THE LOWDOWN

The Lowdown (2025) created by Sterling Harjo. Ethan Hawke is in his element as Lee Raybon, a rabble-rouser writer/journalist/bookseller in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He's "investigating" the suicide of a politician's brother as he digs around in the underbelly of the city and it's environs. It's smart, funny, raunchy, and mysterious. The ensemble cast seems to be having a great time.

I'm three episodes in so far and enjoying it.

Watched on FX.

BECOMING YOURSELF

"It is easy to explain what Suzuki Roshi does not mean by [the practice of "becoming yourself"]. He does not mean perfecting your self-image or cultivating a unique style to broadcast. He does not mean learning how to be who other people think you are, or even who you think you are or should be. He does not mean trying to get a handle on who you are. Don't try to figure out who you are."

—Jiryu Rutschman-Byler

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"Our way of sitting is to become yourself."

—Shunryu Suzuki

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I sit. I sit to become myself. I sit in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, who introduced Soto Zen to America. I sit in the lineage of Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen. I sit in the lineage of Daruma, the founder of Chan (Zen).

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Becoming Yourself (2025) is published 54 years after Suzuki's death and 55 years after his seminal Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. In it's best passages, Becoming Yourself reads a lot like the works of Dogen, which I find compelling and challenging.

MOMENT

"Accepting each moment as a brand-new moment is what is meant by beginner’s mind. What you are experiencing may be similar to what you have experienced before, but it is not the same."

—Illumination by Rebecca Li

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Tonight was a "beginner's mind" sit for me. My Zen group filled the room, so I was seated on a meditation bench rather than a cushion. The incense irritated my throat a bit during walking meditation. But it was wonderful to simply sit alone together. I ran sword meditation drills through my head as a focus. It was a beautiful moment.

ALIEN: EARTH

Alien: Earth (2025) episodes 1 and 2. It feels as though it may have bitten off more than it can chew, let alone digest, but we shall see. It's informed by a lot of other films and stories—the Alien films (of course), Peter Pan, Blade Runner, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Towering Inferno, Star Trek:The Wrath of Khan, X-Men and/or New Mutants, Noah's Ark, and many more. There are some good performances. The Alien is allowed to run around and slaughter with gleeful abandon, although I'm not sure it works well here.

Topical themes also appear: bratty billionaires, the pros/cons of artificial intelligence, 9/11, corporatocracy, genetic manipulation, environmental degradation, invasive species, what it means to be human.

It will be interesting to watch where this storyline goes and if it turns out to be a strong entry in the Alien franchise.

Watched on FX. (Also streaming on Hulu.)

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Xenomorph says, "Episode 3 of Alien: Earth shows this series (so far) to be a beautiful spectacle, but also really dumb and mostly boring." Will I make it to the end? It remains to be seen.

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Alien: Earth episode six = DUMB.

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Episode 7 amps up the action, but also the stupidity. The decisions made by all the characters—each and every one, characters and decisions—just don't make sense. And Wendy controlling the xenomorph through a series of clicks is absolutely ridiculous.

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Episode 8 is the most ridiculous of all. And tiring. Just let it be. Please, no more seasons.

Let the dead kids be dead. Let the dead scientist be dead. Let the series be dead.

DEVO

DEVO (2024) directed by Chris Smith. This documentary of the band is a good introduction to their music and, more importantly, their message. It features a lot of commentary by Jerry Casale and Mark Motherbaugh, with other band members and people important to the band occasionally speaking, although mostly from archival footage for the latter. The use of clips from DEVO's own films is a bit confusing, especially if one is unfamiliar with them. But all in all it's a "good thing, a very good thing."

Streaming on Netflix.

PIG

Pig (2021) directed by Michael Sarnoski. Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff give stellar performances in this film about a truffle hunter and his prized pig. It's a story of love and loss and grief. It's a story of friendship. It's a low-key zombie flick. (Seriously. Watch it. Reflect upon it. You'll "see" it.) The sound design, especially in the scenes with the pig, is wonderful. Occasional hand-held camera work sets itself apart from long static or tracking shots. I liked this film quite a bit.

Streaming on Netflix.

ILLUMINATION

Sunset. Backyard dojo. Sword meditation with 舌 / shita.

"Think about this: You always have your body with you. This makes it a wonderful meditation tool because, guess what? Your body can only be here in the present moment. Your body cannot be someplace else in the future, and it cannot return to the past. You are here. Body and mind are intimately connected. This is why it is precious to have the body to practice with, so make use of it. Be grateful your mind can always follow your body back to the present moment." 

—Illumination by Rebecca Li

ILLUMINATION

"There is a story that when someone asked Zen Master Shunryū Suzuki, 'What is enlightenment?' he replied, 'Enlightenment? I do not believe you will like it.'"

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Tonight, I told my Buddhist Reading Group that I "felt seen" while reading Illumination by Rebecca Li. It examines the obstacles and challenges one can encounter during Chan (Zen) meditation. And I have experienced them all, in one form or another. But it's also a good way to check one's practice and revisit the concept of "beginner's mind." Knowing what one is doing, whether for good or ill, allows for clarity and awareness.

KRUSTY PUP

This is what $22.25 worth of Fair food looks like. It's also my last Krusty Pup meal. 

The Krusty Pup batter was undercooked. The curly fries were overcooked and mostly ends and bits. Which is bullshit for the amount of money I paid. (I almost didn't.)

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In the past, an additional kids Krusty Pup Meal also factored into the price.

THE HIDDEN LAMP

"This collection is for everyone who is looking to complete the broken circle that exists in all our great religions—and in our hearts and world." 

—Zoketsu Norman Fischer, from the Foreword

The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women, edited by Florence Caplow and Susan Moon

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The meditation community I've joined, South Sound Zen, exists in two versions. There is an in-person Thursday group that sits zazen in two 25-minute sessions, walks kinhin for 10 minutes, chants, and hears a brief shared reading. This is a recent incarnation, and how I typically participate. But there is also an original online Tuesday version that sits briefly (10 to 15 minutes) and discusses various Buddhist readings and teachings for the rest of the hour. I was able to participate in the Tuesday offering for the first time and it sang to me.

I enjoyed the reading of a koan, and accompanying commentary, from The Hidden Lamp, as well as the discussion that followed. Everyone was invited to share their thoughts on the reading, which was welcomed, as I would have otherwise likely just listened. The gentle nudge to share what I encountered in the text, made me see it anew. The observations of others helped to deepen the text even more. It was exactly what I've been searching for the past few months, so I purchased a copy of the current book and am ready to sit again next Tuesday.

COLONOSCOPY

The reward for a colonoscopy and its accompanying preparations was a bacon cheeseburger from Five Guys. And. It. Was. So. Damn. Good.

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Medical personnel need to be more upfront about what preparation for a colonoscopy entails. They need to be graphic and let you know exactly what is going to happen to your body as it purges yourself. (For instance, are you going to be "urinating" out of your ass? Yes. I wasn't quite ready for that.)

MY OLD ASS

My Old Ass (2024) directed by Megan Park. It's a coming-of-age film, that's also a little bit rom-com and a little bit of time travel. Think Freaky Friday, but with one's self. It's about longing and loss and growing up. Ultimately, though, it's about living in, and for, the present moment. 

Streamed on Amazon Prime.