My favorite part: "If somebody has bad memory problems, they’ll still notice if you’re impatient with them. Even if you’re still being polite while you’re being impatient so you think you can technically get away with it. Everybody notices when you’re impatient with them, so if you do feel impatient, take a break and find a way to keep it to yourself. They might miss a lot of other social cues but being able to tell when someone else is irritated with you is about one of the last things to go. Anyhow what do you have to do that’s so goddamn important? What’s the rush? It’s senior living, there’s no need to rush. You’re not a doctor or a fireman; you can wait a minute."
Noting how you put the wrapping-it-up moral of the story in the second-to-last paragraph and then a small and technical but somehow fatalistic-sounding detail in the final paragraph so I can steal that structure later.
Its nice to have a little sample of good writing in my inbox popping up all the time whether I want it or not.
I just really enjoyed reading this, thank you for writing it and sharing it. Lots of good sentences and paragraphs here. I too, like a clean floor and dislike the entire WetJet product line.
I adored this entire thing, top to bottom. Also, when I read this?
“I think people feel that it looks lucky, like the building has a lot of luck to it.”
It made me realize that if you haven’t read it already, I think you’d revel in Carl Sandburg’s *Rootabaga Stories.” https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27085
Okay, Jack Benny, I’m going to give it to you . . . this subject dearly needed addressing. And you are the fresh pink 39 year old to do it! I have at least 3 vacuum cleaners, the upright, the hose one, and a hand-held battery pack. But I still use the Swifter the most, bc let’s face it, vacuuming is a drag. And there’s all these machines because “messes” in corners and crevices are tricky and distinctive.
In fact, sometimes I just get on my ancient knees with a rag, because it is the fastest thing I can do, and it brings back memories of how i was taught to clean a floor! It used to be that if you were Irish, you knew how to clean, and you did so for other people.
Some years ago you published a lovely brief piece on Gustave Caillebotte's Les raboteurs du parquet. It was so simple and touching, and really stuck with me. This sweet piece is making me think warmly of that one: a joy as always to see and feel the throughlines in your work!
Keeping someone company on the floor and hiding one's impatience with memory troubles. So beautiful. This advice to yourself that reveals things you're figuring out....I love it!
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing people that swiffer wet is as good as swiffer dry
ooooo, you vixen of controversy!
My favorite part: "If somebody has bad memory problems, they’ll still notice if you’re impatient with them. Even if you’re still being polite while you’re being impatient so you think you can technically get away with it. Everybody notices when you’re impatient with them, so if you do feel impatient, take a break and find a way to keep it to yourself. They might miss a lot of other social cues but being able to tell when someone else is irritated with you is about one of the last things to go. Anyhow what do you have to do that’s so goddamn important? What’s the rush? It’s senior living, there’s no need to rush. You’re not a doctor or a fireman; you can wait a minute."
My favorite, too.
Noting how you put the wrapping-it-up moral of the story in the second-to-last paragraph and then a small and technical but somehow fatalistic-sounding detail in the final paragraph so I can steal that structure later.
Its nice to have a little sample of good writing in my inbox popping up all the time whether I want it or not.
This is so wonderful: unsentimental and heartbreaking all at the same time.
I just really enjoyed reading this, thank you for writing it and sharing it. Lots of good sentences and paragraphs here. I too, like a clean floor and dislike the entire WetJet product line.
I adored this entire thing, top to bottom. Also, when I read this?
“I think people feel that it looks lucky, like the building has a lot of luck to it.”
It made me realize that if you haven’t read it already, I think you’d revel in Carl Sandburg’s *Rootabaga Stories.” https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27085
Okay, Jack Benny, I’m going to give it to you . . . this subject dearly needed addressing. And you are the fresh pink 39 year old to do it! I have at least 3 vacuum cleaners, the upright, the hose one, and a hand-held battery pack. But I still use the Swifter the most, bc let’s face it, vacuuming is a drag. And there’s all these machines because “messes” in corners and crevices are tricky and distinctive.
In fact, sometimes I just get on my ancient knees with a rag, because it is the fastest thing I can do, and it brings back memories of how i was taught to clean a floor! It used to be that if you were Irish, you knew how to clean, and you did so for other people.
Some years ago you published a lovely brief piece on Gustave Caillebotte's Les raboteurs du parquet. It was so simple and touching, and really stuck with me. This sweet piece is making me think warmly of that one: a joy as always to see and feel the throughlines in your work!
Keeping someone company on the floor and hiding one's impatience with memory troubles. So beautiful. This advice to yourself that reveals things you're figuring out....I love it!
Love your writing so much. Am delirious with sleep deprivation because of a new golden retriever pup but your work always makes me smile.
Come for the beautiful writing, stay for the obviously spot-on completely correct vacuum and Swiffer-takes.