But have I ever been feeling mute lately! This newish job I have requires much in terms of politesse with my fellow man when more often than not I’d like to close my eyes and think about that Mozart piece that Dallas listened to in the shuttle when he wanted to get away from the bickering crew members of the Nostromo. You know that one, right? Yes, that one. From smiling I have two new parenthetical wrinkles marking equidistant arcs at the corners of my mouth. By smiling I mean ‘the rictus of expression that occurs from polite listening and nodding when you’d rather be, eyes closed, thinking about that Mozart piece that Dallas listened to in the shuttle when he wanted to get away from the bickering crew members of the Nostromo’. It’s grim, my friends, grim, but so is this modern life. It can take the starch out of you, like a wash and wear and wash and wear and then a hurricane.
And now a brief tale from my past: Once, when I was still working on the floor at Jeffrey I would see Chan Marshall and her boyfriend shopping in the store. It was an exciting celebrity sighting for me because no one else there really listened to Cat Power (most of my co-workers favoring the sad music that pools in the waters of Disco, House and second-rate R&B) so it was sort of like a private moment of celebrity and fan. Except, of course, she was just in to buy shoes and the odd cosmetic and had no idea that I hearted the hell out of her or that I had a crush on her boyfriend.
Anyway, I hear that CM has since broken up with the beau and now lives in Miami and is something of a drunk. I still live in New York with my small grey cat and have given up on the redeeming qualities of substances. Life moves forward and often your head is so far turned back it may as well be up your ass, you know?
