I've settled into a nice little routine these days. I go to work. I come home. If it's early enough I treat Lily with a trip to the dog park, make dinner, have a glass of wine (or two depending on the perceived annoyances of the day), read a little and head off to bed.
Rinse. Repeat.
Not terribly exciting. And that's why I've been in a bit of a slump when it comes to entries here. I just can't seem to find anything to write about. I figure if I'm not interested by my life, surely y'all won't be either.
Recently – and I'm talking the bus ride to work – I finished a book called, An Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, and I realized that although I think it's mundane at times there is a certain happiness that can be found in being Ordinary. The book is essentially an encyclopedia of the author's ordinary life chronicled from A to Z – it reads much like a blog does. I'm drawn to books and authors like this, ones that can find humor and levity in things that happen all around us everyday, and who have the ability to put it into words that make you say, uh huh yep totally know what you're talking about. This is probably why I love reading Dooce, David Sedaris, Amalah.com and others.
When I started reading An Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, I was in the middle of another book called Atonement. I had been limping through Atonement for about two weeks, (I finished An Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life in about a day in a half) and it was really starting to make me feel dumb (it's 2004's book of the year, I'm supposed to flying through it, right?). Don't get me wrong the book is wonderfully written, I just couldn't sink my teeth into it. The book is filled flowery, triple-letter-score words that fly totally over my head (have you ever used the word febrile in your life? EVER?) and long drawn out character descriptions that left me going who in the hell is he talking about NOW, oh the same person, hmmm I thought he was talking about a dude, oh well.
So I came to the realization that I like to read (and write) about the ordinary. It's relatable. I can picture myself stubbing my toe, missing the bus and having lipstick on my teeth, no flowery language needed. I'm there. But early twentieth century Americana? Yeah, not so much. And running to the dictionary every ten minutes to figure out what your flowery language actually means isn't helping. (I know, God forbid I actually learn something – boo.)
Maybe I just don't like fiction. Maybe someday I'll grow up and enjoy sitting down with my glass of merlot soaking up every word of high and mighty encrusted prose. Who knows.
But as for now, I'll stick to the Ordinary.
The Ordinary is always there, waiting to be written about.
With a febrile pestilence, fuckers.
5 comments:
i'm in that place, too. i don't think i've accepted it yet, but i DO think it's called being an adult. YUCK.
why do you think people like david seadris, david eggers, nick hornby, etc makes wads of caaaahaaash?
tweets, dear, even if you think your life is ordinary, i don't. i think it's hilarious. like our friend RBrown, you have a way of making a walk to the bus fantastically hilarious, and relating it to me as only you could. I can see you in whatever situation you're in becuase it's normal. now if you were writing about 17th century ireland and your peasant life that wasn't going to jive with your aristocratic lover's...i might night be able to conjur images in my head withouth watching "girl with a pearl earring" or something. know what i mean?
you're a brilliant writer and i love your ordinary stories!
where did you go, Ms. Ordinairy? I need some more commonplace occurences.
Hear, hear! (Or is it here, here? See? Shouldn’t I KNOW that?)
Why do you think we all come to this blog? You make ordinary funny and that, my dear, is why you are a paid advertising pro-fesh-eee-uh-nall.
Atonement: Um, so I limped through that as well and at page 97 it turned around. PAGE 97! The book is only 340 pages! Anyway, it got going and it was pretty good. But when I was buying it, 2 people told me it was “the best book they’ve ever read”. I call bullshite on that, but maybe I’m just a highbrow-lowbrow too – I’ll take David and Augusten any day over 97 pages of when-the-fuck-is-this-bitch-gonna-get-going.
You just keep doin’ what you’re doin’ here, sweet tweets
"Ordinary is so good, Robin. You should start submitting your work if you haven't already. You're a journalist - the newspapers and magazines are looking for people like you. Might as well have a little side cash coming in since you have the talent! Even a Santa Fe greenhouse e-zine has a weekly jounalist column that is humorous and "ordinary." Best of luck to you!
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