If Gothic literature has taught us one thing, it’s that guilt can be a terrible burden to bear, one which may bring about dissolution of sanity if not the soul. I am of course referring primarily to Poe’s “The Telltale Heart,” in which (for the half-dozen not familiar) a murderer is driven to confession by the perceived beating of his victim’s heart. Oh, and he kills the guy by shoving him under a mattress and smothering him. How ridiculously awkward is that? I know style isn’t necessarily the primary concern in such endeavors, but you’d think personal comfort at least would come into play. Just grab a pillow or something, Archetypal Unreliable Narrator, you’re gonna give yourself a hernia.

Anyway, my crime is not anywhere near so heinous, but I still feel the need to come clean to those few who may be concerned, namely anybody who read my piece on Facebook deletion. It is much to my embarrassment that I must announce my relapse; indeed, I reactivated my account a mere three weeks later and have been using more or less consistently ever since. I have to take about five showers a day to wash off all the shame, but still I continue.

Predictably, my productivity has taken a plunge, though not so dramatically as one might think since I’d already been spending a good deal of time fantasizing about checking Facebook instead of concentrating on work. Hopeless case, this one. I suspect I’m not alone in struggling to put a cap on my creeping time given the relentless approach of finals. I can at least thank my lucky stars Spring Weekend’s come and gone – it’s tough enough to muster up my resolve and buckle down without a school-sanctioned shitshow staring me in the face and belting “Look at me, I’m fun!” at the top of its lungs. (I take it as a pretty clear sign to lay off the hallucinogens when abstract events start initiating dialogues.)

My only other major antagonist is an on-again off-again flirtation with crippling caffeine dependency. I’ve established this cycle where I’m either going cold turkey or throwing every last jittery chip into the fray, and suffice it to say my body is profoundly confused. If this dilemma wasn’t throwing my internal clock seriously out of wack, my schoolwork lineup would still be giving me trouble. I’ve got a feast-or-famine kind of paradigm going on where I’ve either got jackshit to do or I don’t close my eyes for three days, and it’s screwing with me royally.

Per such conditions, it’s been occurring to me recently that I might have been better off being born maybe a decade and a half earlier. As anyone who’s ever seen a Jim Jarmusch or Richard Linklater movie surely knows, the life of a vintage Gen X-er was a simple one, entailing little more than lying around all day, listening to badass indie music before indie became a brand name, and wallowing in copious amounts of existential ennui. We’re talking about an era where being a “slacker” is not only socially acceptable but a badge of honor, and if you’re really lucky you get Tom Waits or Screamin’ Jay Hawkins as the soundtrack to your life. In other words, I’d fit right in.

To this end, my regular Facebook procrastination found itself colored by a preoccupation with hipster icons of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. As my roommates are no doubt intimately aware, I harbor an explicable fascination with Jarmusch regular and Lounge Lizards frontman John Lurie, whose short-lived program “Fishing With John” is notable for such indelible images as Matt Dillon engaging in a tribal “fish pain dance,” Willem Dafoe rummaging through his coat pocket for cheese crackers, and Tom Waits shoving a red snapper in his pants. Having faced battles with Advanced Lyme Disease as well as a vicious stalker, Lurie dropped off the cultural map in recent years, so I was somewhat surprised to stumble upon his relatively open Facebook whilst dicking around.

This discovery prompted a conflict: should I proceed on my merry way or do the sketchy thing and try to friend him? Would the latter even be so sketchy given that tons of folks friend people they barely know on a frequent basis? Should I leave a little note with my request so he doesn’t think I’m just using his notoriety as an accessory, and am I doing so? (I suppose I should take into account that a lot of people I consider “famous” don’t register so much as a blip on most people’s radars, but still, the guy’s fairly well-known.) Am I way over-thinking this to the point where it’s becoming an ingenious procrastination outlet in itself?

That last inquiry probably has some merit, but I think it’s worth considering how the advent of YouTube and Facebook brings the whole notion of celebrity into question. When Joe Schmoe can become a viral sensation overnight, who’s to say what is and isn’t valuable, who is and isn’t accessible? With this in mind, I’m probably gonna go for it in the name of experimentation and boundary-testing if nothing else. Updates to come while I quest for other ways to avoid fruitful activity.

 

Justin Levesque can be contacted at

jlevesque@keeneequinox.com

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

Leave a Reply

0 comments

  1. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is needed to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% certain. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Kudos

  2. Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, I bookmarked it.

  3. It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you few interesting things or tips. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I want to read even more things about it!

  4. Hey guys, I guess you about full of advice and opinions from everyone. I would be. I been through some similar stuff jr. just buried my dad this year, been estranged since I was in 5th grade and Im 40 now. He was a bad guy, not much of a father, kinda selfish, alcoholic, outlaw loser type. I kinda made it my goal in life to right the wrongs in life that he made and to this day I have been somewhat successful. Life is about choices, you live and die with them. Im sure your ole man regrets what transpired, as my father did, unfortunately it was too late for him. I cried when he died, even part of me wish we could have had the relationship but I knew I could never have that type of person around my family. You are young, and one day if your lucky youll be old. And when you look back on your life, all that will matter is not the promotions, or work conversations or stupid stuff we place importance on as younger folks, it will be the relationships we have in our lifetime. I could not have one with my father, but I did tell him I forgave him for all that had happened and I accepted him for who he was and didnt lay blame on him for being what he was. That gave me peace. I hope you and your Dad can reconcile, that would truly be a blessing for you both. I believe it can happen.

  5. Pretty good post. I recently stumbled upon your web site and tried to declare that Ive truly loved browsing your website posts. In any case I am subscribing in your feed and i’m hoping you’re writing again very soon!

  6. You have really interesting blog, keep up posting such informative posts!

  7. You may have actually created some exceptional points here. I specifically appreciate how you have been capable of stick so much thought right relatively short post (comparitively) which creates it an thoughtful publish in your subject. In my opinion, you’ve presented the topic in a very quite thorough yet concise manner, that is genuinely useful when somebody desires to have the facts without spending too a good deal time searching the web and sifting out your noise to locate the strategies their questions. That i get so frustrated with so plentiful from the results from the major SE’s because of the fact they normally manage to mostly contain filler content that always isn’t extremely sensible. If you do not mind I am going to add this post along with your webpage to my delicious favorites so i could share it with his dad. I appear forward to approaching returning to read your future posts at the same time.

  8. Good post. I just now discovered your website and wished to point out that Ive truly enjoyed browsing your blog site posts. In any case We are subscribing to your rss feed and i also hope you write again soon!

  9. Many thanks for taking time to write this post. It is been extremely useful. It couldn’t have come at a much better time for me!

  10. Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you’ve on this website. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for extra articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found simply the info I already searched everywhere and simply could not come across. What an ideal site.

  11. That is a interesting article in addition. I will go on and bookmark this informative article for my sister to see at a later time tomorrow. Sustain the fine work.

  12. Some truly wonderful information, Glad I found this. “Traffic signals in New York are just rough guidelines.” by David Letterman.

  13. That was sort of inspiring! Totally unpredicted. Now I am aware what I’m going to do tomorrow 🙂

  14. Thank you for taking time to write down this post. It is been incredibly valuable. It could not have come at a far better time for me!

  15. Regards for this excellent informative information. Often times, the greatest knowledge come from the sites a person may not expect.

  16. Today, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a twenty five foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!

  17. I’m a very long time watcher and I just believed I’d stop by and say hello there for the first time. I definitely take pleasure in your posts. Thanks

  18. “I’ve gone ahead and bookmarked http://keene-equinox.com/?p=680 at Digg.com so my friends can see it too. I simply used Facebook relapse gives way to cult-classic online friends | The Equinox as the entry title in my Digg.com bookmark, as I figured if it is good enough for you to title your blog post that, then you probably would like to see it bookmarked the same way

  19. The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.

  20. Very good composed article. It will likely be useful to any person who usess it, including yours truly 🙂 . Keep up the good perform – for confident i’ll check out out a lot more posts.

  21. Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.

  22. I truly appreciate this post. I’ve been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thx again!

  23. Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more from this post. I’m very glad to see such wonderful information being shared freely out there.

  24. I have recently started a blog, the info you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.

  25. Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.

  26. Its like you learn mycomedian mind! Ydebt reliefou appear to grasp so much approximately this, such as you wrote the book in it or something. I believe that you can do with a few percent to power the message home a little bit, however instead of that, that is fantastic blog. An excellent read. I will certainly be back.

  27. Hi, Neat post. There’s a problem with your site in internet explorer, might check this… IE nonetheless is the marketplace leader and a huge component of other people will miss your wonderful writing due to this problem.

  28. Some truly superb information, Gladiola I detected this. “A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.” by Ingrid Bergman.

  29. Hey! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing months of hard work due to no back up. Do you have any methods to stop hackers?

  30. Outstanding post, I conceive people should acquire a lot from this web site its real user friendly. So much good info on here :D.

  31. That was type of inspiring! Completely unforeseen. Now I understand what I am going to do tomorrow 🙂

  32. Everyone loves what we posted. I truly trust anything you wrote.

  33. sex

    This can be a really good read for me, Ought to admit that you simply are one particular of the best bloggers I ever saw.Thanks for posting this informative post.

  34. How could i extend the number within the Wireless N router? We’ve an Xtreme N handheld router (Dlink). I would like to extend the reach from the wireless signal. I understand how to do it for your new G signal. I wish to see how to do them on an N sign. How is it possible employ regular N routers when repeaters. If that’s the case, just how do i configure them. Thanks for the details.

  35. This is really interesting, Youre a very skilled blogger. Ive joined your feed and look forward to seeking really your magnificent post. Also, We’ve shared your blog during my social networks!

  36. Fantastic publish! I?m just starting out in community management/marketing media and looking to find out tips on how to do it well – resources like this report are incredibly helpful. As our company is based in the US, it?s all a bit new to us. The example above is something that I worry about as properly, how you can show your own genuine enthusiasm and share the fact that your product is useful in that case

  37. Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and enjoy learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more details? It’s extremely helpful for me.

  38. I was quite encouraged to find this internet site. I wanted to thank you for this unique study. I certainly savored each and every small little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you post.

  39. The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod’s. It works well, but isn’t as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that’s not an issue, but if you’re planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod’s larger screen and better browser may be important.

  40. Pretty very good publish. I just stumbled upon your blog site and desired to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog site posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing in your feed and I hope you publish again soon.

  41. This report gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is extremely wonderful one particular and gives indepth information. thanks for this great article

  42. I simply found your web web site a few days ago and i have been reading through it often. you have a large range of helpful info on the positioning and that i conjointly like the particular type of the positioning at an equivalent time. maintain the good work!

  43. Hello, I found your blog inside a new directory of blogs. I do not understand how your blog page came up, must have been a typo, Your blog page looks great. Possess a good day

  44. That is a really great examine for me, Should admit that you just are a single of the best bloggers I ever saw.Thanks for posting this informative article.