Nomad Style: An Elegy to the Good Times. A Fairwell to my Friend Katharine Wand.

Series 1: The Farewells. Boccioni, 1911.

"The sixteen people around you in a rolling omnibus are in turn and at the same time one, ten, four, three; they are motionless and they change places; they come and go, bound into the street, are suddenly swallowed up by the sunshine, then come back and sit before you, like persistent symbols of universal vibration."

‘Manifesto of Futurist Painters’, Boccioni, Carrà, Russolo, 1912; as quoted in “Futurism”, ed. By Didier Ottinger; Centre Pompidou / 5 Continents Editions, Milan, 2008, p. 146 (artist quotes, Umberto Boccioni)

Those who Go, Boccioni, 1911.

Buddists believe that stasis is the end of everything. To be without connection to other things or people is freedom. Through meditation, they search for zen, a state of enlightened calm. And I think that in Katharine's world, working as an air steward for Air Transat, the notion of being able to let go, to beginning again and to be constantly looking forward is not only comforting but vital in terms of staying emotional and psychologically intact.

But I am not an air steward. I am not a Buddhist. I am an clingy and notoriously passionate and too often give into the childish impulse of riding the full spectrum of the human emotion. In this moment find myself giving into sadness, descending into melancholy for simply I don't want to let go of my friend. I hate this idea of being left behind. I begrudge my friend for her step towards new direction despite the fact that it is what she needs.

I want her to be around for me when I'm sad, when i want to drink a bottle of wine and smoke a pack of cigarettes and listen to and rhapsodize about art and rap and everything in between until i fall asleep at five o'clock in the morning. I want her to be around for me when I'm happy, when I'm nervous and exited about a boy, for her to be there to remind me that i don't look like a man and that when I'm not on the defensive I can actually almost be like her, attractive, charismatic and magnetic. I want to pout my lips, tear up and exclaim "it's not fair!"at the thought that she will soon be gone, across the country and tangibly out of my life.

Those Who Stay, Boccioni, 1911.

Canadian Contributor

Family has never come easy to me. Aside for my parents, they have always been far away from me, be it because of geography or just complete lack of understanding. I don't understand them and they never really took the time to know me, a fact that as an adult I have found a sort of piece with, but as a child caused me no end of tears and grief. For as long as I can remember, i have always felt like an outsider, teetering somewhere on the edge of wanting desperately to be a part of the group but maintaining my distance because i know the cruelty big groups can create and the pain of being the one that doesn't fit in.

I think it is for this reason that I love nomads, these ephemeral being that come into my life as individuals, representative of no group, free of association and in need of companionship but not attachment. Together we are free to create ourselves anew, defining our own experiences and finding out what it is we truly want out of life without prescription, undefined by any of those people that were instrumental in creating our character. The only problem, however, is that when you love nomads, you are always having to say goodbye. 

"Katharine" is an alternate spelling of Katherine that emphasizes the link to the Greek "katharos," or "pure." And as much as I know she would love to deny it, beyond the image of the boozing, drugging pleasure seeking, jet setting hedonist that we know all know and love, lies the essence of a woman the is more true to her name than anyone could have predicted ; in that she is the picture of sensitivity and her heart is sweet. The reason she burns so brightly is that she had found it within herself to confidently celebrate her own external and internal beauty.

So to Katharine i wanna say thank you for the good times my dear. It's been a blast. You are living proof that style and class have nothing to do with how much money you have. Your ability to stay true to yourself and loyal to your friends, to speak the truth loudly even in challenging times has inspired me.  I hope that this new chapter in your life brings you luck, love and happiness. Here's to getting naked in fountains all over the world!

men just cant get enough

katie has had enough haha