Right at my back, there's an endless percussion of qwerty keyboards, foot tapping, jangling loose change and house keys. One guy stares into space, rocking in time with a pen top that he clicks and clicks and clicks. His friend has that jiggly leg thing that makes the whole desktop sway in time, me included. Games and music soundtracks leak from head cans and I'm thinking of how awful it must feel to be trapped in a small space with a swarm of insects.
Everyone wears black and BIG jewellery. There's a lot of footwear statements. Loud. Bling. Brash. Pristine. I'm aware that my old walking shoes don't have the groovy logo or stripe of belonging. There's a worn patch under my left sole where the stones and grit on my beach walks have imprinted their mark. That's the closest I get to a tattoo.
No surprises that I've been spending lots of times in wild places these last couple of weeks, on the beach, pulling up weeds or sitting on a hill. It's like the continuation of my holiday, except unexpected, unplanned for. This bit of wildness was unplanned as well.
Reason being, my beloved Mac has reached the point of no return and I have been catching up with on line stuff at Internet cafes, discovering that they can be very strange kind of hangouts. Things have moved on since I last had reason to venture into such places. POW!!! A different world to the places I usually write, but maybe I should try coming here in the quiet times? Maybe midweek, or midnight, or Sunday morning? Could spark off some interesting work, but I have to admit, I can't wait to get back to work at home next week.
For now, big guys in big shoes and black coats high five me like I'm a friend, except we all know I'm just passing through.
6 comments:
Smiling at the thought of big guys in big shoes and black coats high fiving. You create a wonderful atmosphere with words.
nooooooooo! not the demise of a beloved mac - always a sad event!! so glad you finally appeared though - have missed your words and how you lay them out!! (always still hoping for a book) while I was on retreat I got a new ipad! my old one will go to my daughter-in-law who is starting to convert to the siren song of all macs - she has an iphone and that was the tipping point!! I hope you are up and running on something new and fabulous soon!! however the land of high fives and heavy metal sounds like a land well deserved of a good look around! xox
You had me at a low roar with your first descriptive paragraph! The cafe scene does have its adventures...love the guy with the jiggly leg thing!!! We have a bix mix of cafes here but right now the tourists are hanging out looking at us?!
Hi Robyn. Thanks. Writing with a pen and paper in the internet cafe seems to be a no no, but those big guys saw me in the street today and high fived me again!!
Hi Jeane. Yes. Very sad. Way too expensive to try a fix on an old machine, so sorting out a new one. Pity I am a musician and not a financier, but waiting a bit longer won't hurt me. In the meantime, I get to hang out in the cafe with the big guys! Not having a computer hasn't affected the flow of words, but I'm out of touch with my big project and miss it. Soon, soon, soon, I keep telling myself. Ax
Hi Mary Ann. Thanks. Pleased my words made you smile. Hope those guys didn't know I was writing about them!! That jiggly leg thing drives me insane, but I'm sure I have my own unique annoyances for others.
Hi Annie, my MAC died and I succumbed to the dreaded Windows :) loving the thought of you sitting in the new environment, somewhere you would never have thought to go and it bringing inspiration :)))
Steve
Hi Steve. Nice to hear from you.In the PC room at the library today, opposite a man who never stops talking to himself.......mostly swear words. Never mind. New machine coming to a desk near me very soon. Can't wait!
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