Today’s Quest: A Search for My Muse

Posted: July 19th, 2010 | Filed under: Ruminations | No Comments »

My friend David Leibson, a well regarded professor at U of L Law School, tells this tale on Bob Heleringer, a former student of his.

Heleringer is a hail-fellow-well-met, a former Kentucky legislator and very funny fellow.

After the professor greeted his student who entered his office, Heleringer proceeded to rifle through the documents sitting on Leibson’s desk, picking up papers, looking underneath, then setting them back down.

“Mr. Heleringer, may I ask whatever you are doing?”

“Searching for a point or two. I really could use a better grade on my exam.”

I too am now a seeker in need.

At Heine Brothers on Frankfort Avenue on a blistering Monday afternoon, searching for my muse.

If only Bob Heleringer were here to make me chuckle.

Lady Inspiration has been MIA for awhile. Where is it that she goes periodically? On vacation? To nestle across the river on Bob Hill’s desk? To the Upper Peninsula for vacation to avoid the humidity?

Perhaps she’s lurking over here by the railroad tracks. Or so it seems reasonable.

Which is why I’m nursing a cup of decaf and pecking away at my MacBook in the company of nine others, also taking advantage of free wireless and fair trade joe.

Anyway, I’ve written this far already. That’s a good thing.

Whether it’s of any consequence is yet to be determined?

That determination, I’ve long since learned, has little to do with how many, if any, of you eventually read this onanistic little essay? There are so very many of us fighting for your attention on the internet that any blogger of minimal emotional health realizes — or should realize — that page views do not self esteem make.

Short interlude to check email.

I’ve just received my weekly printout from Facebook. It advises that the monthly active users for my Page (Culture Maven c d kaplan) increased by 51.2% last week. That the total number of fans increased by 3.1%. Page views are up 14.3%.

Cut to clip of Sally Field accepting her Oscar, “You like me, you really really like me.”

Now, back to reality. Actually, the proof of value here will come when I stop typing and start reading. Will my sentences make sense? Will they be full with logic and perception? Will I have at least somewhat artfully considered and described some realization that has value in its statement.

Lord, I hope so. Don’t want this to turn into the type of dialog you might hear amid the cacophony in “Inception.”

It’s not that there isn’t a lot going on. Politically, there’s the whole Tea Party movement. Environmentally, there’s the BP negligence in the Gulf and the devastation resulting in the Gulf. In the world of entertainment, there’s the contemplation whether Lady Gaga is a worthy successor to Cher and Madonna or not?

Then there’s that novel I’ve been giving lip service to for several years now. And the opus that would be an enumeration of all the musical acts and anecdotes I’ve seen and heard.

We’ll see.

What I do know is this. The coffee worked. That the wireless connection here is a bit slow has been beneficial. (Can’t surf, must write.)

Maybe this will be read. Maybe it won’t.

What’s important, frankly, is that it’s been written.

My fingers haven’t cramped. My mind has thawed somewhat. The sentence make some sense.

And I swear I just saw Lady Inspiration slip in the backdoor for a latte. She’s already gone like a wisp.

Perhaps she’ll be here tomorrow.

Hope so.

I intend to be.

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