2004-04-14|4:47 p.m.
Dear Abe,
I am over the pain.
Love,
M
I was on the UCSD Hillcrest shuttle the other day going home and two biology professors were sitting behind me. They began talking about Woody Allen, of whom I once dated his biggest fan and it perked my ears (plus, I am a horrible eavesdropper):
Man One said, �I really like his films, but his quotes are even better.�
Man Two said, �Oh, I agree. My favorite goes something like, �I don�t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.��
Man One: �Yeah, that�s a good one.�
Man Two: �It makes me think of a study done recently that found that medical science adds one year to man�s life every five years. Just think if you could improve that by five times. Woody Allen would have what he wants.�
I like being around brilliant, funny people. School is almost worth it for that reason.
I enjoyed church this last weekend for Easter. Pastor discussed the beginning of sin and the Garden of Eden. It�s a fascinating story, really. God tempts Adam and Eve with a glimpse into his unlimited knowledge of good and evil and all between and of course he knows they will do it. And then that iconic serpent seals the deal and Adam and Eve take a bite of knowledge and their perfect world, naturally, crashes down. And supposedly a bunch of scholars say the apple is a metaphor for doing the deed. Think of how amazing that is. Sex is a glimpse into all that is pure and horrible and the planes between. And you share that with people.
Pastor also asked us to think about the proverbial apples in our lives, �Are they worth it?�
It made me think, �Yeah, maybe they are.�
That�s a scary thing. I suppose, I don�t really believe in Hell, and I could never logically be certain that eternal life exists, but if I am wrong about all of it, I�d like to believe that those I love mean more to me than any of it. It makes for an ultimate testament of love.
It�s why I have always admired the Greek Titan Prometheus. It�s another creation story that reminds me a lot of the Biblical one. He created and befriended humankind and though Zeus is displeased with his project and wanting to see mankind die out, Prometheus remained loyal to humankind and protected them. Zeus punished him for the betrayal. The punishment?
�The Lord of High Thunder will send wave after wave of tortures upon you. First he will strike this rugged ridge with his thunderbolts, splitting the rocks apart so that it will enfold you within its darkest depths. Only after many ages have passed will you return to the world of sunlight. Then you will face an even more horrible torture. For Olympian Zeus will set his predatory eagle upon you. Each day, this greedy vulture will tear open your body and gorge his voracious appetite upon your defenseless liver. Each night your liver will regenerate itself to provide a new feast for the eagle on the following day.�
And he knew his punishment before he defied Zeus and helped mankind.
This story appeals to me in the same way that Jesus and other martyrs for mankind do. It�s amazing that anyone would give anything to a species of such weakness and self-interest.
School is ok. I am taking four classes: an ethnic literature class focused on Chicano and African-American works, a cultural modern history of the US focusing on consumerism and concepts of �high and low brow,� a political theory class on immigration in California, and a comparative politics class on human rights.
I like them all and it feels good to take only a couple PS classes. I like that I get to read fiction this quarter. I haven�t been able to in a long time.
I am looking for jobs that will allow me to have a lip ring, which means I won't be working for Longs anymore. So far I have applied to file clerk positions and will soon drop my application off for Hot Topic. I know! Hot Topic! Can any of you (who know what the store is) even imagine me in there? But I honestly hear good things about it. So, I am hopeful.
Also, Dress For Success volunteering is starting up for me again. I talked to Sylvia and I am going in this week to see about setting up a schedule again.
It feels good to get back into things.
Don't click here. But click here.
