Reflections on Chance and Public Transportation

[jackshoegazer]

I rode in public transportation today. Yes, for the first time ever, I have taken the city bus.

It was a clear and crisp 6am, with half a moon shining on my hat from far above and I was the first passenger of the morning. Very nice, I thought, as I settled into A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. I had just finished a Carl Hiaasen book earlier in the evening, watched The Virgin Suicides and started AHWoSG just as I finished work.

I was still in the preface when the second passenger of the morning came aboard. He was an older man, grizzled salt and pepper hair and thick stubble on his face to match. He carried a beige vacuum cleaner circa 1984 and mumbled and murmured to himself. He smelled strong. He smelled like my high school drafting teacher's breath. He smelled like shit. Literally.

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful, morning commuters of your average, unremarkable sort. The highlight was Dave Eggers who writes like I think when I’m not paying attention to what I'm thinking. Or when I'm thinking too much. Synchronistically, he mentions getting struck by lightning. Hmm...

So now I sit in Jacquelyn's apartment, eating soft flour tortillas and sipping Bell's Oberon Ale. Breakfast of Champions, you say? No, that's the name of a Vonnegut book, which has nothing to do with ale or tortillas.

In a little while I will hop back on a bus and head to the far east side of Madison, where I will appropriate my roommate's car. From there, I will travel to and fro, arranging the towing and repair of my lightning-damaged vehicle. Even though the Ben Franklin-inspired bolt of electricity from Heaven fried certain vehicular components, I am amazed that yes, I have been singled out by the sky gods for whatever purpose, and now can say honestly, "Hi, I'm Jeremy and I've been struck by lightning."

I just looked up the statistics... The chance of getting struck by lightning in your lifetime is only about 1 in 3000. Getting struck twice is about 1 in 9 million. When I look at these odds, it doesn't seem so unlikely anymore. The nickel-sized ball of scar tissue above my heart, a.k.a. mediastinal fibrosis, only appears in about 1 in 20 million people.

Apparently, I am one destined to beat the odds.

Comments

[wwonka666.livejournal.com]

Are you an Eggers fan? Might magazine and McSweeney's or are you just getting into him?

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

This will be the first of anything I've read of him. I've of course heard rave reviews and everyone masteurbating all over the place about him, but I'm only just now reading him for the first time EVAR!

[wwonka666.livejournal.com]

very cool, I'm not about to masturbate onto something about him but I really like his stuff, and other people's stuff he publishes through McSweeney's. If you dig Heartbreaking Work definitely move onto You Shall Know Our Velocity (or Sacrament, Velocity with an extra chapter smack dab in the middle)

[sarahdipity418.livejournal.com]

You are unique and special! Lookit you!

Breakfast of Champions was a fantastic book. My kitten's name is Vonnegut.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

I'm unique, just like everybody else ;)

Breakfast of Champions changed my life, or rather, made me realize I wasn't such a freak after all and didn;t need to change my life. I bought it for ten cents at a thrift store (it was in the romance section) because it had a funny title. Until then, I'd never read anything that gave me even a hint that there were other people who saw the world the way I did. I lurve Mr. Vonnegut.

P.S. Even though he claimed to have retired after Timequake, he's just released yet another collection of essays called "A Man without a Country" and I guess it's got the usual Vonnegut repetoire plus some more political criticisms, and of course, he's no fan of the BUsh Administration.

[anubis75.livejournal.com]

On The Road had a simular effect on me that Breakfast of Champions had on you. I still have yet to read any Vonnegut, but I've also heard that Cat's Cradle is well worth the read.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Cat'sCradle is DEFINITELY worth the read. I think you'll love Bonkonism :) Also Galapagos is another good one of his. TimeQuake is pretty awesome as well, but it's best to be fully acquainted with Vonnegut before diving into that one. Breakfast is definitely my favorite though. I highly HIGHLY reccommend it!

On the road made me want to drive fast, smoke cigarettes and ramble incoherently and to never step foot inside Mexico. That means I liked it :)

[choogy.livejournal.com]

staggering work of gen is in my top five list of favorites- and what a perfect book to read while you're taking public transportation. i like the description that "eggers writes like i think" - that's perfect.

transitioning to public transportation and shit: one of the best things i've ever seen was at a bus stop. it was a human turd with an empty 40oz beer bottle stuck in it, like a flag. that image has stayed with me for the entirety of my life.

and you know, there MUST be some kind of a support group for lightning strikees somewhere don't you think? i'm imagining coffee and doughnuts and lots of disheveled crazies with the shakes.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

I'm only on page 54 and I can tell that assball's review of Genius (in hipsterbookclub) is WAY off base. I wonder if he only likes books written by poor dinklebergs who have to steal pizza?

Transitioning back to poo: imagine if you will, a piece of paper folded to look like a sail, attatched to a pencil and then stuck into a turn four inches in diameter and a half a foot long. This, I saw in a high school bathroom. Yeah.

My computer was fried by lightning while I was away. WTF is wrong with me?! What do the gods want? Apparently, they want me to stay in Madison and stop looking at porn :P

[kiwikat.livejournal.com]

would you reccomend i read some eggers? you're batting a damn good average with the book reccomendations.

your car luck is absolutely amazing. it's like the gods have a vendetta against any reliable form of transport you may think you have. it's fucking incredible.

let me know if you need rides and i can give them

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

I think you would absolutely LOVE Eggars. Oh, I bought Skinny Legs and All, that Tom Robbins book I think you'll love. I'll bring it with me when I come back to Madison. How do you like Stilllife with Woodpecker?

An odd coincidence: everytime my car breaks down, it's on my way back to Watertown. Maybe fate or the gods or whatever are trying to keep me in Madison?

I'll let you know about rides. I have to figure out how to get back to Madison on Tuesday and I can take the bus for the most part, but rides are nice :)

[kiwikat.livejournal.com]

read my lj entry for today and it'll tell ya what i think of the book.

everyone wants you in madison. actually, i've been secretly sabotaging your car so you'll have to move closer and i won't have to drive so far to go to your house.

ummm we're going to be in hotels sunday night and monday night, but we might be able to get you to madison on tuesday. i'll talk to brian.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

I think I might just ride into Madison with my roomie of Tuesday morning, take a bus to Jacquelyn's and sleep there till work. If this isn't plausible, I will contact you, begging and pleading.

[kiwikat.livejournal.com]

try to let me know soon because i might not check email or anything on monday/tuesday.... i'll get in contact with you somehow. email me your phone number/jaqueline's cell number and i will call you monday night sometime eh?