Rashomon is Obsessed with Me

There was a time a few years ago when Thomas Mann was obsessed with me, because everywhere I went it seemed that people would tell me about him. I don't have the foggiest recollection of who Thomas Mann is; I'm only able to produce the name because the haunting effect impressed me so much at the time that I incorporated it into a short story.

Anyways, now the same thing is happening with this Japanese movie called Rashomon. I guess every now and then the universe decides that there's something you have to do (even though I don't have the best track record of following through). Last night I was looking at my TV's programming guide, and I saw that Rashomon was playing at midnight or so, after Wild Strawberries. My brother made some comment about how it looked interesting, and I made a note to myself that I might check it out if I were to stay on the couch that long (I didn't). Later that night I was reading in bed, an academic book called Mimesis as Make-Believe, and the author used Rashomon as an example to illustrate some point about imagined propositions. I almost jumped up right then, and I would have rushed over to the TV to turn on Rashomon (it was about 12:30 then), but it was too cold outside my bed and I was so content reading...

It was probably a wasted opportunity. In any case I think it's a funny coincidence how obsession goes both ways: you can be obsessed with works of art you love, and the works of art can be equally obsessed with being loved by you.