Notes for Radical Living by Tilda Swinton

Notes for Radical Living by Tilda Swinton

Make friends with chaos
Hold a calm mind
Let things shake
Forgive human frailty
Champion second chances
Defy kindness
Reverence fellowship
Listen to the quiet
Respect the young
Seek growth
Trust in change
Treasure learning
Inspire faith in evolution
Reach beyond the binary
Be wary of the doubtless
Honor the bright headed
Grow plants
Attend to the weather
Be electric
Cherish language
Celebrate silence
Dance daily
Bless the handmade
Sing into pain
Challenge assumptions
Follow the wind
Look upwards
Swoon under clouds
Feel your courage
Face forward
Read history
Open your ears
Drop your shoulders
Bend your knees
Raise the roof
Keep breathing
Be trustworthy
Take care of yourself
Believe in goodness
Head for the light

--from Tilda Swinton’s 2025 book “Ongoing”

https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9780847860517/

10 Emotions You've Felt But Had No Name For

John Koenig is the marvelous author of THE DICTIONARY OF OBSCURE SORROWS, a book of neologisms to express new terms for subtle emotions. His made up words are combinations of word roots from languages all around the world. While the words themselves might sound clinical, their definitions are lyrical and touching. I have felt a few of these and am happy to know others have too...and that we finally have names for them, thanks to Koenig's imagination!

1. Chrysalism
[kris-a-lizim] The feeling of tranquility when you’re indoors when it’s raining heavily outside.

2. Lilo
[ly-lo] The friendship between two people who feel as if no time has passed when they see each other after a long period of separation.

3. Sonder
[son-der] The realization that every stranger and passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. That each person is occupied by their own personal ambitions, worries, and problems.

4. Monachopsis
[mo-na-kop-sis] The inability to adapt to your surroundings and the feeling of being out of place.

5. Eramnesia
[eram-nee-ja] The realization that you were born in the wrong time period, wishing you lived in another time.

6. Anemoia
[an-em-oh-ya] The feeling of nostalgia for a time or place that you have never experienced.

7. Pâro
[pah-ro] The feeling that no matter what you do, you’re doing it wrong.

8. Xeno
[zee-noh] The powerful moments shared between random strangers, such as a smile or a laugh, which reduce feelings of loneliness.

9. Acatalepsy
[aka-ta-lep-sy] The apparent impossibility of humans ever comprehending the universe.

10. Liberosis
[lib-ero-sis] The desire to care less about things, to feel less.

https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/
And you can buy the book here on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Obscure-Sorrows-John-Koenig-ebook/dp/B08VJMFFRB?ref_=ast_author_mpb

The 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century

BBC Culture asked 177 film critics and historians for their input on a list of The 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century. And the results are actually quite fulfilling. When one looks at what has been created on film since the year 2000 (which, yes, BBC Culture admits is not technically the start of the 21st century), it's rather astounding to see that we are living in perhaps a new Golden Age of cinema. We have seen the rebirth of the auteur, and just take a gander at the list to refresh yourself with the many, many exquisite films that have been made in the last fifteeen years. Or make your acquaintance with several if you have not seen them.

100. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade, 2016)
100. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
100. Carlos (Olivier Assayas, 2010)
99. The Gleaners and I (Agnès Varda, 2000)
98. Ten (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002)
97. White Material (Claire Denis, 2009)
96. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003)
95. Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012)
94. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)
93. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007)
92. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007)
91. The Secret in Their Eyes (Juan José Campanella, 2009)
90. The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002)
89. The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel, 2008)
88. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy, 2015)
87. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)
86. Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002)
85. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, 2009)
84. Her (Spike Jonze, 2013)
83. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001)
82. A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2009)
81. Shame (Steve McQueen, 2011)
80. The Return (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2003)
79. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000)
78. The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013)
77. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, 2007)
76. Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003)
75. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014)
74. Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine, 2012)
73. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)
72. Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch, 2013)
71. Tabu (Miguel Gomes, 2012)
70. Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley, 2012)
69. Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015)
68. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
67. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008)
66. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (Kim Ki-duk, 2003)
65. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009)
64. The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013)
63. The Turin Horse (Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky, 2011)
62. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)
61. Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)
60. Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006)
59. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
58. Moolaadé (Ousmane Sembène, 2004)
57. Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012)
56. Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr, director; Ágnes Hranitzky, co-director, 2000)
55. Ida (Paweł Pawlikowski, 2013)
54. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2011)
53. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)
52. Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2004)
51. Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)
50. The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2015)
49. Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard, 2014)
48. Brooklyn (John Crowley, 2015)
47. Leviathan (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2014)
46. Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami, 2010)
45. Blue Is the Warmest Color (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2013)
44. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
43. Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011)
42. Amour (Michael Haneke, 2012)
41. Inside Out (Pete Docter, 2015)
40. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005)
39. The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005)
38. City of God (Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, 2002)
37. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2010)
36. Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako, 2014)
35. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000)
34. Son of Saul (László Nemes, 2015)
33. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
32. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006)
31. Margaret (Kenneth Lonergan, 2011)
30. Oldboy (Park Chan-wook, 2003)
29. WALL-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)
28. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodóvar, 2002)
27. The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010)
26. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)
25. ​Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)
24. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012)
23. Caché (Michael Haneke, 2005)
22. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
21. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014)
20. Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, 2008)
19. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015)
18. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009)
17. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)
16. Holy Motors (Leos Carax, 2012)
15. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, 2007)
14. The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2012)
13. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
12. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)
11. Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2013)
10. No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007)
9. A Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)
8. Yi Yi: A One and a Two (Edward Yang, 2000)
7. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
5. Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014)
4. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
2. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)
1. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)

I am absolutely THRILLED to see Terrence Malick's transcendent film "The Tree of Life" at #7 (previously here). I'm also extremely pleased to see on the list Charlie Kaufman's existential masterpiece "Synecdoche, New York (previously here), Wes Anderson's delightful and touching "The Royal Tenenbaums" (previously here), and the amazing, dreamy "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (previously here).

But of course I did not foresee David Lynch's pristine yet enigmatic "Mulholland Drive" (previously here) at the #1 spot!!!

Link to original article on BBC:
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films

Music That Makes Me Cry

A recent open thread on a blog I follow asked "What songs make you cry?"
The answers ranged across musical genres, and some people even said that there is no music that makes them cry.

Music is so essential to my life and expresses so much that is ephemeral and transcendent.

Here is my list:

“Moments of Pleasure” by Kate Bush—This song makes me WEEP, especially at the end where she recounts all the people who are gone.

“Watching You Without Me” by Kate Bush—A devastating song from HOUNDS OF LOVE… part of the NINTH WAVE, a story about a girl who fell through the ice while skating and is trapped, encountering her last moments of life. In this song, she has a vision of her loved one at home, waiting for her, wondering why she is not home yet, why she is late. This is holy music.

“A Coral Room” by Kate Bush—Yet another Kate song that makes me WEEP. This one is about the grieving process after the death of a loved one (her mother in this song).

“Secret World” by Peter Gabriel—Sad, plaintive musings on the destruction of a relationship.

“The Feeling Begins” by Peter Gabriel—The incredibly powerful opening theme to the film THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

“Gravity” by Rickie Lee Jones—Heavy emotional piece about feeling isolated, and how sometimes nothing makes sense.

“The Headmaster Ritual” by The Smiths—Because I lived it. (Read the lyrics.)

“The Letter” by Kristin Hersh—About a break with reality, filled with such despair and agony.

“Little Rough Rhinestone” by Soft Cell—“I never knew sorrow could hit me this way/ I once had a friend but he moved away/ And even my mother when she turned on me/ Couldn’t put emotion like this in me.” Wow.

“Svefn-g-englar” by Sigur Ros—Rolling Stone magazine said “If heaven had a house band, it would be Sigur Ros,” who make music of such cosmic beauty and intensity. This song never fails to wring a tear.

“Track One” from ( ) by Sigur Ros—Another cosmically enormous ditty—the high falsetto at the end of the song when that crescendo happens is like voices of universal compassion crying for all of us.

“Hejira” by Joni Mitchel—Well, just listen to it. I mean, really... with lyrics like "We all come and go unknown/ Each so deep and superficial/ Between the forceps and the stone," how can you NOT cry?

“Coming” by Jimmy Sommerville—Yet another cosmically enormous song about birth, life, death, existence. From Sally Potter's brilliant film ORLANDO starring the heavenly Tilda Swinton.

“Cornfield” by Michael Nyman—From the soundtrack to the Peter Greenaway film PROSPERO’S BOOKS.

The Barber Adagio…

“Move On” and “Sunday” which is the final piece from SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE by Sondheim... the glorious finality of it...

“Symphony #3, Op. 36, 1st movement” by Gorecki—It rises from the depths of nothingness, shows us the kernel of the universe, and descends back into nothingness. Truly holy.

“Music was invented to confirm human loneliness.”
--Lawrence Durrell

The Imperfect List

In 1990, Big Hard Excellent Fish released a song called "The Imperfect List." It was an unexpected and devastating spoken word song, listing things that can crush a person's soul. What makes it all the more heartbreaking and poignant is the mix of heinous/ catastrophic things with small daily annoyances. Read in a dour Northern British accent, much of it is specific to the UK with Britishisms and references that make sense only to those in Great Britian. But much of it is universal... and true.

Inspired by songwriter/ singer (reader) Josie Jones, here is my own Imperfect List:

Cigarettes, Being ignored, Dirty hands, Wire hangers, The DMV, Mistreatment of animals, Insurance companies, Sports bars, Gambling, PE teachers, Child bullies, Any bullies, Automotive stores, Liver, The Grateful Dead, Marzipan, Fat and gristle on meat, Newspapers, Talk radio, TV news, Rap and reggae and country music, Football, baseball, basketball, Christianity, Organized religion, The American South (including Texas) and ESPECIALLY FLORIDA, Racism, Ignorance, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Chewing tobacco, Republicans, Greed, Hunting for sport, Airplane landings, Death, Bigotry, Female sopranos, Cancer, Pushy people, Competitive people, Lies designed to hurt, Heartburn, Vomiting, Flat underwear without a pouch, Poison oak, Screaming birds, Screaming children, Empty buzzwords and phrases, Small town mentality, Lack of imagination, Tight shoes, Used car salesmen, Card games, Murder, Grotesque fish who live at the bottom of the ocean, Rednecks

The Perfect List

And with the previous post in mind, here is my Perfect List:

Strawberry milk, Winter solstice and winter holidays, Freshly washed clothes, Lightning, The smell of gasoline, Fine Japanese incense, Entenmann’s glazed buttermilk donuts, Fresh air, Popcorn and potato chips, Rootbeer, Vanilla, Berries, Wolves, 70s disco, Children’s picture books, Rain, Fog, Air conditioning, Art museums, Fireplaces, Sweet-smelling flowers, Cats and dogs, Bunnies, Stuffed animals, Long hair on men, Reading poetry, Writing poetry, Corona with lime, Sweet vermouth, Gin and tonic, Images of the Buddha, The sitar and other drone instruments, Candle magic, CG Jung, Keeping a dream journal, Ambient music, Tarot cards, Native American culture, Photographing and documenting my life, Cinema, Avant garde fashion and designers, Travelling, Exotic foods, Aromatics Elixir by Clinique, Massages, Antique stores, Collectibles from the 20s through the 70s, Big Band music, Art history, Showers, Sleeping on clean sheets, Dreaming, Forests and meadows, Amusement parks and carnivals, California, Sex, Shoes, Sunglasses, Chez Panisse, Interior Design, World mythology, Physics, Convertibles, Sour cream, The night sky, Harvest moon, Airports, People watching, The way the air smells when it rains or snows