Having not done this in a while, the keyboard for substantive typing of text matter, i sit in listen of the noises that annoy me so much as to drive me away from this place, this Starbucks, this place which I periodically refer to as Tarbox.
I just took bags of stuff to a Salvation Army. I’m being an asshole with my apparent generosity, donating a pile of books with my web site URL printed within. Why not? It used to be common to stamp one’s name and address inside a book. Was that not a form of advertising? A form of self-promotion? Times past are generally given free passes in these matters. All times present and future are shit but oh, the past is golden.
I thought of that yesterday when a troupe of hoodlums stomping along Steinway Street made a lot of noise and appeared to be on the brink of committing criminal and unlawful actions. Heavens! It reminde dme of a time i was at a bus stop on Broadway when a simialrly filterless group came stomping along, pounding the pavement with their feets and bellowing obscenities at anyone in the vicinity. An older woman at the bus stop froze up a little, not engaging the youths but clearly experiencing their performance One kid looked the woman straight in the face and for no damn reason called her a cunt, then he continued his stompede. As he faded into the noise of Broadway the woman began her reminiscences of the olden days, when she was that kid’s age, and she lamented how “everything used to be good. There was no one like that.” All bollocks, of course, but who was I to comment? All times are shit, all times are chaotic, all times are plagued by assholes
stomping down the street mining their audience of strangers for reactions.
On the other hand i find myself remembering the calmness of life before the Internet.the calmnesses. THE CALMNESSES. Meet me at the calmnesses. Rebellion and protest are just a mouseclick away today, and the substance of these revolts is suitably hyperventilated and diluted as a result. Getting the word out used to take some effort. Oh, those were the days.
