Splash No. 143 - Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day
You know Groundhog Day? Not the weird holiday with the tradition to invade a poor groundhog’s privacy to get a poor prediction of the weather, but the movie? Starring Bill Murray playing a curmudgeonly weatherman named Phil who gets stuck in a time loop reliving the same day over and over again? In the 28 years since the film came out, it has been established as one of the greatest films of all time.
As we celebrate a year of living through a major world event involving a little germ, I look around and struggle to tell any given day apart from any other. Today is today, but it could’ve been yesterday, or any day in November. There are no specific dates to look forward to since every holiday and every birthday result in the same treatment, a similar celebration with the same bubble. The days between those celebrations blend together in stultifying routine.
Fans of the movie estimate that Phil spent nearly 34 years in his time loop, initially suffering through every iteration and using the lack of consequences for his actions as a reason to do terrible things, but eventually leaning into hobbies: learning how to play the piano, ice skate, speak French. He also memorizes everything that happens on his repeated day until he can prevent the misfortunes of everyone in the town that he hated at the beginning of it all.
Despite my best efforts, the only skill I’ve cultivated during our shared Groundhog Day has been keeping my screen time under 10 hours, against all odds. I’ve picked up and put down multiple instruments, made many small attempts to get my chess rating over 1100, started many tutorials in different things that haven’t gone anywhere. Of course, I’ve had a tiny percentage of the time that Phil had, but either way — none of it matters all that much.
Although they contribute, his learnings about tickling the ivories and speaking a Romance language aren’t what break him free from his daily prison. Phil ultimately only escapes his time loop when he falls in love. Personally, I don’t think that falling in love is going to speed up vaccinations and improve the development of therapeutics, but at this point, I’ll try anything.
Thankfully, even as the passage of time melts into nothing at all, every day is still a new day, the seasons still come and go. We’re not trapped on February 2nd like Phil was, so the gelid temperatures are giving way to warmer days and the sun has been sticking around for a little longer. Maybe I’ll fall in love with the sun, the one that I once dreaded. I hated the triple-digit temperatures of a Georgia July. Loving it may not change the days, but it will paint them — a visage of an upcoming summer most adored, one unlike ever before.
Drops of the Week
SINGLES - "Spotify Singles" by Phoebe Bridgers - my queen Phoebe dropped a re-recording of her hit "Kyoto" and a cover of John Prine's "Summer's End" that I've been listening to on loop.
ARTICLE - "Against Loving Your Job" by Sarah Jaffe - an interesting take that goes against the common idea that we need to be in love with the work that we do.
FILM - Rocketman - Elton John biopic! I knew very little about his life and enjoyed how the music was interspersed throughout
The president may not be a white supremacist, but there's still work to be done. With each day, we move closer to a more equitable world. Reminders:
Ways you can help Mutual Aid Networks
Anti-racism resources
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Repeatedly,
Nikhil