Day By Day Shifter

[Maglitchtrix]

So Hello,

I'm almost certain this isn't the right place to post this because I'm not a time traveler. Honestly, I have no idea what I would be classified as here. Over the past 2 weeks since I woke up I have been told I was crazy and that I might have hit my head a little too hard. Truth be told, maybe I did. I created the word Shifter because I think my conciousness may have shifted here, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm posting here because I want some advice on what I should do.

Hi. Im Ronny and I'm a Shifter.

That sounded so corny.

Sorry.

So here's the deal so far. I'm going to write this up in journal fashion and try to get up to date about what's been going on since I "woke" up. I have been writing things down since the 2nd (as recommended by the neurologist). Hopefully I can make sense of what the hell it is that I am experiencing. I literally found this board and about a thousand others when I typed in "strange occurrences and out of body experiences". You guys are the experts. Here goes...

1 March

I woke up on 1 March in a house that wasn't mine. The time was about 1315, maybe 1330. I am in Colorado right now, although that's not where I am supposed to be. So I wake up and feel like I have a hangover. My head hurts like hell and I can't focus, but I know that I'm not in my house. I get out of bed and leave the bedroom that I'm in to try and make sense of all of what I'm seeing. Directly across the hall is the restroom so I walk into it and splash water on my face. I look in the mirror and I am completely freaked out. So freaked that I start dry heaving into the toilet. I was literally just sitting there shaking for a good ten minutes before I looked in the mirror again. It was me but not me. The person I'm looking at looks like me but has a goatee and tattoos with a shaved head. Same build, but really rough around the edges. I'm in the Air Force where I'm from and I don't have any tattoos whatsoever. My hair is kept fairly short, but not bald. I adjust to what I look like and walk down the hall. It's a small 2 bedroom condominium type house. There are pictures of me(this version) on the wall with a woman and a young child. The child (I find out later) is 5.

I'm gonna be very vague on their names and exact city I am currently in just because of the nature of the world. If I get back home, I don't want this me to experience any kind of issues. The boys names is Bret and the woman is Sarah. I am apparently called Ronny here but I have gone by Ronald all my life.

Anyways, I am single in my life but the me here isn't. There are also 2 dogs running around that seem happy that I'm awake. I sit on the sofa and start to try and piece together what is going on. The front door opens and in walks an attractive young lady. I recognize her from the picture on the wall. She walks over, kisses me on the cheek and tells me its good to see me. Very odd feeling. I respond with a hey. She asks me how work was and if I had a good night. I guess this version of me works nights. I tell her that Im not feeling good and that my head hurts. She tosses me the remote and tells me to watch some TV. I tell her that I think that I might have some sort of aneurism because I can't remember anything. She thinks I'm joking.

Great, apparently this version of me is quiet the joker.

It takes me about an hour and a half to convince her that I'm serious. She reluctantly agrees to take me to the Emergency Department. She tells me that I also work at this hospital doing security. Oddly enough, where I'm from I do security for the Air Force. So I get into the ED and tell the doctors what is going on. I leave out the part about another world just because it sounds crazy even thinking about it. They run me through a catscan machine and run a few blood and urine tests. Where I am from, all of my medical information is on a computer chip that is under the skin on my forearm. The test results come back and they say everything is normal. I of course ask why I can't remember anything and they tell me that I will have to schedule an appointment with a neurologist. Sarah takes me home, telling me it will be ok the entire drive.

Um, no, it won't. I'm not Ronny and I don't have a family.

 

[Maglitchtrix]

Again, another post retrospected to the 2nd. If you have any questions or comments, please post them. I am slowly acclimating to this place but I still want to go home.

2 March

Yesterday was spent with Ronny's son Bret and Sarah. After we got back from the ED, she filled me in on a few details here and there about life with them. We (Ronny) and her have been together for 12 years. I am 29, Ronny and I have the exact same date of birth, and she is 28. She told me we got together in high school and have been together ever since. I had a chance to look through some of their photo albums and they look happy together. I literally almost lose my breathe when I see Ronny in a military uniform! He was apparently in the Air Force here for about 4 years. The pictures of him while he was in the service look almost exactly like mine. Sarah fills me in, briefly, about the different branches and why I(Ronny) got out.

-I still haven't told her what I think is really going on. She thinks I might have some kind of amnesia. I can only imagine what she is experiencing having to explain everything to me.

The branches here are very very similar to mine. You have the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Where I am from they are called Marine Force (similar to the Navy), Land Force (Army), Air Force (Air Force) and Mobile Force (Marines.) Our Uniforms are similar as well. The digital camo that the branches here wears is unique. Our uniforms are solid colors and represent the enviroments. Marine Force where's a light blue cdu, Land Force wears a brownish cdu, Air Force wears a dark blue cdu and the Mobile Force wears whatever color they need to when paired with one of the other branches. Ranks are similar as well.

-Another quick side note. The internet here is good. We call ours the orbitalength. It has something to do with the satellites that run it. I have learned a thorp of information the past 2 weeks using it.

Ronny apparently wanted to be able to express himself freely and didn't want to be a conformist. He wanted to get tattoos and piercings and get up when he wanted to. He is apparently very artistic and can play the guitar. I couldn't carry a note to save me from free falling. He and I are pretty different. He doesn't have any set exercise regiment other that playing with Bret. He doesn't smoke or drink, which is a good thing. I am really healthy where I am from. I am up to date on my injections and I stay pretty active.

-For anyone curious, where I am from isn't that different from here. (I don't want to say my world because I'm not sure that's accurate yet.) Alcohol is used there, we have cars and airplanes. There are some small differences, but nothing major that I can tell yet. Wait, we don't use caffeine. Well, some people do. It is illegal in the states. There were studies about 15 years ago that showed that it causes cellular breakdown that leads to cancer. Maybe the formula is different where I am from though. I still don't trust it here.

Tonight, Sarah is making spaghetti and we are supposed to go see a movie called "I am Number Four". I guess Tuesdays are Ronny and Sarah's date night. Ronny is off on Wednesday and Thursday, so that gives me a few days to figure out what is going on. Our financial system is similar to the one hear, so I assume that I will still need to maintain some level of financial security. Sarah doesn't work so Ronny is the sole income. I really don't want to leave him in a bind if this gets worked out. I can only hope that if he and I switched conciousness somehow that he is making an effort to blend there as well. Bret is with her parents tonight. They really don't like Ronny. Not sure what that's about.

 

[Maglitchtrix]

3 March

I slept on the couch last night. Something about sleeping with Sarah is unsettling to say the least. She is very attractive but she isn't my partner. I have gathered that it is called husband and wife here, but we just refer to it as a partnership. he words here are so similar it's eerie, but she is starting to notice that I talk differently. I tell her its probably a side effect of my brain injury. We use different units of measurement and the vehicles have different names but I assure you they are the same vehicle. Here it is called a Volkswagon Beetle, there it is called a Tivollian Prime. Same awful design though.

I'm adjusting to this body well enough I suppose. It feels the same but a little more sluggish. I had a hard time waking up this morning and usually I am up like a bolt. I do pressdowns first thing in the morning and I can't do as many as usual. Ronny is a thorpe weaker than me. Sarah asked me if I wanted some coffee. I decline and drink a jint of water. She is very apprehensive around me. I can't say that I blame her. She is worried that I might have some sort of disease of the brain. I really do not want to tell her that I might be from somewhere else. I know what mental institutions are like where I am from. I can honestly say that I do not want any part of the watelectro treatments.

We took Bret to school and Sarah asked me to drive. We drive on the opposite side of the road there, so that was unnerving. I am a fast learner so I was able to adjust quickly. As I am running necessities with Sarah, I am doing my best to make mental notes of where everything is at. Where I am from, I guard nuclear weapons in the Dakotas, so this area is very unfamiliar to me. We stop at her parents house again to interact with them. A very very awkward experience for me. They didn't speak to me that much and I found myself feeling like even more of an outsider. I have found out the past 2 weeks that Ronny doesn't interact with his family members at all. I don't either so I suppose that is another similarity we share. I had a falling out with my family when I was a teenager and enlisted in the Services. Through testing I was placed in the Air Force. My father was a Mobile Force Guardian (rank wise this would be your general) so we didn't speak after that. If father wasn't interacting with me, neither was mother. That's that.

After interacting with her parents, we went to Wal-Mart. We have one of these back home. Same man started it as well. It's unnerving that if I am from another world, or concious level or whatever that Sam Walton has a hand hold in both. We pick up a few consumables and head back to the house. She wants to talk some more about what I do remember. In my place, I remember going to post at 1800. I worked nights there too. Another weird similarity. I was walking my post when my eyes started hurting and my ears started ringing really loudly. I remember feeling inhumanly sick and disoriented. As I fell to my knees, I remember my postmate shouting at me to get up. If I had to guess I would say that a WP went off near us. A WP is a wavelength pulsator and is designed to incapacitate any living objects in a designated distance. I was in and out for what seems like eternity. I somewhat remember getting an injection of something and falling down from a great height. That's when I woke up here. I don't tell Sarah this.

She leaves after a time to get Bret. He doesn't understand that something is different with his father, so I try to interact with him as though he were my own. I guess in an odd way he is. I haven't really given to much thought to it, but I am Ronny and he is me. I am a science realism fan and I believe in what is referred to here as the Multiverse theory. I am not a scientific genius and I honestly have no clue how I came to be here. In probing around on the internet here I have read up on different theories of time travel and interdimensional travel. We don't have things like that where I am from either. I am sure there are those scientists that work on it, but we just haven't achieved anything like that to my knowledge. I asked Sarah last night what I was doing the night before I woke up here. She said I(Ronny) was at work all night and that she had left before he had arrived at home.

No leads there.

Sarah and Bret are home from school now and he wants to interact outside. Sarah tells me tomorrow I have an appointment with a neurologist and that she wants me to help make spaghetti tonight.

What is a spaghetti?

 

[Maglitchtrix]

Ok, so that's the first 3 journal entries. I am at work currently, yes I have managed to integrate myself into Ronny's position. It is my turn to take Bret to school today. I will post more entries tonight. If anyone, anyone at all has any thoughts, please post them here. I hope this is the right place to be asking questions in. I do not want to find myself under a micronscope being analyzed.

 

[Maglitchtrix]

I have a few minutes before I have to pick Bret up.

4 March

Spaghetti last night was good. We have noodles where I am from but they are a little bit different. Ours are harder and crunchy. We traditionally serve them with a cream sauce. I was pleasantly surprised. Dinner was nice. Sarah and I talked about the weather (it is still cold here). Back home in the Dakotas, it stays cold all of the time. We haven't had as much of what is referred to as global warming, but I am stationed closer to the poles there. After putting Bret to bed, Sarah wanted to read a book so I went for a walk.

I like it here well enough it's just not mine. The more I try to wrap my head around what is going on, the more I don't understand it. I try to think about everything rationally, but there is really no rational explanation.

This morning I went to the neurologist with Sarah. She is helping me find my way around the town nicely. She will say things about how I should remember a certain place because we have been there numerous times. I, of course, remember nothing since Ronny is the one who has been there. I wonder if there is a Sarah where I am from. I wonder if everyone here has someone there that is them as well. According to the multiverse theory, there are an infinite number of universes out there with an infinite number of me's, so I assume it is possible.

The neurologist ran a thorpe of tests on me and again everything came back negative. According to him, I could be experiencing what is referred to as a mental breakdown. No. If I were to tell him the truth about where I am from, maybe I could get better help, but I also run the risk of ending up somewhere less than desirable. He offered me a prescription for something that will supposedly help my nerves. I refused. Until I can make better sense of what is going on, I don't want to dull myself down with drugs.

The rest of the day was spent with Sarah. We ate at someplace called Taco Bell and picked Bret up. Sarah reminded me that I have college. I have continued training in the Service, so standardized schooling here isn't that much of a challenge for me. I take care of the few classes that Ronny has for today. Sarah had to take me there and pick me up. I unwillingly felt embarrassed. There isn't a rational reason since I don't know anyone here, other than the fact that I am not a youth that needs to be looked after.

As I am walking around I realize that if I never get home, this wouldn't be a bad place to live.

 

[Traveler Malaki]

Interesting, this reminds me of Chris's experience long ago, only difference is was that his was physical.

 

[Maglitchtrix]

Back at work tonight. Will try to catch up on a few more entries.

5 March

Tonight I am going to work for Ronny. Sarah gave me my (his) phone and told me the supervisors name. She also showed me where the uniform is located at that I need to wear. Its not bad looking at all. Grays against black. I don't have to carry a firearm but I do have what is referred to as a tazer. We call them voltrons. I haven't had any specific training with these types of devices so hopefully I will not have to use it. I have all of my military training at my disposal for confrontations. It seems as though I have retained my skill set from back home during the shift. My body doesn't respond as well, but that I assume is from the lack of positive stimulation on Ronny's end. I woke up this morning and forced myself through 100 pressdowns. By the end my arms were shaking fairly bad and I felt as though I might vomit. Maybe the oxygen saturation is different here as well. I usually do not have this much trouble breathing.

Sarah is spending the day with her parents so I think I might try and check out the library here. Where I am from and here do not seem all that different so I want to try and brush up on a little bit of history and see if I can ascertain the major similarities and differences. I have noticed a few things on the surface but nothing major. We have television programming where I am from as well. Ours is a thorpe of military oriented programming with some game shows and government feeds. We have a protocol in place wherein a representative of the House of the Commander desiminates information at hourly intervals. It seems as though there isn't as much of an open communication between the government and the people here. I find that unsettling. I am also going to try and learn the intracacies of the phone that Sarah has given me. The first thing I notice about it is that it's square. Such an awkward design flaw. Our communication devices are called Satcoms and the are shaped so that the fit in your palm with ease. There is a rounded display at the top and everything is voice activated. Sarah told me that she would text me later and I asked for clarification. Apparently she wanted to send me a memo about what she was doing. I asked her why she wouldn't just call me and she told me not to be silly. From what I gather on the internet, texting is one of the preferred means of communication here. The phone that I have been given is a touch screen, so that is going to take some time to get used to. My fingers are having a difficult time with such a small device.

I made a communication call to my supervisor and briefed him of the situation. He told me there is something called FMLA for employees of the hospital that I can use if need be. I feel that if I am going to be here for any amount of time that I need to integrate as much as possible. I asked if he can give me a briefing of all of my duties at the start of shift and he said that he would. He seemed willing to help if not a little confused as to what's going on.

Sarah arrived home and asked me if I was going to take a nap before work. I wasn't familiar with the word so she clarified that it meant sleep. I feel like a child trying to learn even the most basic terminology here. I keep telling myself that I will pick it all up in time. It seems as though I am going to have the hardest time with what is referred to as slang. We have certain phrases that mean things. We use the word corny and cheesy interchangeably as you would here. I have never heard the phrase lol until today. We use the phrase "wash my hands of it" but I have never heard most of the cuss words used here. I will need to rest later before work if I am to function all night.

Sarah took me to the library and I checked out a book on world history as well as a few graphic novels. I know that I should be trying to immerse myself in the culture here, but I really enjoy reading books about superheroes. We have Superman back home as well but not a Batman per se. Our version of Batman was a spinoff series with Jimmy Olson entitled Orange Avenger. Batman has a darker, grittier feel to it. I can see myself enjoying the depiction of a hero that remains hidden in the shadows. Sarah tells me there is also a movie series.

Going to pick Bret up and then help out with a few things around the house. We also have to take Copperfield and Jax (the two dogs) for a walk. I have never had pets so I am enjoying the companionship. When I get back home I think I will invest in one.

 

[Maglitchtrix]

6 March

Work last night wasn't bad. Sarah allowed me to drive myself. I remembered how to get there easily enough. There is a major thoroughfare (Interstate) that I take from the house to the hospital. I left at 2130 and arrived by 2200. Mitch (supervisor) met me at the front desk and took me to the office. I had to scan a badge to start my shift. In the military, funding always went to my chip automatically. Here I will not receive funds if I don't scan the badge at the start and end of shift.

-Speaking of funds, the banking system here is a bit different. All of our currency is laminated. It won't deteriorate and is much smaller. It is about the size of a credit card here. From what I understand the credit system here works on a borrowed currency principle. We do not have anything similar back home. If you do not have the funds for something, you simply don't purchase it. I personally find it odd that anyone would want to owe money to anyone. I have not had any issues acclimating to the exchange of funds here. A dollar here is a dollar there. We have the same dollar incriments, but our currency does not have dead President's faces on them. We have a hall of leaders that commemorate our past Commanders but that is the extent of the recognitioning.

I encountered an intoxicated person that was very belligerant that I had to get hands on with while at work. I was reprimanded for not using verbal de-escalation techniques. Back home we had a one warning policy. I didn't physically harm the individual that I encountered. I used a pressure point technique that is apparently frowned upon in the healthcare setting. I asked Mitch if I could take home a copy of the protocals for work to refamiliarize myself with company policy. He was more than willing to oblige.

I also had a chance to encounter a vending machine. What a sight! Many of the foods here are processed and that is all that is sold in the vending machines. I also do not understand why you would buy a bottle of water when there are drinking fountains readily available directly next to the vending machines. It seems like a waste to me. They even have jints, what you call cups, available right next to the machines for the water. I was also surprised to not see any fruit or vegetables offered in the machines.

Mitch showed me how to "clock" out and I went to the house and went to sleep. After waking up I watched a program about a partnership that was falling apart because the husband was sleeping with the wife's sister. I didn't find this entertaining at all.

Sarah told me that she misses the old me and the talks we had. I can see that she is growing weary of what is going on with me. I can only assume that it is equated to caring for two children with myself and Bret. I am considering confiding in her about where I am from.

Maybe.

Tonight is Salad Sunday so we are making salads and watching something called animation domination. Bret likes cartoons and is looking forward to it.

 

[Maglitchtrix]

7 March

Family Guy is very entertaining! I laughed the whole time it was on, even though I didn't understand some of the references. It is a show about the social disfunctioning of an american family. I can already see many corelations to the actual society that is here. Where I am from, I don't have a chance to encounter with many families. Everyone who is assigned posting at my location is not partnered with anyone. With the interaction between myself, Sarah and Bret, I would like to start a family when I get home.

Work last night was fairly slow. I went over a copy of the protocols. I chuckled to myself at the hands off approach taken by the security department. It is written as though the hospital wants something to happen. A well placed pressure point would stop most potential threats. I also read up on the usage of the taser and collapsible baton techniques. I enjoyed the baton section. We also have them back home that are carried by some of our departments that are in the civilian sector. I haven't had much experience with them but I am looking forward to learning more about it. All night people compliment me on my tattoos. Ronny has a tribal tattoo that extends from the top of his left arm all the way down his hand. I asked Sarah about it yesterday and she said he designed it himself. I'm impressed if not somewhat confused. Not sure why a professional position would allow him to have something like that. I do think it is well designed though.

I had a chance to look over some military history as well. 2 world wars here. 1 was enough for us. Our started the same date in 1914 and ended the same way. We never encountered a second world war and a nuclear weapon was never dropped on Japan. Our global trade market is doing very well and all of the major superpowers cooperate on global efforts. We succesfully helped overtake Iraq back in the 1990's and help place a leader in the Commander position. We are also at war with Afghanistan. They took out both of our towers on 11 September. The only other major difference is the Texarkansas war with the Floridias. It is very similar to the civil wars of the 1800's. We only have 30 states and our land is bought and sold by the individual state Commanders. The House of the Commander has final say in everything, but hasn't vetoed any purchases in over 200 years. The House allows a certain amount of fighting to go on between states as the casualties are kept to a minimum. It is more a battle of power when one state wants land that another has and isn't willing to sell. A few times a Commander has been removed from position due to power hunger. It was not pretty. We also do not have a Hawaii. It just never existed or existed before recorded history.

After I awoke I took the two dogs for a walk. These little fellas are hyper! I am told the breed is referred to as Jack Russell Terrier. They are very energetic and loyal. They can't tell the difference between me and Ronny. From what I have read about animals, they are very intuitive. If they think I am him, it makes me wonder if I might just be having a mental breakdown. My intuitions tell me otherwise.

But still...

 

[Maglitchtrix]

I have a little more time before my shift ends. Still trying to transfer all of my journal entries so that I can just start keeping a daily journal here. I apologize for the misspellings in some of the posts. The keyboard here has a different configuration than the one back home.

8 March

I have been here for a weak and thus far I have only managed to figure out how to work the TV remote and a cell phone. That's depressing. More accurately I have integrated into Ronny's lifestyle well. I still sleep on the couch as Sarah tries to get me to join her in the bedroom. I am developing a relationship with young Bret that is nice as well. I would go so far as to say that I am starting to develop feelings for both of them. The level of loyalty that they have towards Ronny is amazing. Bret's laugh is infectious so I find myself trying hard to make him happy.

I have decided to schedule an appointment with a different neurologist for a second opinion. There has to be something that they are missing in my diagnosis. I would have at least anticipated enhanced brain activity or something signaling that there was some form of trauma, but thus far nothing has shown up through the readings.

Work last night was fairly standard again. More interactions with inebreated individuals. There are quite a few ailments here that I have never heard of anyone suffering from back home. Constipation is a back up of waste in your intestinal tract. I am taking a guess that it is caused by the amounts of fatty foods that are consumed here. Our society back home focuses on more fruits and vegetables. At least in the Dakotas where I am from we do. I haven't been in the south for years so they might have a different focus there.

-That's another thing that I should mention. Each state is almost a self standing entity. Unless a state wants to try and secure another state, there isn't much interaction between the Commanders unless a Commander meeting is scheduled. They usually have meetings once a quarter unless a call to arms is issued. There are tourist attractions that people travel to, but there isn't a thorpe of moving around. Most people pick a state that they have a strong affiliation to and stay there. They integrate into the economy there and find ways to give back to the community.

I also watched a movie last night that was playing in the waiting room entitled The Matrix. Keanu Reeves is an actor back home in the Californias. They are responsible for worldwide media distribution. If you want to be an actor, that's where you go. A film like this was never made there, but I liked it. The whole dual reality concept is fitting in my situation.

-I chose the screen name here based on this movie. Glitch in the Matrix. Maybe that's what me and Ronny are. Still don't know.

When I got off of work this morning, Sarah was just getting out of the shower and asked me if I was getting in. She was naked and I looked away quickly. I told her I would just shower when I woke up in the afternoon.

I am having trouble not wanting to do more with her.

Off to pick Bret up, then to a Bingo night that his school is having. Back home we call it Braino.