Monday, December 05, 2005

525,600 minutes (crosspostage)

"How do you measure - measure a year?
In daylights - In sunsets
In midnights - In cups of coffee
In inches - In miles
In laughter - In strife"

"How about love?"

I finally saw Rent. The show was much much better. The movie was very uneven. Hot and Cold. It would get static. I would get bored and then the movie would grab me and throw me off the fire escape. For all my grumbling about boring static and cold, I cried and cried throughout. I am a sucker for musicals. Especially the dramatic emotional ones about life and death. The ensemble vocals gave me chills. And Rosario Dawson kicked serious ass. She has come a far way from being the sidekick in "Josie and the Pussycats."

I scoffed, I yawned, I laughed, I cried all at the same movie.

Rent took seven years to be born. Its creator Jonathon Larson saw the final dress rehearsal for this show, did an interview, went home, put on some tea, and died of an aortic aneurysm. This at the age of 35.

Jon Larson wrote the book of a lifetime. A show about celebrating life in the face of death. He did not live to see opening night. But he did live long enough to make it happen.

I am 35. And I hope I have at least seven more years to do that thing. The one thing that is everything. To do the thing of my lifetime. (whatever it is)

Makes me wonder if there is something that I was put on this earth to do. I could ask that question of you too.

"There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.
No other road
No other way
No day but today"

It is a tension of contradictions that life is to be lived in each moment as if every day was your last and also as if you are going to live forever.

"Life is what happens when you are making other plans." -John Lennon Nonetheless we all make them, we can't help it.

4 comments:

BeckyBumbleFuck said...

Wish I saw Rent. ;)

Kat E said...

BBFK, skip the movie and see it in the theater. J and I laughed through the movie--when a sentiment such as "get out of here with your smack and stop flirting with me (even though I am really attracted to you but I have AIDS so I can't let myself get too close)" is translated into a catchy song lyric, I just can't help but get the giggles.

Lever said...

Hmm, sounds interesting...

I found a clothing tag in the kitchen today from a shirt I bought years ago... the company, Howies, is a green/ethical producer of bike/skate/leisure wear and after the wonderful bumpf about the 100% organic cotton etc it reads...

"Each day comes with 86,400 seconds
Tick Tock"

Jay said...

It really makes you wonder what your life will hold when you think of it that way - what purpose is yours, and will you ever get around to it?