Day 141 | second day at Marella Waterhole: have to make the most of great spots like this

rest day

Yes. My sister Diana’s birthday.

Happy birthday, although it might as well be for next year by the time this is read.

I spent the day, well, daydreaming.

I read David Foster Wallace’s short story ‘The soul is not a smithy’, where, in a 4th grade (American) civic’s class, learning about the Presidents, etc, the teacher goes a crazy and starts writing ‘Kill, kill, kill’ on the blackboard. Four of the kids, all considered slow learners or problem children, fail to notice when the other children run out of the class, and because of the ‘hostage’ situation the police race in and shoot the teacher.

That part of the story doesn’t matter particularly. It’s more than just a tale about a wayward schoolboy with a vivid description of a 1960s primary school classroom, and the complex daydream he conjures up.

It tries to demonstrate those youthful daydreamers may just have the problem of controlling what to concentrate their thoughts on. And in adult life it is the details and subjective associations that might be remembered more vividly than any event itself.

Well, Marella Waterhole is the right place for daydreaming and I have strong associative memories of it myself.