...The Right to Write - Exercise...

Initiation Tool - create "Morning Pages", writing 3 pages longhand every morning (90 days straight)

Thurs. Aug. 26, 2010 - "Morning Pages" - Day #16 - Deli next to Flying Saucer Cafe, Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn

The following post, after typing up, made me depressed, I didn't like it, thought it was bad writing. My instinct was to not post it and rewrite it, but I will play along with this "Morning Pages" exercise and convince myself that writing like this is necessary in order to write better. I probably shouldn't have even told you that and just posted it...but I did, so what now?...enjoy, but please come back to read future ones, they will be better...todaboconoma.

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I'm in the deli next door to the Flying Saucer Cafe that I wrote in for a previous "Morning Pages". I had gone into the Flying Saucer, but the line was too long. How long is too long? As long as a string. I loved when teachers said that when answering a student's question about how long a paper had to be - "As long as a string". But forget those bastards, let's move on to other ones. I've done this before too, but there are others that would rather wait in that long line, or not get their morning coffee, than go to this next door deli and get a just as good coffee - and cheaper. I clicked my phone again. I'm watching after kids again. I've got 20 minutes before I have to walk over to their house.

But, back to those bastards. They walk by this deli everyday before work, pass it after seeing a clear sign, "Regular Ice Coffee 99 Cents". The Flying Saucer's coffee approaches 3 bucks. Yes, it does have a better environment, a feel of sophistication, a word I still struggle to spell. I think I got it this time, and I'm writing in the deli! with the pizza place like booths. I guess it's not any news that we Americans often pass, or ignore, better deals for what seems to be better quality, in this case, coffee. I'm not a coffee snob - like that guy over there obviously is. Clicked the phone. I've got about 13 minutes and 23, 22, 20...seconds...12 minutes before the walk. We buy the more expensive coffee because the cafe looks more sophisticated than the deli, even though we are purchasing to-go. Later in the day we complain about the economy, and how it's tough-times. The next day we pass that deli, pass that sale, and buy the cafe's coffee. Then the next day we write "Morning Pages" about not taking advantage of sales, etc. -- because yes, I've passed this deli and chose the cafe too. My excuse is that it's because I wanted to write. But does the writer in the cafe sipping his more expensive coffee lose that sophistication, and ability to write, when deciding to go with the deli today? Apparently not because that's what I did and this is brilliant stuff, I agree. And, brilliant, a word I had had (the double had) trouble spelling in the cafe, but now got it correct in the deli, amazing. By the way, can the word "stuff" proceed the word "brilliant" in a sentence. Let me drop the pen, walk over to the cafe, and ask someone sipping the more expensive coffee.

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Jotted down: At a concert, I was about to mock myself for paying 12 bucks for a margarita, the size of a pee cup you receive a the doc, but was distracted by a dude wearing a Cold Play shirt...

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And so, the sitting isn't worth talking about, just a reflection of life going exactly how I planned. Afterwords though, We're Not John and Yoko (my girlfriend and I) went to a concert at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan featuring John Cleary and then the new sensation Trombone Shorty...At present we are riding the train home, phone click, it's 11:44 PM and I'm racing to get today's "Morning Pages" done, yeah quotes still needed, whatever. Let's admit they have turned into, or always were, "Today's Pages", and that's fine with me as long as I get them done. The featuring artists were a suggestion by my father who had seen them at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, quote, "Something you can not miss, " said John Kennedy, my father. Phone click. 11:46 PM...still racing against time. Well, we left the concert early, so you may assume I won't highly praise. I'm not much of a reviewer, it's so hard to not sound cliche, forced and cynical. But here we, I, go...It was good, but not worth 40 bucks a ticket...which obviously leads to 80 a ticket because each person is going to drop at least 40 on booze, damn 12 dollar margaritas, but they were so good...phone click...11:49, Yvette's (Not Yoko) sleeping. John Cleary was cool. I think I asked my dad this, but is he the one singing in the movie Major League? I think he said no, but a comparison nonetheless. To me the highlight of the show was Trombone Shorty's guitarist. Shorty's band has a rock element that I didn't expect and was cool - but he lost me when he sang the Black Eyed Peas song "Let's Get It Started". And in closing, after Shorty said let's get it started, We're Not John and Yoko said, let's not, and go home, our feet killing us, sorry Dad! I would recommend seeing Cleary and Trombone Shorty though, but not for 40 bucks, really 80 bucks...and hey, Garrett, let's get it started with these "Morning Pages" a little earlier tomorrow, say, in the morning.