Happy 2006, everybody. Sorry for the lack of column last week, but with Christmas, I didn’t have the time, energy, or material to do a column. Unfortunately, this week I don’t have very much material either, so it’ll probably be a short form this week.
So Saturday night was New Year’s Eve, and it was an exhausting night indeed. I met up with a few friends of mine in Newark, to meet even more friends at this party we were going to in the city (SOHO, to be specific). So around 9 or so we walked down to the Path, took the train into the city, took the subway to SOHO, and walked to the bar/hall/club/whatever-it-actually-was. The line to get in was really long, and on top of that the coat check was right at the entrance, so there was a huge line there as well. So we finally got inside and ready at around 10:30. Never in my life have I deserved a drink so much.
I’m a beer drinker myself. I’m not really big on mixed drinks or shots or anything like that. Basically, not a hard alcohol fan, so much. Nevertheless, I decided to get a Red Bull and Vodka. It was an open bar, and despite my history dealing with them, the bartender still put quite a bit of vodka in there. To say the least, it was a strong drink. After that, I reverted back to beer, and stuck with that for the rest of the night.
So around 3:00 in the morning or so, my friends all started going our separate ways. My friend who lives in Newark had already left, one of my two friends who live in the city was already having a bunch of people staying with him, and my other friend who lives in the city stays in a dorm room, which means he didn’t have much space anyway. Turns out my brother-in-law’s sister (who is the same age as me) was also in the city, so I decided I’d stay at her place in Hoboken. So, in the midst of being very drunk, immensely directional impaired (even at my best state of mind), and competing with a shit-load of other people, I managed to get a cab. The ride was only about five or ten minutes, but I made some nice small talk with the guy. He eventually got me to the path, and I asked him how much I owed him. He kindly tells me “however much you want to give me.” Being that I’m from the suburbs of New Jersey, I’m not exactly up to date about how much cab rides cost these days. So I ask him what the meter says, and he tells me he doesn’t have it on, since he doesn’t like taking advantage of people. So I again ask him to just give me a number, since I don’t really know how much a cab ride costs. Finally I decide to just give him 10 bucks, since he was a real nice guy, didn’t want to take advantage of me, and had told me earlier in our ride that he’s got two kids to support.
So I go down the stairs, just miss the subway to Hoboken, and proceed to have to wait easily 45 minutes for the next one to come. And it was really, really hot. Finally the train arrives at about 3:50, and the subway is completely jam packed. I squeeze myself in (barely), and finally get to Hoboken. Turns out my brother-in-law’s sister and her roommates were on it as well, so we all met up and went back to her bed. Nevertheless, I didn’t get to sleep until about five in the morning, so it was a very, very long night. To say the least, I was exhausted on Sunday.
So, I suppose I should mention something about television, huh? Well, first things first, through the power of DVD, I managed to absolutely hook my friend Clelia and her sister onto Lost. Unfortunately, now they would really like to watch season two, but we’re already halfway into the season.
Speaking of Lost, a while ago I received an e-mail from a reader noting the father issues nearly every central character has. This has been pretty well documented, and even mentioned in a recent edition of TV Guide. Nevertheless, what’s interesting about this similarity is that the characters’ father issues are, at least in part, the reason why each person ended up on the plane in the first place. Lets take a look at this.
Jack – Was responsible for his father losing his license, went to Australia to find his father, and was on the plane to return his body home.
Kate – Killed her birth father, and in turn was on the run from the law. Was caught in Australia, and was on the flight under police custody.
Sawyer – His father killed his mother then committed suicide. Sawyer always blamed the man who was responsible for this, and went to Australia to kill him.
Jin/Sun – Jin was working for Sun’s father, and after talking to his own father, had decided that this would be the last assignment he would do for him. Meanwhile, Sun did not like the person her father made Jin, and was going to leave him before the flight. Instead, she decided to get onto the plane with him.
Michael/Walt – Michael went to Australia to take custody of Walt, and the two were on the flight to begin their new life together, in essence.
Shannon/Boone – Boone’s mother was jealous of her husband’s relationship with his daughter (Shannon), and in turn refused to give Shannon any of her father’s money when he died. In retaliation, Shannon was forced to con Boone into giving her money from his mother by paying off allegedly abusive boyfriends. Boone went to Australia for Shannon, and the two were returning to the United States together.
In a disconnected way, Claire was only on the flight due to father issues, however not her own, as her unborn baby’s father had abandoned them. In turn, Claire was forced to put the baby up for adoption. She was on the plane to Los Angeles to meet a couple she had hoped would adopt her baby.
Locke also has undeniable father issues, but as of right now it’s not known whether that had any direct effect on why he was on the plane back from Australia (we can only speculate).
Anyway, since nothing on Lost ever seems coincidental, I’m curious as to how this trend of characters having issues with their fathers is significant.
I think I’m going to close things up now. I’m getting hungry, and I’m still tired from New Year’s Eve. I hope everybody had a great holiday season, and I’m definitely looking forward to the return of new episodes. For now, Case Closed.
