Life

There is a moment in Louis CK’s conversation with Conan, in which he says: Life is tremendously sad, just by being in it… sadness is poetic, and you’re lucky to live sad moments. I thought of that as I listened to this beautiful piece from Radiolab, some final reflections from Oliver Sacks, on his life, his relationships and his wonderful ability to see the world with constant curiosity and empathy. As I listened to my smartphone, riding the Express 30 into work down Willis Street, doing the daily mundane, I felt that sadness, sensed it rolling in. ...

“Everything’s going to be OK. What do you mean ‘going to be’? This is it. This is as good as it gets… This might be the best moment of your life. How much better do you want it? Not much. So.. enjoy it. Thanks for the tip.” This bit of dialogue is from the rather turgid Being Human - a Robin Williams film from 1994. I only recall this scene, because I jotted it down. It strikes me that in spite of the passage of time, this simple sentiment still applies. ...

April 10th The 40th anniversary of the most well known maritime disaster in New Zealand history. I watched a documentary on this last night. It was difficult to imagine the day, knowing that it took place literally 500m from my classroom. Difficult because there is only a small amount of grainy footage and black and white images from the day. So the doco had lots of filler film of crashing waves, rolling cloud and slow pans of surf. All with a suitable grey/blue effect. ...