Solitary Man

My weekends have fallen into familiar routine which consists of the following: stop at the local microbrewery with colleagues after work on Friday (although I think the word "colleagues" is generally used to elevate the estimation of stupid jobs, like mine) followed by a couple of days spent sleeping late, sitting in bed even later with my laptop, leaving the curtains closed until noon, experiencing some irritation at the sound of lawnmowers, wishing I had a dog so I'd get more exercise, renting movies, drinking vodka and soda with lemon in the evenings, waking up in the middle of the night to spend time with Jonathan Lethem, rummaging through cupboards searching for stuff to eat so as to avoid shopping, and actively maneuvering around any thought processes which might lead to student loans, home repair or my lack of meaningful relationships.

This weekend I mixed it up a little. Yesterday I went to the theater to see Reign Over Me, with Adam Sandler, who incidentally, looks really sexy with Bob Dylan hair.


He plays a dentist who falls apart after losing his wife and kids (and dog) on 9/11. He reconnects with his college roommate and through their friendship both find ways to begin living again. This is all very hopeful, being a person who is highly attuned to paradigms for new beginnings, if the path to living again for Adam Sandler's character hadn't been a supermodel. The inclusion of her character as a potential future relationship bummed me out. Why not leave him alone, but healing, at the end? Why does his future need to be redeemed through another relationship with a woman, in particular a supermodel?

Being a couple is easier. Conventional relationships make us part of the club. We are "normal" and fit in nicely at social events. Alone, we become outsiders, trouble, hard to categorize. Did Adam Sandler become "normal" in the end? I liked him better crazy!

All this thought of plastination and viruses lately. How does it all fit in? Maybe it doesn't. Maybe the connections never will be made. Perhaps all of my training and socialization is finally draining, like blood, and a new cyborg will walk away. Alone.