I woke up later than I'd wanted to on Sunday afternoon, of course, which is what happens when you stay up too late into the early morning hours typing entries on the blog so that you can cure your writer's block - or whatever it is that's ailing you.
I tried not to drive too much, so I actually didn't end up leaving my apartment until around 6 p.m. when I realized that my engine needed both gasoline and coolant.
Of course, thanks to the fender bender from weeks ago, I'm not able to raise the hood of my car. Luckily, the collision raised the hood sufficiently in the center, so I can reach up under it and put water into the reserve tank next to the radiator without ever lifting the hood.
I've got to get to the body shop tomorrow and get my rental car, sometime between going to the office, going to my therapist and meeting Ron for a movie.
When I did finally leave my house and decide on a destination, I ended up at the Landmark, where they're showing the restored print of Fellini's "La Dolce Vita." I had never seen it before, but, of course, I'd heard all about it and read countless reviews.
And, since this is my first impression, I must admit that "La Dolce Vita" is one of the most genuinely interesting films I've ever seen. Its protagonist is young, frustrated, indulgent and dissatisfied with his life, his job, his relationships. So he goes out and gets drunk most every night. The film consists of episodes that always start like this. Marcello goes out. Marcello gets drunk. Marcello meets a woman. The woman is unique, troubled. And Marcello and the woman explore the Roman night in all its romance and debauchery. And, by the end of each episode, the night and the woman in it are both pretty much ruined. Marcello, looking for something to believe in and something that will ground him, never finds it, even when hints of a more satisfying existence approach him.
I identified with the movie while also appreciating that Marcello's existence was completely unlike my own, even if our young frustrations were similar.
And, finishing "La Dolce Vita," I called Vic and talked about our mutual frustrations with work and life, got something to eat, returned home, sat here, typed this and concluded my weekend.
How sweet is life, really?