Preservation of sanity is crucial. And watching rockets fall on Rocket Falls whilst reading Gravity’s Rainbow isn’t the best way to go about maintaining your sanity. “¡Ojo, eh!” says your father, touching the ocular, before going back to his little drawings of semi-automatic pistols. His hand was steadier when he was younger: the lines were crisper and the guns more menacing – age has wearied him.
You, on the other hand, are still going strong. Not averse to the odd Bacchanalian dance in your underwear and listening to “Rebel Rebel” by David Bowie like in that scene from Radiofreccia; twirling with a gin and tonic in your hand and toying with the idea of pirate radio.
You don’t go for it, of course, because you are too responsible. You just go to work and cope with co-workers whose heads are like gutted refrigerators. White hair is creeping up on your temples and all you’ve got to show for your time is that you know which way to turn for the good coffee.
Written on Wednesday, 10 November 2010