I am reading a book entitled 'The Outlander' by Gil Adamson.
From the back cover:
"In 1903, two vengeful brothers and a pack of bloodhounds track a mysterious young woman across the western wilderness. She is nineteen years old. Half mad. A widow by her own hand. "
So I haven't washed in a week, other than my teeth because that can lead to tooth decay an irreversible dilema.
I have washed my hands and face, but haven't bathed. Getting that western wilderness unwashed feeling. I have been working solitaire at home alone, my daughter enjoys her own brand of deshelvelment and my husband has a dull sense of smell. It's deep winter so when I go outside I wear a big parka and a talk neck tube scarf and a hat, so I figure my smell is contained besides it's breezy outside and I am accompanied by my dog who I can blame for any escaped stench.
I am enjoying the sameness each day of putting on the same clothing as the day before. Today on Fashion Television there was a feature discussing the 'uniform' of different designers, often a black tee and dark jeans. Einstein had a uniform of suits and John Cage had a uniform of denim. My uniform is khaki and olive greens and grays, my favorite neutral. It is very nice not thinking what to wear and the familiarity of the same clothing each day. I am also reminded of cartoon charactors like Nancy and Tin Tin. It is sort of a vacation, a mini sloth experiment, a fermentation.
I do have a social occasion coming up this Friday and in honour of this I will bathe throughly and put on fresh clothing. I haven't decieded if I will launder the clothing I am wearing or come up with a new 'uniform'. Something to be said for relaxing the hygene routine. Saving resourses, water, and realizing how long it takes to get stinky. I am looking forward to the newness of getting clean and know I will really enjoy that.
Books do not come with odour, other that that discribed. Rumbled and relaxed. Mind on other matters and an empathy for the charactors riding horses, living rough. Who says one needs to book a vacation to take one. Austerity as vacation rather than opulance. Experiences and experiments that are accessable to get into the skin of a fiction charactor to test limits and elements and to choose to stop. Social conventions challenged. Exploration in daily routines.
Just thought I would share my enjoyable some what malodorous state.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I love it! I know sometimes on Sundays I decide to skip a shower and it's so freeing. Maybe it's the fact that it takes me soooo long to get showered /dressed / looking presentable (despite the fact that I'm actually very low maintenence, just a slow-mover I think)...I don'tknow...I just love those Sundays when I roll outta bed and I'm ready to go.
The Outlander has the plot and the complex characters which make this a page-turner of the highest order. It is a true wonder novel. In my opinion, the first three books, and perhaps even the fourth book, are among the greatest achievements of the romance and time travel genres.
Great novel. I read this book only once. I will going to read it again. I also think all four books are of greater achievements.
Post a Comment