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Susie

 When the barber asked about "style influences," for Susie's hair, I thought of Greta Gerwig.


I idolize Gerwig (despite disliking "Barbie"). I especially like how Gerwig describes Virginia Woolf: "I love her writing, but also -- she was included in the canon because she was just better than other writers."

Also, Gerwig's ferocity inspires me. When she started at Barnard, she planned to pursue training as a paralegal, because she knew that any project outside the realm of the arts would not have any kind of meaning for her. She was realistic about what she wanted.

It's not clear to me what Susie thinks of Greta Gerwig. I do think Susie has certain directorial visions. I admire my daughter most when she is obsessively rearranging the Halloween decorations outside; nothing will deter her from her mission. Also, I'm fond of hearing her plans for a costume; though it can drive me batty to learn that there are yet more revisions in our future, I also respect that an artist is an artist. You don't tell Woolf that she needs to commit to a subpar version of Mrs. Dalloway.

My own reactions are irrelevant; Susie will have the costume that Susie wants. If a disagreement occurs, Susie seems puzzled. "Mommy," she says. (She calls me Mommy.) "Mommy, I am going to be a witch-bird-princess." It's almost as if she rolls her eyes at me. And she moves on to her next task.
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