Six Obstructions

Before I had to be at work this afternoon, I watched a documentary called, The Five Obstructions. Lars von Trier tracked down his film maker hero Jorgen Leth, and asked him to to re-make his film The Perfect Human five times, each time following rules (obstructions) imposed by Lars.

It was fascinating to watch the creative process, and to see Leth's inherent artistry and ethics be unvanquished by Lars' boundaries. My favorite version of the obstructed films was the fourth, in which Leth is forced to make a cartoon. He, of course, is incapable of making a cartoon, and instead makes gorgeous art. The fifth version is a beautiful summation of the experience, and a great way to end the film. Very outstanding.

Now, for the Sixth Obstruction: I keep hearing rumors of snow. Lots of snow. Down where I live, the sky was just white, but a white that was impenetrable after about 100 feet. So, with a heavy heart I set out on my journey north.

It is a well-known fact that my place of employment is the very epicenter of where the snow coming down from Canada looses steam and drops dead from exhaustion. So, the roads were clear and fine until I got about 10 minutes from work. Then it all started. The exit ramp off the highway wasn't plowed, and the snow was drifted to a height that was over my car's grill. All the street lights were out. Trees were down everywhere due to the weight of the snow. Most folks lost power for several days. And still, the snow kept falling.

The good news was that my store was deserted after 6 o'clock (it being Passover and all) so we got a lot of work done early.

By the end of my shift we had received 27” inches of snow. Being outside, trying to get work done in the middle of the night with that amount of snow is ridiculous. Everyone was cold, and wet and cranky. Everyone's shoes and socks were soaked. And there is just no way that you can be a happy, productive sort with cold, wet feet. So we left early tonight, at 12:30 in the morning.