later, he is visited by an interrupting starfish

bobby burgess has a talk with his younger self:

i guess i'd kneel down to myself and be like, "ok, listen. no, listen. sit still. stop that. stop that. stop that. bobby, stop that. this is important. look at me. are you listening? ok, remember how you liked mint chocolate chip ice cream? why don't you eat it anymore? that's right: it starts tasting like nothing if you keep eating it over and over. see, some feelings feel good and some feel bad, but you need both so that they contrast. i don't know. it's like, you have to get hit in the face by the tire swing to know how good not getting hit in the face by the tire swing feels. yes, i know it's confusing. but about running around in the backyard like an airplane, it's fun for a while, but it fades to the point where it's like painting the same colour upon the same colour. think of pleasure as a liquid, and think of yourself as pouring it into a bucket that has a bunch of holes in it. it seems like good feelings don't last unless you work to make them last--regenerate them in some way. you know, find different sources to keep the bucket from being empty. otherwise, you'll get bored and whine lots and lots and stomp your feet and throw things and growl and sleep lots. oh, instead of 'boredom', you can look smarter by calling it 'ennui' but you'll learn that later, since you like to browse the dictionary so much. and brush your teeth, and don't only look for the facts that support your preconceptions."

9 Comments

By toxiclabrat on February 24, 2002 3:51 AM

Jeez, I'm old.
I thought Bobby Burgess was the male dancer on the Lawrence Welk show...
Or is he the guy who helped to write: "I wonder what she's doin' tonite?"
Am I at least close??

By brandy on February 24, 2002 4:22 AM

rock on. i suppose a conversation with my younger self might follow suit. we should get this guy writing for Small Spiral Notebook. *here's my card* ;) http://www.smallspiralnotebook.com/

By undertoad on February 24, 2002 7:04 AM

i think that eloquent must be your middle name...

By kd on February 24, 2002 7:11 AM

you know, the name bobby burgess does sound familiar, toxic. however this is a 20 year old guy that writes a great weblog, probably no relation.

By paige on February 24, 2002 8:32 AM

That's some wisdom right there. Has he written a book yet?

By say-say on February 24, 2002 9:16 AM

Ah. Nicely said.

By kd on February 24, 2002 9:58 AM

well, he did actually wite a novel during NaNoWriMo -- i have it printed out but haven't gotten all the way through it.

yes, i think this kid is going to be a great novelist someday, the first time i found his weblog i read the whole thing. all the way back to the beginning. blew me away.

By Mig on February 25, 2002 7:19 AM

didn't he write "Clockwork Orange"?

By katie on April 13, 2002 5:33 AM

Actually Bobby Burgess was a Mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club and is now a ballroom dancer, I think. ;)