Recommended diversions
Instant Sociology
Ever had one of those days where nobody, I mean nobody, made much sense? Baffling behaviors everywhere? Here’s my solution: research!
Head to the nearest used bookstore (there’s two good ones right here in my town of Sylva) and peruse the sociology section. Pick something that looks interesting, maybe even relevant to your current predicament. Take a lunch break and read. It’s likely some combination of reading and learning that works to bring me back down to earth, and any opportunity to get a better grip on why people do the things they do is valuable, especially if the reading materials cost little more than pocket change. Some personal favorites have been: Desmond Morris’ The Human Zoo, A Short History of Rudeness by Mark Caldwell and most recently, The Pursuit of Attention by Charles Durber.
Everything old is new again
Dig through that unkempt wreck of a CD collection and pull out some gems from days gone by. You know, the ones you stopped listening to because you “outgrew” them or they just weren’t “cool” anymore. Go for a drive, and make sure the windows are rolled up if whatever you’re about to turn up loud is so embarrassingly nerd-tacular that you don’t want passing motorists to hear. Hopefully you’ll find it a rewarding experience, and even better is that you’ll likely hear things you never realized were there before. My recent experiment with this phenomenon involved the Jean Luc Ponty album Imaginary Voyage. Complex, electric violin driven 70’s fusion may not qualify as YOUR personal cup of tea, but in the safety of my truck, it’s a darn good listen. Just please, don’t tell anybody. Score extra points for subjecting your co-workers to Judas Priest’s Screaming For Vengeance in its glorious entirety one random Saturday.
Cats, pt. 2
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Many months ago I wrote about our (then) kitten, named Dublin. Dubs has since grown into a feisty teenager, and her entertainment value has only increased with time. Back then we worried about one of our dogs wanting to dismantle the kitty. We now worry more about the kitty inflicting proportionate injury to the dog. Dogs have that magical quality of total, unquestioned devotion. Cats, however, have a busy schedule that you can only hope at some point to fit yourself into. Once a tortoise-shell ball of fuzz with needle-sharp claws, Dubs has grown into a sleek, stealthy machine with razors on her toes, and an attitude far beyond her actual size. Well, she’s actually the clumsiest cat I’ve ever seen, but when she’s not falling off of something, she IS pretty darn slick.
— By Chris Cooper
