Writing Through the Fog

(Intended Title: Fleeting Love in the Time of Ambiguous Cinema, Part III) Audio for part I of this post. The first time I watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, years ago, I didn’t like it. The film—about two people who go through a procedure to erase each other from their memories—was made well, and [...]

As our Vueling jet descended, I saw clusters of orange rooftops, hilly neighborhoods, and a sparkling blue sea. After we landed, I turned my phone on and posted the obligatory location-based update on Facebook. Just landed in Lisbon! I wasn’t even off the plane when my BlackBerry light started blinking. I read that Jamie, one [...]

In January 2007, I found the one. Physical attraction. Mutual creativity. A shared passion for travel. And the quality you cannot fake: chemistry. In the beginning, the relationship was light and airy. Playful and curious. Effortless. Summertime. That’s what it felt like. But here, on this earth, the seasons change. And somewhere along the way, I [...]

Audio for the first section of this post. I moved to Montreal on a hot day in May. I felt summer in the air, saw it on the streets. Gorgeous women in sundresses. Blocks of Boulevard St. Laurent closed to traffic so food carts, funky clothing vendors, and DJ booths could set up on the [...]

Part I: Bosch Over the years, I have relied on Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights to explain my writing process, and also to hint at how I see the world. This early 1500s painting is a triptych (composed of three panels): the left depicts Eden; the center displays a whimsical orgy [...]