Somewhere Over the Sun

I turned eighteen on the flight. It was a red eye from Mexico City (MEX) into Heathrow (LHR), next stop Tel-Aviv (TLV). Excited about my upcoming, first-time-on-my-own adventure, I hadn’t slept the night before, and got little sleep on the flight itself. It was 12 p.m before I realized it was my birthday. Well, 12 p.m is a loose term here, because I don’t remember what time zone I was going by. Origin, destination, wherever we were flying over? Is it worth getting used to a time you’re only just passing through? These questions and their philosophical implications only came to me months later, after I’d caught up on sleep.

I landed with a very vaguely drawn map my Dad had provided me with of what to do in London. He’d gone to school there, and so he knew what a ten-hour layover tourist could hope to see. “Oxford Circus,” he’d said, “that’s the underground station to go. Plenty to see.”

So I take the train from the airport into Paddington Station, as per my poorly drawn instructions. I look at a board showing schedules, purchase a ticket to Oxford and get on the train, sleep-deprived but looking forward to exploring London (on my own!). About five minutes into the train ride, I ask myself the following question: “Why do they call it the underground if we’re not really underground?”

I do a quick calculation to figure out how much a nine-pound subway ride would be in dollars. About seventeen. That seems…excessive. As every single one of you even slightly familiar with English geography, or the London underground, or subway rides, or currency exchange have probably figured out already, I was not where I wanted to be. I was headed to Oxford, the city. 

The rest of my time in London was spent as such: getting off at the next stop, getting on a train headed back into actual London, getting on an actual underground train (with the same look on my face as someone who’s stumbled in public and hopes no one has seen him, but knows someone must have noticed the display of clumsiness), getting off at Oxford Circus, and walking around aimlessly. 

I’m happy to report that there was a light rain, so I got a true London experience. I walked for too long trying to find the perfect place to eat. Found a great pizza place, and then, certain that my sleep-exhaustion would lead to further unintentional detours (Sweden, maybe?), I caught an early train back to Heathrow. 

The lesson: sleep is important while traveling. 

Short story submission time!

Dear Sylas,

You’re fresher at this, so maybe you can explain: are we born wanting to pair ourselves off? Is it built into us or have we just learned from the world around us, from our parents, our aunts and uncles, our grandparents, from the things people don’t think we understand right away?

We do it though. We spend our lives wanting to do it, at least: spend moments with others- months, nights, the rest of our lives, whatever comes after. We feel bad when it is not happening, try to think of what’s wrong with the pairings we somehow have managed to succeed at.

You still barely see shapes. Blurry things. This doesn’t quite change when it comes to human couplings. Once we grow up and can see shapes, though, see that others are either together or apart, does it matter if that desire was there to begin with? Whether we grew into it or knew it right away, it’s there. 

I bought my friends a round of beer, and I took away keys from a friend who may have had too much to drink, and I babysat you when your parents were at work. But, still, I have not loved anyone in a while, Sylas, and I’d like your help to figure out how such a thought can come to pass through my head, and how it is I came to understand such a thought. 

This list is not in any particular order. I could probably point at my favorite movie or two, but anything after that would be decided pretty arbitrarily, so I won’t assign a number order to them. I don’t like going into what a movie is about in the review, because movies, like books, should be arrived at without a map. 

Midnight in Paris

My first impression? Exceptionally lovely. And so were my second, third, and fourth impressions. It’s funny, heartwarming, original, charming, smart and I left the theater absolutely enthralled by the experience. Every time. Possibly my favorite Woody Allen movie.

Drive

Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted. The silences and subtleties and looks in this movie give me chills. Violent and yet tender. As far as I can tell, flawless.

Beginners

Quirky, emotionally powerful and multi-dimensional. It’s well-written and the characters are well-rounded, likable, real. Charming and funny and unique. A movie I’ll surely own and make new people in my life watch.

Life in a Day

I usually prefer fiction to non-fiction in books, and that transfers into movies as well. You can read more about my thoughts on this ‘documentary’ here.

The Beaver

Surprisingly dark and touching film about a man at the end of his rope. Mel Gibson does a great job when he’s not hating Jews. Powerful stuff. The movie, not the Jew-hating.

Everything Must Go

Ah, Will Ferrell in a serious role. Like in Stranger than Fiction, Ferrell ditches his fan-approved silly persona to try something a little more meaningful. Here, he plays an alcoholic in a movie based off a Raymond Chandler short story. A heads up: Raymond Chandler does not create Anchorman-type characters, so don’t expect as much.

The Other Woman (aka, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits)

Natalie Portman does an incredible job in this movie that I kind of wandered into watching just because Natalie Portman was in it. It’s not a happy movie by any means, but very powerful.  (Apparently, original release was 2009? So, yeah)

Barney’s Version

A movie that goes to lots of unexpected places, led by a once-again brilliant performance by Paul Giamatti. And Dustin Hoffman kicks all kinds of ass here, too. The ending will get to you.

Attack the Block

Action/comedy/alien/horror British movie that takes place in the hood. Sold.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

It’s kind of unfair to other actors and movies how much these guys managed to portray with just looks and a line or two of dialogue. If you watch this movie and don’t see anything happening, trust me, you missed it. 

Honorable Mention:

• The Descendants
• Detachment
• Tree of Life
• We Bought a Zoo
• Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Submarine
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Movies I haven’t seen but may make this list, based on what others have recommended or my own expectations:

• Melancholia
• The Muppets
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
• The Last Circus
• Young Adult
• The Artist
• 50/50
• Moneyball
• Warrior
• Ides of March
• The Trip
• Shame

Had to take down The Calvin Sky due to technical issues with the layout. My illustrator is fixing it and it should be back up shortly. Sorry for the inconvenience! 

Also, I still have postcards. Some are ready to be sent out, others need destinations. Message me an address and a one-word writing prompt if you’d like to receive one.