two weeks to st. thomas' day

blogger seems to use greenwich mean time for the zero point of the day...but where i live it's still december 7th and it's the 153rd anniversary the death of the proto-fugitive and self-proclaimed "pariah" thomas de quincey...critics at the time said his work was "steeped in egotism" because he wrote about his life experiences...they also said he suffered from "diseased introspection"...never one to empower a critic ( and, in this way, akin to henry fielding who said of critics that he would "not plead to their jurisdiction" ) de quincey had eloquent responses...taken to task for his subject matter he replied "...let no man expect to frighten me by a few hard words into embarking...upon desperate adventures of morality"...especially when it was someone else's vision of "morality"...as far as diseased introspection was concerned tom answered..."no man will unfold the capacities of his own intellect who does not at least chequer his life with solitude. how much solitude, so much power"...a close part of the wordsworth's circle for years and a husband and father as well as poet, philosopher, writer, newspaper editor and opium addict de quincey was no social paraiah despite the the feelings of isolation that overcome all addicts at times...people liked him and respected his intellect and his expositions on the "pains of opium" will be recognized by anyone who has been chemically dependent...bill burroughs...augusten burroughs...and the exploitative hosts of rehab based reality shows ( cretinous fucks to a man ) all owe tom a debt for his unflinching self-examination