Assignments

Harrell Fletcher was my first blog crush. His site, while not actually a blog per se, is so revealing and thoughtful that it reads like a template for what a great blog might be. I discovered his site earlier this year, possibly by googling “Packing Up Your Whole Life” or “Reassessing Everything You Possess” or “How To Deal.” (I look to the Internet for answers.) I found inspiration and reassurance in this and this, but Harrell was the one who spoke to my heart and made me cry. Particularly resonant was the fact that he conducted this project at the Headlands, where I spent three months in residence in 2003. It’s a special place, and I often think longingly of the achingly beautiful landscape, Katie Powers’ awesome cooking and the perfect day we spent at Muir Beach on Isaac’s 39th birthday.

I was happy to learn that Miranda July’s film Me and You and Everyone We Know is part of this year’s film festival. July’s and Harrell Fletcher’s project Learning To Love You More has been a web favourite for some time. I intend to complete Assignment #14, as requested by Erin, and you should too. We all need these types of lists.

The film was lovely, if a little trite at times. Sometimes when I go to see a film with preconceived notions of How Much I’m Going to Like This (Read: A Lot), I need Isaac to prod me into seeing obvious flaws. Of which there were some, but so what? I liked it.

In the darkened cinema, I was conscious of the weight of stories around me. People struggling with immigration issues, work crises, illness, regret. Happiness, and how to get and/or keep it. How to find a place in the world. I like art that attempts telling these stories.