ive been waiting for RENT to come out on screen quite possibly since the first time i heard the soundtrack what seems like forever ago. i remember back when i was in high school hearing it for the first time and becoming instantly obsessed... with the songs, the story, the message behind it. by the time i finally saw it on stage i had virtually the entire play memorized and cried, laughed, and sang along like a happy little child. and now, almost 10 years later, the movie version still leaves me with that inspired state of awe. i was discussing it with a friend shortly after seeing it today and while we have complaints - they are entirely minor. he told me that another friend had walked out 45 minutes into the movie because they hated it. and honestly that just left me in total shock. i mean, perhaps you hated the singing. perhaps you didnt agree with the lifestyles of some of the people in it. but seriously... for you to take nothing from this movie? you have got to be cold and shallow with a lump of coal barely beating in your chest. ha.

really though. each time i see/ hear the play... be it on stage, on my stereo, and now, on the big screen... i cant help but get completely infused by the energy of it. the life. the love. the individual and collective story of RENT can teach you so much... but for me, most of all, it reminds me that you really arent promised anything but the moment you live in. now i dont want to get all sappy here and start singing the words but seriously, there really is no day but today. and seeing this movie is coming at a time in my life where those words are what i need to hear. its so easy to put off everything... plans, hopes, dreams... and just wait. im always discussing dreams and aspirations with a friend of mine and she always reminds me how important it is to dream big, to not settle for complacency when you can have and achieve so much more. i forget that alot. perhaps because im scared of taking risks, perhaps because im afraid of stepping out of the comfort zone. for whatever reason though, i often find myself settling. and im so tired of being that person. so tired of accepting what i have instead of going out and taking what i want.

RENT reminds me of that. if life ended tomorrow... would i be satisfied with what i've achieved? people often ask "what do you regret most in your life" and really for me, i dont regret anything ive done. made a lot of bad choices, yes, but i dont regret them because they were necessary to learn certain lessons. that doesnt mean i dont have regrets though. ive let so many opportunities pass me by here and there, gotten lazy more times than i can count, allowed so many things to pass me by and now i just look back like damn. theres so much i could have done. so really... my regrets come in the form of what ive not done. so i see this story as just another link in the chain pulling me towards making a more conscious approach to defining my own life how I want it to be. just another reminder to get out and do something. and there is no better time than right now to put those wheels in motion. got my ass singin that Seize the Day song from Newsies. hahaha. open the gates friends, its time to seize the day.