what he did when he was alone.

he had taken to looking at himself in the mirror lately. just sitting in his rolling chair in front of his full-length, trying to see himself as the other, the way people saw him, rather than the way he saw himself in his mind's eye. he wanted to get to the bottom of it: to study himself cooly, objectively. sometimes hed smoke a full cigarette in front of the mirror, to examine the agency of the object.

also, he really liked his summer tan.

additional reporting.

it happens to be on page 13.

i hate how the (relatively) new ms word's default is to put spaces between paragraphs.

it's almost as if the proverbial 'they' - as my pops would say - designed it to be geared towards high school and college students looking to increase page counts however possible, and not towards real writers.

im pretty down with the rest of the new format, though.

also.

krugman summed up my current (negative) feelings on obama very well yesterday.

maybe, contrary to what ive long been trumpeting, bam does have some of that bill clinton insecurity. ie, he wont go out on a limb and take a hard stand (did i just mix metaphors or simply pile them?) b.c he wants everyone to like him, cant stand the idea of even people he fundamentally disagrees with, people whose views are anathema to his, not being fans.

recognize.

re: rg's rules:

full circle (kinda).

untitled.

he smoked his last cigarette in paris in the courtyard in between the two rooms of the flat, and when it was done, he put it out with the garden hose.

it was the most satisfyingly appropriate waste of water he could conceive of.

hydraulic gift.

see, im thirsty, but i have reservations about drinking from that cup of water on the nightstand, he said.

why, she said.

because, he said, a man used to hydrate himself with water from a spring, or a river, or at least a well. there was the work in it, and the work made it natural, and he was connected. this faux-crystal glass on the nightstand filled with bottled water - i feel like im drinking myself further away from my natural self.

are you thirsty, she said.

yes.

drink, she said. and turn the light off. i like the luxury of being able to sleep when im tired. we should enjoy these things.

little bear island.

well, it's a marvelous night for a moon cruise...