Sunday, February 03, 2008

When The Super Bowl Was In Detroit


Am not going to watch the Super Bowl today, could give a big old rat's ass about the ads, the players, the half-time show, whether the Patriots cheat, and especially Phoenix, basking in warm sunny days and so on. When the Super Bowl was in Detroit, I spent the day writing the last chapter of my novella after spending all weekend suffering over it and like a last minute Hail Mary pass, the whole chapter came to me late in the evening as if it were handed down by God. That's kind of the Detroit way so far as I can tell -- nothing comes easy, but it alwasy comes at the last minute, bails you out of your quagmire and makes everything work. I was both glad and sad to finish; there's a certain relief to the end of anything along with a nostalgia for the world which you must leave. In the case of my novella, I longed to get out of the claustrophobic disturbed world of Josette and her brother, but I loved writing about Detroit, the broken down rickety beauty. Joyce Carol Oates wrote about Detroit both when she was living here and when she was living in London, an irony she details in her fantastic book The Faith Of A Writer -- "There I was living in London, one the most beautiful cities in the world, dreaming and longing for one of the most problematic, Detroit."

So instead of attending any parties or throwing one, I'll be home writing today. Kind of wishing that the Super Bowl was here this year again since the streets got fixed for a little while and Detroit took on a gleam, kind of like Cinderella's fairy godmother waved her wand. It took about a week for everything to break down again and look grubby, which is more than I can say for myself. I have about an hour or two at the most before I begin to ruin whatever look I'm going for. Nothing wrong with that, though. Decay is inevitable, things fall apart, much of what we love becomes a distant dream that we write about to gain some semblance of its essence. It's kind of a vale of tears instead of the glossy expensive ads that sell of us things we don't need for a life we'll never have. The trick, as always, is to enjoy whatever you have while you have it and even after its gone.

Michelle's Spell of the Day
"Kiss all you want, but don't tell." Dwight Yoakum

Cocktail Hour
Drinking music suggestion: Dwight Sings Buck Dwight Yoakum

Benedictions and Maledictions
Happy Sunday!

16 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

I'm going to do some writing today too, although I will watch the Super bowl. Gotta have a reason to eat all the chips and dip I bought. Before that I'll have a nice walk, though. The weather is very nice here today.

Lana Gramlich said...

I'm with you on the SB, personally. I stopped being a pro-sports fan years ago. There are better ways to spend that kind of money, y'know? People are hungy, sick & homeless & we pay these conceited losers millions to play a GAME. Enjoy the writing. I'll be painting. :)

Anonymous said...

Nothing is so simple. The fact is the sports industry employees a lot of people and provides for their basic needs. There will always be hungry and homeless in any society. It is the duality of the universe: pleasure and pain, light and dark, good and evil, rich and poor. You need two points to measure distance. If I felt wonderful everyday, needed nothing, risked nothing, and wanted for nothing then how would I know I as alive at all?

Anonymous said...

Knock out the Giants, Brady! Go Patriots! Make it 19-0! It's never been done before!

Anonymous said...

Make it a smooth skate to victory, Patriots!

Anonymous said...

Make it a perfect "10," Patriots!

Anonymous said...

Make it a perfect "10," Patriots!

Anonymous said...

Make it a "9 and 1/2," Patriots!

Anonymous said...

I was Governor of Massachusettes! Vote for me!

david mcmahon said...

Thanks for visiting. I enjoyed your description of the effort that went into the chapter.

As a writer and editor, I've posted a series that might interest you. It's called `Telling Write From Wrong' and there are about 20 posts on my blog.

Good luck and do keep in touch

John Ricci said...

Dear Michelle Lovely post and view as always. It is a true shame that Brett Favre-such a fine southern Catholic gent and humanitarian-is not playing today. God truly works in mysterious ways but yes-it-was truly lovely to host VIP Super Bowl XL Detroit. To you and your lovely blog champagne toasts and caviar dreams. Bravo dear girl!

Paul said...

i had the same strange experience of longing for the grit and grease of philadelphia when i was living in new zealand...which was a fucking PARADISE. couldn't understand it at the time, but i think i've come to over the years...

RRN said...

Fantastic.

the walking man said...

Oh the tears and the heartbreak throughout New England this morning...Oh well no money down on either side means I broke even, not that it mattered because like yourself...I am now 0 and whatever # stupor bowl this was for watching.

You know for a foreigner you have a pretty good handle on what Detroit is really like.

Peace


mark

Sandi McBride said...

I watched AT the super bowl, lifting my head from the book I was reading whenever my husband made asound like approval...he hates the patriots, so after awhile I drifted into the room with my Cornwell book (that I've read at least twice, I know whodoneit but like her style)to see what the fuss was about. Yeah. The patriots lost. I think anyone else could have been playing and Mac would have been happy, go home patriots...I wish Dwight would record more. I love to hear him sing
Sandi

ZZZZZZZ said...

I always watch the superbowl. I don't watch football at all during the season, but I have always watched the superbowl. I love the commercials. However, this year, I spent the first two quarters studying for a test I have this coming tuesday and I fell asleep minutes before the halftime show and did not wake up until 11:30pm.