Someone spiritually thirsty yet suspicious of religion. I had written my two books for precisely this kind of person. The basic temperament there is Eternal Sunshine of the Idiotic Mind. Silver lining in an overall dark cloud-that’s the basic Austrian temperament. Now you’re working on a novel you don’t even like.” He wiped his hand across his face to get rid of his ornery smile. I’ve always felt you would write that book. I offered him some Zen babble about how the truth can’t be contained in words. “I’ve always felt I will read my way to the truth.” They even iron their shirts before going to the grocery store. European men really know how to stick their sartorial landings. He sat there beaming foully at me, and I took the opportunity to admire his wardrobe: a stylish tweed flat cap and a dark blue sport coat. His eyes were sparkling, but they were also a little angry. “The book I’ve been waiting for my whole life,” he shouted, as though this settled it. He made an Austrian noise, something like a snort and a snarl that signaled disappointment. Now look at you! What are you doing with yourself? Writing a novel?” “You studied with a great Zen master from Japan. Within the hour the first wine bottle was in my recycling bag, empty the second bottle was half empty, and our tongues were loose and tingling. I prepared for his visit by buying a bottle of chardonnay and securing a decanter of my girlfriend’s father’s homemade plum schnapps. I’m not sure what Karl’s relationship with alcohol is, but the two of them seem close. We were sitting in front of a bottle of wine in my Spartanly furnished apartment. There was a glass bedside table between us. Isn’t that strange? Don’t you think that means something?” Just a few hours after my daughter was born. “Your book Zen Confidential was sitting right there on the shelf. “I believe that books find you you don’t find them,” he told me. Then he buzzed his in-laws into the apartment building and headed straight to the nearest Thalia bookstore. He waited for his wife and their new baby to fall asleep. However, he did not drink a glass of wine, play Minecraft, or smoke a clove cigarette. I guess Karl needed to let off some steam after his firstborn splashed out right there on the Ikea rug. When the thing began to happen, Karl bolted out the front door and scoured his apartment complex looking for a doctor. ![]() I recently learned that his daughter was born on his living room rug. He seemed odd and grumpy, like I owed him money, even though we’d never met. I’ve since discovered that saying someone is odd and grumpy is just another way of saying they’re Austrian. ![]() ![]() He wanted to buy me a beer at a famous socialist pub. Two years ago Karl messaged me on Twitter.
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