February 11, 2005
Weekend Hiatus
For Entirely Selfish And Literary Reasons
We are taking the weekend off, primarily in a maddening bid to tear our apartment to pieces trying to locate our precious first edition of Franny and Zooey. However, since we already have been through every box, bin, shelf, closet, cabinet, and piece of furniture without coming across it, we at this point assume that it is mysteriously and quite inexcusably gone.
In which case we will be taking the weekend not for any further and pointless seeking, but for getting rather mind-numbingly and existence-mutingly drunk, which hopefully will result, come Monday, in our forgetting that we ever owned such a thing at all.
Comments (9)
The One True b!X on 11 Feb 2005
And yes, I'm aware that there might be something incoonsistent, if not inappropriate, about getting all material possessiony about Franny and Zooey.
Elaine of Kalilily on 11 Feb 2005
No, actually, it's not inconsistent at all. You come from a family that prizes writing, books, and especialy J.D. Salinger. I remember when you got that first edition and how pleased you were that it came into your hands. It's a little death to lose something that's worth so much to you -- not in dollars (although it probably is worth a few) -- but in much deeper currency. And, you never know, it might turn up yet -- maybe behind the kitty litter or with some old video tapes or stuck in the corner of some seldom used suitcase. I hope that it does. But if it doesn't, do your mourning and let it go. And don't overdo the alcohol. Hangovers are a bitch.
The One True b!X on 11 Feb 2005
What I mean is, having just read Franny and Zooey, if anyone remembers the book, it might strike people as inconsistent to apply an attitude of material possession towards it.
Elaine of Kalilily on 12 Feb 2005
Ah. Another of life's many annoying little paradoxes.
Dave Lister on 12 Feb 2005
b!X,
From experience I can tell you that heavy drinking will remove the memory of lost things only temporarily.
Noah Brimhall on 12 Feb 2005
Dave Lister wrote:
"From experience I can tell you that heavy drinking will remove the memory of lost things only temporarily."
Especially if you write an entry in your blog about it.
The One True b!X on 12 Feb 2005
Oh sure, throw the cold water of reality in my face, why don't you.
Suzii on 12 Feb 2005
You know, you could get a library copy and transcribe the best bits in your tiniest handwriting on a large sheet of butcher paper tacked to the back of your bedroom door.
And then you could go to Pizzicato for the supergarlic Caesar salad, which definitely qualifies as the sort that both persons on a date, or neither, should order.
Gary on 14 Feb 2005
I feel your pain, paradoxical or not. I have a first edition of Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters/Seymour, an Introduction if you'd like to peruse or caress it. Ordinarily I'd offer to loan it to you, but given your, um, unfortunate recent history of misplacing emotionally valuable first editions, I'm sure you'll understand.
To be a little helpful, once the alcohol haze wears off: Surely you remember discussing this manuscript with friends. Do you remember loaning it to anyone, however casually? (Because, you know, you wouldn't want to give the impression you coveted said material possession.) You just read it; where were you and where did you put the book when you finished?
Pretend you're one of the Glass children on "It's a Wise Child" and this mystery has inexplicably become one of the questions you must answer.
Or if you need help searching, sometimes I can be a good fresh set of eyes if I remain focused.