11.18.2024

Bibliophile


 

"My name is whatever you decide and I'm just gonna call you mine:YOU WILL BE MINE. YOU WILL BE MINE. YOU WILL BE MINE ALL MINE" 

That right there is a Swift/Rolling Stones mash-up...

I digress... What's on my mind?

Fret

I fret. 

How do I organize my bounty?  

What happens when your book collection is disorganized?

What I mean to say, I mean... I'm not trying to anthropomorphize books, but I'm inclined to anthropomorphize books. 

After all, there's a lot to consider: personalities, genres, tone...

Would it be considered offensive for Camões' The Lusiads to be placed next to Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter?

What does Paul Bowles (The Spider's House) have to do with Hermann Hesse (Narcissus and Goldmund)? 

What will Gavin Maxwell's (Lords of the Atlas) neighbor, Amin Maalouf (Ports of Call), think? 

I could be wrong, but my instinct tells me that Carleton S. Coon (The Riffian) might consider it a travesty to be placed next to Tim Mackintosh-Smith (Travels with a Tangerine).

I am a peace keeper. Thus, Mohamed Mrabet's (Stories of Tangier) will referee between the two. 

Who will fall from grace?   Will I have to build a wall? The wall?

Perhaps 'they' will just all have to duke it out together and let the cards fall where they may. There is great potential for this to be the most organic solution amongst these strong personalities.  

 A heap. The motherlode.  I hit the deep vein in Rabat. Dragging JC & J-Bird across town to Mohammed Belhaj's English BookShop, I indulged in my indulgence... Don't blame me. Books make me crazy. If they don't you ain't doing it right. This drug I'll be perusing all my life (yes, it's a strange nod to T.Swift...). 

So yea, there you have it. I've admitted my weakness. Intervention. Nah. I cross the line, everytime.

It was a delightful find, Mr. Belhaj's English BookShop. He's famous, you know. He has this saying: 

                If you don’t have wrinkles on your forehead, says Mohammed Belhaj, 

                the books you’re reading aren’t making you think enough.

Because we were on a mission, I allotted only 30 minutes max to my endeavor. In the end, I lugged around 8 books as we made our way to Hassan Tower, the unfinished 12th Century mosque/miniaret. 

The End.

 

 



11.05.2024

Hmmm just found this in the drafts folder... Let's just publish it. I wonder what it is. Oh well... going down the rabbit hole, I'm sure

With intensity increasing, I press on forward. The steps are solid. It feels good to firmly place one foot after the other. I feel whole. On track in my trajectory. 

Stroke the stoke: winning. 

Various avenues of my life are in sync: work, friends, family, looking to the future, learning lessons from the past, keeping up with the present, reading, writing, studying continental Portuguese, working out, running, etc. 

Matriarch. This word keeps coming up with my family talk sessions. There is such beauty in coveting tradition. Each generation must take action to continue to keep the torch lit as older generations pass. 

Legacy. As an anthropologist, I'm obsessed with legacy. This past summer was eye-opening. I learned a lot about myself, my family connections, circle of friends, and where I'm headed. I feel honored to have such abundance in my realm. 

It's the little things.  Texting back and forth with one of my brothers, for example. Our exchanges are so interesting. We randomly get a hold of each other to bring attention to such mundane things. Most always, a long conversation ensues that involves so many life dimensions; memories of when young, political pundits and podcasts we're currently listening to, recipes, links to old movies to watch, etc. 

Writing Exercises. One of my cousins is involved in a writing group, along with one of our neighbors back at the family compound. They've been at it for many years.  Another friend, a writer experiencing incremental successes in the publishing world, as well as rejections, also inspires me. As a result, I've finally did it.  I've put together a budding writers group. My hope is it will blossom into something consistent. We are researching weekly topics and how to run a writers group. It's fascinating: brain porn in fact. 

 Another fancy of mine is to learn how to write book reviews. I've spent the past 15 years delving into various literary genres. My love for book possession borders on obsession. Again, brain porn. I'm addicted.  Reading is SO sexy. Reading is SO stimulating. My next goal is literary debate. Another friend has been doing their MA in creative writing, so I hound him each semester to give me the pdf of the class book list. 

 I might be sequestered away in a unique part of the world