A Closer Look at the Sets of New Film Call Me By Your Name [Gallery, 15 Images]

Chopin’s Nocturne No. 1 in B-flat Minor taped on a 40+ year old cassette

things that are totally fine and acceptable:

not wanting to have children

not wanting to be responsible for the well-being of children

feeling socially awkward while interacting with children

things that are not fine and acceptable:

saying that you hate children (as a societal category)

referring to children in a derogatory manner, i.e. calling them brats, demons, disgusting, little shits, etc.

complaining about ever having to see or be in the presence of children in public spaces

monday: existentialism. i feel the slightest sense of dread as i am confronted with an incomprehensible world. i question my being and the meaning of the universe around me. am i living authentically? have i given a purpose to an otherwise confused and structureless existence? i eat a bowl of frosted flakes and stare into the void.

tuesday: academic skepticism. none of my impressions in this world are true, though some of my early morning observations (whether or not it is a cold or warm morning; whether or not i will get stuck behind a school bus on my way to campus; whether or not the universe is comprehensible) have relatively high probabilities of being correct. i cannot obtain true knowledge but i can get close to it if the perceptions around me are convincing enough, i try to persuade myself as i read 50 pages on complexity of meaning in tibullan pastoral poetry.

wednesday: nihilism. nothing has meaning and my existence ultimately has no bearing upon this world. whether or not i write my papers will not alter the state of the universe. bolstered by my newfound lack of purpose, i escape yet another hump day mental breakdown.

thursday: absurdism. in a fit of misguided academic panic fueled by excessive caffeine consumption, i attempt once again to find meaning in my existence and the work that i do. when my caffeine rush comes down, i realize that such a task is futile and settle back down. i can grasp the meaning in human existence about as well as i can grasp the sense of an article i am attempting to read in german; which is to say, not at all, and i am okay with that.

friday: epicureanism. the future looks bright. i realize that i am confined to but a brief pinprick of life in the vast timeline of existence and that once i die, i will dissolve back into the world, so i might as well enjoy the time that i have. for a good epicurean, this would mean the quiet contemplation of nature and the charming conversation of friends. as i am not a good epicurean, i spend my time drinking cheap gin and getting into arguments on tumblr dot com.

saturday: neoplatonism. i am one with the world, and this is the good. within each of us is a universe, and i am at peace with mine. i drink four coffees and project onto the astral plane.

“I think to be a good performer (or good writer, or good artist of any kind, actually) you need a kind of synthesis between dreaminess and fantasy on the one hand, and straightforward hard work. The very best artists, in any field, are both warm and cold, sensitive and powerful, cerebral and emotional. Sometimes people speak of those polarities in terms of masculine-feminine, which is part of the picture, sure—-but it’s actually much complicated than that, I think. At any rate: I think there’s no question that a good artist has to be able to work in a whole lot of different ranges… I think most artists have an element of androgyny in their characters, which is perhaps part of what makes them artists in the first place.“