THE MODERN HIDALGO: Entry_002Chores, John Hughes, and Shoes. And other stuff.
Written: Thursday. July 4, 2019.
Alright. Same as yesterday’s entry: I’m gonna give a word we wouldn't normally encounter in conversations, but see it every once in a while written in books. Most authors, especially back in the 20th century, were prolific on using unusual words to describe a scene, or a person, or a thing. Maybe because back then, and I’m just speculating here, most editors wanted their writers to use such smart words so that hopefully their books would get picked up by readers. And back then, there were a lot of writers in the industry. And I mean a lot of writers, who were writing novel after novel, that the market was getting an over-bloat of new book titles every single month. I guess back in those days, people were just more inclined to hit the grinding stone (typewriters) every single day, to produce columns, if not chapters, of stories/literature.
Maybe it’s the feel of the typewriters that gets them going. Or the organic sounds the contraption makes whenever you hit a letter or have to move the paper in order to make an “enter”. I dunno. I've never used a typewriter before. I guess I’ll buy one in the future, and look back on this entry. And say to myself, “so that’s what it feels like”.
The word is Belligerent.
- angry and aggressive: feeling or showing readiness to fight.
- fighting a war: engaged in a war.
Full Definition:
- waging war; specifically : belonging to or organized as a state at war and protected by and subject to the laws of war.
- inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness.
- All of these are from Merriam-Webster by the way.*
I’m not a big fan of following the rules. Checking every box on the Check List. Or listening to what I’m told.I picked this word for today, because I feel like I’m Belligerent. I’m fighting a war, in a lot of many ways. Mostly an internal war against myself. But also a war against outside forces that I find hard to control. I’m not a big fan of following the rules. Checking every box on the Check List. Or listening to what I’m told.
I’m Belligerent. And that’s okay. It keeps me going.
Today started off a bit different than usual. As I just finished reading a chapter of a book I was reading (Glory Lane, look it up…I’ll wait. I mean it.) my father knocked on our room and asked for help on something.
A few seconds before that, I heard him speaking in a loud tone against my mom. Something about her not dividing the household tasks to the both of us (me and my brother), which is causing her to get over-fatigued, and with her age, she’s developing pains that most old people get to experience.
So I went down, and my dad told me to get the washing machine out of the back of the house and out in front, where laundry is mostly done. And so we spent the morning doing his laundry.
I didn't like it at first. I mean, I still don’t like it. Laundry is such a white noise kind of a task, that it’s just something people have to deal with every week, and not really something to think about so much.
But with doing it, and experiencing doing it legitimately (because the times I did it in the past were not really valid because I was very young back then and didn't care about that kind of stuff), it made me realize that it’s another thing that I could do, so that I could prevent myself from spending time just by myself, thinking of things that would only get me into an anxiety level state. So overall, I’m gonna add it to my schedule.
By the end of doing it, I felt exhausted. Like my arms were heavy, my body was heavy, and I just wanted to lay down in my bed, in order to gain back some lost energy.
And so I did.
When I woke up, I felt fulfilled for the day. But also, it felt like my day hadn't started yet. Because I hadn't done my daily tasks yet. And I just felt so incomplete, that it haunted me.
My mind was telling me to get my ass out of bed and do it.
I guess the power nap worked.So I went and did my tasks, just not chronologically, as I've listed it back in the previous entry.
- I transcribed a chapter of my old writings, first.
- Then I watched a TV series episode
- After that, I got into my exercise.
- Then I wrote a daily anecdote.
- And then last was watching another episode.
I honestly thought that I wouldn't be able to make it as far as doing my exercise routine, because I had already spent my energy on doing the laundry. But I guess the power nap worked, and I managed to get everything done within the day.
It’s night time, by the way, as I’m writing this down. Although this entry would go live by 5:00 am the next day. Perfect time to start the day. Perfect time to read a daily journal.
What I’m gonna do next after finishing this journal entry is I’m probably gonna finish reading the book I’m currently reading (Glory Lane. Look it up! It’s a…well, I’m not sure if it’s a good book or not yet. I’ll share my thoughts once I finish the book. It sort of has a John Hughes vibe, but with aliens and intergalactic wars, space shopping, and questions about the meaning of existence. Yeah, that old chestnut.)
I just only still have enough energy left. And then tomorrow’s a new day.
Although tomorrow, I’ll be traveling again to my friend’s place. We have a student short film to shoot. So that’s gonna be something to write about.
I almost forgot.
Awhile ago, my dad and I went to this old man living in the streets. Cause my dad claims that he fixes beaten down shoes. And when we got to the old man, who was just about to start an afternoon nap, my dad asked him if he could fix my rubber shoes.
I have two pairs of shoes. One is a Columbia hiking shoes, which I got back in 2015 from a cousin of mine who lives in another country. The other one is an “Adidas” pair. Class A. Bought at Farmers Market for like 750 pesos. I use the “Adidas” pair for my morning walks, but the soles got busted up, and I haven’t been able to do my walks for days now because of it. That’s why we went to the old man.
He immediately told us that he couldn't do it because his glasses were broken, or gone, one of the two. And that he wants to do it, but can’t because he wouldn't be able to see what he’s doing without his glasses. Also to do it so that he gains some money to buy a meal for the day.
But he didn't know the grade of his eyes, so we ultimately left him. But as we were walking back to our house, my dad comes up with the idea of going back to the old man later in the day, after we've done the laundry, to help him get a new pair of glasses. He would join us to Quiapo, where most glasses are made, get his eyes checked, and receive a new pair of glasses, so that he could start fixing shoes again.
The context of the idea, even though it was obviously a good thing to do in the situation, was so unorthodox to me. Mainly because I've never openly done such a thing. What made me hesitate was the thought that there was a chance that when the old man gets his eyes checked, that the eye-doctor would find something severe, like cataracts or something like that.
The question I asked my father was that “what would we do if that happens?” Are we suddenly obligated to treating this old man’s eye problem, if the case had gone to that?
The other thing that made me hesitate was my father’s insistence on doing the good deed, but that we would video it and post it on-line, to hopefully go “viral” with our “act of kindness” towards this old man.
It made me question the whole thing, in general.
Although tomorrow, I’ll be traveling again to my friend’s place. We have a student short film to shoot. So that’s gonna be something to write about.
I almost forgot.
Awhile ago, my dad and I went to this old man living in the streets. Cause my dad claims that he fixes beaten down shoes. And when we got to the old man, who was just about to start an afternoon nap, my dad asked him if he could fix my rubber shoes.
I have two pairs of shoes. One is a Columbia hiking shoes, which I got back in 2015 from a cousin of mine who lives in another country. The other one is an “Adidas” pair. Class A. Bought at Farmers Market for like 750 pesos. I use the “Adidas” pair for my morning walks, but the soles got busted up, and I haven’t been able to do my walks for days now because of it. That’s why we went to the old man.
He immediately told us that he couldn't do it because his glasses were broken, or gone, one of the two. And that he wants to do it, but can’t because he wouldn't be able to see what he’s doing without his glasses. Also to do it so that he gains some money to buy a meal for the day.
This old man was thin. He had no home. Literally living in the streets.So when he said no to the request, my dad told him that he’s willing to buy a new pair of glasses, and asked him if he knew the grade of his eyes. So that we would just buy him the glasses and return, for him to get to work on the shoes.
But he didn't know the grade of his eyes, so we ultimately left him. But as we were walking back to our house, my dad comes up with the idea of going back to the old man later in the day, after we've done the laundry, to help him get a new pair of glasses. He would join us to Quiapo, where most glasses are made, get his eyes checked, and receive a new pair of glasses, so that he could start fixing shoes again.
The context of the idea, even though it was obviously a good thing to do in the situation, was so unorthodox to me. Mainly because I've never openly done such a thing. What made me hesitate was the thought that there was a chance that when the old man gets his eyes checked, that the eye-doctor would find something severe, like cataracts or something like that.
The question I asked my father was that “what would we do if that happens?” Are we suddenly obligated to treating this old man’s eye problem, if the case had gone to that?
The other thing that made me hesitate was my father’s insistence on doing the good deed, but that we would video it and post it on-line, to hopefully go “viral” with our “act of kindness” towards this old man.
It made me question the whole thing, in general.
Are we gonna do it because we insist on doing it? Or are we doing it for clout?Ultimately, we didn't end up doing it anyway…
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