Subject: Chat with Miriam Carothers
From: Miriam Carothers <m.w.carothers@gmail.com>
To: barriticus@gmail.com

Miriam: how's Texas?
me: very Texasy
Miriam: warm at least
me: nope
me: going to snow today
Miriam: erm....
me: meanwhile all kinds of disastrous things have been going down at my apartment, I've had to make three calls this morning alone to put things in order
me: had to institute a ban on drinking
Miriam: I'm plastered. Got 5 daysoff and can't be productive.
Miriam: Who is in the apt?
me: had to ban Melvin
me: Christopher, publisher of Scallywag and Vagabond
me: Andy
me: this Scott kid
Miriam: goodlord.
me: Melvin kept coming over and starting trouble
Miriam: mahem at casa Barrett.
Miriam: i lurve living alone
me: Christopher was all beside himself as usual because Scott was late formatting some articles
me: apparently it's all resolved now
me: Andy seems to have gotten a job
Miriam: you have a little colony of Barrett werker bees?
me: yep
me: unfortunately
Miriam: how industrious ofyou.
me: basically, trying to recover my losses
Miriam: with a bunch of weirdos that you turn into slaves?
me: which means arranging it such that the magazine brings in a couple thousand dollars next month
me: which means in turn
Miriam: how doyou know Andre Granger? I dated him for 3 seconds in high school. weird.
Miriam: Andrew
me: juggling all of these various wacky elements and people
me: Granger?
Miriam: 1 half of Andrew Andrew
me: oh
me: actually met them at a Brooklyn Fashion Week after-party Christopher put on
me: earlier this year
Miriam: sweet
me: they're not gay?
Miriam: Well he is now.
Miriam: whoops
Miriam: ha ha
me: well done
Miriam: tee hee. kids....
me: today I have an estimated seven hours to work on book, thank God
me: before holiday obligations kick in
Miriam: Never been to Texas. you're not puttering around down there?
me: trying to avoid as many obligations as possible
me: basically, next week will decide my future
Miriam: how so?
me: insomuch as that half of book remains to be done
Miriam: ah.
me: either it will be an incredibly well-received book or a better-than-mediocre book
me: depending on how I proceed
Miriam: Do you enjoy the communal living?
Miriam: Sounds disruptive.
me: couldn't get shit done on it due to constant chaos
me: I do not, no
me: I'm stuck with it
Miriam: live alone yo.
Miriam: muy bueno
me: no way of accomplishing that right now
Miriam: what is this book about? I try to followyour blogishness but sound like alot of erm..well, you are quite articulate.
Miriam: I'mjust retarded.
me: book is about how our nation's global power status is crumbling due to the failures of the media, particularly the pundit class, like Thomas Friedman, Charles Krauthammer, and other Pulitzer-winning columnists who get things wrong all the time
Miriam: Thomas Freidman was all high and mighty with Maureen Dowd post inside job.
Miriam: Miss those op ed days...
Miriam: sigh.
Miriam: tear.
Miriam: very groovy Mr. Brown
me: so, big plans?
Miriam: huh?
me: for, like, Christmas?
Miriam: no.
Miriam: Me and my lovelycats.
Miriam: I have shotgun shell lights.
Miriam: you?
me: family traditions and whatnot
Miriam: My ex swiped my phone. Very despondent.
me: have like 30 family members here
Miriam: Notsure what to do.
me: I see
me: recently?
me: probably start by getting an order of protection
Miriam: Yah. My family tiny and half lives in London. Very disjointed.
Miriam: You arethe 7th person to tell me this
Miriam: ugh
Miriam: I'm dwinking at noon instead. Wow, 30 people. That soundsfestive.
Miriam: where does Andrew werk now?
me: Petite Marchet (sic)
Miriam: oh. The old joint. They took him back. Good.
Miriam: i used to work next door.
Miriam: that's good.
Miriam: Honest work.
Miriam: So, half done with the book. Sounds epic.
Miriam: Let's totally crash that randomparty on the 29th.
Miriam: Some German fashion designer. He met me on the street and thought I was fab. Any plans for new years night?
me: none whatsoever
me: New Years is for amateurs
Miriam: no shit
Miriam: what time do you arrive on the 29th?
me: not till 11:00 pm
Miriam: oh well.
me: I'm including the entire set of lyrics to Immigrant Song in the chapter on Led Zepplin
me: sorry
Miriam: freak
me: chapter on Charles Krauthammer
me: I have no choice
Miriam: Clearly.
Miriam: so when do we hang?
me: possibly 29th
me: or some evening afterward
me: I'm going to try to get this thing mostly written such that I'll have time by my return
me: I've figured out a good way to do this
me: I am going to err on the side of surrealism
Miriam: huh?
me: each remaining chapter will be bizarre
Miriam: You're more of an absurdist my dear.
me: I COME FROM THE LAND OF THE ICE AND SNOW FROM THE MIDNIGHT SUN WHERE THE HOT SPRINGS BLOW
me: HAMMER OF THE GODS
Miriam: tee hee
me: WILL DRIVE OUR SHIPS TO NEW LANDS
me: FIGHT THE HORDE
me: SING AND CRY
me: VALHALLA I AM COMING
Miriam: shaka laka shaka laka....
Miriam: You need to listen to the Replacements.
me: My last roommate had a CD
me: of theirs
Miriam: WE ARE THE SONS OF NO ONE BASTARDS OF YOUNG.
Miriam: how many roommates are ther now?
Miriam: Contemplating venturing out and buying a phone.
Miriam: Merry Fucking Christmas Miriam!
Miriam: My friend Azusa has to call my dad to tell him I'm ok and to meet me at this restaurant tomorrow night. Good lord.
Miriam: So no bueno.
me: That's a shame
Miriam: My family wants this person to go away. They are livid.
Miriam: whatever, just venting. sorry.
Miriam: Are you at your paren't house?
Miriam: parent's
me: My mom's
me: Or rather her husband's house
Miriam: oh. Do you have siblings? Did I ask you this already?
me: half-siblings somewhere