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Subsonic Words by Mimicking Birds from their first album, Self-titled. I first heard Mimicking Birds on the end credits of a documentary. I wish I could remember the name of the documentary. Anyway, they along with the group Radical Face, are what I listen to when I am writing but don't want to listen to jazz. Yes, my musical tastes are all over the place.
Mimicking Birds is a rock group from Portland, Oregon centered on Nate Lacy (vocals, acoustic guitars), with Aaron Hanson (drums), Ian Luxton (electric guitars), Matthan Minster (Guitar/Keys) and Adam Trachsel (Bass/Keys). I think you should check them out!
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 Artist Unknown The following post is adapted from the most recent Coffee Before Pants podcast. Anyone who knows me knows I love coffee. I have coffee in one form or the other every day. We have a Nespresso machine, a pour-over coffee maker, I love cold brew as well. Oh, and yes, we have a French press, too. It’s one of those, what mood strikes me kind of things. Normally, because it’s so convenient, Valerie and I both start the day off with a double espresso. There are days, especially when I work from home for my job, that I will drink 2-3 double espressos throughout the day. However, I am a rank amateur compared to the literary figures I want to talk about today. Writers who were addicted to coffee and drank copious amounts each day. I know, define copious. Well, my up to three coffees a day routine is nothing compared to these writers’ consumption. When I was researching this, I was, well, let’s just say my stomach hurt just thinking about it. I am always talking about how much I love coffee. I don’t drink as much as I used to, really. Thirty years ago, and yes it does seem like a long time, I used to frequent Fuel Café, in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee. I would spend hours there, reading and writing and drinking copious amounts of their very strong coffee. You would pay full price for the first cup and thereafter, refills were 25 cents. It is safe to say that I would drink at least eight cups of coffee. I now try to limit myself to three cups maximum and usually try to stop by early afternoon. Usually, though, on a regular day I usually have one double espresso in the morning and that gets me through my day. However, the people I want to talk about today go beyond just “coffee lover” with what I even would deem excessive. Remember the commercials about being a “coffee achiever?” (Author Kurt Vonnegut was in one of them) These folks were more like coffee over-achievers. The first of these authors is Honore de Balzac. He was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is generally viewed as his magnum opus. His writing schedule was, to say the least, brutal. According to Writers Write, he woke at 1 am each day and wrote for seven hours. At 8 am he napped for 90 minutes, then wrote again from 9:30 to 4 pm. He said: ‘As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move…similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle.’ In his time awake, he drank fifty cups of coffee. Each day, every day. Balzac died at the age of 51, from congestive heart failure, but it was never proven that this was a result of his overwhelming coffee consumption. Next up, another French author, François-Marie Arouet, commonly known by his nom de plume, Voltaire. He was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and his criticism of Christianity (especially of the Roman Catholic Church) and of slavery, Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. Voltaire favored coffee mixed with chocolate, of which he drank 30-40 cups per day. Although his doctor warned him repeatedly that his coffee habit would kill him, Voltaire lived to the age of 83. Given that the average life expectancy in the late 17th-early 18th centurt was 30 to 40 years, that is pretty remarkable. Maybe it was the coffee…. Although not much is known about Getrude Stein’s coffee consumption, she did profess to love coffee. Apparently she drank coffee every morning upon waking, but professed to do so against her will. She told people she was “nervous about becoming nervous” from the caffeine. Right, Gertrude, we understand. Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical texts on organized religion, Christianity, morality, ethics, psychology, and the philosophy of religion, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony, and parables. Kierkegaard had an interesting coffee ritual. He poured sugar into a coffee cup until it was piled up above the rim. Next came the incredibly strong, black coffee, which slowly dissolved the white pyramid. Then he gulped the whole thing down in one go. He wrote: ‘At any rate, I prize coffee.’ I guess so…. Marcel Proust, French essayist, critic, and novelist best known for his masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time, had an altogether more reserved approach to coffee consumption. However, it is clear from his strict regimen that revered the brew. His housekeeper was rather puzzled by her employer’s habit of consuming exactly two bowls of café au lait along with two croissants every single day upon waking. She wondered how one might live on such a restricted diet. Note that Proust also had another peculiar habit and that is that he apparently rose out of bed not in early morning, but in late afternoon. One of our illustrious founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin was also a coffee enthusiast. So much so, in fact, that he had his mail forwarded directly to his favorite coffee-house, where he spent numerous hours in conversation with his peers and the business elite of his time. Franklin so loved coffee that he never embarked on a sea voyage without his own supply of coffee. He also said, “Among the numerous luxuries of the table…coffee may be considered as one of the most valuable.” Interestingly, politician, postmaster, inventor, author, activist, statesman and diplomat Ben Franklin was born on Milk Street, Boston. Not necessarily a coffee addict, but author Shirley Jackson, along with being a chain smoker and an amphetamine abuser, was addicted to Coke. No, not cocaine. Coca-Cola. In case, for some reason, you have never heard of Shirley Jackson, she was an American writer known primarily for her works of horror and mystery. Her writing career spanned over two decades, during which she composed six novels, two memoirs, and more than 200 short stories. She is the author of The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in a Castle, and over 200 short stories, which include The Lottery and, one of my favorites, The Summer People. I am sure there are a lot of writers and artists that love their coffee. These are, from what I understand, the most notable coffee addicts in the creative world.  ard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a novel written by Haruki Murakami, published in1985. The same year it was awarded the Tanizaki Prize. The English language translation by Alfred Birnbaum was published in 1991.
The novel is divided into two parallel narratives. One is Hard-Boiled Wonderland. The narrated is an unnamed man whose job is a Calcutec, a person who is a human data processor and human encryption system who has been trained to use his subconscious as an encryption key. He is hired by a reclusive scientist, The Professor (who lives in the sewer system of Japan) to encrypt (or shuffle) data concerning his experiments. During the course of engagement with the Professor, he is approached by Semiotecs, whose role is to steal the encrypted data The other universe is The End of the World, a fantasy-like world called The Town. The narrator of this parallel, also unnamed, is a new arrival to The Town who is employed as a “dream reader.” The narrator, as part of his living there, has no conscience, no concrete memories of anything from before his arrival. The first action taken towards him by the powers that be is that his shadow is removed. The shadow eventually ceases to exist, leaving the narrator a full citizen of The Town I have read three other Murakami books and from these I have become an avid fan. His fiction has been described by many as Kafkaesque, much like fellow Japanese author Kobo Abe. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World is definitely that. The narrator, as well as the other characters, have no names and are referred to only as their vocation or a description. As far as being a parallel story, well, yes it is that. At first. Eventually, the two separate story lines begin to converge. Despite this, the ending was not quite what I expected. Part Cyberpunk (Wonderland) and part Fantasy (The End of the World) I can only say good things about this book. I look forward to reading all of Murakami’s novels. So far he has written fourteen novels and five collections of short stories. In November, an English translation of his newest novel, The City and its Uncertain Walls will be released. I have already pre-ordered it.  As I mentioned on the most recent podcast, I took a couple weeks off from being in the a studio to do some renovations. I got rid of my tall work table and drafting chair (which I used for artwork and then working on typewriters) and replaced them wit an actual desk and a regular height chair. So far, I am happy with my decision. It's far from being perfect, there are a lot more things that I need to get rid off. Mostly, the majority of the typewriters I accumulated when I thought I wanted to do typewriter rehab. Now I feel I am working toward having a creative space for writing and podcasting. I do occasionally enjoy sitting in a cafe and reading, although cafes and restaurants are becoming less conducive to sitting longer hours. I feel that it's important to have a creative space that you can always go to when you don't feel like being out in public. A place to be alone in your thoughts, with the music of your own choosing, or the choice to have quiet. I certainly need this space, since as I get older, I am finding myself more reactive to loud noises and the insipid music that some of these places have. And yes, I am a self-professed hermit. I become more hermit-like as time goes on. I think, with a lot of people, it's something that comes with age. It's easier to just get away from the bullshit than it is to merely tolerate it. Although it is few and far between, I do get out once in awhile. Valerie usually has to do some coaxing, I'll admit. It's usually to visit with friend, people I already know, for the most part. I generally avoid crowds and strangers. So, yes, I have a "new" space now, and while it is far from perfect, it is showing potential. Coffee Before Pants podcast will resume either this week or next. It's my goal to post weekly on a consistent basis. I think the renovation will help me accomplish that. Now, I need another cup of coffee...  So, I decided to launch a YouTube channel on subjects that are more visual. I'm new at this, so bear with me...
I suffer from occasional insomnia. Despite my best efforts, there are some nights I can't fall asleep. Sundays are the worst because I have to go to work on Monday. Or, otherwise I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep. On most nights, I get up and write in my journal, complaining about not being able to sleep.
One night last week, when journaling at 2 a.m., I made a list of things that I myself need to be mindful of. This is not a list of rules to live by, I can't tell you what you should put into action. I don't pretend to be a teacher or trail guide. I hope. however, you might consider them. They are just insomnia thoughts that I want to share.
 I woke up this morning determined to establish a morning routine, and not just for the weekend. I feel the need for this and am determined to make it happen. Last night I had an epiphany of sorts, that when I accomplish anything creative, I tend to get more quality sleep. So why not endeavor to start a morning routine in this light, to see how much I can improve the rest of the day?
Oh sure, it always sounds good in theory, right? I acknowledge here and now that it will take some effort on my part, however minimal. I will say that I still have a daily job where I have to go every day. And I tend to wake with a lack of motivation to go, even though I am required, so that leads to sleeping in the last possible moment before I have to get up and get ready. The rest of the day I feel rushed and out of sorts. I'm sure I'm not alone in this feeling. This leads to coming home exhausted and not feeling like doing anything and it's all a vicious spiral into ennui. And that has to stop. Seriously. I'm not getting any younger and I'm too old to feel this miserably unproductive. On most days I have to be ready and out the door by 8 a.m. or so. So, here goes: 1) Wake up by 5:30 a.m. Yes, this will be the most difficult. I think, though, once I get used to it, everything else will fall into place. 2) Shower. The warm water in the morning brings me around. I get some of my best writing ideas in the morning shower. This is second to getting ideas just as I'm falling asleep and then hoping I will remember by the next morning. It usually never happens. Maybe I should keep a notepad on my bedside table? 3) Make coffee. My usual, at least to start the day, is a double espresso. It is the minimum daily requirement. Since I will be getting up early, a second cup may be standard operating procedure. 4) Sit my ass down at my desk and allot 30 minutes for writing and 30 minutes for reading. Reading books, mind you, not the news on the internet or my Facebook feed. I have all day to do that, even when I am at work. 5) By now it's close to 7 in the morning. Start breakfast for Valerie and myself, and wake Valerie about 20 minutes later. That gives me 30-40 minutes for us to have breakfast together and, yes, most likely have another cup of coffee. It sounds so simple, so easy to do, doesn't it? Like I said, the first one, getting up earlier, will be the most difficult. I can only hope that the morning auto-pilot kicks in. I mean, I can shower and (most times) make coffee without being completely awake. That's it. I always have more faith in my ideas on a Sunday morning when I didn't have to suffer through an alarm. I'm always like Yeah! let's get this done! I rock! Monday morning might be a completely different story |
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