To thine own self be true

Standing this morning in the onslaught of fierce Arctic winds (“A man could be a fool.”–Jack London, “To Build a Fire”), pumping gas, I noticed a Styrofoam cup with writing on it  rolling back and forth beside me at the pumps. Gradually the entire message scrawled in black pen revealed itself, first one way then another, absurdly– ENJOY LIFE    LOVE GOD    LOVE YOURSELF 🙂

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Pity all the poor, unsuspecting schmoes travelling to Edmonton’s inconvenient, inaccessible Greyhound depot and train depot this morning. There will be frozen bodies of travellers found days later, suitcases half-covered in snow from the Arctic winds open field walk. Now that’s typical  Edmo city and transportation planning for you!

does not change us. It just unfolds us.”
–Max Frisch

(Neepawa, MB; model of the Simpson house in A Bird in the House; visited for the second time in Sept. 2010)

one of those 24-hr. ‘flus’, food poisoning, or serious illness. Despite whatever help is offered and available, there’s pretty much just you and The Enemy.
In the midst of whatever, I always recall the lyrics of that old gospel tune:

You’ve got to walk that lonesome valley
You’ve got to walk it by yourself
No, nobody else can walk it for you.
You’ve got to walk it by yourself.
(A memory of “The Reverend Mr. Black” by The Kingston Trio)

Dusseldorf.

is a matter of luck and opportunities.

MASH (1970)

Brewster McCloud (1970)

McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)

Images (1972)

The Long Goodbye (1973)

California Split (1974)

Nashville (1975)

Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)

Vincent and Theo (1990)

The Player (1992)

Short Cuts (1993)

Gosford Park (2001)

What’s New Pussycat? (1965)

Take the Money and Run (1969)

Play It Again Sam (1972)

Sleeper (1973)

Love and Death (1975)

Annie Hall (1977)

Interiors (1978)

Manhattan (1979)

Stardust Memories (1980)

Zelig (1983)

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

September (1987)

Another Woman (1988)

Alice (1990)

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

Mighty Aphrodite (1995)

Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

Hollywood Ending (2002)

Midnight in Paris (2011)

12 Angry Men (1957)

The Fugitive Kind (1960)

Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962)

The Sea Gull (1968)

The Pawnbroker (1969)

Serpico (1973)

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Network (1976)

Prince of the City (1981)

Deathtrap (1982)

The Verdict (1982)

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

(deeply lost in the dream of music and performing, February 1967, operetta cast party, playing guitar with Ed Greene–middle: vocals, and Eric Crone–right, harmonica; we’re playing “I’m Mad” by Eric Burdon and The Animals)

(RD already lost deeply in dream and books by grade 12 classroom, 1967)

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“Life is a dream: when we sleep we are awake, and when we awake we sleep” and Shakespeare who said “We are such stuff/As dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”

In the ’90s a new secretary at school on her second day or so perceptively said to me, “You’re a dreamer” and that’s a pretty astute observation on minimal evidence that anyone has ever concisely offered me.

I’ve always dreamed of doing many things in my life and many of them came true, luckily. I spent a lot of time in darkened rooms in theatres, rooms, and at Film Classification watching cinematic dreams flow by. I’ve spent a lot of time teaching films, reading books and literature, writing poems, listening to and performing music, and otherwise dwelling in illusion, romance, imagination, fantasy, and dream. And, again luckily, I have spent a lot of time in these sacred places.

There are many possibilities in life, but we each are what we are. Most of what I’ve learned about life has happened because of the five latter aforementioned things. That and the quality and nature of who I am, what my purpose and values are, and why I am the way I am. I have never regretted making the choice to accept, embrace, and appreciate dreams. They have been sustaining, significant, and often quite relevant to whatever has happened to me along the way.

Yes. like is a dream, like a dream, very dream-like. And it is through our experiences with it that we can a greater understanding of ourselves, others, life, human nature, and the world.