Farscape and a Wedding

So far, this weekend has been one of the best I’ve experienced in a long time. It’s not that anything really exciting or earth-shattering happened. Rather, it’s just been nice and calm, filled with as much peace and happiness as I’ve experienced in the past few weeks. Especially when compared to last weekend, which, despite Sigur Rós, turned out to be a personal nadir.

For example, I was up until about 5:30am this morning watching the first season of Farscape, a show I wish I would’ve watched when I still had cable. Actually several of my roommates and I have become addicted to this show; ironically, it was also just cancelled.

Now, I realize that may sound silly, if not extremely geeky, but it’s been one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done a long time, and frankly, I don’t care how people take it. It’s nice to be able to enjoy something this imaginative again; it reminds me of when I was huge Trekkie when I was a kid. I love science fiction, and I think it’s one of the most important genres in film, television, and literature. Unfortunately, bad (or better yet, poorly done) sci-fi seems all too prevalent, with far too many hackjobs around.

So for me, watching 10 episodes of pure imagination… well, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Well, actually, it can get better than that. After sleeping in until 2:00pm (remember, I was up until 5:30am or so), I putzed around before heading off to a co-worker’s wedding. I do love a good wedding. It’s not that I get teary-eyed (well, not too much) or overly emotional. It’s just that weddings are one of life’s major ceremonies where I can really feel the divine in the secular. Let me explain.

I don’t care what you believe (or don’t believe)… when two people make a conscious vow to love, or better yet, sustain and remain faithful to each other (which sometimes must occur even when feelings of “love” aren’t readily apparent), there’s something uncanny about it. Human tendency is to look out for yourself first, and others second. If you want proof of that, just look at American politics. You won’t find love there. Loyalty, respect, and power yes… but not love.

When someone comes along that compels you, not forcefully but in ways often undetectable and unexaplainable, to place that person before you… to rearrange your life around their own in some way… that just doesn’t come natural to us. I’m not talking about some cheap, hippy-like, free-for-all concept of love; personally, I wish that concept of love died out with the ’60s. That sort of love may be great for smoking pot and following the Dead around, but it’s not going to drag you by the scruff of the neck through the shit life throws at you. These aren’t good vibes we’re talking about; this is the sort of the stuff that keeps you devoted to waking up to the same person for 40 – 50 years.

It’s not just in weddings that you see this. It takes place among your family, friends, and workplace. But I can’t think of a clearer, more poignant example than at a wedding. And I like seeing that. After constantly hearing about how society is deteriorating, morals are corroding, and more and more homes break apart, a wedding always seems to remind me that this is not how it’s supposed to be.

After the ceremony, it was off to the reception, which turned out to be just as much fun as the wedding (did I mention the wedding was an absolute riot). It was nice being able to be with my co-workers outside of work, reminding me yet again of the high caliber of people I work with. I found out someone I’ve worked with for years is pregnant and I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time (I swear it wasn’t the alcohol). It was a blessing to see the sort of love and friendship surrounding the new couple. If what I experienced was any indicator of the sort of environments that they’re coming from, I’m think they’ll be just fine.

After coming home from the reception, I watched two more episodes of Farscape. The perfect end to the perfect evening.