May 20, 2014

May 20, 2014

As the world gets more complicated and cluttered with information, objects, and just plain things, I decided to go in the opposite direction and become more simple.  First things first are clothing.  I wish to draw attention to a minimal uniform where I don’t have to think about what I’m wearing on a regular basis.  I have decided on the classic white t-shirt and 501 straight legged Levi’s with a pair of black shoes from Red Wing.    For an additional color, perhaps a red and white stripped sweater or pull-over will do.   Since I do very little physical work, I can usually cut down to one pair of jeans, and maybe five days of white t-shirts in my inventory.  Five days of socks, usually stripped, but always a dark color like gray and black stripes.

As you most know by now, I don’t do work.  Well, let me put this in another way.  What I do is work, but not for money.  I lost my job about two years ago, and I’m having a hard time getting back on the gravy train of a regular salary.   What I have been doing is writing up to 140 stories, regarding mostly my life, as a man who is just trying to simplify his life.   Basically on an everyday basis, I put on my uniform, shave, and then go off to the Central Library to do my writing.  I stop when my hands start hurting, and then come home and try not to spend any money whatsoever, because due to my lack of “work. ” I have no more money left.

This causes significant amount of anxiety, but I’m on a suicide mission to finish writing 225 more stories and then I can relax and ….Well, you know whatever the end brings to my soul.  With respect to my clothing, I rarely go out for social visits or go to ceremonies.  For instance, I would never go to a wedding or a funeral, due to my lack of proper clothing for such affairs.  Also the blue jeans and t-shirt combination are a look that doesn’t offend anyone.  On certain bodies, it can look rather stylish, sadly I’m getting a tad fat.  But even that, it brings a sense of focus in my life.    Once I die, I wish to be dressed in my T-shirt and blue jeans, and then burned to the crisp, and eventually place my ashes in the Levi’s headquarters in San Francisco.   The thought of that offers me a sense of peace and happiness.  On the other hand, living is a total drag at times.

It is indeed hard for me to wake up and face an empty notebook page with my pen by its side.  I stare at the lined paper till something comes towards my chest.  At first I thought it was the first sign of a heart attack, but it is not!   The idea for a narrative is very physical. It is almost like a beautiful woman embracing you around the waist.  You can smell the essence of her skin and hair, and then bingo, you start writing.

Also you consistent readers, you know I am a publisher as well.  And within a couple of weeks, I’ll be doing a reading of Shakespeare’s Sonnets from the original edition that was published by Thomas Thorpe in 1609.   Some years ago I purchased a copy of this rare item at Mystery Pier Books, which cost me a fortune of course. But how could I resist as a publisher myself.  The thing that is interesting to me, is that Thorpe may have published the Sonnets without Sharkespeare’s approval.  In other words, he stole it.  This of course is only a theory, because as we all know, history is told through someone’s point-of-view, and who knows the extent to which that goes. Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter in the end, because Thomas Thorpe died in his early 60s and in a poorhouse on top of that.  Surely as a publisher I will be going down that same route as well.

However, before all of that, I will do a public reading of the Shakespeare Sonnets, dressed in my normal uniform, because I think that will bring out the words more.  The visual sensibility of being aware of one’s clothing even helps me when I’m writing with my pen and paper.