An Old Friend

May 26th, 2006General2 comments

One downside of not smoking is that I don’t get to use my Zippo anymore.

I have this classic steel Zippo lighter that I carried around for years. CHAK-click! I never, ever left home without it. The Promethean gift of fire, the stone age technological equivalent of the atomic bomb, right in your hand.

I’ve resurrected its use again recently. I bought some incense from everyone’s favorite corner store (FAMIMA!!) and have been burning it to purify my surroundings. The CHAK-click! is back!

I bought a new Sherman Alexie book yesterday. “The Toughest Indian in the World”, it’s called.

There are authors that you love so much that when you buy a new book of theirs or one that you haven’t read, it’s like an old friend returning from a long trip to Italy or Antarctica or from orbiting a moon in outer space. They’ve had all these adventures and they can’t wait to tell you about them, and you can’t wait to listen to their good ole’ familiar voice.

The city is warming up, and the violet hour has gone from chilly to breezy and cool. It’s now appropriate to sit outside with a iced tea and read.

Just having the time to read is a real luxury. Plus to be able to do it on a sidewalk in this city with interesting people to gawk at is pretty much heavenly. I’m never moving anywhere else.

UPDATE: I just discovered that one of my favorite Sherman Alexie short stories, “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”, is available in its entirety to read online!

Why are you still here?