Flags of Any Size
1. Greg Dulli and the Classier Pink Floyd
Candelabras can make anything baroque.
Bums in downtown Detroit have become entirely too uppity now that they've acquired the nerve to haggle with you over the price of the those little toothpick flags.
There's a certain kind of person who makes a habit of prefacing statements with the phrase: 'the only thing that's keeping me from becoming a rock star...', and those are the kind of people I'd like to have more of in my life.
I can't decide which is worse: the sudden feeling that I've just seen someone that I do not want to see, someone from years ago in my past, or the person I'm with observing, at the same moment, 'You look like you've just witnessed the dead walking by.'
You could argue that Pink Floyd was more influenced by Syd Barrett after he actually left the band, that the emotional trauma of his downward spiral helped along the creative process that produced their best albums.
Not to be cheap and cliche, but it has to be said: the one thing I do not wish for anymore.
2. Are You Still Waiting?
I'm just calling to see how you are feeling about things so far, to make sure you are there still, and just to let you know, we will be calling you.
3. The Rule of Six Months
I have found myself in the peculiar situation of being quite happily alone. It happens not often enough in life for most people, and never for some--that is, to find oneself in the middle of a very pleasant spring in a house of one's own (take that, Virginia), spending weekend mornings and afternoons laying on the wicker couch on my screened porch, sipping coffee and having endless options. Time looming in front of you, and not in an oppressive way, not in the way that you are waiting for something, but in the way that everything is waiting for you to have time for it. I was quite pleased to find myself in this situation. So pleased indeed, that I thought nothing could more swiftly or instantly ruin this situation than introducing someone else into it. I made a pact with myself at that very moment that I would take a scheduled break from the romantic life of six months to enjoy some alone time. So I bought myself a bottle of champagne to celebrate with a couple of friends, with enough self-awareness to realize that now that I'd made this command decision it would be a maximum of a week before another person was going to come along and ruin all of it.
It was exactly five days.
4. You will find true love on Flag Day.
I'd like to take this opportunity to remind all of you that Flag Day is this Wednesday, June 14, 2006, so if you have not made the appropriate preparations, I suggest you get cracking. I don't think I need to remind you that there are only two shopping days left.
Having been graciously granted giant keys with which I will unlock my still unknown future, I am in the predicament of living the questions for a bit while I wait to use them. Until then, I am keeping my eye out for flags.
There is some debate as to the origin of flags, whether it was the Romans or the Chinese that first used these pieces of cloth as emblems of representation, as signals to let onlookers know what was ahead, or what was coming at them. Today we waver in between completely ignoring the presence of flags (having lived in the State of Michigan my entire life, I could not remember whether it was a bear or a wolverine on the state flag) or placing far too much meaning in them (the ongoing debate on the legality of burning flags).
For my part, I find myself these days, much like the Romans and the Chinese, keeping a mindful watch out for flags of any kind, that might warn me of an enemy coming towards me, of a danger in my sights. Instead I am finding in my earnestness no red flags of warning, nothing waving and blaring at me, telling me not to proceed, not even the smallest little toothpick flag now is stopping me.
Ah, opportunity.
Candelabras can make anything baroque.
Bums in downtown Detroit have become entirely too uppity now that they've acquired the nerve to haggle with you over the price of the those little toothpick flags.
There's a certain kind of person who makes a habit of prefacing statements with the phrase: 'the only thing that's keeping me from becoming a rock star...', and those are the kind of people I'd like to have more of in my life.
I can't decide which is worse: the sudden feeling that I've just seen someone that I do not want to see, someone from years ago in my past, or the person I'm with observing, at the same moment, 'You look like you've just witnessed the dead walking by.'
You could argue that Pink Floyd was more influenced by Syd Barrett after he actually left the band, that the emotional trauma of his downward spiral helped along the creative process that produced their best albums.
Not to be cheap and cliche, but it has to be said: the one thing I do not wish for anymore.
2. Are You Still Waiting?
I'm just calling to see how you are feeling about things so far, to make sure you are there still, and just to let you know, we will be calling you.
3. The Rule of Six Months
I have found myself in the peculiar situation of being quite happily alone. It happens not often enough in life for most people, and never for some--that is, to find oneself in the middle of a very pleasant spring in a house of one's own (take that, Virginia), spending weekend mornings and afternoons laying on the wicker couch on my screened porch, sipping coffee and having endless options. Time looming in front of you, and not in an oppressive way, not in the way that you are waiting for something, but in the way that everything is waiting for you to have time for it. I was quite pleased to find myself in this situation. So pleased indeed, that I thought nothing could more swiftly or instantly ruin this situation than introducing someone else into it. I made a pact with myself at that very moment that I would take a scheduled break from the romantic life of six months to enjoy some alone time. So I bought myself a bottle of champagne to celebrate with a couple of friends, with enough self-awareness to realize that now that I'd made this command decision it would be a maximum of a week before another person was going to come along and ruin all of it.
It was exactly five days.
4. You will find true love on Flag Day.
I'd like to take this opportunity to remind all of you that Flag Day is this Wednesday, June 14, 2006, so if you have not made the appropriate preparations, I suggest you get cracking. I don't think I need to remind you that there are only two shopping days left.
Having been graciously granted giant keys with which I will unlock my still unknown future, I am in the predicament of living the questions for a bit while I wait to use them. Until then, I am keeping my eye out for flags.
There is some debate as to the origin of flags, whether it was the Romans or the Chinese that first used these pieces of cloth as emblems of representation, as signals to let onlookers know what was ahead, or what was coming at them. Today we waver in between completely ignoring the presence of flags (having lived in the State of Michigan my entire life, I could not remember whether it was a bear or a wolverine on the state flag) or placing far too much meaning in them (the ongoing debate on the legality of burning flags).
For my part, I find myself these days, much like the Romans and the Chinese, keeping a mindful watch out for flags of any kind, that might warn me of an enemy coming towards me, of a danger in my sights. Instead I am finding in my earnestness no red flags of warning, nothing waving and blaring at me, telling me not to proceed, not even the smallest little toothpick flag now is stopping me.
Ah, opportunity.
posted by amanda kay at 7.6.06
4 Comments:
i only found true love with a mojito and a cool night...
but that was good enough for flag day :)
That weekend of laying on the wicker couch on your screened porch, sipping coffee and having endless options, sounds wonderful. I know that feeling well. I haven’t had that many boyfriends in my life and even when I had one, I would often panic and want to break up with him straightaway (weird, yes) and then when I was alone, every now and then I used to get this feeling of, wow, I can do anything.
Not bear or wolverine, but elk.
You must have a great sense of directions! I often get lost, on roads never traveled before. Also, I’m here to read about your 5 things… I only see a 100% effort here, which is not good enough these days. So, chop chop, get on with it :)
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