in the dark

11 THINGS: In the Dark

Thursday, October 18, 2007

1. Eat dark chocolate:
Recommendation: Keep eating till you feel sick.
Benefits: You'll also be conserving energy when you pass out.
Requirements: One large box of dark chocolates.

2. Drink dark rum:
Recommendation: Wear an eye patch and drink it straight from the bottle.
Benefits: Pirate-like joy.
Requirements: One large bottle of Myer's.

3. Pretend you're Donnie Darko:
Recommendation: Make sure the bunny disappears when you're done.
Benefits: Cultlike following.
Requirements: An open mind.

4. Read Jim Thompson's "After Dark, My Sweet":
Recommendation: Watch the movie later.
Benefits: Makes you want to read more Jim Thompson.
Requirements: Ability to appreciate failure and doom.

5. Read Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon":
Recommendation: Reread it when you're done.
Benefits: Causes you to ponder isolation, rendition, torture.
Requirements: One small flashlight.

6. Read "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns":
Recommendation: Contemplate Frank Miller's genius.
Benefits: Mild elation when you learn Maggie Gyllenhaal is in the 2008 movie.
Requirements: Comic book love.

7. Listen to "Dark Side of the Moon":
Recommendation: "Breathe, breathe in the air ... don't be afraid to care."
Benefits: Makes you feel like you're in high school again.
(Wait ... is that a benefit?)
Requirements: One set of very large headphones.

8. Listen to "Dark Star":
Recommendation: What? You wanted me to recommend something off "In the Dark"?
You can forget it, pal.
Benefits: Often followed by "St. Stephen."
Requirements: Paraphernalia.

9. Ponder the Mission's Dark Room Theater:
Recommendation: Go.
Benefits: Discovery (or rediscovery) of "Bad Movie Nights."
Requirements: Visit www.darkroomsf.com.

10. Ponder dark matter:
Recommendation: Keep some candles nearby.
Benefits: Discovery (or rediscovery) of a man named Fritz Zwicky.
Requirements: Ability to deal in hypotheticals.

11. Ponder chiaroscuro:
Recommendation: Look it up.
Benefits: Dark benefits light benefits dark.
Requirements: An artistic mind.

- Tim Sullivan, tsullivan@sfchronicle.com
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/18/NS78SP3K6.DTL
This article appeared on page G - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle