Elusive Virtues

I did it again. I gave myself an emotional cleansing... a bath, if you will.

I watched Dragonheart tonight. It had been a while since my last viewing. I'm still moved by it. Call me a kid, call me a lush, call me what you will... I cry every time. Every time. And tonight was no exception.

I was having this conversation today with one of my friends where we were comparing TV shows and characters. She mentioned that she learns something about herself through certain characters. She realized something on a conscious level that escapes many people. That is to say that we frequently learn about ourselves via watching others.

We see things in others that we either see in ourselves (usually good or amusing traits) or things in others that we wish to be (usually more noble or virtuous traits). This human attribute is no more evident to me than it is in one of my all time favorite characters from one of my all time TV programs... Benton Fraser of Due South.

A quick overview for those of you whose eyebrows are quizzically furrowed right about now...

Due South is (was) about a Canadian Mountie (RCMP) that was assigned to Chicago as a profesional liaison to the Chicago PD. This occurred after his father, also a mountie, was murdered. Basically, this was the RCMPs way of getting Fraser out of their hair without firing him. You see, Fraser is basically perfect... well, not literally, but you get the idea. Just picture a guy that actually lives and breathes every imaginable virtue, and then some more. So he helps his Chicago PD partner, Ray Vecchio, solve crimes. And he does this unconventionally at times. He uses all his skills that might otherwise be construed as ridiculous by the casual observer. Can you describe the difference between a clang and a clank in 15 seconds or less and do so using proper grammar? He can. This is a guy that can sniff a fire hydrant and tell you the breed of dog that peed on it and how long ago! He will be pursuing a purse snatcher down a busy sidewalk and stops to open a random door for a lady, tips his hat, greets her, wishes her a nice day, then continues the pursuit. You get the idea? All the while, on the side, Fraser is piecing together his fathers murder case. By the way, I haven't even mentioned his deaf wolf, Diefenbaker. (spelling?)

Ok... so that's the jist. It only lasted 3 seasons. Didn't have a huge fan base outside Canada. But I fell in love with it. The music was really (surprisinlgy) good for a little known TV show. This aired about the early 90s... about the time Eary Edition was on, if you recall that one.

Anyway..... I go on about all this because it illustrates my second point from earlier... how we see traits in other people that we wish we could possess. This guy is the definitive Jack-of-all-Trades. Outdoor savy, well groomed, handsome, courteous, intelligent, an eloquant orator, selfless, honest..... and so on.

Aren't these all the things we are taught to be as kids? Then why is it that he is so different from all the rest of us, aside from the obvious answer (because its scripted...duh) :-) Yeah, yeah, but here is the question that comes to me.... Why CAN'T we be like that? Or at least strive to approach that? Have you noticed that quote on the left side of this blog... close to the top, just above the Dog Lovers Corner.... My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog thinks I am.

Think about it.

Sooooo... after all that..... Dragonheart reminds me of all those virtues that we are taught to maintain and uphold. It reminds me that I slip sometimes. It reminds me of how I want to be.
Along the same thread... there is another line from a TV show that is apropos here... from the TV show Angel. There is a scene where Angel tells his son why he does the things he does, despite the cost and apparent uselessness of it all... it goes something like this...



Let it sink in a minute.

Yes, these programs are out there for our viewing pleasure and entertainment. But if you, as the audience, allow yourself to get into the program.... you can glean lessons to live by from some of them.

So now for the fun part... some video clips for your viewing pleasure, my friends.
Be virtuous.
Be well.

We're Gonna Be OK

Its inevitable.

Live on the South Texas coast long enough, you have to deal with mad rushes to the gas station, grocery store, home improvement store, oh yeah... and deciding....

Imagine certain songs in your mind as you read this...

Do I stay or do I go now.... da da - da da- da da - daa..... there's a storm out in the gulf now..... da da - da da- da da - daa.....

Yup... Here we go again (I feel an 80s montage coming on) so I ran, I ran so far away, I just ran, because I wouldn't stay..... (is this corny yet?).... If you leave, don't leave now and wake me up before you go go. You won't catch me sitting at the dock of the bay as long as this wheel in the sky keeps on turning. (Somebody stop me!) People all around me are leaving. Hey, sister Christian, you're motorin', suddenly I think I'm alone now. Maybe I can make it to Amarillo by morning, or at least Luckenbach, Texas. Ah, the heck with it, I think I'll just relax and chill in Margaritaville. When the lights go out in ...er... Texas, I'll be running with the shadows of the night and don't you forget about me while I'm still here livin' on a prayer. If the storm does come its gonna be La Isla (not so) Bonita (where do I get this stuff?)

So I tried to go to bed around 9:00. That didn't work out too well. 4 phone calls in 40 minutes.
I guess I shouldn't complain. People are thinking of me sitting in a humble dwelling sitting about 15' above sea level at a mere 1,000' from the water's edge... yikes! I might have to take my Kayak to HEB on Sunday. On the bright side, I won't have to water the lawn until February.
That takes xeriscaping to a whole new level.

Ok, with that out of the way... hurricanes are no laughing matter. Let's take a moment to reflect on those less fortunate than ourselves. I truly am blessed, and sometimes I, like so many others, need to be reminded of how small we really are.

Be careful out there, friends. Its a big world, and sometimes it is out to get us!



Be well.

Its been a while.
I haven't taken the time to slow down long enough to write a new post. Even now, I'm still distracted thinking about other things that I should be doing. For instance, grading papers.
Yeah, that means school started again. Now that I'm back in "teacher" mode, my blissful freedom of a summer vacation is now another 270 (or so) days off in the future. I can't see it yet, but its there.

These past 2 weeks are almost a blur. (and now the phone rings)...
See what I mean about distractions :-)

So where was I? Apparently not too far along :-)

All is well on the homefront. The critters are doing well, which reminds me... Some time ago I mentioned that I was going to do a little expose on Tibet & Pete. You know about Talbot already. And, by the way, he is doing well :-)

But before I embark upon those tales, I will have to dig through my photo albums to find pictures of them. I have a few puppy pics of Tibet, but none really of Pete since he was already 6 months old when he came to me. But I do have pictures where his youthful exuberance is quite evident. It still is, actually. After all, he is only 5 years old. He is still young and he acts like it too. Tibet, on the other hand, is like the old maid. She is also 5.... about 2 months Pete's junior. But you'd think she was 10. She has this matriarchal (er...ness) about her. She is who I affectionatley refer to as the guardian. She is that. She wants to be a lap dog. But at 55ish lbs, I think not! Despite her role as the packs guardian, Talbot won't let her forget that she is not too old to play. And do they play! It is quite amusing, really. They have this black Kong bone that looks like a few grenades exploded next to it, but it is still in tact, albeit, quite chewed up. Tibet is also the most vocal of the bunch. She is the most assertive too. I might be lying on my bed when she will approach and announce her arrival with a friendly little head butt to my arm or whatever body part is conveniently close to the edge of the bed. So I dutifully give her a little scratch and she wanders off again. Then Talbot decides he wants some attention too. So instead of the head butt, he opts for the panting in my face approach. I'm not sure which gets my attention more effectively, the head butt, or the heated canine breath swirling into my nostrils. Either way... a little scratch behind the ears is due.
By the time Talbot is satisfied, Tibet is already on her way back. I'm sure in her mind there is some kind of a "reset" button that justifies a new head scratch every 90 seconds or so when she walks off. I hear her claws on the floor as she exits the bedroom, does a lap around the living room and the halls, then returns for the next head butt. Does she not realize that she was just there 90 seconds ago?

All the while, Pete just kind of lays there watching the tag-team with Tibet and Talbot vying for a head scratch. After about the 3rd round, he decides to get in on the action. Only Pete's approach is more dramatic. His approach is harkened by the knocks on the wall and furniture as his swaying (remember the weapon?) tail approaches. Honestly, folks, I'm still amazed that more things don't get knocked off tables or broken. He literally clears a path behind him as his lumbering 85 lb frame & 200 lb tail make their rounds! Pete has the advantage of being able reach his head about 12 inches over the bed to let me know he is there. And having a tongue almost as long as a giraffes enable him to reach another 12 inches. I'm not safe. Even if I had a King size bed (which I don't) I would have to make myself as slim as possible (which would be quite the feat given the girth of my ass alone) in the middle of the bed just to escape his reach!

But what can I say? Who am I to deny affection to those who bring so much to my life? When I have my dogs and my cat around, its as though all is right with the world! Well, at least in my little corner of it!

Be well