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SCHLIEFKEVISIONdotcom

The online chronicles of a painter living in Austin, Texas

THE CURTAIN GETS PEELED BACK...
A RANDOM DAY IN THE LIFE OF MICHAEL SCHLIEFKE
August 24, 2004

DINNER WITH DESTINY  Class ended at 6:30, I was free for the night.  And a little bit hungry.  I went next door and looked through my slim pickings in the kitchen, and decided upon Ramen Noodles as my big dinner for the night.  I originally grabbed a couple of packages of chicken flavor (my favorite) but instead went with Oriental.  Every time I see the word Oriental I'm reminded of advice I received in college: "Rugs are Oriental, people are Asian." I'm so multicultural it makes me sick.  Anyway, I let the water boil, sat down and read an absolutely horrifying article in the Austin Chronicle, and then mixed up the ingredients for my less than tasty meal.

I: Morning Times II: Hard at Work III: Breakin' & Paintin' IV: Dinner with Destiny  CLICK ON ANY THUMBNAIL BELOW FOR A BIGGER VERSION

Oriental or Chicken?

Another 22 cent meal

Rock the Ramen

A TWIST OF FATE
After this wildly unimaginative and largely tasteless 'meal', I milled about for a bit, looking at my paintings in studio again and building up some steam so I could start going again.  Myra came home and we hung out in the patio for a bit.  She asked if I was hungry, and suggested a good Mexican place on the East Side.  Enthused by the thought of real food (and I hadn't had Mexican in a good month), I said yes, and got roped into driving.  Juan in a Million was closed, so I went to a really good option - La Azteca on East Seventh.  The food is great, the decor priceless, what more does a man need?  Parking.  With the five spaces in front taken, I had passed the only entrance I had taken to park, so I turned into the second entrance.   As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed two men who just got out of their truck walking towards me.  One was none other than Alex Jones.

Enter the Matrix: Starstruck Schliefke

I guess there was food there too

Look at Myra's t-shirt. Coincidence?

Driving Home: Euphoria!

ON ALEX JONES
If for some reason you don't know who Alex Jones is, visit his website (it's linked above) or check out my thoughts on my first run in with the man.  I wholeheartedly appreciate his yelling and screaming at the sidelines of debate and news in this country pointing his finger at gross government conspiracies and the ease in which the New World Order is taking over this planet and enslaving us all.  Regardless of how much I really believe his theories, they all don't seem so far from the truth, but he speaks for much more than that.  The passive nature that American society has accepted the erosion of its personal rights and freedoms into a police state society driven by fear and the greed of a few is what drive me insane.  This is why I think middle class people who watch TV and listen to talk radio are so amazingly stupid.  They are uninformed and willing to accept what they hear and see as the truth, despite every bit of information the receive having been spun five times over.  But enough of my ideas about politics and gross American stupidity, all I can say is read this excerpt from Waking Life.

AZTECA JONES, I PRESUME?
As soon as I saw Alex, I did all I could to not run into him in the dark, narrow lane.  I immediately screamed and hustled into the restaurant, Myra trailing far behind.  I just missed Alex at the door, and he seated himself with a large party in the back room.  One of the people was wearing a 'Terrorist Response Team' shirt, my favorite Alex Jones memorabilia.  So excited about the turn of events, I broke one of my all time cardinal rules - I made a cell phone call in public to friends in Kansas City.  We discussed Alex a couple weeks ago, and felt they needed to know.  All dinner, I could barely eat, and just kept my eyes on Alex and his table.  His distinctive voice carried through the room, and I plotted a way to meet him and get a picture, as this was the random day I decided to photograph my life. 

I figured I was just going to have to be apologetically rude, excuse myself for interrupting and ask for a picture.  I made my way to the back room, but chickened out and headed for the bathroom instead. When I came back the bill was ready and Alex was walking out with a friend, muttering something about cigarettes.  Now was my chance.  I hurried Myra into getting her half of the bill ready, and rushed out the door, with my eyes open for Mr. Jones.  I turned the corner towards my truck and there he was - Alex Jones, leaning against my truck. 

I looked at him, smiled, and told him he was leaning against my truck.  He quickly unhanded it, apologized and said 'I didn't do anything to it."  I told him I was just kidding and was a huge fan of his.  I shook his hand thanking him for his work and diligence, and tried to keep my composure.  I mentioned we met briefly at his screening of his movie 911: The Road to Tyranny at the Alamo Drafthouse a while ago, and he said its doing really well after Fahrenheit 9/11 came out.  I also told him my friends in Kansas City have started following him, and he appreciated the support and the growth of his radio network.  We chatted a little bit more, and then I asked if he would mind a picture.  His easy going, laid back tone was welcoming, and he quickly accepted. 

I shook his hand again, thanked him once more, and the true American Patriot then told me, "I hope to see you around more."  I went home and drank beer, euphoric over meeting Alex once again.