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CLINIC

PATIENT

DIAGNOSTIC

Patient refers to it as stargate-four-eight

A Demolisher.4

Blackmail.2

 

TOOLSET

INFORMAL FALLACY

 

—Yours? Spoken for?

—Recently released.

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—Home free! No trouble.

Moxie's

Disease

 

Appeals to the Superego — A person needs to balance their capacity to help others with the aims and desires of their own life.

 

NOTES TO MYSELF

PSYCHOLOGICAL AGE

CLASS

[approval & disapproval] - Harping on & on - Resentment - You know they can't be happy acting like that.

The Age of Self-Expression, ages 8-11

Challenges

 

 
 
 
 
 

Exactly what someone said [or did]
... usually not very original.

The thoughts of a "bad child"
... to free your mind again.

TRICKS

WINGS

IDEAS

"GIVE ME THAT COCA-COLA CAN! – ONE, TWO, THREE ..." [Overhearing an eleven-year-old boy threatening his eight-year-old sister]

—Yours? Spoken for?

—Totally destroyed! ... Really punishing! ... What a slurp! What a cherry lifesaver she is! I haven't seen anything that nice in a long time ... WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME THAT, NEIGHBOR HANS? HAST THE DEVIL GOT THY TOE? ... That's pretty heavy, isn't it? Pretty heavy duty ... Nobody smart does anything like that ... THAT'S NOT CRICKET ... It's different ... YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR WAYS ... You have to pay someone ... The Maharishi, 'The Little Man Who Lived With the Monkeys' ... In northern India ... Read The Wolf Man.

"How are you, Sir? ... Are you homeless? ... I'm a Vietnam veteran ... Are you a vet? ... Can you help me out a little bit?"

—Recently released.

Animal kingdoms ... I call that my competition ... I keep changing the court date ... I'm a locksmith ... You can do that for almost a year ... I can pick any lock ... The cops on this side of the country hate the cops on the other side of the country, and the cops on the other side of the country hate the cops on this side of the country ... Did you know that? ... You have to keep making court appearances ... The warrant hasn't come through yet ... My name is Red.

"Make a left turn at the northwest corner of 19th Street."

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—It's just there.

"It's not very good." [Making every attempt to spoil a movie for you]

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—Something unusual.

"The volley of the conversation, as at a tennis match, was all that he took with him. For what he wanted and what satisfied him was the activity of his own mind. This need and satisfaction kept him from becoming truly interested in other human beings, although he sought them out all the time. He was like a travelling virtuoso who performs brilliant set-pieces and departs before coming to know his listeners." (–Delmore Schwartz, The World is a Wedding, New Directions, Norfolk, Connecticut, 1948, page 34)

—Home free! No trouble.

—To the nth degree ... It's a matter of degree ... There are levels of being an asshole ... All a person seeks from their parents, or from a small circle of friends, is warmth, love and affection.

"Thanks." [Sarcastically]

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—Nobody knows their address.

"Who knows? Maybe one day we can be friends."

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—I'm going to see how cold it gets this winter ... to save money.

"Maybe ... it's al-Qa'ida."

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—They're fiends.

"Maybe they try too hard."

—Recently released.

—Would you rather smoke two joints or do your homework?

"You haven't returned any of my phone calls."

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—Don't let anyone blackmail you.

"Let's talk about boundaries."

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—You know, it's native intelligence – One ear back, one sideways ... Art is skill in the outpouring of the human soul.

"Don't you hate back-seat drivers?"

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—It doesn't matter what you do – It's your awareness – Attention, realization, steady-state awareness, consciousness.

"Thanks for the history lesson."

—Home free! No trouble.

—In a thousand years they'll think this is precious.

"Yeah, sure."

—Yours? Spoken for?

—Full force! ... NO TROUBLE!

["Did you make a date with the millionaire? ... with the big fish?"] "Oh, yeah!"

—Home free! No trouble.

—It's not my fault ... I tried.

"Very observant."

—Yours? Spoken for?

—Worse always comes to worse.

"Yeah! I'm too tired to think."

—Home free! No trouble.

—Maybe you were just intuitive.

"You're talking rubbish."

—Yours? Spoken for?

—It's deplorable.

"I know, you feel privileged and honored."

—Yours? Spoken for?

—Many people have.

"Hey, buddy, if you don't apologize to me, you're going to have a serious fucking problem."

—Yours? Spoken for?

That's what I get! ... What did I tell you? ... Well, okay! ... Bus driver's holiday! ... That's all nothing! ... "Oh, sorry, I didn't know ... It looks completely different." ... I'll leave it to you in my will ... Thanks for telling me that ... You don't have to do anything ... I do want to, but I don't want to put up with abuse ... which is a killer! ... After fifty, everything shows up, all the bad things you're done ... They don't want to know they're assholes ... But everyone else is! ... Well, let's let it go.

"You've got to get your emotions under control."

—Yours? Spoken for?

Not completely – There's no drama! ... What's wrong with someone expressing themselves? ... What's wrong with someone seeing what's inside them? ... It's the opposite of what people think ... It's good to feel frightened, to feel hurt, to feel angry -- because then you get a chance to understand it.

"Thanks for the tip."

—Recently released.

—Why suffer?

"Thanks for waiting."

—Recently released.

—That was the best part of the day.

"I think Bethenny has a very serious problem with me."

—Yours? Spoken for?

—It's a very strange town, isn't it? ... There's a half-Saint every two hundred years.

"What a douchebag – He's a real D-bag!"

—Yours? Spoken for?

—Funny you should mention that ... I shit on your monthlies, mom!

"That's not very nice."

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—It's really sparkling! ... It's a nice way to die.

"I'm going to slip out."

—Home free! No trouble.

—Okay! You're on your way.

"Good luck, buddy boy!"

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—Fla-min-go! ... Like a flame in the sk-y-y ... Flying o-ver the is-land ... To my lover nearby.

"Maybe you should consider a career change."

—Recently released.

—Don't ask me to carry any crosses.

"Maybe you want to stay where you are."

—Yours? Spoken for?

—I'm begging for cookies!

"No, I forgot about it, and that was guaranteed to make me feel stupid – Thank you very much!"

—Yours? Spoken for?

—Down deep.

["Hey, Pat, it's Chris!"] (calling Pat on the telephone) "Yeah."

—Yours? Spoken for?

—At least someone has a little life in them.

["Is that a good time to schedule your next appointment?"] "Maybe."

—Yours? Spoken for?

—That must be hard, huh?

"Thanks for the help." [Sarcastically]

—Recently released.

—I'll live.

"Thanks for the advice."

—Yours? Spoken for?

—You're welcome!

"This is going to have to last a long time, a very long time!"

—Yours? Spoken for?

—Frankenstein's notebooks.

"That's very good advice."

—Home free! No trouble.

—It's an old story, right?

"Thanks for nothing!"

—Keep going! Missed the mark.

—I won't worry.

"Don't you feel guilty?"

—Recently released.

—Take a step back.

"You thought I was a good enough roommate when I moved in."

—Home free! No trouble.

—You die if you don't work.

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" [from the store manager behind you, as you leave their crummy store without buying anything]

—Yours? Spoken for?

RIGHT ARM! [Keep right on going, throwing your right arm into the air, as a departing salute] ... NOTHING! ... It's a compensation ... [They're very poor people, pretending they're a star] ... And you don't have to wear fancy clothes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

REFLECTIONS

 
 
 
 
 

03-DEC-1999.

Pataphysics in Berkeley

Things happen fast.* Late Sunday afternoon, just after Thanksgiving, I stood at the intersection of Oxford and Center waiting for the light to change. The dogs stood at my feet, waiting a command. Behind me, and to the left, the second car at the intersection honked its horn at the car ahead, encouraging it to turn right on red.

The light changed. The first car turned right ahead of us. At the same moment I said, "Achilles! Paris! Cross!" and stepped out into the street just behind the lone schoolgirl, who was already crossing. Achilles was two steps ahead, and as I turned to the left to look for Paris, saw the second car coming straight at us. Not exactly. I know the maneuver. The car was going to slice between me and the curb. Except Paris was two steps back.

Instantly, I reversed course, throwing up my hands, and as it continued accelerating, bent my knees slightly and looked down at my feet. JUMP! It was pure fury that took me into the air, and as my body rolled and conformed to the shape of the still-moving car, feet, knees, finally hands slapping down, I reached for something to hold onto ... The car was still moving at five or ten miles and hour and wouldn't stop! ... I had been in a crosswalk, and now we were halfway down the block!

The wiper! I reached out and took hold, and with a diabolical twist, began to bend it. That got the driver's attention. I looked back and saw the dogs slightly ahead of the car, which was finally slowing to a halt.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" I said, through the driver's open window. I had dismounted to the right, and something about the driver's face had frightened me — making me wish for this nonsense to be over.

It would be, I realized, if I got away — So I kept moving, the dogs by my side, crossing four lanes, in the crosswalk, and before the light could change. The schoolgirl, just steps ahead, looked back with a quizzical scowl, so head up, I kept moving.

The way I was raised, you compose yourself before stepping into the public, and taking a brisk stroll though the beautiful University of California campus was a wonderful opportunity. The land near the corner of Oxford and Center is actually a forested reserve, where the North and South forks of Strawberry Creek converge before sweeping under the streets of Berkeley, and into San Francisco Bay.

The river's fate didn't concern us at the moment. The dogs had squirrels to chase, I had an angry driver to avoid, and evening had its darkening dusk, so we marched uphill. I did place my cell phone firmly in my right hand so I could pretend to call 9-1-1 if the guy came after me — It's broken, the battery is loose, I've got to get it fixed.

Continuing up the path, and away from the inner campus street now, I had visions of the guy driving around with his crooked wiper — a wonderful marker. I wondered what he would do next.

For some reason, I didn't hang out by Sather Gate, largely because I had too much energy, so we continued the loop, all downhill from here.

Wow! Looking ahead through the trees I could see a police car, maybe two, and the car with the crooked antenna, or wiper! They got him! An officer started walking up the path toward me.

I pointed at the man and the car, still some sixty yards ahead, and as the policeman reached a comfortable distance, I called out, "I bent his ..." I couldn't think of the word, "... windshield ... wiper!" I repeated it for good measure. "I bent his windshield ..." almost stuttering, "... wiper!"

"Stay right here!" the officer commanded, and continued, "So there was a deliberate crime?"

"Yes!" I said delightedly. "He hit me, and I bent his windshield ..." I couldn't figure out why this made me stutter, "... wiper!"

"So you're saying he hit you, and there was a deliberate crime?" the officer said, almost incredulously.

"Yes!" I said. "I was walking my dogs across at the crosswalk, and I turned back ... " — Here the officer interrupted me —

"You turned back?" he said. "Now you're telling me a different story."

I stopped cold.

He continued, "Do you know we have a leash law here in Berkeley?"

"Do you know if dogs are under voice control, they don't have to have leashes?" I shot back. This wasn't the first policeman to go after my dogs.

"So he hit you, is your story?" Now I knew I was in trouble. "Yes!" I repeated. "The light changed, I saw he was coming after me, so I went back ... " — Here again he interrupted me —

"He was coming after you?" he said incredulously. "Now that's a fifth story!"

"I want a lawyer!" I said, before I could say anything else.

"You aren't being charged with anything, ..." the officer said matter-of-factly, turning toward the lady officer now approaching us, leaving the man with the crooked wiper leaning jovially against the side of his car, "... yet."

"Who called you?" I finally said.

"He did!" the police officer said. "We've taken his statement, and the statements from two witnesses. You vandalized his car."

I repeated my story for the second police officer, who seemed to comprehend me. The original officer simply said, "Now that's a sixth story!" which made me a little angry.

"Listen," I said, going with the flow of my anger, "I've been telling you the same story, so quit lying about it!"

Much later I realized, you can't tell a story backward to a police officer. — They just don't get it. Where I come from, if you walked into the room and announced, "I just bent his windshield wiper!" one of my uncles would have cried out, "And justly so!" and another friend of the family would have declared, "That wasn't very sporting of you, chap!" and they would have all laughed, demanding the story from the beginning.

And somewhere I've seen guys like the driver of that sedan whose hood I had commandeered. The police officer, here in outside physical reality, had gone back to harping about the dogs, " ... if they had had a leash on, you could have pulled them out of the way," he was saying, which struck me as sort of weird. Can you imagine riding the hood of a car, dragging a little black dog along by the neck? It's almost racist.

Why did the officer keep carping on this? "And why didn't you call the dog?" he was saying now.

I looked at him incredulously. I wrote down my statement, read it aloud for the benefit of the lady officer, and handed it to her.

"We're charging you with a Misdemeanor, section 10852," the first officer said, as if he was reading me some forgotten rights. "You have to go into the police station tomorrow and get fingerprinted and booked. Then you have to appear in court on December 27th. Do you understand?"

I tried to remember something about asking for a lawyer. Then I looked at the guy who was just being released by the lady officer, some sixty yards farther down the path. Witnesses? There hadn't been any.

I watched the guy get into the car with the crooked wiper and drive away, with a smug expression, as if the world was his. I remembered the face now, the glazed, crafty eyes — the slow reflexes. In England they call guys like that "chancers." They get all dressed up in tails, as if they had been invited, and totally ignoring the man at the door — treating him like dirt, actually — attempt to crash the party.

It's funny. I'll be appearing in court on December 27th, and the next day, at L'ariosa, my niece will be celebrating her coming-out party. It's real old-fashioned, this being a debutante.

They'll be dancing to slow jazz, calling me "the wiper man."

* "Pataphysics is the science of the realm beyond metaphysics; or, Pataphysics lies as far beyond metaphysics as metaphysics lies beyond physics — in one direction or another." Also, "Pataphysics is the science of the particular, of laws governing exceptions." Roger Shattuck, "Superliminal Note," Evergreen Review 4:13, May-June, 1960, pp. 27, 28.


30-MAY-1999.

Appeals to the Superego (Guilt)

A person has a Superego, an Ego, and an Id.

The Superego is ideals.
Without a Superego, you would be a criminal.
Sometimes the Superego wants to save the world.

The Ego is perception.
Without an Ego, you would be sick.
Sometimes an Ego is swamped with confusion.

The Id is instincts.
Without an Id, you would be dead.
Sometimes the Id is like a crying child.

A person has all three aspects of inner being and needs to balance their capacity to help others with the aims and desires of their own life. When another person activates your superego (which you perceive as feeling hurt, confused, and guilty) you have to understand you can't help everyone, and in some cases you shouldn't even try. You can always attack Appeals to the Superego with good cheer.

—Yours? Spoken for?

—Recently released.

I'm going to tell you the whole secret of life. Other people don't like you because they're too busy hating themselves. Since they don't like you anyway, your job is to make sure you're not carrying any shit. The idea isn't to control yourself; it's to understand yourself.

So imagine you have to take you mother's best friend's daughter out on a date, or even worse, you have a blind date with the reigning Miss Virginia, and everybody knows it — or your girlfriend is going to interview Brad Pitt for some research she's doing. Your stepfather pats you on the back and says, "Good luck, buddy boy!"

Just pay attention. Your emotions will act as an antenna.


26-OCT-2014.

 

Thick
of
It

ShortCuts

Top
of
Page

 

As follows

CODE WORDS: back-seat, boundaries, buddy, career, Coca-Cola, D-bag, district, disturbing, douchebag, emotions, guilty, [homeless], maybe, northwest, [nuisance], privileged, returned, roommate, rubbish, set-pieces, slip, thanks, [threatening], thrown, very, veteran, virtuoso, volley, well-known, yeah

 

XLVIII
Lepus
"Hare"

—Home free! No trouble.