2015-07-18

untitled #22 - salinger edition

They say you find Your People in college. Well, I'm now approaching the end of my studies without any of those My People having ever crossed my path and what's better, I've not even caught a glimpse of their silhouettes somewhere far away in the methaphorical field of rye, if ya know what I'm saying. Even with my distinctly misanthropic view on life, that's pretty goddamn sad. I wouldn't blame people for not being into someone who's never really there, though, I really wouldn't. Someone who doesn't go to parties because she'd just regret going after ten minutes. Someone who's perpetually bored, in a belligerent way. Someone who starts conversations no one's really into but everyone's too awkward to say so. Someone who bloody hates the "how's it going" question. It's really better for everyone if Someone doesn't show up. It really is.

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.”  J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

“It's everybody, I mean. Everything everybody does is so — I don't know — not wrong, or even mean, or even stupid necessarily. But just so tiny and meaningless and — sad-making. And the worst part is, if you go bohemian or something crazy like that, you're conforming just as much only in a different way.” ― J. D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey

"I've just felt so destructive all week. It's awful, I'm horrible.” ― J. D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey

"I can't even sit down to lunch with a man any more and hold up my end of a decent conversation. I either get so bored or so goddamn preachy that if the son of a bitch had any sense, he'd break his chair over my head.” ― J. D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey

“I am always saying "Glad to've met you" to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though.”   J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

“People are always ruining things for you.”  J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

“Did you ever get fed up?' I said. 'I mean did you ever get scared that everything was going to go lousy unless you did something?”  J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

“He says the only people he ever really wants to meet for a drink somewhere are all either dead or unavailable.” ― J. D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey

I think it might be dope to call up old Jerome. I really do. 

5 comments:

  1. I'm pretty sure you don't want a reassuring pat on the back and to be assuaged with a trite bromide, but what else am I to say? I'd rather not assist you in your despondency, but it would still be a shame to not commiserate somehow. So I don't want to tell you everything will be okay and I certainly don't want to tell you that life sucks, even though maybe both are true but maybe both aren't (though the honest part of me would say that no matter what, life will suck sometimes, I just wish it didn't suck so consistently for you) because maybe things will end up fabulous. Either way, there's still books to drown in, so chin up, lass. Fare thee well.

    -A

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    1. You will probably laugh about that but I actually thought this was a positive-ish post until I read your comment (am I crazy? I probably am) I mean, I do live the tough life of a weirdo, but I discovered that I also have Salinger whose characters spoke what I think over 50 years ago and I find this terribly frustrating and comforting at the same time. Therefore you are very right: there's books to drown in and I think I found a merry death in one Zooey Glass' abandoned bathtub.

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    2. Not too crazy, because I think I can understand how you'd find it positive. There's a relief to just finally whinging to your heart's content while simultaneously basking in the glory of a wonderful thing: in this case, a work of literature which can apparently shift from a solid to a liquid state. However, maybe that's not what you mean, so I'll leave an apology here which you can take if you'd like. (I'll be back in a week to pick it up if you don't like.) And meanwhile, it seems I need to ask about Salinger's books at the library.

      -A

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    3. absolutely no need to leave behind crying orphan apologies, buddy. and yes PLEASE, you'll definitely do yourself a favour if you read 'franny and zooey' and the 'nine stories' collection, i swear it's grand. I'm also going to post/think about it for the next 36722 years, soooo...

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    4. (I'm really good at apologising though and not too good at not having them accepted but I'll just be gracious and let you not take it and grow up or something) Then I shall read it/them, so I shan't be left out of the loop for another 36722 years, and from the sounds of you, I'll enjoy it. (And all the angels in heaven shall rejoice.)

      -A

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