Monday, September 21, 2009

Manifold Destiny


I’ve mentioned before that I feel rather like a tethered traveler. I like to be on the move, and SL often offers a feeling of adventure, of chance encounters; the imagination is stimulated. We work hard in our real lives to get to “that certain place”. That’s what we’re meant to do, yes? But it’s funny, once you get to that place, there’s a little itch that makes you want to tear it up a bit, toss aside the careful planning and see what might happen. The documentary film Alfred and Jakobine is a story about my friend’s parents, who took a chance with their lives and literally took to the road...in a taxi. Alfred is an anthropologist, Jakobine, an artist. In 1953 they made their way to Casablanca and found themselves smitten with a nearly ruined 1953 London taxi which they used to adventure around the world. The film ought to teach us all a few lessons about getting up, getting out, staying put...