Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Pistons Basketball


I once walked out of a Blockbuster on a balmy evening in August when a man with a boa constrictor around his neck walked toward me. I was mesmerized by his t-shirt, a green tie-dye number and its movement which I didn't know was a snake until he came close enough. I screamed without thinking about it; I don't like snakes or surprises. He apologized, but I couldn't get it out of my head and dreamed of it for nights after.

I suppose most of the time we walk around in a daze, not noticing anything. When I taught, I spent a lot of time on this point, about how we all needed to strip the scrim of boredom and duty from our eyes and see things. It's so difficult in a world that demands so much just to get from point to point. Once I stood in a Kroger trying to feed cans into a machine to get money to buy groceries. The machine became full and started to beep in this grating way to alert the staff. Nobody came for a very long time, but I couldn't afford to leave without my receipt for the can money. At the time, I felt awful and tired from work and the Detroit hustle: the constant scramble for money and time and getting from job to job. To bring home some fake bacon and microwave it, the Enjoli commercial for our times. But now I look back fondly, thinking that it wasn't so bad to be young and tired and in a dirty grocery store, waiting to get a return on what I had so diligently saved.

Michelle's Spell of the Day
"Everything can change at any moment, suddenly and forever." Paul Auster

Cocktail Hour
Drinking movie suggestion: Tropic Thunder

Benedictions and Maledictions
Happy Tuesday!

8 comments:

Wastelander said...

While looking closely at the picture you posted today, all I could think was "Go pistons!" I really mean that..were it not for those darn Pistons, I might be able to see a "lot" more of you...But, anyway...I have long railed against the complacently of folks to not "see" what is right in front of them in order to think of things in their future that might never be...like the bus down the street that is not slowing down...

Charles Gramlich said...

I can feel a bit of what you must have felt waiting for the folks to come and get you the reciept for the cans.

the walking man said...

Hi. "Everything is inspiration if viewed in the right light" Some teacher or another taught me this.

Anonymous said...

Kindly report a full bottle return machine(the beeping sound)to the service desk or to one of our helpful cashiers or courtesy clerks. They'll be glad to help you because they know (like I do) that a satisfied customer makes their paychecks possible. And as always, thanks for shopping at Kroger's!--Mr. Whipple and Artie the bagger

Anonymous said...

Dunk grouchies!!!--Short bus and Special

chris said...

A person should always take notice of what is around them.
I do not like Snakes either,they tend to make my skin crawl.

Please take the time to notice your surrondings when you are alone,we need no more Victims in this world.

Lana Gramlich said...

Personally I never look back fondly on poor customer service. Perhaps because I worked so long in customer service, myself. I agree that everyone's squeezed far too much though. Everyone's stressed beyond the limits. You see it everywhere in our society, every day.

laughingwolf said...

we never had that, but got some change for soda pop and beer bottles....