Monday, January 31, 2005
trench poem 1
‘killing me sweetly”
everyday enticing me with sugar and sloth
omnipresent wonderful McDonalds stench
today brought so much glucose
they must wish to give me diabetes
I'm lovin' my veal-fattening pen
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Shared awkwardness
There are few things in this world comparable to being packed into a bus or train during rush hour when a fellow passenger begins to engage in unusual, bizarre or unfortunate behavior. The regular public transportation user can expect at least one such episode of varying severity per ten days or so, with said behavior ranging from psychotic episodes to absurd monologues. In the past three weeks, I have witnessed the following acts of such behavior: a well-dressed, elderly man lecturing on religious history with the included suggestion that those of Jewish origin are from outer space (!) and that the yarmulke is a device used to communicate with their home planet (!!); a most-likely homeless woman delivering a harangue on the evils of gentrification and materialism to a train car full of mostly upper middle-class professionals; and a woman suffering a rather severe episode from what had to be Tourette’s syndrome in which she produced a guttural sound followed by a throat-clearing noise that was either part of the tic or an attempt to cover the initial noise. This occurred approximately every 30 seconds for the entirety of my 25-minute ride. Needless to say, in each of these instances the other 50 or so passengers try to act as though they are ignoring the given spectacle while in reality they are obviously gawking or attempting to hold onto some shred of obliviousness.
This shared experience of complete awkwardness and anxiety is a fascinating and unique feature of our hypermodern existence. The type of embarrassment present in these situations is packed with conflicts dealing with class, race and social norms. While I undoubtedly and unfortunately share in this embarrassment, I try to maintain a state of quasi-objectivity so that I may observe how others deal with this sort of deviation from the routine. I prefer to bask in the strange beauty of these moments, which are singular and perfect examples of humanity. It is by allowing yourself to appreciate them that you can preserve your own humanness.Friday, January 21, 2005
Casual Friday abolished!
Well, only for this week. The Corporate Big Wigs are in town today and everyone is trying really hard to plant their nose firmly in executive ass. It’s actually quite entertaining to watch the middle management types scurry and cower before their masters. Meanwhile, the peons fly beneath the radar and go unnoticed by everyone. I’m reveling in my lack of responsibility.
Regardless, I was not allowed to wear jeans and gym shoes for no good reason today and that peeves me. Not having to wear dress pants and shoes at least once per week allows me to retain at least some shred of my dignity and humanity. Now they’ve taken even that from me. Next Friday I’m coming to work in sweat pants and a wife beater.Thursday, January 20, 2005
(in)voluntary servitude
How did these poor souls reach such a pass? What choices did they make in the past that led to this present and will bring such a threatening future? There are lessons here for all of us to learn from.
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