The Chap - We Work in Bars

this song is strangely catchy

Lost - The End

I don't usually post on anything here besides book reviews, music videos and photos, buuuut the conclusion of Lost deserves a special post. All season, I've been writing a series of emails analyzing/ruminating on each episode. Here is the final email:

The end of an era, everyone. I am devastated that this brilliant show is over. Seriously, I feel like I just went through a wrenching breakup. I was exhausted while watching the finale -- one moment gasping, another laughing, but most of all sobbing like a baby (really not kidding. Just about every two seconds, my eyes welled up). I honestly believe that the writers did a truly wonderful job of tying together many of the loose ends. Yes, many questions will remain unanswered, but the truths that were important were the ones that were revealed to us.

Here are a few of the best lines of the finale, many of which pointed to the final "twist" of the series, and many of which were simply great:

"Nothing is irreversible" -- Kate to Jack. The same words Jack says to Locke before he fixes him.

"I'll see you on the other side" Jack says to Locke before going into surgery

"That's a hell of a long con, Doc" -- Sawyer says to Jack. In many ways, the entire alt timeline/sideways world is a bit of a long con, for us, the viewers :)

"You can't let other people tell you who you are. You have to decide for yourself" -- Hurley to Sayid.

"You disrespect his memory by wearing his face" -- Jack to Not Locke

"I don't believe in a lot of things, but I do believe in duct tape" -- Miles

"DON'T BOTHER ME!!" -- Lapidus to basically everyone

"It worked" -- Juliet to Sawyer

"Everything that's ever happened to you is real." -- Christian to Jack

Final thoughts:

I don't believe many of the big questions need to be answered. (i.e., why can't women stay pregnant on the island, what was the point of the dharma initiative, why/how was Walt "special," why there were Egyptian symbols all over the island) This show doesn't need to answer everything. Many of these concepts can be attributed to the enigma that is the island. Sure, some people want a clear-cut answer, but I'm not one of them. The whole point is that this show was based purely on the show creators' mythology.

It took me a moment to figure out Desmond's purpose on the island. Because of his ability to withstand intense amounts of electromagnetism, he was able to wade to the center of cave, and literally uncork the light, thus initiating the destruction of the island, and more importantly, making Not Locke human.

Hurley is the final candidate! Really didn't see that one coming. And in a way, it makes perfect sense. Hurley, with his all-encompassing love, his good nature, his big heart. And Ben as his "number two." Brilliant. Ben is the steel, the brains, the loyalty.

We are left to wonder at the future of those that were able to escape the island -- namely, Kate, Claire, Sawyer, Lapidus, Miles and Richard. And we are also left wondering how long Hurley remained the candidate, who was elected afterward and what Ben and Desmond did on the island for the rest of their lives. To be truthful, I like not knowing. Their futures are ones that we, the audience can imagine on our own.

Many of the "flashes" they all experienced were really quite beautiful to watch. (Okay fine, some were over-the-top cheese). But, in a way, each "flash" was a tribute to the years we have spent with these characters, watching them grow with one another.

I believe that Jack was the hardest to get to "flash" because of his nature. Simply put, the strength of his own convictions got in the way, just like on the island. He can be so pigheadedly stubborn, but once he is convinced of his path, he is able to let go with a perfectly clear conscience. I thought it was particularly poignant that the room where he reconnects with his father, Christian, contained all the religious symbols of the world.

Jack dying in the original spot that he woke up in was a stroke of genius. And Vincent!! Seeing that perpetually happy dog settle down next to Jack as he was dying just about broke my heart. I'm sure the dog gave Jack a measure of comfort, as did the sight of the Ajira plane taking off.

The end of this show was a work of art. It was a truly beautiful concept -- the fact that these people, their love for one another, was so strong that they created a "world" where they could all be together; a kind of metaphysical stopgap between living and death. Yes, whatever happened happened and yes, they all died in the original timeline, whether it was on the island, or some time in the future off the island. Yet they came to this place in the end to find one another, to reconnect, to experience the sheer joy of What Could Have Been. Not everyone is there. Some are ready to move on, while others need to bide their time. In the end, they gave themselves the opportunity to just be together. Lost is truly an inimitable study of human nature, of the ties that bind us all.

Lastly, a very large part of the reason why I loved this show so much was the escapism factor. To me, escapism is a way to imagine a world so foreign to us, that it requires a true leap of faith to believe in it. I believed in this show, in this world, in these characters. It took me to a place I couldn't ever have dreamed of myself. Thanks, guys, for letting me share my long-winded and often ridiculous thoughts on this show. It's been a great ride.

NYC pictorial pt. XV - pets edition pt. III

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Oscar's family suffers from a serious case of fuku, a traditional Dominican term for bad luck. Like the shit-out-of, you're absolutely screwed, may as well write your will kind of bad luck. This extraordinary novel jumps from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey, gliding effortlessly across time, in a raw and honest portrayal of one family's fight against fate.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to make of this book after the first page. Then, the language sucked me in. Diaz has managed to write with literary prowess while instilling an earthy conversational appeal. His Lord of the Rings and Encyclopedia Brown references alone had me giddy with joy. His frequent use of Spanish, nerdology and modern-day lingo makes for a heady mix of wordskill that I couldn't get enough of.

And what a story! I felt for poor, fat Oscar and his lovesick earnestness, sympathized with Lola's plight, marveled at Beli's extraordinary childhood. Diaz tied together the story's elements in a truly unique way, and ended the tale intelligently; that is, to say, realistically.

I Know

the swirly summery strings in the intro match today's weather perfectly

NYC pictorial pt. XIV

A Widow for One Year

A Widow for One year is divided into two sections. The first depicts a watershed summer in the year of 1958. Ted and Marion Cole are grieving over the horrific deaths of their two teenage sons, whose presence is saturated in the sad household in the form of dozens of photographs. Their daughter, little 4-year-old Ruth Cole grows up surrounded by these memories, ignored by her mother and only mildly cared for by her absent, extramarital affair-loving author of a father. Enter Eddie O'Hare, who Ted hires as a writer's assistant. In this one summer, in the idyllic Long Island summer setting, a somewhat astonishing connection is forged between these four characters.
The second section portrays Ruth at 36 years of age. She is a successful writer and is about to be reconnected to that landmark summer in a series of often inconceivable situations.

I first read this book when I was about 19 or 20 years old. I enjoyed it then but categorized it with the other John Irvings I found to be "good, but not great." Boy, was I wrong. This is truly an extraordinary piece of written work. The detail in the storyline, the unerring connections that the fortunate reader can piece together, the heart, the soul, the symbolism, the humor, the tragedy. Just stunning. I think one of the most important messages this novel conveys is that what or who affects you as a child, can in turn affect the choices you make for yourself for the rest of your life. Sure, it may not be true of everyone, but I think it is so for most people. Irving expresses this in an exquisitely understated manner. And for that, I cherish him as one of my favorite writers of all time.