Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Stevie Joe's Long Haul

Howdy, Stevie Joe fans. I know that the wait between installments can be quite dreary and inevitably slow progress towards world peace. However, Stevie Joe has his own demons to deal with right now.

Overall, the battle is going quite well, but the war is long. As I rise out of my hole searching for glimpses of victory, all I see are odd glances in return. See, one does not emerge from this type of thing exactly the same as when one went in. Rather, it changes you. Some of my own demons come from this change.

Yet, those around me aren't sure what to think. I am not the old Stevie Joe that they loved and flocked to. Yes, it is true that I no longer have the satellite dish and big screen TV for their viewing pleasure, but I'd like to think that they came for more than that.

I believe that their real fear is that I have somehow gone insane. I'll grant that it is a possibility. If it were true, I'd be the last person to know, wouldn't I? Anywho, the nature of the insanity is what concerns them. I mean, we can argue that half of Junebug Holler is nuts in their own special way. Junior alone could fill a college textbook on the matter.

It is insanity in the extreme that they fear. When folks like Junior lose it, they walk around town with their pants tucked in their socks and cardboard boxes balanced on their heads. When folks like Stevie Joe lose it, they are likely to become the Unabomber. That's what the good citizenry here fear, but I think they're wrong.

For now, I wage my battles from the comforts of Junior's couch taking heed of all the advice offered by Junior Junior, Junior's dog. You may scoff but never underestimate the wisdom of dogs.

Yours in battle,
Stevie Joe Parker