Idleness Has Style
Here’s some more from the diary of New Escapologist contributor Dickon Edwards, this time an historical note from 25th August 2004:
I had some actual work due in today. An introduction to a new edition of Jerome K Jerome’s Idle Thoughts Of An Idle Fellow. It’s been out of print for 20 years. The book is effectively An Audience With Mr Jerome and often reads like the transcription of an 1886 stand-up observational comedy routine. One section is titled “On Cats And Dogs”. Jerome K Jerome – the Victorian Eddie Izzard.
The book was written three years before Three Men In A Boat, which instantly made Jerome rich and famous. Idle Thoughts, however, is very much written from the point of view of someone holding down an office day job after surviving bouts of genuine poverty. In the book, this tempers his haughty epigrams comparable with the best of Wilde, with humanity worthy of Dickens.
The publishers of this new edition are suddenly keen to get the book out as soon as possible, given the new trend of Idleness that’s starting to appear in the news. The French bestseller lists are dominated by an anti-work charter, Bonjour Paresse. Italy has held its first National Convention of the Idle, declaring Idleness to be a sign of intelligence rather than a vice. In Britain, Mr Hodgkinson, editor of the Idler, has published a heavily-researched, semi-historical manual, How To Be Idle.
It’s all done with a certain amount of humour, naturally, but there’s some serious points made about idleness as an existential, even political act. In these desperate times of feeling At The Mercy Of Others, whether it’s uncaring employers, politicians or TV producers, a little deliberate idleness can be no bad thing. If there’s nothing one can do about things, sometimes the only option is to indeed do nothing – but on purpose. Idleness should never be confused with default laziness or characterless apathy – Idleness has style.
This marks a special moment for me, actually. It was when I started reading the Idler, catching up — and trying to join in — with that scene. But the reappearance of the Idle Thoughts book probably also nudged me into thinking about a stand-up comedy of the page, leading eventually to A Loose Egg and Stern Plastic Owl (and, one hopes, a third similar volume someday). This post of Dickon’s is a bit smoking-gunnish really.
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Dickon’s Diary at the Centre of the Earth Vol. 1 is available to order here.
Letter to the Editor: The Act of Moving Through the World
To send a letter to the editor, simply write in. You’ll get a reply and we’ll anonymise any blogged version.
With reference to that digital nomads item, Reader C writes:
What resonated most is how they celebrate the imperfect details that form the real story: missed trains, unexpected rainstorms, street food that’s more exciting than Instagram-worthy meals. Those are the moments you don’t plan for, but they shape you more than the postcard-perfect ones.
I also loved the idea of travel as life capital. Each encounter, whether with fellow travellers or locals, builds empathy and understanding. By “investing” in curiosity and connection, you come home not just with photos but a renewed outlook on the world.
It’s a hopeful reminder that even when things go sideways, that twist becomes part of the adventure. It’s not just about collecting places. It’s about becoming more interesting, more resilient, and more open through the act of moving through the world.
In an age where travel has become easier and sometimes more commoditized, this piece brings us back to the heart of wandering: living out loud, staying curious, and knowing that regrets don’t fit when you travel with intention.
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New Escapologist Issue 18 is in the works and can be ordered today for November release.
The Wrong Existence
From Poor Artists by the White Pube:
He never had luck with funding or galleries. He worked in a shop and he told me once that he felt like he’d lost his identity. It sounds over the top but it so thoroughly destroyed the fabric of his existence to live the wrong existence. I get in my head about it, thinking he’d probably still be alive if there wasn’t such a problem with how money is distributed in this country…
The book is about the struggles of wanting to be an artist today. It’s hard to make money, to be taken seriously, to be a full-time artist without a time- and energy-sapping day job.
Mum said I could grow up to be whatever I wanted to be; school said all we had to do was go to university; university said stick together and see where life takes you. Things had not been going to plan, and I was stuck doing an irrelevant job that used up all my time and energy.
It’s hopeful though:
Most artists can’t afford to be artists, and yet, that doesn’t mean you should stop trying. It is probably an irresponsible thing for me to say, but I do believe deep down that it’s worth being skint and free, rather than a bit better off and suicidal.
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New Escapologist Issue 18 is in the works and can be ordered today for November release.
Ease
This is from Julian Simpson’s Cartoon Gravity journal:
[Ollivier] Pourriol talks about ease a lot, the idea that when you’re doing something that you’re good at or that you enjoy, less effort is required. Conversely, if you find yourself putting a lot of unpleasant effort in, you may not be doing what you should be doing. Obviously effort is a subjective idea, because even things we love doing don’t always feel easy, so we need to be conscious of the difference between being challenged and essentially wasting energy.
It’s an example of “do what you like,” one of the genuine escape plans in my book. Simpson and Pourriol make it clear that the ethic can be used at a project-level as well.
Simpson’s whole post is worth a read, actually. It’s not very long and contains a productivity hack he describes as “irritatingly simple but incredibly effective.”
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Treat yourself to a New Escapologist digital edition today. Why not?
Woes Wanted
We have a column in New Escapologist called Workplace Woes. It’s an opportunity for readers to anonymously blow off steam about their jobs, past or present.
In Issue 14 there was the story of an office Halloween Party that went from embarrassing to worse. In Issue 16 there was the story of the boss who stalked his assistant, adding extra spaces after their full stops.
If you’d like to vent your spleen about this sort of workplace shit, please send me your Workplace Woes by email. All stories will be treated with utmost confidence. That’s the whole point.
Please keep them under 200 words (no need for elaborate scene setting: just cut to the chase). Stories can be funny or anger-inducing or a little of both. It’s all good.
It’s always particularly nice to receive Woes from the worlds of retail or hospitality and also outdoorsy Woes (e.g. from farming or the construction industry), but if your story is simply office-based then that’s good too!
The deadline for Issue 18 is the end of August but any latecomers will be saved for future editions.
Thanks everyone. Over to you. Get moaning. Turn the air blue.
Watch Out, Watch Out for Work
This is from On the Clock by Claire Baglin, a short novel about work.
I wrote up my CV and my cover letter with mama’s help, my father read them over but didn’t have any comments. He frowned and added there’s more to life than work, you’ve got to have hobbies, passions, things you do on the weekend, and you can’t let yourself get sucked in, otherwise that’s it. I don’t understand what’s it and my father says again watch out, watch out for work.
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We’ll review On the Clock in New Escapologist Issue 18. Order your copy in print or digital formats today.
Letter to the Editor: We’re Not Perfectly Rational Economic Actors
To send a letter to the editor, simply write in. You’ll get a reply and we’ll anonymise any blogged version.
In response to our post about a Rent vs. Buy calculator, Reader Z writes:
If you want to really get into the weeds on this topic, Ben Felix on YouTube has a few videos on Rent vs. Buy that covers it pretty well.
In the end, renting is usually the mathematically ideal way to go if you invest the difference. However, that last bit of investing the difference is a massive hurdle for us humans. For most people, the forced savings that happens with a mortgage is much more likely to build wealth over time compared to renting due to the discipline required. Even with automatic contributions, it’s easy to reduce those due to some “just this once” reason.
On the other hand, owning a home makes us more likely to spend more on the home to make it the way we want. We also fall into the trap of justifying these upgrades by assuming we’ll get at least as much money back in home equity. At least with a rental, it’s unlikely we’re going to spend thousands on a kitchen or bathroom renovation. Also, due to high transaction costs of selling a home, owning for less than around 9 years before moving can be very expensive.
The outcomes of each option is similar enough that it really does come down to feelings, in a way. Much to the chagrin of economists, we’re not perfectly rational economic actors. Some people truly would be happier with one over the other even if, in practice, they are identical or the other option is better overall. Of course they could also learn to overcome these biases that are limiting them to one choice, but if they’re similar enough, is it worth it? I don’t know.
Side note, but I’ve just bought a home after wanting to rent for my entire life. The main thing that led me to this was that the house was a setup that I really valued, but I could not find a way to rent my way into that situation. I’m not saving anything over renting, but I’m excited to live in a way that I’ve been dreaming of for a long time.
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Hey Z. Congrats on the new home and thanks for telling our readers about that YouTube channel. I strongly relate to what you said about wanting to avoid the trap of justifying upgrades: we had our floor done as soon as we moved in, which I’m glad we did, but it was the first time I felt the pull of that investment logic. It’s certainly something homeowners of an Escapological mindset should look out for.
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It’s the Responsibility
This is funny! Another entry from the diary of New Escapologist contributor Dickon Edwards:
Archway Video offer me a full time position. After much agonizing, I decline. I effectively turn down an enjoyable job in a pleasant part of London, within three minutes walk from my bed. It’s not the money; I could do with the money. It’s not the use of my time which I could be spending on more creative acts; I know all too well that having nothing to do all day often means one ends up doing… nothing all day. Even Mr Larkin continued to stamp library books until he died.
It’s the responsibility. Working full time would mean me locking up at night, and I just don’t trust myself. My accident-prone Frank Spencer side would see to it that sooner or later Something Would Happen. I’d find myself counting the days to being sacked in disgrace. I just couldn’t take something awful happening on my shift. The place is unique. Much of AV’s back catalogue video stock is deleted and irreplaceable. When _Before Sunset_ (“one of the most romantic films ever made”) came out last year, AV was one of the few places one could get hold of _Before Sunrise_, the film it follows up. As you might imagine, many people wanted to watch this first film again. Rather startlingly, it was currently unavailable to buy on any format. Bit of an oversight on the film company’s part, I thought. Possibly something to do with rights. Regardless, the AV video copy suddenly found itself upgraded from Weekly to Overnight, and has been constantly rented out ever since. It can finally get a break soon, as both films are finally released on DVD next month.
Pretty much every paid job I’ve ever had has featured me breaking something, or ruining something, or getting told off constantly. At 18, I worked in an Ipswich video shop. One night, the police called. I hadn’t set the shop burglar alarm properly, resulting in a blaring siren waking up half of Ipswich. Which, as you might imagine, is no mean feat. I had to be driven into town to reset the alarm.
Then there was the time I worked in a convenience store in Bristol circa 1990, which also rented out videos. One day, I unplugged their computer from the mains, in order to plug in the hoover. Result: the computer’s entire video rental records were wiped. It was one of those old ’80s computers that needed to be closed down properly before switching off. I can still remember my tears as I was frogmarched to the filthy shop basement, plunked into a seat and told to wait till the manager arrived. Which he duly did, in a bad red tracksuit. The clothes some people wear when they’re not meant to be at work. He couldn’t sack me; they had trouble getting staff on their wages as it was. But the manager gave me this big pep talk – no, a lesson – about The Trouble With Me. About how I had “a monkey on my back”. Or was it my shoulder? He said, “Some day, you’ll thank me for what I’m telling you now.”
Well, I can’t remember a word of what he said. Just his appalling taste in clothes. That showed him.
Then there’s the soup I spilled on a customer during my shortest ever job. I was a lunchtime waiter in a Suffolk pub. Hired and sacked within one hour.
And then there’s the countless times I was Sat Down and Told Off about The Trouble With Me at Our Price, Hampstead _and_ Holloway branches. More tears.
I recall the time a friend told he’d met one of my erstwhile Our Price colleagues. “I used to work with Dickon, you know,” she said.
Pause.
“Everyone really hated him.”
I really did my best at that job to Get On and Work Hard. And if anyone I used to work with is reading this, I’m sorry if you hated me. I didn’t hate you. What was it I did that annoyed you? Or didn’t do? Perhaps you’d like to tell me about the Trouble With Me. Everyone other employer has. The usual email address.
Then there was the village pub washing-up job where I was attacked by their three small yapping dogs, ripping the bottom of my trousers to shreds. I wouldn’t have minded, but they did it _every day_.
You see, Dear Reader, this is all very amusing for you to read, but I have to _be_ me. This isn’t a sitcom, it’s my life. I’m 34 this year. I think I’ve effectively put the case for me being Unemployable in most normal jobs that other people find so easy to do. You can’t accuse me of not giving the things a go.
Ye gods, what a history of woe. And this is only a fraction of my Record of Employment. The more I think about it, the more I feel the world truly does owe me a living. So the deal I have made with myself is this. I only have the right to turn down a pleasant full-time job if I treat writing like one too. Really, this time. Get up and clock on. Songs, stories, and at least one diary entry a day.
Above all, I know Archway Video could do better than me, and I would feel guilty occupying a position meant for someone else. _I_ wouldn’t hire me to lock the place up at night, so why should they?
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Dickon’s diaries are being adapted for print. You can advance order it on Kickstarter or at the publisher’s website.
Rent vs Buy Calculator
This is an opportunity cost calculator. It assumes that both the renter and the buyer spend the exact same amount of money and compares the opportunity cost of buying vs renting. The comparison is input equated based on the annualised cost of ownership, so the rental investment amounts are calculated as annual cost of ownership minus rent.
Regular readers will know I sat on the fence for a long time concerning the “rent vs ownership” debate when it comes to a place to live. In my guts I think rent best suits the Escapologist: it’s temporary, it involves less responsibility. In recent reality, I’ve come to accept the modern rental market as part of The Trap and I finally came out (reluctantly) in favour of ownership in Issue 17.
But it shouldn’t come down to feelings or morals really. It’s an economic question.
So here, I have found, is a new calculator to help answer the question.
Pleasingly, it was designed by Herman, the fellow behind Bearblog, which I recommended in the “Old Web” column [also] of Issue 17.
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Treat yourself to a New Escapologist digital edition today. Why not?
That’s Exactly Why I Was Sacked
I’ve been reading the online diary of New Escapologist contributor Dickon Edwards from the beginning.
This is for a gig: I’m editing Dickon’s diary for print (and the project is almost fully funded on Kickstarter, so maybe you can be the one who tips it over).
After seeing the classic Mick Jagger movie Performance at a London cinema, Dickon writes:
[They’re showing it] again this Wednesday at 1pm. Tickets are £4 and include a free tea or coffee. I think I’ll go. If I had a day job, I’d phone in sick to attend.
Actually, that’s exactly why I was sacked from an office job in Bristol circa 1993. I felt like seeing a matinee of Groundhog Day far more than going into work. So I phoned in sick and chose happiness for that day. It wasn’t the first time. Come the Monday, I was told to clear my desk. I’d do it again like a shot. I’m fairly certain no one died from insolvency documents not being typed up.
Doubtless some toiling readers will be appalled by that above confession. People tell me, “That’s all very well Dickon, but I have bills, a mortgage and an ungrateful chinchilla to support. I can’t afford to lose my job.” Well, neither could I at that point. But I survived somehow. Once again, life is either a disaster or an adventure. So better make it an adventure.
That’s what I love most about Dickon. A fellow traveller in this regard, he takes a risk sometimes, chooses happiness. And, as he says, we survive somehow.
It’s true that if everyone who was unhappy with their job acted like me, civilisation would collapse at once. But oh, what a party!
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I recommend Dickon’s diary for Escapologists, either through the elegant book we’re working on or through the also-elegant original web pages.
