August 14, 2004

• TOPIC: BOOK PROMOTION

  
  

  I had an hour-long conversation with my mom about what I’m doing with my life.  I’ve known for a while that she has some concerns about me not having a stable 9-5 job, with a stable salary, apartment, cell phone, etc.  But, for the first time, we actually had a conversation about everything, and that alone, was a very good thing.

  
  

  One thing I realized is that my mom has been struggling with being able to describe to people what exactly I’m doing.  And I remembered a lesson I learned a year ago when I first tried to convince my parents that going to South Africa was a good idea, that “I need to first understand myself, before I can convince others of what it is I’m doing.”  So, with that philosophy in mind, I had to figure out exactly what I’m doing, so I could help my mom come to grips with the same thing.

  
  

  So, for the next couple of month, I’m promoting my book, College Daze.  That, basically, is my job, and I actually hope to make some money doing it too.  Giving my mom that, helped her a lot, and she actually began to work from there to understand more of my complex and long-term plans. 

  
  

  So…i’m now back home in Long Island, with 9 people staying at my house, a few Israelis, Aussies, and a Brit.  It’s a nice transition from camp to still have my good friends with me, although excited to be alone in 2 weeks time to put the finishing touches on my book and get out to St. Louis to begin promoting my book.

  
  

  But this whole exercise with my mom is probably another book in itself.  It showed me the need for balance in people’s lives.  My mom was looking at other people my age, making $30,000 and living in NYC, and despite their lives being spiritually empty, and even being described by themselves as being dull and purposeless jobs, there is still that sense that, “normal is normal.”  I suddenly feel an even bigger obligation with my book to re-define normal for our culture, because that’s where the real danger is.  Normal education.  Normal jobs.  Normal possessions.

  
  

  I think what will most help my mom get used to the idea of what i’m doing is these people coming and going at my house.  People who just got out of the Israeli army, and are now heading to Central America to hitchhike there for a few months.  People who just finished high school who are flying to New Orleans tom. just to see if it’s as crazy as it sounds.  My 2 friends from college, and a Swede and Welshman, road tripping west, seeing random places like Indianapalis, Mt. Rushomre, St Louis, Iowa, and finally Denver. 

  
  

  The problem is, in my suburban town, you won’t see people like me, even if there are others with wander-lust as some say I have.  The problem is, at the college I graduated from, Washington U. in St. Louis, I wasn’t friends with people who want to freelance or become writers or reform education or save the world or live on couches.  The problem is, there is nobody in my family who isn’t either inside an office or a classroom everyday. 

  
  

  The problem is exposure, which is a problem of media, which is a problem I will in some small way solve with my book.  Exposure to a problem.  Exposure to ideas.  Exposure to solutions.  Exposure to non-normal ways of living, working, and thinking.  Exposure to how you can expose yourself to more thinks.  Exposure to other books for people to read.  Exposure to cultures.  That’s what we lack by doing the normal, by staying in our comfort zones, we lack exposure to other universes that exist right here.

  
  

  Now that i’m free of camp, i hope to be using xanga a lot more, as this is my #1 method of exposing my ideas and my book to people, so, I once again write to those who sort of know me via this online journal world, and those of you who manage to stumble your way here through people’s links or blog rings, and welcome to dansjournal…

  
  

  -dan

  • 2:05 pm
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