1 day ago
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Bukowski in Bed:
Everyday at work I feel a little bit out of place. Everyday I feel a little bit like I'm just biding my time but also like I really don't belong. I watch the men at work and they walk way around me, they think I am a tiny creature that will break if they come too close to me. They think I am fragile. The other night, getting drinks with friends one of them kept repeating "C'mon Driver, don't be so shy." I'm not shy. Shy and reserved are different. I only tell things to people who I want to tell things to. Maybe I didn't want to tell him anything. I was reading a lot of Bukowski in bed this week. I could lay in bed and read for forty years. The bed is an island. There is an old man at work named Gary. He works in shipping. He has a face that looks like it was molded out of red clay. It looks like you could push your fingers deep into the sides of his nose and reposition it like a Picasso painting. Upside down, a little thinner, a little to the left, to the right, angled toward his ear. He walks with a limp after having had a stroke and he makes spicy salsa. I like it. He has a girlfriend of twenty-six years who is battling cancer. He told me, "she will beat it." Every morning I ask him "how are you?" and he replies "I'm here, I don't know why." Today I said "maybe it's because you're not a millionaire yet" and he just said "humph." I walked away. Today is Sunday but tomorrow is Labor Day so I don't have to go back to work until Tuesday. So that's good.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I just moved into a new place and the first room I had setup was the den. There's a great big couch next to my main bookshelf that you can just lay and read forever. I don't know about 40 years... but forever is close to that.
ReplyDelete40 years is a long time, you are right. In 40 years I will be pushing 70. Not a welcome thought.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I was drawn to time with so many other striking images in your post. Forty years versus a twenty-six year old relationship versus Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I suppose I have time on my mind.
ReplyDeleteThe reserved are almost always misunderstood. Too much contemplation. Too many ideas.
I enjoy your writing.
Thanks Marty! I am glad you got back to your High Fidelity-type blog :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed. It might start to be more High Fidelity-ish than I'm comfortable with. I just got out of a longish relationship about a month or so ago (as if I didn't know the exact date), although I think I'm a little too private to recount my top 5 breakups. A little too reserved. But I will try to start writing things that are actually about me and somewhat bloggish... periodically. At least in making the lists and reviews more autobiographical, to use a term from the film (I never actually read the book).
ReplyDeleteOh I'm sorry to hear you just ended a relationship--that is always hard regardless of how well you are able to turn it into a somewhat funny, fictional retelling. You should definitely check out the book, the movie is great but Nick Hornby is a real good author in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteNo worries. Again, I usually don't bring stuff like that up, but it seemed to be in the moment of High Fidelity-ness. Oddly enough, I think this particular relationship would land on the list twice... but we're still good friends (we went to see Sleepwalk with Me just last night, are you familiar with Mike Birbiglia?) and weird only at times seemingly for the sake of just being weird, but that's how that's going to go for a while.
ReplyDeleteI will check out the novel, although I remember trying to read About a Boy quite a while ago and not being able to get into it. Have you read that one?
Well I would say, it's probably always better to at least try and remain friends. However awkward that might be at first, I think it's nice if you can still talk and hang out. I have never heard of Mike Birbiglia or Sleepwalk with Me. Also, I have never read About a Boy but I have seen the movie. I would say another good Hornby book is Juliet, Naked. It's similar writing but maybe not so easily adapted into a "chick flick" (if that's what you didn't like about About a Boy?)
ReplyDeleteMike Birbiglia is a comedian. He actually has a one man show coming to Mesa this Friday. I have an extra ticket, if you're at all interested in finding out about him. He's on This American Life about every other time... and he's pretty funny. http://tinyurl.com/8dbk9au
ReplyDeleteI actually really liked About a Boy the movie. Surprisingly so, I think I had a hard time getting into the character in the book. Much harder than I did in the movie. I'll definitely check out High Fidelity (literally, since I'm in the library right now...) and look for Juiliet, Naked (it's not in the library).
Hmmm he sounds interesting, I really like This American Life so I have a feeling I'd like him. That shows sounds nice but I actually have a friend coming up from Tucson on Friday night. Thank you for the offer though. You'll have to let me know what you think of these books :)
ReplyDeleteToo bad. Although, I was thinking of giving the tickets to my brother, since it's doesn't look like I'm going to make it out of Tucson this weekend anyway.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the book yet. I had to order it, but I have a feeling it will move to the top of the pile considering my... mood. I have a good feeling about it.