Sunday, May 5, 2013

Anything Could Happen (Part 1)

“Be just. And if you can’t be just, be arbitrary.”  - William S. Burroughs

“Some might say that I’m lost / But I have no destination.”– Arrington de Dionyso

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I went to that party because of how a dart landed.

Life sure has changed since I stopped trying to make decisions for myself. Since I turned everything over to the gods of chance.

Time was, I’d spend hours, days, even weeks agonizing over a decision. Weighing the pros and the cons, all possible repercussions and permutations, unseen tangents, the hurricanes caused by the butterfly’s wings.  You know…

But no more.

No, somewhere along the line, I figured out that the informed decisions that I was making after carefully sussing out all relevant facts were not any better than the spontaneous ones. Than the spur of the moment shit. Than just plain old going-with-my-gut.

It was a little disappointing, to be honest.

From there, it was really only a hop, skip, and a jump to not making decisions at all. To yarrow sticks. Magic 8-balls. To a roll of the die and Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies.

I’d reached the realm of “Heads I go to school in California; tails I stay in Houston.”

And that is the point where things got interesting for me.

Friday night and Doctor Belloq’s in town, which meant it was date night, only I was the one in charge of finding something to do and I do not make decisions anymore. So I tore a sheet of paper into strips and on each strip I wrote some words. Something like maybe:
  • That play at the Atomic Café; or
  • Abandoned underground reservoir; or
  • Werner Herzog movie marathon!; or
  • Dave’s party; or
  • None of the above / start from scratch.
Then I taped each scrap of paper to a dart board. I closed my eyes. I let a dart fly and let the Fates and the Furies decide how Doctor Belloq and I would be spending our evening. For a while – maybe three or four throws – the Fates and the Furies directed the dart into my wall, eight inches or even a foot away from the choices, but eventually, they got the hang of it.

And that’s how I ended up at that party and that’s how I got my kids back. 

And now you’re probably wondering, who the hell gets their kids back at a party?

I do. That’s who.

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(I think) I just entered this entry in this week’s Yeahwrite weekly challenge. Swing by over there, read the other entries, and vote on Thursday!

41 comments:

  1. NOTE: I installed Google+ comments after posting this blog post, and even got a couple comments. But Google+ comments appears NOT to be ready for prime time yet.

    I have reproduced the comments I got below. Except for Pickleope's, whose comments I completely altered to make myself look good...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Katy, Katy you're so fine. You're so fine you blow my mind. Hey Katy! Hey Katy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha... There's really NOTHING that a Toni Basil reference won't fix.

      Thanks, Cal?

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Once in a while, I am spotted with a smile on my face. Don't tell anyone!

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Hi, Margaret!

      It's been more than 8 months coming, so I'm pretty psyched.

      Delete
  5. Luke Rhinehart would be proud. ;)

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    1. I had never heard of him before this comment. The character is a psychotherapist who flips a coin to decide what to do?

      That's too perfect to pass up...

      I'll flip a coin to see if I'm going to check it out. 50% chance, though.

      Delete
  6. What the who huh!?! That's a mighty cliffhanger. Damn it, now you're good at cliffhangers too? I'm so jealous of your skills.
    Randomness is often the best non-decision-decision. At the very least you're creating an interesting story to tell later. By the way, in no way should Werner Herzog movie marathon ever factor into "fun activities." That is, unless you both just hate nature with a burning passion (every Herzog movie is some Man V. Nature thing).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's sort of sad, you know? I take ride in my powers of logic and deduction, but most of the decisions I make using those skills are... lousy. So I flip a coin instead.

      As far as Herzog goes... If "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" doesn't get you laid on a date you are hopeless!

      Delete
  7. Brilliant post - loved the cliff-hanger. The Brian Eno Oblique Strategies reference cracked me up.

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    1. Thank you, Psychochef.

      I just typed the words, "Thank you, Psychochef."

      I'm guessing this is something I never would have guessed right when I was six.

      "True or false? At some point in your adult life you will utter the phrase, 'Thank you, Psychochef'..."

      Delete
    2. Hahaha. I should probably figure out how to change that stupid name. It's connected to an old blog I had when I owned a restaurant, and now it always shows up with my current blog. My computer skills are sorely lacking.

      I love your writing style, and I really enjoyed reading all three installments of this story. I hope you had a great Mother's Day!

      Karen

      Delete
    3. It gets even worse once people start knowing you by that name, because then you can't change without risking losing people.

      The very NAME of my blog has made an awful lot of people accuse me of having a gay activism blog. Too late now...

      Delete
    4. I was drawn to your blog by the mention of the "Advanced Lesbionics". As an aging lesbian who spent her middle school years crushing out on Lindsay Wagner, I was intrigued.

      I'm not too worried about my followers. I have like six. My stats indicate a lot of voyeurs, but they are mostly from Russia and South Korea.

      Delete
    5. Haha... Well, I am thrilled to have you around, Karen!

      Delete
  8. You got me - I'm hooked and want to know more. I'll stay tuned for more of your fine writing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - I loved your latest one, too.

      Mine varies in quality quite a bit, but I think that's a good thing. Gotta stay out of my comfort zone...

      Delete
  9. I'm not sure what you're doing at this very moment, but you must continue the story. I need to know what happens!! Us Gemini's are not known for our patience.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Kendra!

      I have posted Part 2: http://www.lesbiansinmysoup.com/2013/05/anything-could-happen-part-2.html

      Part 3? Well, hoping for Thursday.

      This is why I should never do multi-part blogs, haha.

      Delete
  10. You left me hanging...and I am intrigued.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Part 2, which is up, is WAY better, but it was over 600 words, so I couldn't use it for Yeahwrite.

      I can't even answer the phone in 600 words or less...

      Delete
  11. I'm so glad that Part II is posted. I don't handle these kind of cliffhangers well.

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    Replies
    1. Haha... I don't, either. I thought it sort of stood on it's own or else I NEVER would have done that to y'all...

      Delete
  12. I love the free-wheeling feel of this -- that you could end up anywhere and we could, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! After I posted this, a friend of mine said, "You know, you say that all the time: 'Anything could happen.'"

      I guess I do. It's usually when I am telling someone that I'm going to check the mail or go to the store, though. "I am going to check the mail... Anything could happen!"

      I will keep things interesting one way or the other...

      Delete
  13. You got your kids back at a party? You are mom?? Why don't you look like a mom??
    These and other questions that left me hanging till I read Part II in a few minutes. This post singularly was very cool! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes I try and look more like a mom, but I just come across as crazy. It doesn't work.

      The kids don't seem to notice the difference, though!

      Delete
  14. Yes! My decisions come out the exact same way, whether I agonize over them or not!
    Now I want to read more...what a great cliffhanger!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know how I figured this out?

      Albums and books. I do all of this research trying to find great albums and books, but I figured out that I found almost all my favorites by just grabbing something I judged from its cover.

      It sucks, but it's true!

      Delete
  15. Ooohhhhh, a cliffhanger! Nice!

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    Replies
    1. A cliffhanger by default, yes.

      Happily, too, because normally, I don't write things short enough to fit Yeahwrite's 600-word limit...

      Delete
  16. Woah! I want to know more about this! WAY more. That's exciting hopeful stuff, right there.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Your blog this week was fantastic. I was thinking about it on the way to work today, actually. Weird...

      Delete
  17. Oh BOY!!! I can't wait. Hurry up and write the next part. I lack patience. Can you tell? Brilliant post.

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    1. Thank you, Gina.

      I had hoped to get part 3 up already. It has not happened.

      Two in one week is better than I have been doing lately, though, so I am pretty psyched.

      Delete
  18. I need to invest in some darts. Seems like a solid strategy.

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    Replies
    1. It's never steered me wrong, Jen. Well, except for the time it led me to rob that bank...

      Delete
  19. I do so love how you tell a story

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Michelle. Usually I write it once, realize it sounds pretentious as hell, and then just write it like I would say it.

      Except I don't think I end so many sentences with prepositions when I talk...

      Delete

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