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If you choose to continue, be warned
That you are missing crucial elements
Of I Am Not's design.

~A Vision of Illinois

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

A Vision of Illinois

Previously:

•The Trip•

We were only in Illinois for two days. I wanted to stay. No, I mean for good- I really do love my grandparents' house. I enjoyed myself just walking back and forth in their house, I love it so much. We didn't do all that much in Illinois, but that's the thing about contentment- it doesn't rely on keeping busy. It didn't take me any time at all from the time we arrived to get settled into "my" room- it really did feel like coming home. I didn't want to go. It was a personal thing, between me and the house. And we had come as a family. We left.

More than a year ago (I can't remember exactly when.), I found out that

my grandparents were trying to sell their house. It's right on a lake,

which never particularly interested me but apparently greatly interests

the tax authority. The yearly taxes are more than my grandparents can

afford. So they've been looking to sell, but the people interested so far

are rich philistines who'd like to tear down this house and build a new

one. They're only interested in the property, they don't care about the

house. Ever since I found out about the house I've wanted to go there

again before it's too late.

…

I have an image in my head of what I'm looking for. I imagine myself in

their living room, with a big piece of white paper on the coffee table.

I'm pacing around the room, with that coffee table in the middle, a pencil

in my hand. And on that piece of paper I'm charting out my next game.

…

There's something appealingly romantic (in the old sense of the word)

about traveling to a place I love, away from all my technology and

friends, to get inspiration for an abstract piece. The thing about

Highland Park is, there's not much to do there. That's the point. Just

me and my art. And maybe some rain out the window. For the weather

it needs to be late in the year, but not too late because my

grandparents go to Arizona for the winter. So I talked to my grandfather,

and he gave me two weeks at the end of November. Two weeks doesn't

seem like enough, but that's what he insisted on (I'm worried he plans

to fill my schedule.), so I'm buying a cheap flight for 23 November.