free time and imagination are the most important things to have
Tonight we walked by some super yachts and I was so envious! I had been sailing all day (oh poor me — today was a good sailing day at least, we got to sail! The wind was good and strong and helpful) and I was sticky and hot and my hair was unwashed and I was dressed in shabby sandals and this grey (but rather comfortable, soft) tshirt and when I saw that super yacht I imagined living on that thing. The memory foam beds the air conditioning the laundry service the bathrobes the comfort of lathering on body lotion after a nice warm shower
Lying around in my bed, reading books, getting dinner served to me by a Michelin star level chef
Going to bed having the sweetest dreams
Waking up and going for a morning workout on the treadmill and yoga and showering and lounging in the shade with an ice cold sparkling water and more reading and lunch with a green bean salad and later afternoon tea with little biscuits and then in the evening a little walk in the town (though I wouldn’t imagine being in this town. I would imagine being in a more stereotypical Cyclades island)
I want that. I want comfort. Because I don’t have it right now. There are moments of comfort but the top note of my life is a lot of sweat and sea and sun (burning sun) and sometimes a bottom note of tears.
And then when I got back to our boat I searched for super yacht tour videos to get a visual for my fantasies and I was so disappointed!
!!!
It turns out they are totally ugly on the inside!!! No class whatsoever. No taste.
My imaginations were better!
So to cleanse my palette I watched a video of the orient express and I was so pleased and joyous and inspired
I wanted to read a book set in the orient express so I could have a long fantasy and I have read that famous murder one but now I have found two more to read: James Bond (from Russia with love) and the orient express by graham greene
I look forward to it
I’ve never read a James Bond book before
I heard that it was actually a sort of wealth porn during the Great Depression. People liked imagining the things they didn’t have
Like me now
But I have a lot and I know it
The interior of our boat is gorgeous. It has that orient express classic touch with the cherry wood and the silver-bell lights and the 1920s looking pressure gauge
The aft always reminds me of the orient express too with its very own sink and mirror (our sinks are silver too, these beautiful 20s looking silver sink bowls)
I feel really blessed to be living in a boat that makes me look down on superyachts…
But fantasizing I shall anyway
I think fantasizing is a healthy part of life. It’s an enjoyable part of life.
I don’t actually want to go on the orient express I feel fully happy just imagining it. It’s so convenient to imagine. I can start and stop whenever I want. And I can skip all the tedious bits like getting there
I’ve been reading a Nigerian book about an average boy’s fictional life and I have been enjoying it a lot. The authors voice and humor. And I liked his budding romance. I’m cheering for him and vicariously enjoying those fun things he’s doing that you do in the beginning of love. The texting and philosophy discussions and long strings of emojis
But now I really crave this orient express feeling too
Speaking of imagination I’m curating a playlist to accompany my “read around the world” experience and I’ve decided to choose folk songs or older songs to transport me to those places more clearly and definitely because modern music is so homogenized. Anything after the 80’s is all the same everywhere. Every decade has a sound no matter where you’re from. Sounds conform.
But I enjoy Swiss yodeling. It reminds me of Disneyland. The fantasyland part with the Matterhorn.
I enjoy American jazz music from the 20’s (well I like American music from the 2010’s or so too, America is a music country with many gems for me)
I haven’t decided how I want to go about it yet because say Japan, the really old Japanese music doesn’t transport me anywhere I really want to go.
I want music that takes me somewhere. Like books too. But I want it to take me there so effortlessly. The waves should hit me and take me there automatically. A playlist of music around the world that take me to those places in the most beautiful light. Maybe that’s what it’s about.
For Japan hmm…what decade of Japan do I most want to go to? (It would also be interesting to let the decade be my guide for the books too) ahh one could do this read around the world project many times over and still have something new to discover. There are countries I want more of. Nigeria. Japan. (I’ve had plenty of Japan and I could still get more of Japan) Indonesia. (Though finding English translated Indonesian books is hard)
There are countries I like less. China. (The three body problem — great story but not beautiful writing) Norway.
But on a second try I could find something more suitable I think.
I love this project. It’s not at all some scary chore like it would sound to some. It’s this wonderful exploration and I’m an explorer like Charles Darwin and I’m bringing treasures to my mind. I found out that Nigerian humor is a very particular brand of humor and it’s so witty and clever and poetic and literary and wonderful and imaginative
I haven’t read a single thing today though.
Ok good night.