Naissance

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I am 35 today. I think this is cause for significant reflection.

I must say. I am happy.

I have accomplished more than I thought I might 13 years ago. Around that time I was a bit lost. However, due to a series of good happenings that for some reason have been graced upon me, most likely due to no effort of my own, but the support of others, I am where I am today.

Here I am today:



This past weekend I saw a couple of movies that had me quite nostalgic.

The first was Adventureland. For me, I found the movie quite amazing.

It had a dual-nostalgia for me. And so, operating on these two levels it gave me a unique movie-going experience that I have never experienced heretofore.

The movie takes place in the summer of 1987. This was one of the best years and certainly summers of my life. I was 12.

Why, you ask? Well, for mainly two reasons: Baseball and Carmine.

My little league team won the town's championship that year! It is one of the great memories of my life, and one I will hold fondly in heaven. Also, that summer, Carmine and my friendship really burgeoned and I learned what the word "friend" can me. It is brother and sister. It is family.



So, the power of 1987 came over me.

In the movie, the characters are older than I was in that year. The main character has just graduated college.

As I mentioned earlier, 13 years ago, I had also just graduated from college and that time in my life was a little scary. For me, as for him, the certainty and bravado we had as undergrads got tipped over.

I had a plan. It didn't pan.

However, this ushered in a completely spontaneous and excellent period in my life. The next two years were great. Then, I finally went to grad school and began to grow up. Sort of... And, one thing led to anther, and here I am.

The movie uses a lot of great 80's music as the soundtrack. Much of the obvious stuff: Falco's Amadeus!

But also some lesser known stuff.

They rocked some great Lou Reed/VU numbers as well as The Replacements. And wow, I haven't thought about them since playing with Cordalene in the 2000-2002 period... They were a big influence on the band.

The movie ends with, quite effectively, Unsatisified.

I forgot how much I liked this song.

Paul Westerberg's vocals have all the necessary and justified anger and urgency of youth. It is righteous indignation demanding more from love. You feel the song in your throat.

Listen:

The other film I saw was Youth in Revolt. Once again, it's a film that speaks to urgency, naivety, foolishness, passion, anger... youth. I am convinced these are the greatest of all the ingredients of love and are only taken advantage of by the most reckless of spirits. A great partnership for youth.

In this way, the classic saying, "Youth is wasted on the young," does not fit. Here they have one up on us... They give over to their hearts instead of their brains.

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