Daily Ramblings:
Desire ...04/22/2005 02:24:05 pm
Recently, your host Right
Wing Bob subscribed via email to a
thing called FREECYCLE. For
those not hip enough to know, this is an
internet-based group that enables people to find
homes for items which they no longer need or want. It
was no doubt initiated by the kind of individuals who
wake up in a cold sweat every night imagining that
their back yard is being engulfed by a land fill. The
idea is simple: you post what you have to offer to
the group, and anyone who wants it can get in touch
with you and arrange to pick it up.
Now, it used to be that the
"Goodwill" filled this role in people's
lives, but you would generally have to lug the stuff
to the store yourself - and, let's face it, some junk
is too junky even for them. For those too pained to
just leave it on the curb, or set fire to it, there
is now a way to find a willing taker, for the mere
price of an email and the willingness to tell a
stranger on the internet where you live.
In addition to posting what you'd
like to offer, you may also post what you'd like to receive.
However, to avoid it becoming nothing but a big
wish-list, there are rules: only one
"WANTED" post per day (or per week, or
something) per individual. I'm dubious as to how well
the rules are enforced, since WANTEDs seem to
outnumber OFFERs by a factor of five or more in my
Inbox.
And it was whilst scanning my Inbox
over the last few days that something struck me. If
you took this long list of things being offered, and
other things being wanted, and edited it a bit, and
threw in some formatting, and drank a scotch or two,
you would end up with something very close to ...
pure poetry!
And so this is what I did. I've
extracted posts that seemed to resonate with me for
one reason or another, formatted them a little,
redacted precise email addresses where necessary, and
assembled them into my big statement on America in
2005 (with a suitably Dylanesque title). It speaks to
what we are willing to give, versus what we yearn to
receive and ... and it speaks to so many other things
besides (feel free to speculate so long as you credit
Right Wing Bob for any
insights at which you arrive).
DESIRE
Sender ............. Subject....................................................
.Date
WithAnEye@--.com OFFER: Women's Panties
... Thu 04/21
mattdecico WANTED:
Guitars and Keyboards ...Wed
04/20
laeve88 WANTED:
Floor Tiles ...Wed
04/20
momwriter2004 OFFER: Susan Powter Stop the
Insanity program ...Fri
04/22
r63gomez WANTED
Honeywell transformer model AT-20D or AT-72D
...Thu 04/21
fluffy830 WANTED:
Wall mount Air Conditioner ...Thu
04/21
glaistig16@--.com WANTED:
Newborn stuff for girl ...Thu
04/21
stella150 OFFER:
Non working ocean aquarium from Fisher Price
...Thu 04/21
Tara C. WANTED:
Bicycle ...Thu
04/21
peacebearhippohug WANTED: PICNIC TABLE or 2
stumps and a plank. ...Thu
04/21
dthelen_101 OFFER:
Pampers Pants Coupons ...Thu
04/21
cindy WANTED:
glass/time- misplaced number ...Thu
04/21
OoChiEWaLLi@--.com WANTED: Bright Colored
Couch/Sofa ...Thu 04/21
dianakash685 OFFER: Playbill magazines
...Thu 04/21
Leyna WANTED:
QUEEN BOLT ON BED FRAME/RAILS
...Thu 04/21
carolltommy OFFER::::::::::COIN
WRAPERS::::::::::::: ...Thu
04/21
jdp3000000 WANTED:
Baby Excersaucer ...Wed
04/20
listrejects WANTED:
SUSPENSION GRID SYSTEM FOR 2' X 2' or 2' X 4' CEILING
TILES ...Thu
04/21
aroid_mama OFFER:
Book- Office 2000 Bible ...Thu
04/21
scenario180 WANTED:
Floor Tiles, or used TV set ...Wed
04/20
indigo110473 WANTED: Spider Plant Babies
...Wed 04/20
Roz F. LAST
RE-OFFER: Bag of Technical/Job Search Books...
...Thu 04/21
Melissa WANTED:
index card organizer box or rolodex or something else
...Wed 04/20
indigo110473 WANTED: Renu Contact lens
solution ...Wed
04/20
W Perez WANTED:
Palmvx ...Wed 04/20
W Perez WANTED:
any MP3 player. ...Wed
04/20
slash630 OFFER:Saturday
Night Live VHS Tapes- ...Thu
04/21
Spencer WANTED
- broken laptop a few years old
...Thu 04/14
***
There you have it. I felt that Spencer's "broken
laptop a few years old" was a suitably
poignant note to end on. It's the only
"WANTED" post I was tempted to respond to,
if only to ask, "How broken do you want it,
Spencer?" but I resisted and maintained my
poetic distance. It's a lonely calling.
Broken cutters, broken saws,
Broken buckles, broken laws,
Broken bodies, broken bones,
Broken voices on broken phones.
Take a deep breath, feel like you're chokin',
Everything is broken.
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