Bradley’s Almanac

Eternal Spring Sunshine

Posted on April 12, 2004 at 8:31 am | No Comments

Well, it’s hard to imagine a much better weekend than that one. A Friday night relaxing at home, an ideal Spring Saturday spent hiking through the Blue Hills and the Arnold Arboretum, followed by dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. A Sunday that started at the Breakfast Club, then off to a movie, and even more at-home chillaxin’. Throw in a Red Sox extra-inning win on the tube, some intense online multiplayer action, and several chapters of a good book… it nears perfection.

Speaking of near perfection… Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was damn near the perfect film. It’s images & words are still bouncing around my brain, and I hope I don’t shake ’em loose for awhile. I was completely lost in it, fairly deeply affected. I saw it alone (Amie had seen it while I was in London), and in an almost-empty theater, which only added to its impact. It was simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful, melancholy and joyful. Just a beautiful work of art.

There’s this scene where Clementine says “Well, this is it, Joel. The last of it. It will all be gone soon.” and he asks “So what do we do now?”. She simply responds “Enjoy it.” And they do. It was just one of those brilliant moments that will stick with me. I can’t imagine myself enjoying any other film more this year.

Actually, I finally got to see the preview for Garden State up on the big screen, and if it lives up to it’s promise, I might take that statement back. It looks downright magical.

On the other end of the movie spectrum… out of a sheer sense of obligation, we netflixed the last Matrix film. Bleh. Well, it wasn’t nearly as terrible as the second one, but that certainly isn’t saying much. Again, it felt like a video game. Action, cutscene (“go here next”), more action, cutscene, action. Left me cold. They could have tried throwing a little emotion in there, considering it was man vs. machine. Would have made the fight seem a little more clear. We need more than earth-toned knitwear to tell our humans and programs apart.

Ok, so the entire final battle was semi-thrilling… even I can’t dismiss some of those special effects. Still, it was hard to overcome the tedium of the previous scenes (and, um, the entire second film). Before it started, I said “Please, no rave scene… and please, no shirtless Morpheus.” Thankfully, Mr. Fishburne stayed fully clothed, but when they descended into the Frenchman’s club, and the slow-motion dancing (and, um, nipple squeezing!?) started… my meager hopes were dashed.

Our super-cute dog Nina turned 1 year old on Saturday, and we took her on her first hike up into the Blue Hills, just south of Boston. Suffice it to say, it was one of the best times ever. We went further into the woods than we had before, on some pretty great trails. Since it’s so early in the season, the place was relatively deserted, so we were able to take Nina off leash… for a few minutes. She was in pure sniffing heaven, but her nose was leading her a little too far away for comfort. The last time we were in the hills, Amie said “I’d love to come here someday when we have a dog… I dream of that.” And so we did.

So here’s to Nina, a puppy no-longer. Hard to believe she was once this tiny …



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  • BOSTON-AREA LIVE SHOW ACTION
    Wednesday, December 17th
    Patti Smith
    Book Tour Stop
    @ the Chevalier

    Saturday, December 20th
    The Del Fuegos
    early & late shows
    @ City Winery

    Sunday, December 21st
    Samantha Fish
    Cedric Burnside
    Jon Spencer
    @ the Wilbur

    Saturday, December 27th
    John Oliver
    @ MGM Music Hall

    Sunday, December 28th
    The Felice Brothers
    Charlotte Cornfield
    @ the Sinclair

    Monday & Tuesday
    December 29th & 30th
    The Disco Biscuits
    Monday @ the Sinclair
    Tuesday @ the Royale

    Thursday, January 8th
    Ms. Ezra Furman
    doing what she wants
    with Ryan Walsh
    (of Hallelujah the Hills)
    opening with a solo set
    @ the Rockwell

    Wednesday, January 14th
    Bishop Allen
    Mates of State
    @ the Sinclair

    Thursday, January 15th
    Cate Le Bon
    @ the Sinclair

    Thursday, January 15th
    Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
    "Piano & Voice" performance
    @ the MFA Boston

    Monday, January 19th
    Shame
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Thursday, January 22nd
    Bill Murray and His Blood Brothers
    @ the House of Blues

    Thursday, January 27th
    The Residents
    Eskimo Live! Tour
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Thursday, January 29th
    Bad Bad Hats
    performing "Psychic Reader"
    @ the Crystal Ballroom

    Friday, January 30th
    Greg Freeman
    Golomb
    @ the Red Room at Cafe 939

    Saturday & Sunday
    January 31st & February 1st
    Something In The Way Fest 2026
    with Explosions In The Sky,
    Sunny Day Real Estate, Citizen,
    Tigers Jaw, The Hotelier, Momma,
    Angel Dust, February, First Day Back,
    Glitterer, Glixen, Gollylagging, Guv,
    Graham Hunt, Horse Jumper of Love,
    How Much Art, No Warning, Pelican,
    Park National, Pool Kids, Sheer Mag,
    Wicca Phase Springs Eternal,
    and Teen Suicide
    @ Roadrunner

    Thursday, February 12th
    Brandi Carlile
    The Head and the Heart
    @ TD Garden

    Friday, February 13th
    Nine Inch Nails
    @ TD Garden

    Friday, February 20th
    Marissa Nadler
    @ the Somerville Armory

    Saturday, February 21st
    Margo Price
    @ the Royale

    February 28th
    Ratboys
    Florry
    @ the Sinclair

    Tuesday, March 3rd
    Spiritual Cramp
    @ the Sinclair

    Wednesday, March 4th
    Cat Power
    "The Greatest 2026" tour
    @ Roadrunner

    Friday, March 6th
    Michael Shannon,
    Jason Narducy,
    & friends play REM's
    "Life's Rich Pageant"
    with opener
    Eugene Mirman
    @ the Royale

    Friday, March 13th
    Quarters
    Paper Lady
    @ the Royale

    Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
    March 13th, 14th, & 15th
    Dropkick Murphys
    @ MGM Music Hall

    Tuesday, March 17th
    Dropkick Murphys
    @ House of Blues

    Thursday, March 19th
    Julianna Barwick
    & Mary Lattimore
    @ the Somerville Armory

    Friday, March 20th
    The Hives
    The Chats
    @ House of Blues

    Saturday, March 21st
    Cass McCombs
    Chris Cohen
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Saturday, March 21st
    Joyce Manor
    Militarie Gun
    Teen Mortgage
    Combat
    @ House of Blues

    Sunday, March 22nd
    Maria Somerville
    @ the ICA Boston

    Monday, March 23rd
    Westerman
    @ the Sinclair

    Thursday, March 26th
    The Format
    Piebald
    Adult Mom
    @ Roadrunner

    Sunday, March 29th
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    @ Sanders Theatre

    Wednesday, April 1st
    Wednesday (the band)
    @ Roadrunner

    Thursday, April 2nd
    On Cinema Live! with
    Tim Heidecker
    & Gregg Turkington
    @ the Wilbur

    Friday, April 3rd
    Patrick Watson
    @ Somerville Theatre

    Friday & Saturday
    April 3rd & 4th
    Hayley Williams
    Water From Your Eyes
    @ House of Blues

    Saturday, April 4th
    The Dirty Three
    @ the Sinclair

    Saturday, April 4th
    Puscifer
    Dave Hill
    @ the Wang Theatre

    Wednesday, April 8th
    Mclusky
    Pile
    @ the Paradise

    Thursday, April 9th
    Circle Jerks
    Gorilla Biscuits
    @ the Paradise

    Thursday, April 16th
    Rhiannon Giddens
    @ the Orpheum

    Saturday, April 18th
    The Last Dinner Party
    Florence Road
    @ Roadrunner

    Sunday, April 19th
    Heavenly
    Swansea Sound
    Jeanines
    @ the Sinclair

    Thursday, April 30th
    Oklou
    @ the Royale

    Monday, May 4th
    Yumi Zouma
    Ducks Ltd.
    @ the Sinclair

    Thursday, May 14th
    Melody's Echo Chamber
    @ the Royale

    Tuesday & Wednesday
    May 19th & 20th
    Belle and Sebastian
    play "Tigermilk" (19th) and
    "If You're Feeling Sinister" (20th)
    @ the Orpheum

    Thursday, June 11th
    Echo & the Bunnymen
    @ Roadrunner

    Tuesday, June 23rd
    Wolfmother
    @ House of Blues

    Wednesday, June 24th
    The Church
    The Singles Tour
    (rescheduled from 8/1/25)
    @ Somerville Theatre

    Tuesday, July 14th
    Joe Jackson
    @ the Chevalier

    Friday, September 4th
    Peter Hook & the Light
    play New Order's "Get Ready"
    @ House of Blues

    Saturday, September 12th
    Rush
    @ TD Garden