Findings

I went to a thrift store with my cousin to hunt for some cheap books. I’ve acquired:

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre by Walter Kaufmann

Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain

&

Carrie by Stephen King

I haven’t actually read too much into existentialism, so I hope this book I picked up can serve as an introduction. Reading into postmodernism lead me to Nietzsche, who is also mentioned in the existentialist cannon. One thing just leads to another—literature is a never-ending game of connect the dots. Sometimes you think you’re drawing the meaning of life, and then other times it’s just a lizard or something.

I’ve just received the .pdf file of the new issue of Instigatorzine! I’m very excited to get the print copy. A couple of pieces of art were done for my story and it’s just the way I imagined the scenes while writing. Also, they let it run for four pages!

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Warming the House

I find something romantic about lighting a fire. Not in the pyromaniac sense, but the idea of keeping the family warm at night. I haven’t studied anthropology, but I would argue that fire-making has been one of the most important cultural skills. About a year ago, I attended a sweat lodge at one of my professor’s houses. She and her husband have been practicing shamanism for years, and they have a lot of land in central Vermont. They call it Spirit Hollow, and they offer their shamanic services for healing and whatnot. Beautiful isn’t a term that can describe the land itself. The hollow was vibrant and alive. The lodge took place beside a running stream, which I later found out led to a magnificent waterfall. A big, older man was waiting by a patch of coals, which we later used to heat the rocks. He was the fire-bearer. In tradition, he’s the most important participant in the lodge. While the rest of us weren’t allowed to walk between the tent we built and the path to the fire, he had freedom to cross whichever path he chose. Needless to say, I only lasted two rounds in the sweat lodge before I ran out gasping for air. Funny, but it was an experience. Unlike moths and other animals, we aren’t only drawn to fire, we have the ability to create it. Thanks to Prometheus, of course.

Today I’ve made the life changing decision to start collecting coffee mugs. There was an odd sense of satisfaction from purchasing this old Japanese mug at a thrift store today. It won’t be a detriment to my wallet. I love shopping at thrift stores.

I started reading Skip Press’ book on publishing. It’s not too long, and it had some info that Chuck Sambuchino’s manuscript and formatting book lacked. The text was more personal and explains a little bit more of how to make the editor or publisher feel special.

Curious Kristie is on her way to Holland right now. We’ve been texting as she passed through security at both airports, but right now she’s making that journey across the pond. It’s going to be quite an adventure for her.

Lately I’ve been missing random increments of money from my bank account.

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