tonight i met a woman they called commander dazzle. she commands the ship, ryan said. she leans into me, her eyes hooded and whispers. i don't command. i don't need to.

i coerce, she hissed.

later, i meet a tall guy in his 40's with buzzed hair and tinted glasses. kind of a rich man's Don Henley. I see a small bottle hung on a leather strap around his neck. what's that, i pointed. your bubbles? (hey, isn't that what ravers like?) no, it's a bottle of tabasco sauce, he said. i've wear it to ward off anything that's bland, and so far it's been working, cuz my life's been exciting...yeah... did you load it up with power and decide its function, or did someone else give it to you for that purpose, i asked. no, i powered it up, he said. i'm a manifest coach. i materialize things into my life daily and i teach people how to do the same. some people are afraid to go after what they want, or they need someone to teach them.

or sometimes they don't know how to use their own power, i said.

exactly, he said.