When this letter posts I'll be waking in my tent on the beach at Assateague Island National Seashore.
After last weeks untitled portion of fiction I remembered the other dumb fiction I attempted last spring.
Terraporum I
Terraporum II
Terraporum III
I remember I had a notebook filled with characters, places, and plot ideas all mapped out and trying to slowly tie them all together. One part of the story once a month. I only lasted three months and the third one wasn't even that long. I wonder if I still have that notebook. I wonder if I even remember where I was going with this story. How awkward, horrible and poorly written it is even looking back now. I think I could only stomach three months of it before I couldn't handle what an on the nose amateur I am. No writing classes, no training of any kind just horrible imitations of stories I've enjoyed. A thief of my most respected authors. I don't know though maybe I should continue. Maybe I should tell the story. Tolstoy obviously used Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin in Anna Karenina to write about himself maybe Lutum isn't such a terribly obvious character.
This weekend is our yearly East coast beach camping trip. This year's state is Maryland.
2016 #VirginiaCampany
2015 #follyfive
2014 #delawaredontcare
2013 #NorthSchmarolina
2007 Myrtle Beach
May we never stop this summer tradition of 4th of July weekend. The older we get the more it seems friends drift apart. I have always been envious of high school kids. I admire them whenever I am out. They seem to carelessly collect a group of 8 or more friends on a whim. I was once at an ice cream parlor on a Tuesday night and 5 high school dudes rolled up and ate ice cream together. I looked at my friend I was with and said, "Do you know how hard it would be for me to get 5 friends to grab ice cream on a Tuesday?" It would take weeks of scheduling and planning but these children find community almost organically. I love it and I do miss it. But we still have our beach trips at least for one more year. Bacon and coffee over the campfire, cold cheap beers by the ocean, acting like absolute morons in the water tossing each other and shouting threats out towards the ocean challenging its waves like some old man in a movie. My last 4th of July beach trip in my 20's. It's strange, I've never been 30 before. I've spent the past 10 years identifying myself in this 20 something demographic and now in a few more months I'll be plunged in with the 30 somethings. It's like swimming in the deep end now. The 20 somethings, we are figuring out life we are making mistakes and having fun exploring. The 30 somethings, they are homeowners and parents, spouses and career focused... I'm not sure I'll make a very good 30 something. I want to continue to explore, make mistakes, and figure out life. I have already come to terms with it, I will be a horrible 30 something but I guess it's better than falling in line. When I am out at events it seems the older the demographic the less happy they seem. The 30 somethings look more serious with their strollers and bathroom remolding conversations. The 20 somethings look fun the mix of some trying to act older than they are and others enjoying first tastes of independence. But the teenagers, they always take the cake their massive groups of friends clogging up the walkway laughing and talking obnoxiously loud no regard or courtesy for the other people out. I again have digressed and rambled.
I guess my point is if this is my one and only trip on this planet then I'll be damned if I follow the social expectations of a 30 something simply because I've been around the sun 30 times. Fuck that I think one of the biggest compliments I could receive from someone in American society is being labeled immature, a 30 year old loser who makes 20k a year as a substitute teacher posting in black and white on Instagram because he wants to be cool. I'd rather my worth not be tethered to my paycheck. If someone sees me as less valuable because of my income then I pity their lens but the lose of respect isn't mutual. If someone sees my self expression on social media as pathetic then social media must mean much more to others than it does to me. And besides if we are being honest 20k is probably an over estimation since I am taxed some of that and I spent the first five months of this year student teaching making no money. I'd say my income would probably be more accurately around $12k which I believe is the 2017 Federal Poverty Level for a single person household. This year if my budgeting is correct I've made a little under $5k and it's July ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Damn it I rambled again. Anyway I'm looking forward to this weekend with my friends, may we forever be viewed by society as losers.
Michael Prins - Lost In Your Love
After last weeks untitled portion of fiction I remembered the other dumb fiction I attempted last spring.
Terraporum I
Terraporum II
Terraporum III
I remember I had a notebook filled with characters, places, and plot ideas all mapped out and trying to slowly tie them all together. One part of the story once a month. I only lasted three months and the third one wasn't even that long. I wonder if I still have that notebook. I wonder if I even remember where I was going with this story. How awkward, horrible and poorly written it is even looking back now. I think I could only stomach three months of it before I couldn't handle what an on the nose amateur I am. No writing classes, no training of any kind just horrible imitations of stories I've enjoyed. A thief of my most respected authors. I don't know though maybe I should continue. Maybe I should tell the story. Tolstoy obviously used Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin in Anna Karenina to write about himself maybe Lutum isn't such a terribly obvious character.
This weekend is our yearly East coast beach camping trip. This year's state is Maryland.
2016 #VirginiaCampany
2015 #follyfive
2014 #delawaredontcare
2013 #NorthSchmarolina
2007 Myrtle Beach
May we never stop this summer tradition of 4th of July weekend. The older we get the more it seems friends drift apart. I have always been envious of high school kids. I admire them whenever I am out. They seem to carelessly collect a group of 8 or more friends on a whim. I was once at an ice cream parlor on a Tuesday night and 5 high school dudes rolled up and ate ice cream together. I looked at my friend I was with and said, "Do you know how hard it would be for me to get 5 friends to grab ice cream on a Tuesday?" It would take weeks of scheduling and planning but these children find community almost organically. I love it and I do miss it. But we still have our beach trips at least for one more year. Bacon and coffee over the campfire, cold cheap beers by the ocean, acting like absolute morons in the water tossing each other and shouting threats out towards the ocean challenging its waves like some old man in a movie. My last 4th of July beach trip in my 20's. It's strange, I've never been 30 before. I've spent the past 10 years identifying myself in this 20 something demographic and now in a few more months I'll be plunged in with the 30 somethings. It's like swimming in the deep end now. The 20 somethings, we are figuring out life we are making mistakes and having fun exploring. The 30 somethings, they are homeowners and parents, spouses and career focused... I'm not sure I'll make a very good 30 something. I want to continue to explore, make mistakes, and figure out life. I have already come to terms with it, I will be a horrible 30 something but I guess it's better than falling in line. When I am out at events it seems the older the demographic the less happy they seem. The 30 somethings look more serious with their strollers and bathroom remolding conversations. The 20 somethings look fun the mix of some trying to act older than they are and others enjoying first tastes of independence. But the teenagers, they always take the cake their massive groups of friends clogging up the walkway laughing and talking obnoxiously loud no regard or courtesy for the other people out. I again have digressed and rambled.
I guess my point is if this is my one and only trip on this planet then I'll be damned if I follow the social expectations of a 30 something simply because I've been around the sun 30 times. Fuck that I think one of the biggest compliments I could receive from someone in American society is being labeled immature, a 30 year old loser who makes 20k a year as a substitute teacher posting in black and white on Instagram because he wants to be cool. I'd rather my worth not be tethered to my paycheck. If someone sees me as less valuable because of my income then I pity their lens but the lose of respect isn't mutual. If someone sees my self expression on social media as pathetic then social media must mean much more to others than it does to me. And besides if we are being honest 20k is probably an over estimation since I am taxed some of that and I spent the first five months of this year student teaching making no money. I'd say my income would probably be more accurately around $12k which I believe is the 2017 Federal Poverty Level for a single person household. This year if my budgeting is correct I've made a little under $5k and it's July ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Damn it I rambled again. Anyway I'm looking forward to this weekend with my friends, may we forever be viewed by society as losers.
Michael Prins - Lost In Your Love