the Introduction from
'The Complete Short
 Works of Daniel Pagoda

I keep two notebooks with me everywhere I go these days. One is for ideas, concepts, names, and words that hit my creative G-Spot. The other used to be kept on the bedside as a dream journal. In my old age, I have to carry it everywhere.

I learned to always keep a notebook with me one autumn morning during my freshman year of college. The school I attended was a rinky-dink campus, one of the many littered throughout the greater New York area. These were a sort of halfway houses between high school and sprawling universities. But regardless of its size, the school had a throbbing pulse. It took open eyes and concentration to finger the beat, but the vigilant student would sooner or later find it. That’s why that morning I was paying attention to Mike Harper instead of Professor Mark and her English class.

Mike was the sort of guy who could have gone on to bigger and better heights of life if our school had offered majors in Media Know-It-Allism and Classroom Interruption. Mike edited The Lynch Mob, a school-produced literary anthology published at the end of each year, which gave Mike all the credentials he needed to be a snob of all kinds of media. But pretentious as he could be, Mike’s head was a tiny blond culture machine with detailed schematics of the books, movies, and music every self-respecting college student should experience. The people who wanted their fingers wrapped tightly around the wrists of the scene would have to pay attention to that kind of man. People like me.

And Mike was in true form that morning as I entered class, sermonizing a book review to a crowd of followers who encircled the desk he sat upon.

“Phenomenal,” he remarked to no one in particular. “Pure genius in every sense of the word. I love stuff like this.”

His flock listened intently. “Really?” someone asked.

Mike nodded. He held up the book so everyone could write down the title. They did.

“Trust me,” he said with a cool tone. “This book is fucking brilliant.”

After class let out, I dumped my books in my dorm room and strolled two blocks east toward downtown until I caught sight of the nearest bookstore. I then broke into a run.