so i've decided to go ahead with serializing what i'm working on, but to make it in small chunks, because the interweb really isn't the place you want to be reading for extended periods of time. besides, it will make it look like i have more down!
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Brick meets concrete at ninety degrees. Head spans vertex poorly. Crumpled plastic pillow not up to the task. Intermittent adolescent daylight punctuates the battle between eyelids and will, between head throbs and bladder twinges. Ungh. Blink snapshots of tall buildings frozen in mid-fall at oblique angles as if they are desperately trying to collapse. Come on, time to water the grass. Roll to pushup position. Go on, push. Push goddamn it! Ok, maybe it can wait another minute or two. Bladder pipes up again. Fine. Im going. Im going. AndPush. There, now that wasnt so hard was whoa! Hey, who started up the centrifuge? Ill get the sorry bastard if I ever find him. Right, right, Im the sorry bastard. Mustnt forget.
Bladder vies with head in throbbing competition. Are there any less conspicuous places than this sidewalk? Ah, grim fortune, a dumpster next to a nice leaning wall. One hand for the wall and one for the zipper. Release accompanies light that seems as bright with eyes closed as the stuff outside the head. Upon actually opening the eyes, daylight shrilly denies that rumor as if in a panic to maintain its authority, its scream shattering the glassy film on my eyes, splitting it into shards that sink deep into my brain. Isaac is nowhere to be found between squints, blinks, and wobbles. Lets sit a second. Sit and think about breakfast. Patty melt plate, double plate, scattered, smothered, covered, topped, and chunked. Mmmmm. Pockets. Check the pockets. Still cash in the stash, hell yeah. Time to find some shade for a walk.
Thanks, Judy. Keep the coffee coming.
Isaac said he has chosen an ascetic life. Sounds like a rationalization to me, but what do I know? I only spent one night talking to the guy. I did drink a lot more than he did and he didnt rob me, maybe he was being truthful. He sure as hell sounded like he was full of truth, but a thoroughly-boozled head makes many things into truth that sound less convincing by the light of day. What was it? To wonder at the petty, malfunctioning creations of man is to mock the monumental manifestations of the universe. Still sounds like truth to me or at least poetry. Poetrys usually bullshit, though.
Ill have to run it through the head again after a shower. My cynicism isnt fully awake yet. But he had so much to say. So much that made me want to drink. Well, to be exact, what I saw made me want to drink. Or what I came to see after I saw what I saw. Or something. How can I do this if I can barely even make sense of it? Easy boy, it will come, you just have to think about it some more.
Im not interested in whether or not you believe me, Saul, but I believe you can understand. You can see that truth is subjective and that subjectivity is the only constant when dealing with humanity. If subjectivity is the only constant, then it must be the path to a more complete truth than your own. So the only way to approach knowledge of truth is by learning as many viewpoints as possible. To listen to all voices and glean the collective wisdom in them, this is the path I have chosen.
But how does one hear best? How does one cut through the facades and contrived personae to hear what people really think? Observation, Saul. Eavesdropping, to be frank. But you cant listen in on every conversation. How do you get a large number of people to act as if you dont exist so you can play the unbiased observer? Whos more invisible than a transient without a sign or a plea? People consciously ignore the unknown. They work even harder at ignoring what they see as failure, as if its contagious. This state of being offers a broad perspective if you pick your spots well and keep moving.
But that sounds like the same thing everyone does every day. Learning and gaining experience doesnt require removal. It requires involvement. Otherwise youre just another lousy scientist making subjective suppositions in the guise of objective observations. You have to do and say things to which people must react.
Didnt I just do that, Saul?
Damn. Yeah, you did, Ike. Do people call you Ike?
Usually people dont even ask my name. When they do, like you did tonight, I know theyre ready to talk. And I prefer Isaac, thanks for asking.
Isaac it is. Yeah, I saw you sitting here and looking more involved in what was going on than the people who were actually acting out the moments and I was intrigued. Youre right, I was ready to talk and you looked like an interesting conversation in waiting.
I thought the same about you. So tell me then what you think of the individuals role in society.
Im definitely going to need a drink for that. Ill go get us a bottle, what do you like?
Ill drink with you, get whatever you want.
Whiskey it is. Ill be right back.
Ill be here.
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Brick meets concrete at ninety degrees. Head spans vertex poorly. Crumpled plastic pillow not up to the task. Intermittent adolescent daylight punctuates the battle between eyelids and will, between head throbs and bladder twinges. Ungh. Blink snapshots of tall buildings frozen in mid-fall at oblique angles as if they are desperately trying to collapse. Come on, time to water the grass. Roll to pushup position. Go on, push. Push goddamn it! Ok, maybe it can wait another minute or two. Bladder pipes up again. Fine. Im going. Im going. AndPush. There, now that wasnt so hard was whoa! Hey, who started up the centrifuge? Ill get the sorry bastard if I ever find him. Right, right, Im the sorry bastard. Mustnt forget.
Bladder vies with head in throbbing competition. Are there any less conspicuous places than this sidewalk? Ah, grim fortune, a dumpster next to a nice leaning wall. One hand for the wall and one for the zipper. Release accompanies light that seems as bright with eyes closed as the stuff outside the head. Upon actually opening the eyes, daylight shrilly denies that rumor as if in a panic to maintain its authority, its scream shattering the glassy film on my eyes, splitting it into shards that sink deep into my brain. Isaac is nowhere to be found between squints, blinks, and wobbles. Lets sit a second. Sit and think about breakfast. Patty melt plate, double plate, scattered, smothered, covered, topped, and chunked. Mmmmm. Pockets. Check the pockets. Still cash in the stash, hell yeah. Time to find some shade for a walk.
Thanks, Judy. Keep the coffee coming.
Isaac said he has chosen an ascetic life. Sounds like a rationalization to me, but what do I know? I only spent one night talking to the guy. I did drink a lot more than he did and he didnt rob me, maybe he was being truthful. He sure as hell sounded like he was full of truth, but a thoroughly-boozled head makes many things into truth that sound less convincing by the light of day. What was it? To wonder at the petty, malfunctioning creations of man is to mock the monumental manifestations of the universe. Still sounds like truth to me or at least poetry. Poetrys usually bullshit, though.
Ill have to run it through the head again after a shower. My cynicism isnt fully awake yet. But he had so much to say. So much that made me want to drink. Well, to be exact, what I saw made me want to drink. Or what I came to see after I saw what I saw. Or something. How can I do this if I can barely even make sense of it? Easy boy, it will come, you just have to think about it some more.
Im not interested in whether or not you believe me, Saul, but I believe you can understand. You can see that truth is subjective and that subjectivity is the only constant when dealing with humanity. If subjectivity is the only constant, then it must be the path to a more complete truth than your own. So the only way to approach knowledge of truth is by learning as many viewpoints as possible. To listen to all voices and glean the collective wisdom in them, this is the path I have chosen.
But how does one hear best? How does one cut through the facades and contrived personae to hear what people really think? Observation, Saul. Eavesdropping, to be frank. But you cant listen in on every conversation. How do you get a large number of people to act as if you dont exist so you can play the unbiased observer? Whos more invisible than a transient without a sign or a plea? People consciously ignore the unknown. They work even harder at ignoring what they see as failure, as if its contagious. This state of being offers a broad perspective if you pick your spots well and keep moving.
But that sounds like the same thing everyone does every day. Learning and gaining experience doesnt require removal. It requires involvement. Otherwise youre just another lousy scientist making subjective suppositions in the guise of objective observations. You have to do and say things to which people must react.
Didnt I just do that, Saul?
Damn. Yeah, you did, Ike. Do people call you Ike?
Usually people dont even ask my name. When they do, like you did tonight, I know theyre ready to talk. And I prefer Isaac, thanks for asking.
Isaac it is. Yeah, I saw you sitting here and looking more involved in what was going on than the people who were actually acting out the moments and I was intrigued. Youre right, I was ready to talk and you looked like an interesting conversation in waiting.
I thought the same about you. So tell me then what you think of the individuals role in society.
Im definitely going to need a drink for that. Ill go get us a bottle, what do you like?
Ill drink with you, get whatever you want.
Whiskey it is. Ill be right back.
Ill be here.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
~V
It's OK, there will be more. (Sept and Feb are schedulaed so far.)
I'll be in town off and on for a few weeks at a time, but I will be pretty busy with family stuff. If you join SGNC (or did you already?) you can see when I am meeting up with people.
Haha, glad you like the site and The Buzz. You'll have to tell Will, too.
Welcome back!