Ain't Got No Plans, Ain't Goin' Nowhere

perfect, adjective, she was the perfect wife--almost.
having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.

...Take your fast car and keep on driving. Tracy Chapman reminds me of bumpy back-road car rides with my mom and sisters. The windows rolled down. Just a fast car, driving. Or, fast mini-van. (Whatever.) I love it when nostalgic songs come on the radio when I'm at work. It's nice to secretly escape from the office for a while. Free to come and go as I please within my own mind. It's the only way to survive here.

We watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night--it was the second time for me--and I just love how Fitzgerald is all over the script. He is in the chemistry between two young lovers, he's in the confusion of a difficult conversation, he's in the image of two silhouettes against a settling sky. The film is different from the short story in ways, but the language is so fitting to him, lathered on so thick, almost too much--but not. This is exemplified in the choice of Brad Pitt to play the role, too. Almost too perfect in that sailboat, and on their living room floor, and at his daughter's birthday party.

And it's not just his looks. It's his love for Daisy and their daughter. His desire for both of them to experience a freedom they deserved, one that doesn't include him. His words. "For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." Almost too loving to be genuine. Almost too pure to be real. Almost too perfect. But not.