In the last month I’ve quit my job, moved to a new state, became a grad student (or, gave up being an adult, as one of my new colleague’s wives put it), began the friendship process with many new people, and generally started on a career progression. I don’t wish to talk about any of that, at least right now, so I am going to write things about three things that aren’t so goddamned important.
First, I recently saw "Apocalypto" on advice from a trusted friend. I had neglected seeing it because it didn’t appear to be that good and Mel Gibson had lost a far bit of stature in the post-<i>Passion</i> world. <i>Apocalypto</i>, however, is good. I’m not sure I understand or buy into the grand cultural statement he appears to be making, but otherwise I really enjoyed it. It taps into the “hero” paradigm easily and effectively allowing the story to feel organic even in places that are a bit forced. This also lets the story develop a great deal of pathos through an economy of storytelling. It’s a violent movie—not as violent as I was led to imagine—and, being of the more “realistic” school, is hard to watch at times. There were a couple places I cringed. Still, definitely worth seeing if you haven’t already.
Second. I may be arrogant, but I admit when I am wrong. So let me take this opportunity. In the past I would often claim that “Seasons in the Abyss by Slayer was the best metal song of all time. Of course, I was/am not that brash, so even while claiming it, I would mentally add “…that I’ve heard” at the end. Even with the add-on, I couldn’t really imagine what a song that could top it. Now, I’m not going to discuss why <i>Seasons<i> is a brilliant track and may or may not be the best metal one ever—it isn’t important right now. What is, is that I was wrong. How stupid could I have been? I mean, “Seasons in the Abyss” isn’t even the best Slayer song! Clearly, the best metal song of all-time is Slayer’s “Raining Blood.” I dare disagreement.
Third. It’s easy to find the annoying things about a new town. I could (and probably will, eventually) list two dozen inherent things that bother me about my current city and another two dozen if compared to the previous one. The good things are harder to find, so I’m not willing to pass judgment yet. I have realized just how important the people are to a place and how important good friendships are. This is probably a no-brainer to all but myself, but it highlights the progression (regression?) between who I am now and who I was the last time I tried this seven years ago. And there I go talking about something that matters.