A Lack of Distracting Elements

I no longer have internet at Oakdale so entries will be sparse until the move to Kellogg takes place. The whole apartment is stripped bare, a lot of things in boxes. The bathroom is what startles me. My toothbrush is alone on the sink, accompanied by a small tube of toothpaste and my electric razor and that’s it, no makeup, no brushes, no extra towels, no piles of laundry or medicine bottles. The clutter of the other four roomates has vanished.

I hear the conversations upstairs more frequently now, I don’t know if it’s the lack of TV noise, the fact that I’m in the living room more, or lack of things to absorb the sound but it feels ghostly at times, disembodied voices float down through the tiles in the ceiling, accompanying me as I walk through the house packing whatever is left for me to pack. Tea has become a new favorite thing, I’ve come to savor the process of making it, a little five minute ritual to occupy my time.

I dig this lack of distracting elements. No television, no internet. Occasionally I’ll listen to the radio for a weather forecast, but other than that I’ve been listening to music and reading books; it’s minimal, relaxed, 1940’s style old-school. I haven’t really been bored, I just come to appreciate the smaller things a lot more. It’s dignified.

So here’s a bit of what I’ve been reading:

• Call to Arms by Lu Xun, trans. Yang Xianyi and Gladys Young
• Ibsen; The Dramaturgy of Fear by Michael Goldman
• Feeding The Fire by Jeffery Harrison
• The goddamn New York Times. Pretty much every other day.

And some music selections:

That’s about it for now. I’ll try to keep updating.