What happened to the nice weather? Nothing makes me more upset than rain in May, but I had no choice this weekend but to put the tanning on hold. Instead, I was forced to sit inside and watch sports, even hockey and golf.
My weekend also consisted of a lot of "The Great Gatsby." Not only did I see the movie, but I reread the book in anticipation. "Gatsby" was one of my favorites in high school the only one that I did not use SparkNotes for. Like Gatsby, I think I was trying to capture a bit of my youth by giving F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece another spin.
Yeah, I guess I'm a bit of a romantic nerd, but I found the experience quite rewarding. Although I wasn't a big fan of Baz Luhrmann's modern interpretation, the theme of hope, the future and the past really resonates with the state of my life as I enter the final stretch of my time at Dartmouth.
So without further adieu, here are my favorite quotes from "Gatsby" and how Fitzgerald's prose remains relevant today.
*"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired."**##
You can pretty much apply this quote to anything in life, and that's why I love it so much. Here's The Players Championship edition:
The Pursued: Tiger Woods
The Pursuing: David Lingmerth, Kevin Streelman, Jeff Maggert
The Busy: The rest of the PGA Tour
The Tired: Sergio Garcia. When you chirp at Tiger, look what happens.
"Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!"
This is a tricky one because sometimes repeating the past is bad. For instance, estranged Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young is a believer. Not only did he get arrested twice on the same day last week, he repeated the past again on Friday by getting arrested for a third time! Talk about getting a hat trick in the worst kind of way attempted burglary, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
*"They're a rotten crowd,' I shouted across the lawn. You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.'"**##
If Kevin Durant can to propel the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals, he definitely fits into this mold. Despite averaging 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists since Russell Westbrook was lost for the remainder of the playoffs, Durant believes he can do a lot more: "There's always things. No matter how good you play, you always can do more."
*"You always look so cool."**##
I get this a lot. But I'm sure Iman Shumpert gets this even more. The high top fade literally never gets old and, by default, Shumpert is the coolest looking player in the NBA playoffs right now. As for the NHL playoffs, Patrick Kane takes the cake. Best flow in the game.
"Do you ever wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it!"
Green Key is finally on the horizon. It's not the longest day of the year, but it definitely is the longest weekend of the year here. And I cannot be more excited. My expectations are high and so should yours. Don't pull a Daisy Buchanan and miss it. Get your work done now so you can reap the benefits this weekend.
*"I certainly am awfully glad to see you again."**##
The Dartmouth women's lacrosse team is back on campus after making it to the second round of the NCAA Division I tournament. Taking down Boston College in the first round marked the program's first tournament victory in seven years. Congrats on another amazing season, especially since my brother is a BC grad.
*"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."**##
Slow down Mr. Carraway, summer is not quite here yet. I've gone through a lot of territory in this column, but so did Fitzgerald in his novel. Only a couple more Vann Islands left and I hope I'm able to cover some more stuff that will define me as well as Dartmouth through my eyes, just as Daisy was seen through the eyes of Gatsby (and Fitzgerald). Have a great Green Key. I plan to.
