The plumbers came to the house today. They were here to fix the radiators, which had some minor leaks. I am envious. I covet their pants.
Let me explain. In Austria, there is a prescribed uniform for anyone that is a worker (In the Marxian sense) as opposed to an office wonk. Working men and woman get to wear Super Mario pants!! These garments, Arbeitshosen, are the coolest things ever. They are a melding of tactical pants and overalls although the overall suspenders seem to be optional. If I ever get to have a job that requires Mario pants (Oh! To dream!) I will opt for the overall suspenders, which complete the Mario look. These Hosen sport lots of pockets, cool colours, and the aforementioned narrow overall suspender panel on the back. Clothed in Mario pants, one seems to exude an aura of specialty tools, an arcane knowledge of pneumatic valves, and divine enlightenment regarding the difference between an amp and a volt.
Alas, I cannot officially work here in Austria, but perhaps I can get a pair of Super Mario drawers that I can wear around the house for yard work and such. Mowing the tiny, tiny Garten will be ever so much more fun.
By the way, a sure sign that one has acclimated to his or her new home is that the police sirens do not immediately make one think he or she is in a foreign movie. Interestingly enough, mein Liebling tells me that it is the same for her when she is in the USA.
The most immediate and apparent gift of being here in Wien, aside from being in the same time zone as My Heart, is, well, time. It seems to me that what Work (Career, Labour, Slavery) does is dispense money in return for all of ones time. I have joyously and with great thankfulness quickly developed my routine of reading, studying and writing. I have my weekdays to myself. When my Haus Mann chores are completed, my day is my own and cerebral days they have become.
For example, I picked up a copy of Hemingway's "Men Without Women" I have read all of these short stories in the past, some of them in the distant past. The book was just taking up space on the desk and I, having time, a cigar, and inclination, read them. Carefully. With the gift of time, I then began researching the references in some of the stories, things I had glossed over in the past. No time, you see? What of it? Well, did you know that in "The Undefeated" c. 1927, Hemingway references Juan Belmonte? I now know that Juan Belmonte was the greatest Matador that ever lived. He revolutionized bullfighting in the first two decades of the Twentieth Century. Rather than using footwork to escape the bulls horns, he used cape work to draw the bull as close to him in passes as possible while remaining almost stationary, an act of great bravery. After Belmonte, the use of footwork to avoid the bull became a sign of cowardice.
In "A Banal Story" c. 1926, we are told of Manuel Garcia Lopez, another great Matador, who dies of tuberculosis and is buried next to Joselito el Gallo, The Little Rooster. A great rival and friend of Belmonte, el Gallo died on the horns of a bull in 1920. You see? Time.
These are beautiful times here in Wien. We are being blessed with days of sun and mild temperatures. I am sitting in the Garten, smoking, drinking Kaffee and thinking. I have time for idle fantasies which involve being a Matador in Super Mario pants rather than a Suit of Lights. As pleasant as all of this is however, I must soon attend to some chores. I must pack the faithful Deuter 40 liter backpack. Tonight My Heart and I fly to Sri Lanka.
Bet you didn't see that one coming at the start of this blog post.
Let me explain. In Austria, there is a prescribed uniform for anyone that is a worker (In the Marxian sense) as opposed to an office wonk. Working men and woman get to wear Super Mario pants!! These garments, Arbeitshosen, are the coolest things ever. They are a melding of tactical pants and overalls although the overall suspenders seem to be optional. If I ever get to have a job that requires Mario pants (Oh! To dream!) I will opt for the overall suspenders, which complete the Mario look. These Hosen sport lots of pockets, cool colours, and the aforementioned narrow overall suspender panel on the back. Clothed in Mario pants, one seems to exude an aura of specialty tools, an arcane knowledge of pneumatic valves, and divine enlightenment regarding the difference between an amp and a volt.
Alas, I cannot officially work here in Austria, but perhaps I can get a pair of Super Mario drawers that I can wear around the house for yard work and such. Mowing the tiny, tiny Garten will be ever so much more fun.
By the way, a sure sign that one has acclimated to his or her new home is that the police sirens do not immediately make one think he or she is in a foreign movie. Interestingly enough, mein Liebling tells me that it is the same for her when she is in the USA.
The most immediate and apparent gift of being here in Wien, aside from being in the same time zone as My Heart, is, well, time. It seems to me that what Work (Career, Labour, Slavery) does is dispense money in return for all of ones time. I have joyously and with great thankfulness quickly developed my routine of reading, studying and writing. I have my weekdays to myself. When my Haus Mann chores are completed, my day is my own and cerebral days they have become.
For example, I picked up a copy of Hemingway's "Men Without Women" I have read all of these short stories in the past, some of them in the distant past. The book was just taking up space on the desk and I, having time, a cigar, and inclination, read them. Carefully. With the gift of time, I then began researching the references in some of the stories, things I had glossed over in the past. No time, you see? What of it? Well, did you know that in "The Undefeated" c. 1927, Hemingway references Juan Belmonte? I now know that Juan Belmonte was the greatest Matador that ever lived. He revolutionized bullfighting in the first two decades of the Twentieth Century. Rather than using footwork to escape the bulls horns, he used cape work to draw the bull as close to him in passes as possible while remaining almost stationary, an act of great bravery. After Belmonte, the use of footwork to avoid the bull became a sign of cowardice.
In "A Banal Story" c. 1926, we are told of Manuel Garcia Lopez, another great Matador, who dies of tuberculosis and is buried next to Joselito el Gallo, The Little Rooster. A great rival and friend of Belmonte, el Gallo died on the horns of a bull in 1920. You see? Time.
These are beautiful times here in Wien. We are being blessed with days of sun and mild temperatures. I am sitting in the Garten, smoking, drinking Kaffee and thinking. I have time for idle fantasies which involve being a Matador in Super Mario pants rather than a Suit of Lights. As pleasant as all of this is however, I must soon attend to some chores. I must pack the faithful Deuter 40 liter backpack. Tonight My Heart and I fly to Sri Lanka.
Bet you didn't see that one coming at the start of this blog post.
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