{"id":6632,"date":"2006-10-12T21:25:35","date_gmt":"2006-10-12T21:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/2006\/10\/12\/catalogue-and-r\/"},"modified":"2006-10-12T21:25:35","modified_gmt":"2006-10-12T21:25:35","slug":"catalogue-and-r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.earthwidemoth.com\/blog\/2006\/10\/12\/catalogue-and-r\/","title":{"rendered":"Catalogue and Rummage"},"content":{"rendered":"\u23f3 Approximate reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> mins<\/span><\/span>

I like the idea of rummaging, of holding things up, turning them over,
\nopening up to surprises and renewed perspective in the ordinary or offcast
\nthing. A rapid-fire what could I do with a thing such as this<\/i>? When I was
\na kid, it was always "rummage sale." "Yard sale" and "garage sale" were less
\ncommon (though not altogether tame). Maybe the rummage sale is a regional
\ncoinage–finding odds and ends (i.e., junk) for sale meant rummaging in the
\nrural Great Lakes vernacular. Just a guess. Disarrangement in the midst of
\nworthlessness or, who gives a damn how it’s spread out on the picnic table.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A rummaging disposition is what sets in when I haven’t blogged for a few
\ndays. Lots of incidental and fleeting topics blink and fade in the fuzzy
\nperiphery of purpose-driven dailiness. I mean that there’s plenty to write
\nabout, but much of the striking minutiae is overlooked, passed by altogether. No
\ndoubt this felt sense is a symptom of my own fluttery rhythms in recent weeks.
\nI’ve read intensely for exams, in bursts of preparation, then laid off, spending
\ntime with other important stuff instead. For better or worse, there have been a
\nfew more lurches in these few weeks than in any semester during the two years of
\ncoursework. <\/p>\n

Catalogued rummage, then, involves the listy-ness of a catalogue with the
\nattitude or stance of the rummager. It provokes and evades the "so what?" rather
\nthan squarely answering it ("I’ll tell you what: the whole set for five
\ncents!"). And then flips a nickel in the air, just in case there’s something of
\nfuture value.<\/p>\n