Feed the Beast

Inspirational song: Alice’s Restaurant (Arlo Guthrie)

I let most of the night go by, not watching the time, not having anything to write about. I was tired when I got home from the monthly meeting at the brokerage, and conked out midday. Once I was functional again, I declined to apply myself to anything important, other than arranging future plans. Thus I found myself watching Colbert and playing games as the night ran out. I only half listened to a guest I didn’t recognize (if I had paid attention, I might have realized she voiced Bobby on King of the Hill). Colbert and this woman Pamela were talking about bad things happening to them, and not minding because they could be used as content for their respective television shows. Colbert said he broke his wrist, and his first thought was “content!” He went on, “the beast must be fed!” I have never related to people I didn’t know more than in that moment.

It’s so hard deciding what is gonna play well here. I’d love to be one of those Instagram girls, in filtered perfection, a romantic pose against a sunset with a string of inspirational hashtags. I could pretend everything was perfect, that I weighed 118 pounds, that my garage didn’t smell like Murray poop, that I had enough money to do anything I want, whatever. It’s not true, and I hate lying. I’d rather use real life as content. That could mean celebrating my achievements or wallowing in my disappointments. Sometimes content will embrace both at the same time (like getting excited about a modicum of professional success and a day later crying when a real estate deal falls apart in inspection, not that that happened to my first three deals or anything). I’m apt to provide TMI when I lay out my health woes, but I always believed that if my example gets someone else to a doctor to solve a mystery, then I have done a good deed. I spend most of my days looking for content wherever it can be found.

I’m slacking extra hard with my photos. It happens every winter. By the end of the month, the crocuses and daffodils will be up, and I’ll be back in business taking the kind of pictures that inspired me to start this ritual in the first place. For tonight, however, I’m composing on my iPad, where I can’t add pictures. (I really should look for an upgraded version of the app, rather than limp along on the Safari web page where half the buttons don’t work.) I didn’t really take any good shots today anyway. I’ll make up for it in the next few days.