our research project, he perked right up,” answered Ryan.

Next Scene:

Garry Phelge knew what he had to do. He had to go to Kelowna, British Columbia to see his Uncle Ray and Aunt June. He had saved up enough money to purchase a bus ticket. Garry had many good childhood memories of traveling to B.C. with his parents to visit with his aunt and uncle. The residual effects of Garry's last dose of medications were starting to wear off and he was beginning to decompensate or lose contact with reality. He kept it together long enough to buy a one way bus ticket to Kelowna. On a few occasions Garry had tried to tell the staff at The House of Hope in Winnipeg that his parents were reptilian creatures from outer space. He had also discussed this particular delusion with his psychiatrist. Both the staff at The House of Hope and his psychiatrist had tried to explain to Garry that his belief that his parents were extraterrestrial reptiles was a manifestation of his illness. Garry now felt that both the staff at the mental rehabilitation facility and his therapist were “on board” with his parents and were lying to him.

Garry desperately needed someone to believe his story. His delusion first started when Garry watched his father, Dr. Lionel Phelge, being interviewed by a local television network. The television show was about flying saucers and extraterrestrials and Garry's father was considered to be an expert on this topic. During his interview on this show, Dr. Phelge had stated that he had once seen a UFO or more correctly, a squadron of UFOs flying in formation.

In Garry's way of thinking, his father only said this because he and his wife are from another planet or another solar system.

Garry thought that both his Uncle Ray and Aunt June were somehow privy to this knowledge about his parents. He was sure that they would confirm his belief when he saw them in person at Kelowna.

Garry felt very uncomfortable during the bus ride to Kelowna. He was starting to withdraw from the lorazepam in his system. The sudden withdrawal caused Garry's state of anxiety to significantly increase. He also began to have both visual and auditory hallucinations during the bus ride as the residual effects of his anti psychotic medications wore off..Garry was certain that the other passengers on the bus knew the secret about Garry's parents. He also believed that a few passengers were also reptilians from the same planet as his parents. Garry's auditory hallucinations involved other people on the bus talking about him. He heard the ones that he thought were extraterrestrials talking about how they would sabotage Garry's efforts to talk to his aunt and uncle.

Episode 28 of The Lake Demon by Ken David Stewart

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:34:00 -0800

Next Scene:

Garry was medically stabilized at the hospital and would be ready for release in about five days. This knowledge created a moral dilemma for Lionel and Edith Phelge. They were both in their sixties and had to deal with the stress of Garry's medical condition for approximately ten years now. The cycle had repeated itself too many times. Garry would experience a psychotic break and would be released by the hospital into their care. Garry would be compliant with his treatment plan for a couple of months and would take all his prescribed medications as directed by his psychiatrist. The positive symptoms of his schizophrenia would either not manifest or be greatly reduced in intensity. The negative symptoms of the disease would still be prevalent. Garry would have very little energy and would sleep until the late afternoon.

Garry would be very lethargic and not be motivated to do much but sleep, smoke cigarettes and drink coffee. During these times Garry's parents found that they were still able to manage living with him.

Then after a few months Garry would decide that he no longer needed to take his medications. He would lie to Lionel and Edith and would tell them that he was still taking his pills. After a few days off his meds, Garry's positive symptoms of schizophrenia would manifest once again and he would suffer another psychotic break. This crisis situation would necessitate another trip to the hospital to get Garry's medical condition stabilized.

Lionel and Edith talked the recent incident over and came to the conclusion that they could no longer tolerate Garry's residing with them. Lionel called the hospital to set up an appointment with a social worker to discuss alternative housing options for Garry when he was released from the hospital this time.

The Doors Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 08:18:00 -0700

The Doors Revisited

One of my all time favorite bands from the sixties is The Doors. Jim Morrison was indeed a great poet and his poetry was backed by some great musicians. I have recently been listening to some remix versions of their classic songs. I must say that I like them. These versions will never be as good as the original Doors' recordings but they make for an interesting listen.

The Cover Up Novel by Ken David Stewart Part 32

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 07:45:00 -0700

“Well the good news Mr. Stephens is that mononucleosis will not kill you and the sore throat, high fever and coughing will likely end in a few days. The bad news is that your symptom of extreme fatigue could last up until one year from now.”

By Wednesday of that week most of Drake's symptoms had resolved. He thought that he was feeling much better until he tried putting on his pants from a standing position. He felt very faint and almost toppled over to one side.

“This is not good,” thought Drake. “I can't have this happening when I'm at work.”

Drake thought that having a bowl of Frosty Flakes cereal might give him some much needed energy. Maybe, he felt faint because he had not eaten much when he was feeling so ill over the weekend, Drake thought to himself.

A bowl of cereal followed by a coffee and a cigarette and I should be good to go.

As Drake got into his car he once again felt a twinge of weakness but this passed in a few seconds.

You've got to relax. There's only seven weeks left in the school year anyway and you still have about ten sick days left.

When Drake got to the staff room a couple of his fellow teachers asked if he had been sick.

“Just a bad flu,” answered Drake.

“You take care, buddy. Only seven weeks to go,” said Mason Wells, the grade five teacher.

“Oh, I'm sure I'll be all right,” Drake replied.

Drake made it until morning recess okay, but he played it safe. He had his kids mostly work on seat work so that he wouldn't have to stand up for long for more than a few minutes. As his last student left for recess Drake started walking down the hall on his way to the staff room. Drake made it about ten feet before he saw a blaze of flourescent light and passed out. He was vaguely aware that a female teacher stood over him and yelled, “Quick, Karen, go get the principal!”

A couple of minutes later Drake could here his principal, Bob Hanes asking him if he could hear him. All Drake could do at that point was to moan. Bob said, “Shannon, call 911. We're not going to try to move Drake until the paramedics give their okay.”

Presumed Guilty by Jose Baez

noreply@blogger.com (the writings of ken david stewart) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 12:44:00 -0700

Presumed Guilty

During the last two days I have been reading Presumed Guilty by Jose Baez. This book is indeed a fascinating read. I find it much more interesting than Jeff Ashton's book Imperfect Justice. First of all, Casey Anthony has to be very grateful that she had the defense team that Jose Baez put together. I know that the jury in the Casey Anthony Trial took a lot of flack for providing not guilty verdicts on most of the charges against Casey Anthony.

I am one of those that thinks that the jury made the only decision they could under the circumstances. It wasn't the prosecution’s fault. They did the best they could with what they had. The problem was that they didn't have much if any real physical evidence to convict Casey of murder. The only thing the prosecution had was apparently strong circumstantial evidence and a theory. The problem was that their theory had holes in it also. I still find it hard to believe how a mother who appeared to love her daughter, and without any evidence of previous abuse, could murder her daughter just because she wanted to party.