and now it is time to postulate.
*the harold* is the signature piece of long-form improv taught at io and io west (formerly improv olympic). essentially, at its foundation, the harold is a series of nine scenes split up by two games, all of which is initiated by a suggestion which leads into an opening.
when a harold is done well it is inspirational, circular and complete, and it misses no beats. after witnessing a true harold an audience has to ask themselves if any fraction of what they just witnessed was scripted and finds it hard to believe that it was all in fact made-up on the spot.
this idea, this circular storytelling, this format embraces the ideas of coincidence, it accepts that all things are relative, that anything can happen, it is exploratory and cognitive, it revels in the world of discovery, trusts that the universe is pregnant with gifts and most importantly it never negates anything that is pronounced as truth. the harold, at it's finest, justifies everything without pause.
since beginning my training at io west life seems to have revealed itself as one giant harold. in coincidences. in moments when you inevitably ask yourself *what if.* in the awkward realization that the things that have relevance often relate back to the things that brought you to this moment. in that silence in which you recognize the beautiful nature of decisions and thinking of them metaphorically as paths and how when some paths cross it feels like destiny. in all of these instances the universe seems to be wide awake and inexplicably listening intently.
it is these grand ideas that make me an unapologetic fan of movies like *donnie darko,* *the butterfly effect,* and *eternal sunshine of the spotless mind,* and it might be why i'm so passionate about a tv show like *lost.* it is these stories that explore the possibilities of the universe, whether it be the physical, measurable extent of the universe or the universe as seen as a concept through mental perception.
which brings me to my point. i just saw *hot tub time machine* and despite its obvious flaws and the numerous missed beats, in its conclusion the movie touched upon the eternal mysterious question, what if. as part of living life, within the limits of time as it is displaced upon this planet, it seems that we are all bound to experience at least one sequence of moments that lead us to recognize that we have made choices and those choices have carried us more accurately than paved roads. and we are bound to look back at some of these key decisions and wonder what life would be like had we chosen differently.
the human desire to contemplate the vast complexities of existence. it's a profound ability. that we can have an idea of what an object is and then dissect that idea even further. which reminds me of that animaniacs song, which includes the lyric, "and still the universe extends to a place that never ends which is maybe just inside a little jar."
and all of this thinking (for some unknown reason) reminds me of one of my favorite movie quotes, from susan sarandon playing jo jo floss in moonlight mile. "you find your home, and it may not be what you thought, you know; color's off, style's wrong, but there it is anyway and to hell with you if you can't take a joke. ...you find your home."