Idiossincrasia Matinal

Epitaph on a Tyrant

Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,

And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;

He knew human folly like the back of his hand,

And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;

When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,

And when he cried the little children died in the streets.

W.H. Auden

Pareceu-me apropriado, no dia da liberdade, publicar o epitáfio de um tirano.

Idiossincrasia Matinal

A minha vida de semi-estrangeirado permite-me luxos como o de não saber quem é o último namorado da Elsa Raposo ou de onde veio a última estrela da blogosfera nacional. É, sem dúvida, ignorância minha porque parece que até dá aulas de alguma coisa - o (ex-?) namorado -, mas foi por esta razão que acompanhei as últimas polémicas com uns quilómetros adicionais.
Defensor da liberdade de expressão, sou ainda mais fervoroso defensor da liberdade de surdez: se a primeira permite a alguém só dizer barbaridades (lembro-me, assim de repente, do Francisco Louçã), a segunda permite-me ignorá-las e era desta forma que lia os posts da polémica: saltando por cima numa alegre surdez. Ainda assim, nas minhas leituras "salta-postinhas", apanhei algumas coisas no ar. Aparentemente, os judeus têm o péssimo hábito de usar o intelecto - prática que me parece perfeitamente condenável - e a liberdade de expressão permite ameaçar alguém de morte. Só não entendi se também permite concretizar a ameaça.
Não sendo judeu, falta-me certamente o intelecto para interpretações, mas sempre achei que esta mania de acusar os judeus de serem inteligentes e ricos tem algo em comum com a teoria freudiana da inveja do pénis. Talvez seja a parte da inveja. Já a Elsa Raposo tem tomos completos a explicá-la.
A minha teoria só cai por terra porque Freud, esse intelectual abastado, era judeu.

Celulóide

Imagens e adaptação brilhantes e um argumento impecável baseado num episódio inspirador. Se os iranianos não gostaram, provavelmente é porque lhes lembra que em todos estes séculos não mudou nada: continuam subjugados a tiranos que nem sequer os deixaram ver o filme. E daí talvez tenham mudado porque o Ahmadinejad pode ter a mania que é uma bomba, mas não é nenhum Santoro.

EmTrânsito

16 horas para voltar a ficar de cabeça para baixo em São Paulo. Entretanto, deixo-vos conselhos preciosos na Vanity Jukebox.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97
WEAR SUNSCREEN!
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, "sunscreen" would be it.
The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice NOW!

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
Oh, never mind.
You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.
But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future.
Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind,
The kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts.
Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy.
Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind.
The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive.
Forget the insults.
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters.
Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives.
Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees.
You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll divorce at 40.
Maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance.
So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body.
Use it every way you can.
Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it.
It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance
Even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines.
They will only make you feel ugly.

"Brother and sister together we'll make it through,
Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
I know that you're hurting but I've been waiting there for you
and I'll be there just helping you out
whenever I can..."

Get to know your parents.
You never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings.
They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in "New York City" once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in "Northern California" once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel
Accept certain inalienable truths:
Prices will rise.
Politicians will philander.
You, too, will get old.
And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you have a trust fund.
Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse.
But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia.
Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Mary Schmich (Chicago Tribune) - Baz Luhrmann

Scrapbook V

Househunting com um amigo - mas não por muito tempo porque não aguento o stress dos preços absurdos, agentes imobiliários que estão convencidos que são proprietários da cidade e da confusão legal que é necessária para fazer uma oferta de compra e que inclui, entre outras patetices, o registo criminal da dita para que o pretendente possa saber se alguém foi assassinado na casa.
Nada como a estreia da última série dos Sopranos para tirar estas ideias da cabeça.
Boa Páscoa.

Scrapbook IV

Tomar o pequeno-almoço com os indispensáveis blueberry muffins com vista para o centro e as novas torres de apartamentos de "luxo". Chegar à conclusão que me transcende qual será o luxo de viver empilhado, calçar os ténis e ir correr para Mission Bay onde os "luxury condos" também estão a nascer como cogumelos. Bater em retirada de volta para as casas vitorianas em contracorrente com milhares de fãs dos Giants a caminho dos jogos inaugurais. Perderam contra os Padres de San Diego. Bem feito.

Scrapbook III

Ir ao MOMA (o outro) atrás do Picasso e dar com o nariz na porta porque até os cubistas tiram folga de vez em quando. Não entrar no espírito da cidade e, sem ser drama queen, virar a esquina, puxar das raízes e ir ver o lindíssimo Museu da Diáspora Africana e ainda ter tempo para dar um salto ao Yerba Buena Center do outro lado da rua. Ah, as glórias da oferta e da procura.

Scrapbook II

Usar a Vivienne Westwood como desculpa para ir ver o novo de Young, descobrir Charles Sheeler, ficar na dúvida sobre a torre, mas ter a certeza absoluta de que os nódulos das árvores são fantásticos e que me esqueci outra vez de dar os parabéns a tempo e horas.

Scrapbook

Passear em Crissy Field, encher os sapatos de areia na praia preferida dos realizadores, morrer de inveja dos moradores da Marina e depois ir tomar um café e fazer compras na Union Street.