Now
Day 9. About conviction, about defiance, about all of us finding what we’re searching for. Coltrane playing me and eased track. Didn’t record my spoken word piece yesterday. Was distracted by that bottle of Inspiration Syrah, the quiet of the house, and thoughts of writing about the wine industry. When in my office, I see such a book taking shape, in not much time either. Citing everything from the ridiculous pay, to the overwhelming focus on anything but get wine, to patterns and posturing from those patterns.
A truck passes me on 128. Hate typing on my phone, but this is what I have currently. Hoping for a day not at all busy. Not at all preoccupied with the winery making its number for the month, but more my sanity, my sentences, this project and others.
This week in the office, I’m going to loudly and communicatively accelerate all movements and sights. Why can’t I be the highest selling AE in my first year? There is no law or rule or policy prohibiting such. Actually, Sonic is the atmosphere that enables and emboldens such a progression to take place. Whatever we do for work, we need not only make it our own, but have it teach us and be a measure of effort. We should always seek to against ourselves compete.
Bed early tonight. Wake at 5, 4 if you can. At the end of 100 days, there will be a visual of such altitude, such attainment. If I’m not the highest earner, I’ll have shocked everyone with what I’ve done. Make calls, SET APPOINTMENTS…. just say hi. Forget about return, certainly immediate return. That’s a foot shot, I’ve learned, and an error the wine industry continues to seemingly want to make. And I e never figured out why, why they expect such instant transaction and metrics ascension. I’ve given up trying to learn, now focusing on my Sonic story and sense of new sense and story, character.
This writing spot, little spacious and sizeable inlet, used to write here in 2012 as I mentioned, and later in 2017 when working at the Foley camp. Now, story is different. Not at all fearful to question and defy regularity and policy, not that I was before. But Sonic has shown me that one idea can prove purposeful and provide a purpose which pervades till your final day. Such is now, such is me, such is my poetic and newly purposed immediacy.
What do I want from the day. Peace. Ideas for this week. Ideas on growth, branding and rebranding but more than that…. CHARACTER. Story. Life. Revolution. Start acting like a revolutionary, I said to myself and some other people at Sonic a few months ago. Today…. watch. And won’t do so with malice or a burn-bridge intent, but to have my identity known. For all in contact with me, not just for me. If I’m not making sense I apologize….. you’ll see what I mean, shortly.
Music.
Looking back at the writer.
When the day ends
planning for the next should
always creatively catalyze.
In this
is narrative maze.
Waiting for harvest….
Waiting for the wine story, my wine story, to again amplify.
6/25/19
As mornings are at times harsh,
observations becomes more poignant,
thoughts more assiduous.
from a journal
On a day off. One lazy. Now with some time to self and some Sauvignon Blanc poured, I think of the week ahead of me even though I don’t want to. And the semester I won’t teach this summer. Or the semester I won’t teach at the JC. Choosing to write in complete silence, or to just kitchen sounds. And for what… don’t know. Just to write.
Told Alice earlier that I may be tiring of Sonoma County, of Santa Rosa. So then what. Don’t know. Want to follow wine to some other place and shape. Where. Of course this writer’s mind goes to Monterey. Teaching at the university, possibly, or one of the something like five community colleges down there. Just thinking of course, but this time aloud and to Alice. Mother of my little beats.
Again taking out Didion’s Magical Thinking ms and thinking of making it a reading assignment for me. Put self back in school. Learn how to do all this over, all over, again. Be a student, have a devoted collection and stack of pages. This day off I’ve been only twirled and twisted in thought, thoughts. 40…. Challenging self to challenge self more. My life changed on the 29th, and then the other night with everyone here “celebrating” my birthday. Why am I phrasing such in such a way, just where my mind is.
I re-focus and situate on the wine, this Sauvignon Blanc my sister made. At first a but herbal and grapefruit tilted but now with more harmony and love-yell. The wine reminds me to focus more on her, on all wines and songs that are said and singing to me in a moment. Quiet house, me and wine, we talking. Again, no music, just the ebb and pulse and poetry of our personalities, intermingling and interchanging the changing scenes of life and the Now. While Alice and I walked around Spring Lake earlier I saw me at some beach café in Monterey or Pacific Grove and working on some book on wine. On what. The tasting room, walking the vineyard as I always do, meeting people from wherever and they commenting on my “impassioned speech on terroir” as one guy put it yesterday. Everything wine. Everything wined in all days, down there, by Monterey. I see my writing spot, and I think SINGULARITY. And then, wake up earlier! Yelling to self before another sip, the SB now taking on more a vanilla or cream or soft silky melon-meant voice. Not sure how to explain it.. but the shift in narrative for the wine is there. And who knows if my sister meant for this to happen.
After 4 in this day, this day that’s by all frames and decisions mine and for what I want to do, but wine has other ideas. Taking last sip and putting plastic stemless bowl back to tile and me stopping. What do I want, what do I really want to do as that one tasting room manager urged me to consider and meditate as he dismissed me from duty. Something for which I was and am SO grateful. So what do I do. What does wine want? As Joan cited, life can change and stop in a blink, a breath, an instant, a turn. Turning to what, I don’t know. I just know I have to perpetuate some peregrination of self, of me, who I think I am or want to be.
From left eye’s left corner, I see some table cover, one thin and paper and screaming 40 YEARS or something flaps and moves up and down. I know, I know… I need move faster. Holy fuck, I’m forty. The SB calls me from the counter over there by the coffee maker. Another, think more about Monterey, extend days by waking earlier so when you walk into that office you have no “expectations” as everything you wanted to do with the day you’ve already done. Write.. Write MORE.
6/3/19
5/31/19
Learning that there are not many places to take my teaching practice. The only option, truly, is to start a school or some writing and reading camp or cove of my own. This morning my meditation is curved, or cracked, something. Mood, off. Writing yesterday but only in Kerouac journal, at lunch. Today, cannot let self eat out. Need to work. Plan for this writing seminar or set of seminars I want to teach.
Putting everything into this new education project. And I’m not touting or boasting, advertising that I’m some writing and reading expert. But, I have taught for a bit now, and have ideas to share. Anymore that’s what teachers should incorporate into their classroom presence, that they’re sharing ideas and not telling students what to do. Self-discovery, yes, but just following thought pursuit, Human curiosity. Wondering why so many that are technically teachers want to be the one in charge, the one with all the answers rather than practice understatedness in their statements and lectures.
Made a couple more additions to document. My character evens, balances, rights itself. Educating self through this Now, this experience, this breath and intersection of intention and realization. Telling self that knowledge is where I am, where I’ll forever be. Remembering everything taught by Dad, Bob Coleman, and only a handful of instructors that contributed something true and truthful to my story.
Music in everything. Even the time, much I loathe it. 8:33…. Only aim for today, points of learning, education, where I learn and ideas I want to, WILL, share with students, anyone taking one of my online courses or seminars.
Journal writing… Wrote one point for class. Keep self in learning mode, more than teaching. Reject teacher moniker, embrace the book carrier, pen mover, class to class goer.