21 inches is all it takes
October 12th, 2003 byIt’s a faded maroon and khaki colored couch, stripes overlapping around armrests and frills. The four pillows of varying sizes lie scattered all over it. I lie on it, my legs dangling over the edge. The three lamps in the room comfort the ceiling with their soft assuring lights, the walls being kissed by the light on its way up on its way down.
I turn off the TV.
Silence finally gathers sufficient strength to overpower the TV blare. It had been standing up against the wall for hours now, wanting so badly to function, its glances at me-I try not to meet its eyes. I lie on the couch and let the silence gently calm soothingly the animate objects in the room, all stirred up, all disturbed by late night TV.
I run my hands through my hair, my beard.
There is a curse upon every generation, afflicted upon some, shrugged off by others. It is the curse to not think, to avoid thought and confrontation, to live in a reality of their own making, a mental delusion of a skewed sane mind. Before the television (and other objects of our time), it was the radio, before that it was books and paintings itself, words and art igniting a fire you never really thought could be lit. I admit the weakness of the TV, it’s blaring flickering changing screen my kryptonite. Parents across the globe accidentally lower their child’s immune system by placing them in front of this dangerous invention, half unaware half unconcerned and another half yet overconfident. Like every vice we have, this is yet another we I have to control.
I pick up a pen, black.
There’s an old story, of a man in even older times who works his entire life to gather more and more for him and his family. From one business deal to another, he hops greedily, never satisfied with each victory, a buzzing mosquito at a busy bazaar day. Acres upon acres of land became his; His wealth a depthless well. At last, he owns cities upon cities and nothing satisfies him anymore. Word arrives of a land where all you see, you can own. Diamond coal eyes, he travels to the land to have more. ‘Go! From dusk to dawn, all you can travel upon your horse, you shall have!’ his hosts tell him after payment. He rides at dawn, flapping urging hitting yelling at his horse to ride further faster farther. Come dusk, he finally rides back to his origin, breathless, exhausted, strengthless. And dies. He only needed 6 feet of land to be buried.
The caged dead box sits in the room, measuring at 21 inches.
October 12th, 2003 at 7:41 pm
“21 inches is all it takes”
see. by the time i got to the end of your post, i understood what the title was referring to.
but at the beginning, just the title by itself…that’s quite intimidating.
ahem.
October 12th, 2003 at 7:42 pm
and dude, when are you going to fix the link to the url of the comment poster?
opening them in the same window as the comment box is not only restricting, but annoying.
October 12th, 2003 at 8:22 pm
=) Sometimes you need to shock folks to get the message across. I see it worked with you. ha.
As for opening links in new windows, it’s a MovableType fault. If you know of the fix, please do tell. Somehow, it disables the [target="_blank"] tag.
October 12th, 2003 at 9:37 pm
movable type fault? mine works. from here:
Girlie Matter tips (open in new window-link edited by webmaster)
apply the information on that page towards your “Comment Listing Template”.
voila.
October 12th, 2003 at 9:55 pm
Thanks Yaser. I had been looking for such a code for quite some time.
October 12th, 2003 at 10:20 pm
geez, Yaser, you have such a dirty mind. My poor innocent self didn’t even think of it like that til you had to go and point it out.
Anyway.
The TV doesn’t hold all that important a position in my household. My dad unplugged ours when I was about 8 or so, trusting that we’d have the creativity to find other means of amusing ourselves. It stayed in its living room corner though, so we’d sneakily plug it back in the watch cartoons in the morning and afternoon while he was at work. Videos were okay, so we still grew up on “Back to the Future” and “The Karate Kid” and all the rest, but we learned to live without the TV as a constant presence. We still have a TV; we just rarely use it.
October 12th, 2003 at 10:48 pm
i don’t have a dirty mind. i just think like an average guy.
and waleed intended it to be interpreted as such. he even admitted it!
October 12th, 2003 at 11:55 pm
Haha you guys are nuts.
No, I did not intend that Yaser. I did intend for the title to be different, unique, like the rest of my writing. But I don’t really write hidden sexual innuendos.
When I do talk about sex, it’s straight up.
And then I leave the rest up to personal interpretation.
October 13th, 2003 at 12:10 am
right.
“Sometimes you need to shock folks to get the message across. I see it worked with you.”
October 13th, 2003 at 3:33 am
i hate my tv. it controls me. and i let it. i watch the tv guide channel so that i can know what’s going on all the time and not actually watch the shows. i’m weak. one day i plan to go psycho and just take a baseball bat to it. mere seedling of a plot. still needs convincing and investment. i fail to see why i’m overpowered by this. this wasn’t my childhood. why then? stupid tv.
October 13th, 2003 at 4:25 am
I know what you mean Chai. I’ve repeatedly gone as far as unplugging the TV completely. Now i’m thinking of getting a wireless router just so that I can sit in rooms other then the lower level TV room…
Remember Office Space? The printer beatup, the getting laid off gift from Peter? We should re-creat that. A giant screen tv, and bats and one really pissed of Michael Bolton namesake.
Then you can go psycho Chai. In a civilized, organized manner.
October 13th, 2003 at 4:53 am
and that will be acceptable. it’s a decent scheme. and can be in turn blamed on the tv. perfect. thanks for your advice. you are wise.
October 13th, 2003 at 6:07 am
21 inches? Your TV is huge dude
I have managed to ween myself off the TV for much needed revision!
Your right though, it’s definately a mission to try and quit. They should make TV patches which give your your daily dose of nonsense. Actually bad idea, patches never work, I know, I’ve tried chocolate patches *sad sad* !
October 13th, 2003 at 1:03 pm
nice new layout, mA
yup and that msn ad is a real ad for indian folks.