10 THOUGHTS

I'm thinking about tearing it all down and starting over again.

I'm thinking about screaming at the meddlesome kids outside my window, knowing it would only make me look grumpy and miserable, and I don't wish to be either.

I'm thinking about the great new album by Kings of Convenience, Riot on an Empty Street. If I could, I wouldn't listen to anything else besides it for a whole week. If I didn't get sick of it, I'd know it was as truly brilliant as I believe it is right now.

I'm thinking about Stan Brakhage's Dog Star Man, which I watched in its entirety for the first time this morning. I can't find the words to describe exactly what I loved about it. You'd think a silent, dense, 78-minute epic would be torturous to sit through, and it might be for most viewers. I just surrendered myself to the fleeting, multilayered images and swooshes of color like I was in church and TRULY BELIEVED WHAT WAS BEFORE ME because it contained no rhetoric, no hearsay, no guilt, no promises. It was what it was.

I'm thinking about my trip to Provincetown last week. I would've enjoyed another day or two of vacation, but the <48 hours I spent there were concise, beautiful, and sweet.

I'm thinking about the ethereal, impossible timbre Delays vocalist Greg Gilbert hits on his band's album Faded Seaside Glamour, especially the song "Nearer Than Heaven".

I'm thinking about Jonathan Demme's remake of The Manchurian Candidate, which I saw yesterday. I thought it was a terrible idea when I first heard about it, simply because the original film is so perfect. Demme's version isn't perfect, but it's better than it should be, with the first performance I've ever appreciated from Denzel Washington (understated, 180-degree turn from Training Day) and fine ones from Meryl Streep and Liev Schreiber. The story (with a little tweaking) still works because the original was so ahead of its time.

I'm thinking about all the things I've been letting go, and how I just need to wash them away, cleanse my palette, and taste something different.

I'm thinking about all the television I've watched the last three nights, and how I'm refreshed, revitalized, ready to venture out and explore the city that's technically no longer new to me, but still teeming with surprise and mystique.

I'm thinking about how to make myself more thoughtful, complete and at peace.