Not Writing, Eating, and Other News: A Leisurely Sunday

The Vancouver Olympics are nearly done, and I've abandoned the television. The U.S. came close but could not hold off a last overtime goal by the Canadian hockey team, and will now have, "only silver".

In actuality I should have been writing something, but even moved to the computer I'm still diverted: I've constructed a mesquite turkey and jalapeno jack cheese sandwich on wheat, with some dill pickle and celery seeds; I've contemplated the correct spelling of jalapeno and looked it up because the spell check is lying to me; I've flipped on the computer's music player to my classical file, and drifted across websites and back, and on into the kitchen to pull off a square of 70% dark chocolate; I've sat contemplating whether I should drink that last liter of Coca Cola now, or save it for three hours from now when all is dark and thirst and greater procrastination lurk.

I've also managed to come across an article on the writing life. It's filled with lists and pointers, short and concise, and numbered 1 to 10 for each contributor. I pause from my non-writing and procrastination to read and reflect on the writing habits of Zadie Smith, Joyce Carol Oates, Jonathan Franzen and about 10 others. So true, write every day, my mind says, as my hands reach to the sandwich and my mouth anticipates the clean taste of turkey. If only I could eat this standard "diet" meal each day. I happen to love turkey on wheat, and pickle, and spinach, but I happen to love purely evil foods a great deal more. I also happen to love eating more than writing. Reading about writing makes me feel like I am almost writing.

The comments that follow the article are mostly from those wanting to be writers themselves. One person points out the inanity of one particular Zadie Smith suggestion. JohnBarnesOnToast posts a response (2/22, 12:18pm) that I find highly amusing:

Brilliant tip from Zadie Smith to read lots whilst still a child.What was her 2nd tip? Be born to middle class parents?

(Guardian, U.K.)

Had Ms.Smith the space for an eleventh tip, she might have instructed us to keep our time machines well oiled and up to date, in order to replicate her first tip retroactively.

I cannot be too critical, for at least she writes, and comes up with lists for editors at newspapers who call requesting them. Writing is her craft and job and, likely, her daily enjoyment.

I've turned on some classical music to put my head in the right space, but am still not really writing. Now it's Debussy. Two seconds before it was the London Symphony Orchestra doing "Stairway to Heaven." Before that Faure... something about a dead princess. I've only been inspired to get up and get another chocolate square (yes right now, right as I type this, within this parenthetical statement) and fish the soda out of the freezer where I had placed it to chill up a bit. And back now, I am reminded that I still have some lemon sorbet up there and maybe it will be good while watching a mystery on PBS. I am new to sorbet, this being my first, so have detoured and wiki'd the definition. I am wiser now, and need not worry about any lactose inspired moments. It would be bad to start my work week with a a stomach churning and pushing for disposal.

The wider world is all the shakes, with Chile hit with a quake, and talk of tsunamis and with my religiously superstitious sister calling my mom to point out that doom is about and a sign for us all to perhaps stock some extra food in the cupboards. Maybe the can of Chunky Soup will be of great comfort when the earthquake, giant wave, flood or terrorist bomb are otherwise destroying everything else around you.

My sister obsesses over such things, while ignoring more personal directly apocalyptic day to day events. She can't see how much she is like my father, who worried daily, and read daily, about the end of the world and Armageddon and the collapse of the world economic order. The world to come was his thing. He did this while eating a lot of bacon fat and grease and fried foods and ignoring his doctor. My sister has gotten just like him, except she is unhinged from any overall philosophical arc, and thus she can find wisdom in the words of any stranger with tongues of doom.  "That  must be from God," she says, worrying while saying she is not worrying. She's a pip. And we each have our flaws, us children of our deceased father, whom the end of the world came to quite suddenly at a time and place he could not divine. "You are just like daddy," I tell her, and she says, "No I am not." Then she calls my mom and shares her perceptions of my flaws too numerous to recount here.

Other News:

• If you've wondered what it's like to be part of a top hedge fund, head over to Dealbreaker and follow the links to the actual Bloomberg article. (Which is more serious than the amusingly foul, tongue in cheek approach at Dealbreaker). 

• First Haiti. Now Chile. I hope that people do not take to panic and rash thoughts and darkness and extremism. The end will be nigh, when it is nigh, and until then (and as we have said before) do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God or your fellow man. That's what he has shown us. 

• 37 medals for the United States, but Canada takes the gold in hockey. They have the land, they have universal healthcare, they have the gold. (Invasion anyone?)

• In a bid to have something instead of nothing, NBC signs on with Jerry Seinfeld. Never mind his lack of accomplishment over the past decade. His new marital show might just be interesting to the extent they can get real people on there, and don't take a p.c. turn with the advice they give to the fighting couples. With its rotating cast of judges, we think this could be a hit to the extent spouses can use it as further ammunition in their own private disputes. 

• Teshuvah. A former Polish skinhead becomes born again, a student of Torah. Light in the darkness, a long walk home, a look in the mirror. Teshuvah.  

• Copper prices up with quake in Chile, world's number one producer. Thus, off their "correct" price. Short copper? 

• Finally, finally, Democrats are starting to act like voters elected them into a position to actually make policy. Republicans are not going to give an inch on the issue of health care reform; their position is to do it their way, and not compromise. But since when do you lose the presidency and control of Congress, and get your way in full? Since never. Any legislation should be biased to the options proposed by Democrats by sheer reflection of the vote. Democrats need to man up, push it, vote it, work it, and verbally beat down those who want to do nothing. Then, once passed in current form, improve it. That way we wont be sitting on our butts till 2012 waiting for the next person to come along and do nothing.