Greenlake

My dad just sent me a care package of silly camp things including a new book by Louis Sachar called Stanley Yelnat’s Survival Guide to Camp Greenlake. It was a breezy read. I mean, I read Holes in 5th Grade, and this was its gimpier younger sibling. It was a smattering of recap from the book and little short stories about the characters with some unfitting information shoved in. Naturally, I put the book down and immediately asked, “Louis Sachar, why would you write such a stupid book?” I loved Holes. Like, still, I pick it up from time to time and get totally diggin’ on it. So…why follow it with drivel?

I don’t think I’ve ever finished a piece of art. For real not a one. I’ve been published, but I’ve never felt like those poems, essays, whatevers were perfect. I’ve had performances I have been proud of, but there is always room for improvement. I’m not actively working on most of my projects at 90% completion, and sometimes they then have to exist that way forever. My performances now captured on DVD—can’t change those. So, maybe…Louis Sachar wasn’t ready for Holes to hit it big, to become a movie, to become his claim to fame. Maybe he has thought of these snippets he wishes he had added. Maybe he has been thinking about them for ten whole years, and he just couldn’t take it anymore.


LZ 2010--Object Dance-Off

But, it’s like when you’re really in the mood for something to eat. Say quesadillas. But you don’t have tortillas, so you just eat crackers and cheese, but it’s not cheddar. It’s swiss, and that’s not ideal. And now you’re full, but you actually just want the quesidilla, but now, even if you ran out to a Mexican restaurant like you should have in the first place you’re uncomfortabley full of cheese. But, you’re not happy. So you eat the strawberries you were saving. But, that is not settling. So, you eat some chocolates. And a Twizzler. And, then, you just want to puke. And you’ve suddenly downed all your ice cream. And you should have just stuck with the decision you initially made instead of junking it up.

Easy for me to say.

They say the meek shall inherit, you know the book doesn’t lie. It’s not a question of merit. It’s not demand and supply.