525,600 minutes

that's how some people would measure a year in a life. in RENT the song "Seasons of Love" counts the different ways in which a year can be measured and asks the question "how about love?". personally, i feel like i've been measuring the past year (or at least the last 8 months of it) in school assignments. very sad. in the past 3 months its been measured in blog posts, which has been ok because i have been enjoying it and the posts have given me cause to reminisce, and to discover some things about myself. i saw the play RENT about 12 years ago when it first opened on broadway, and tonite again, before its scheduled closing sometime in the next few months. it really is a great show, a testament to the indomitable spirit of survival, and creativity, and revolution, and yes, love. there's very little about food and drink in this play, except when the characters are complaining that they haven't eaten much that day, or that week, or are trying to scrounge some food from somewhere. there's alot about drugs though. and personally if i can't have food or drinks then drugs will do. of course that comes from someone who can get food, and isn't homeless. its easy enough for me to talk the talk. this play rips my heart out; but i like it because it doesn't sugar coat the reality. the characters make their own opportunities. they shape their own lives because they know that no-one else will and if they do its only for their own purposes. they don't rely on hope. it isn't faith that keeps them going, its their camaraderie and will to survive and community. homelessness and hunger are real problems; and you can't eat hope, and you can't live in the house of faith, you can only spend the night on the steps. how do you measure YOUR life? Peace.