Always a Favorite -- "Mauricio's Song" by Eugene Gloria

From Mobil Gas he emerges

Like a Mack truck from the desert horizon.

You might think of bluefin tunas

Coursing the algid sea.

A man with a singular purpose

Always walks with his best foot forward-

Leans in to dusk, moon heavy on his back.

Mauricio has punched out at the station.

If you happen to see him

You might remark on the butterflies-

The small cloud of yellow, speckled wings

Fluttering like wayward kites around him.

You might even reconsider

Your faith in miracles,

Your capacity

To comprehend the mystery.

You could be going to the market

And have already made a list.

You could be as still as a tinsel tree

Illuminated by a spinning color wheel

In a room of immobile silhouettes.

You could have your face

Pressed against the windowpane-

Your chest, a bodiless blouse

And puffy as our Winter faces.

You could be standing in a living room

Full of boxes with your fears in tight little bundles.

You could be Mauricio Babilonia

On his way to a rendezvous, his hands

Cracked and stained with axle grease,

Black as the night gathering at his feet.

And butterflies, impossible and constant,

Brushing against his cheeks

Like a hundred kisses, the papery wings

Of golden monarchs calligraphed

With untranslatable sonnets for one Mauricio Babilonia

On his way to meet his love behind a wall

He will climb, but not fast enough

For the bullet that would seek out his heart.

Gloria, Eugene. Drivers at the Short-Time Motel. The national poetry series. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.

It's Still A Man's World

Fanboys can't understand female existential problems unless women are wearing skin tight catsuits. The Dark Knight? Really?

The AV Club's list of the best movies of the 00's

• indicates I’ve seen this movie:

50. Oldboy
49. Gerry
48. Crimson Gold

47. Moulin Rouge • (this was fun, but, in the style of Amy Poehler, "Really?")

46. Adaptation • (I concur. Meryl Streep was phenomenal.)

45. Audition
44. 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days

43. Brokeback Mountain • (Slow. Beautiful. Heart crushing when he embraces that shirt.)

42. L’Enfant

41. The Dark Knight • (Puh-leeze. It stretched the genre probably farther than it's been stretched before, but there are only three stellar elements: Heath Ledger's performance; Aaron Eckhart's performance; and the tailoring. Did anyone else think they were watching a British GQ photo shoot?)

40. City of God
39. The Prestige

38. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring • (I love this film. Simple. Beautiful. And, now I want to live on a spinning house in the middle of a lake.)

37. A History of Violence • (I know this made some people puke or incited them to rage, but I thought it was an excellent visual treatise on why humans can be brutal. Plus, Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris are in my top five film bromances.)

36. Pan’s Labyrinth

35. Waking Life • (Yes, sir.)

34. American Psycho • (I didn't like this film upon first viewing, but I've cultivated a taste for it since then. It reminds me of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. I didn't get that novel after the first experience, but I've found brilliant insights on the human condition from both works of art. It should be higher on the list.)

33. Punch Drunk Love • (Yes, ma'am. Preserve the whimsy.)

32. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence • (This possibly contains the best performance of Jude Law's on film. I've only seen it once, but I remember being surprised and impressed. If I remember correctly, I had an intellectual reaction to this film. Usually Spielberg manages to manipulate a visceral reaction to his work.)

31. In The Mood For Love
30. WALL-E
29. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
28. Morvern Callar
27. What Time Is It There?

26. The Incredibles • (I prefer Finding Nemo. The Triplets of Belleville should have made this list. Robbed!)

25. Together
24. Yi Yi
23. The Man Who Wasn’t There
22. United 93
21. Zodiac
20. The Squid And The Whale

19. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers • (Ugh. And, I love me some Viggo, but...ugh.)

18. Mulholland Dr. • (Brilliant. Weird. Best evocation of dream consciousness in film.)

17. The Royal Tenenbaums • (The best film on whimsical depression ever made. The best film on group existential depression ever made. In my opinion.)

16. Almost Famous • (Whatever. It made Kate Hudson relevant, and we've been stuck with her "acting" ever since. I prefer Fast Times and I miss Judge Reinhold. I'm just saying.)

15. Y Tu Mama Tambien • (Si, abuelita! The best and saddest beach movie ever made!)

14. Talk To Her
13. Grizzly Man
12. Before Sunset
11. Time Out
10. Children of Men
9. The New World

8. Capturing The Friedmans • (Stunning. Uncomfortable.)

7. Kill Bill Vol. 1 • (Aaaaaaahhhhhh! One of the best moviegoing experiences I have ever had. When the "To be continued" graphic came up, I cried out, "Noooooooooo!")

6. Spirited Away • (Pure amazingness. I don't want to know people who haven't viewed it. Masterpiece, y'all.)

5. Memento • (Color me underwhelmed.)

4. No Country For Old Men
3. There Will Be Blood

2. 25th Hour • (Crazy good. Ed Norton delivers one of the best soliloquies on film with his enraged valentine to New York. It left me wanting more.)

1. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind • (Was it this good? I remember raving for it after seeing the movie. Have I watched it more than twice? Do I need to? Did this usher in all the emo pretentiousness, and now I resent it mightily because of the unsightly sin of skinny pants on men?)

Nobody Inches As Fiercely As This Turtle

Saturday, December 5, 2009 -- I moved as quickly as lightnin' molasses. Only time-capture photography could permanently document my promenade from the bottom of the Hill to the Au Bon Pain across the street. Blink, and I would be in the same damn spot. Blink, drop off some clothes at the dry cleaner, order a caramel macchiato from Starbucks, and I would be in the same damn spot. All for a hot chocolate. From Au Bon Pain. I'd actually prefer a Starbucks confection, but there is never a seat with the laptop mafia bogarting all the seats. So, I had to cross the street, and risk my life with wonky traffic lights and Boston drivers. Just to have a second-rate hot chocolate. But, molasses can't complain, cuz it's living for the city (although sluggishly).

Monday, December 7 & Tuesday, December 8, 2009 -- I had accumulated some speed. Now, I had the pace of a gasping tortoise. The first destination was the doctor's office, and the trip was trepidatious, but Miles Davis bless MGH, there are no bloody inclines. The second trip was a passionate journey of inches in the dark to the West End branch of the BPL to vote in the special primary. To summarize: my guy didn't win and that library is in desperate need of soft seating. Seriously, I didn't need three splinters in my tortoise be-hind while I sucked for air.

Friday, December 11, 2009 -- Another trip to the doctor's office, but it was an icy day with ill-mannered winds. Perhaps it was the cold, but I had a bit of giddy-up in my git-a-long. I scooted, yes, scooted, up the hill. Kiss my tortoise maximus, incline! I almost tap danced, but I couldn't release the deathgrip on the stair rail. Still, I have another gear besides 1st (tenderly inching), and 2nd (fiercely inching), and I am glad.

The Sky Is Not Falling

Photo Credit Link: A View On Cities

I think humans can be amazing, brilliant and loving creatures, but I would say one of our greatest flaws is our horrible communication skills.

Imagine being told awesome news, but still wobbling home semi-hysterical and having no choice but to nap because it feels like the Pru just fell on you.

Thank heavens for patience, dogs and the ability to slumber during the day.