The 3rd House
Ear to the ground. What’s the beat, what is the word on the street? Boots on the ground. Let me show you the world through my eyes. Let me show you all my favorite neighborhood haunts. There’s the dive bar, over there, allá. Let’s hop on our bikes and go downtown.
There’s Barry, he’s the local baker. There’s Mary, she’s the local butcher. There’s Terry, they’re the local candlestick maker. Who are the people in your neighborhood? The people that you meet each day. The mailman. The store clerk. The gas attendant. What did they say and how did they say it?
Rolling rolling rolling. Catch ya, later! See you on your way back. The ins and outs. Comings and goings. Messengers on messenger bikes and instant messenger and Facebook messenger. Talking. Chatting. Texting. Rolling around on the floor. Rocking back and forth. Cracking your knuckles. Biting your nails. Wringing your hands. Tapping your fingers. Rocking chair out on the front porch in the sunshine. G’day y’all. Wave hi. Bird songs. Birdcalls. Catcalls. Looking gooood, Rita! Brothers and sisters fighting like cats and dogs. Howdy neighbor. Tweet tweet.
word.
Won’t you be my neighbor? What’s up, doc? Street cred. Standing on the corner, shooting the breeze. Local color. The local yokels. You see that plaza there? That used to be a dirt lot where we played baseball as kids. Small town people. Small talk. Small minds. Rational mind. Natterings.
Talk normal. Talk like a real person. Have a conversation. Do you hear what I hear? The regional dialect. The local accent of the people in your town. Slang. Lingo. Vernacular. Colloquialisms. Inside jokes. The common names of things in a particular region. It might be soda to you, but here we call it pop.
What’s on your mind? What do you say? Say it in your own words. Explain yourself. You are the company you keep. Gossip. Guuuuuuurrrrl, lemme tell you bout it!!!! Let me tell you a little diddy about Jack and Diane. Once upon a time. Storytellers. Tell us that story about the big snowstorm again! School teachers. Sharing ideas. Swap meet. Listening. Learning. Taking it in. Breathing in the details of daily life.
Word around town is that you might be looking for … a neeeew car! Salespeople. Marketers. Advertising. Word of mouth. Exchanges. Trade. Barter. Handshake. Seal the deal. Hi-five. Fist bump. Thumbs up. OK! Back atcha! Snapping fingers. Shuffle the deck. Pick that pocket. Pluck those guitar strings. Shuffling along, whistling a song. Hey, pick up your feet when you walk! Hey, stand up straight! Wow, everybody’s got to get their two cents in, huh? Walk around the block. Cruising along on a Sunday afternoon, top down, with the radio on. Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin’ the scene with a gangsta lean. You may not have a car at all. They say there will be clear skies tomorrow too. Just be thankful for you got.
The street
Blogging
Zines
Journals
Stories
Sheet music
Shared conversations
Singing a song
Walking
Biking
Hiking
Walking the streets
Walking your neighborhood
Seeing the world through your own eyes rather than through concepts, ideologies or beliefs
Direct perception – not blind acceptance
Direct observation – not faith
The difference between the idea of a thing, and actually seeing it for yourself
Daily thoughts and mental processing
Storytelling
Street cred
LOCAL CULTURE
Your local scene
City life
Mundane messages
Telephone calls
Letters
Envelopes and mailings
addresses
paperwork
What do you have to trade?
What is your story!?
What is the story of your character?
What is your personal novel
What is your biography
Where is your voice
What are you saying?
Learn to articulate your experience
Let the local environment transform you
Become a local
Speak the language of the locals
Know the local names of things
Know the local hangouts
Who are you in your town?
How do the big questions matter to the individual
What subjects do you have something to say about?
Walking your talk
Taking your talk out into the street
Hey, I’m comin’ to visit, where you going to take me?
Where are your favorite spots in your area?
I quit my job blowing leaves
telephone bills up my sleeves
Everybody’s been over twice
Paintin’ the walls
throwin’ some dice
leaping up into the air, getting juiced up beyond belief
