Me Decade, Part Two

A few weeks ago we visited the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. It's an excellent museum, with a very interesting collection that is curated very well. I really enjoyed walking the galleries--they've done a great job at making it all fit together.

They had one or two Andy Warhols on view. Warhol is enjoying a surge in popularity right now, which might just be money-related (that is, collectors desire art because other collectors desire it). It seems to me that Warhol is the ultimate self-referential artist.

Warhol did art that was about art. It was about itself. Look at me, I'm a soup can. That's all, a soup can. I'm on display in a gallery, so I must be art. Do you think I'm art? Maybe you think I'm art because other people think I'm art. Or maybe you've read a commentary that explains that I'm actually a symbol of how embedded mass consumerism has become, so we don't understand what art is anymore. But I remain just a soup can. Actually, a painting of a soup can. Not an impression of a soup can, but an actual soup can.

Looking at art that is about itself can be fun sometimes. But I suppose artists would have to watch themselves, because they wouldn't want their art to become about fun. Then it would risk not being about itself.

There was a painting of Annie--the actual word Annie--in exactly the logo from the stage musical. It was done in a medium brown on a field of yellow. I stood there looking at it, asking myself why this artist would paint the word Annie. Then I read the title. "Annie Done in Maple Syrup." And then I laughed. It's exactly what it was--a painting of Annie spelled out in maple syrup, including a few random drips. Why this was painted is still a mystery, but it doesn't matter. I enjoyed looking at it.

Sometimes artists dialogue with each other, or argue with each other, via their art.

It's perfectly fine for artists to speak to other artists via their work, but looking at the work can be tiresome. I suppose there can be entertainment value similar to watching pundits argue on television.

But mostly it's a high-class form of navel gazing. And why would I want to watch someone gaze at his or her navel?

Maybe if it was a very interesting navel.

Thumpa but No Bumpa

For some reason, lately I have little patience for radio yakking in the car. Even NPR, though I devoted 26 years of my life to it. I can't even take cool alternative-yaking on alternative radio stations. (Alternative to what, you may ask. Good question.)

So I listen to CDs. Different stuff, but lately I've become quite fond of dance music while driving. Lately it's a double CD of mixes by Benny Benassi. I'm going to get huge subwoofers so I can drive by your house and entertain you. Thumpa-thumpa-thumpa. thumpa, thumpa-thumpa.

It's fun music, kinesthetic. My mind is not taxed--I can think and enjoy the drive and the scenery on my way to work. I like driving. Especially after the car dealer informed my that my car could corner at 130 mph. Please understand that I'm not dangerous, though I do love leaving large speeding SUVs way behind around curves. With the dance-floor pulse surging through me.

In our confusing world, one must enjoy what one can. Mustn't one?

End of 2009 Countdown

This is a good photo for a "Peace on Earth" Christmas card. The cats' official names are Rocco and Junior, but around the house we call them "Schmall Kitty" and "Young Man." Don't ask me why. It's just us.

This is a great time of year for many reasons. One thing I've been enjoying is the attack of rationality and perspective that has gripped much of the news being reported. It's like there's a sudden realization that the molehill-conflicts we have been angry and screaming about all year really aren't that important.

One of the best things I read all year was a series of in-depth profiles of former Islamic terrorists called "Renouncing Islamism: To the Brink and Back Again." This is the best glimpse I've ever had into "Why Would Someone Do This?" It's a very long story, but a very good picture of the real genesis of terrorism.

Merry Christmas!

Ho-ho-ho, and Merry Christmas! Yes indeed, I'm a little late, but that's a side effect of my profession. I hope you had a warm and peaceful Christmas, and that you can enjoy some rest (or cleanup, or organizing, or planning) in the old-to-new week ahead.

A Moment to Welcome the New Year

This is wonderful. It's Andrew Sullivan's "Mental Health Breaak" of 2008.

Goodbye 2008, Goodbye Sherman

An excerpt from our Christmas letter:

As the year began we were planning for the arrival of our new German Shepherd puppy Sherman. When he came, everything changed.

After a few weeks of adjusting to life with us, he took to a life of sleeping, playing and of training with Merrie. We started going to Fiesta Island every other day for an hour off-leash romp and beach time. These were wonderful moments of pure dog joy, as Sophie and Sherman chased each other at full speed and played in Mission Bay.

Sherman was incredibly smart, affectionate and exuberant, but from the beginning we noticed something was wrong. He was very anxious and would easily become fearful. We thought with time that he’d grow out of it, but instead he got worse. We worked for months with a professional dog trainer, but Sherman would still lapse into extreme anxiety, which began manifesting in snarling and snapping at strange people and dogs.

After some agonizing conversation, we decided we had to give him up. And, unfortunately, once a dog exhibits aggressive behavior, he is considered unadoptable. In December we met with a professional at the San Diego Humane Society and came to the sad conclusion that our only option was euthanasia.

There is no shortage of second-guessing a decision like this, by us or anyone else. There's a long list of "maybe if's." Maybe if we'd used a different training method. Maybe if Sherman had been socialized better as a very young puppy. Maybe if his mother hadn't been traumatized in the October fire. And on and on. I always come back to Jon Katz's experience with his dog Orson. Sometimes there's simply nothing else you can responsibly do, and no one knows that, or will know it, but you.

View From Here

Object of the Week

Very Big Kitty

Play Ball!

Quote of the day:
“Otis elevator estimates that it transports the equivalent of the world’s population every five days.”
--The New Yorker, April 21

Sherman, our German Shepherd puppy, is more than five months old now. Objectively, I must say he is adorable and very smart.

The house is a mess, but he is adorable and very smart.

Years ago I read somewhere that living with an animal keeps you in constant contact with nature. Once in a while it does dawn on us that there are creatures quite unlike us sharing our home with us. It’s a regular ecosystem. More correctly, it’s an irregular ecosystem.

Most mornings Sherman and I spend time

(I was interrupted here by a trip to the backyard to throw the tennis ball to Sherman.)

As I was saying, most mornings Sherman and I spend time with a tennis ball in the backyard. Lots of dogs love to chase tennis balls. Sophie, our 5-year-old German Shepherd mix, loves it.

Some dogs even bring the ball back, and a few will even give it to you. Sophie brings it back about half the time and then drops it when and where she gets distracted. For Sophie, the fun is in the chase.

Sherman brings the ball back every time, in a very curious way. He takes a meandering route, and will usually pause along the way to drop the ball and pick it up. He seems to be trying to hide it from himself, so he can go about finding it again. He’s been known to dig a hole, drop it in, and paw the ball in the hole for a while.

He sometimes will stand on the edge of our canyon, drop it, and watch it roll down the side. Our canyon now contains approximately 83 tennis balls. By the way, the best source for cheap tennis balls is Sears Essentials. They’re about 30 cents apiece there. That’s right. $24 worth of tennis balls in the canyon. Geez, having a dog is expensive.

I’ve noticed recently that Sherman is not chasing the ball. Rather, he carefully watches where I throw it, and then he goes and finds it. When he can’t find it, he goes into search mode and will not stop until he finds it. He also loves to engage with Merrie or me in finding the ball.

It’s an incredible feeling to have a dog work with me to do something. I’m not used to it.

Beautiful Day for A Wet Roll in the Dirt

Quote of the day:
“Even the best of friends cannot attend each other's funeral.”
--Kehlog Albran, "The Profit"

The four of us went for a long walk on Fiesta Island at 3 this afternoon. The temperature was about 78 with a bright sun and an ocean breeze. A perfect day.

There were very few people and dogs there. Most folks were at work or engaged in Friday-afternoon responsibilities.

I thought about that a little as I watched Sophie tear into the water and out again, with Sherman herding her back to us. I was glad to be where I was.

The San Diego Zoo

Quote of the day:
“Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.”
--John Benfield

Merrie and I had a delightful afternoon at the zoo the other day.

I was surprised at the large number of tourists at the zoo on a February weekday. Schoolchildren on field trips I can understand. But there sure were a lot of rental cars in the parking lot. Of course, it IS the most-popular tourist attraction in the city.

It was a little cool and around lunchtime, and I think many of the animals were being tended to. There was much more animal activity than usual.

Exotic lorikeets were exploring their cages. A bird of paradise bellowed at the top of his lungs. Mongeese nuzzled in together for a nap. An anteater carried two babies on her back.

The meercats pictured above were just inches from the edge of their enclosure. They were behaving like pampered celebrities. Which they are, of course. They have their own TV show.

There was a stunning black and brown squirrel, although I don’t think it was called a squirrel. Elsewhere there was a neighborhood ground squirrel jumping into a cage to steal some veggies.

We spent some time watching a pair of exotic grey pigeons the size of turkeys with Phyllis Diller feathers on their heads.

As I say, not a bad afternoon.

Sherman, Sophie, Junior and Rocco

Quote of the day:
“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.”
--GK Chesterton

These days, neither Merrie nor I can do much around the house without having four eyes trained on us. Such is life with German Shepherds.

They’re herding dogs. They have a job to do, and they intend to do it. We get rounded up. The cats get rounded up. Guests get rounded up. There’s a lot of herding going on.

Sherman the puppy is now three months old. His ears and feet make up about a third of his body mass. He eats like you wouldn’t believe. And he grows every day.

Just today, he has gotten taller, after spending the previous several days getting longer.

He and Sophie, our four year old German Shepherd mix, are getting along well. There are lots of impromptu wrestling matches, and lots of small dog following big dog around the house.

As for the cats let’s say we’re learning about limits. It’s pretty much business as usual for Junior, our black-and-white 12 year-old. He brooks no nonsense from any dog. He could care less about being barked at, and if Sherman gets too close he delivers a one-two punch. I think Sherman is getting the message.

Rocco, our four-year-old Tonkinese, is particular about who he associates with, and he’s finding the puppy rather obnoxious. Rocco and Sophie are pals, and often accompany each other around the house.

When Sherman sees him and goes into a fit, Rocco growls and hisses and retreats to a high place. If Sherman doesn’t get the message, it’s flying claw time. Wham! Followed by a surprised puppy yelp.

As I say, we’re all learning.

If you want excitement in your life, adopt a puppy.

Video Pilot

I've been considering several ideas for a weekly video feed. This was supposed to be the pilot for one of them. It's also available on YouTube.

World According to Puppy

Quote of the day:
“Bad spellers untie!”
--Unknown

Our puppy Sherman’s very enticing view of the world consists of just two things: fun and sleep. I can learn a lot from this.

I have always been very focused on work and being productive. Sometimes I make fun into work. I know it’s supposed to be the other way around. But I still do it.

An activity or an attraction gets a great review in the newspaper and I think it will be fun. It requires planning, traveling and paying admission, all of which I do. And I discover lots and lots of other people who had the same idea.

The outing becomes primarily an exercise in dealing with crowds and waiting. It becomes work. Or the planning to avoid these things becomes work.

All the while, I could’ve been having fun.

Sherman’s preferred toys are tennis balls, cardboard boxes and sticks that he finds outside. In addition to a few official toys which he mostly ignores, these things are scattered around our house and yard.

He just picks one of these things up and plays. Sometimes he wants us to participate.

Either way, it’s a simple thing. “I’m a puppy, so it’s time to have fun.”

Then, it will be time for a nap. So I’ll flop down and take one. Sleep is good.

We are Still Daily, Really

Quote of the day:
“Everything’s different now.”
--Innocence Mission

Astute daily observers have noticed two things. First, observations here have been coming at a somewhat less than daily pace. Second, there have been a couple of cute puppy pictures floating by in recent days.

Question of the day: Are these two things related? Well, it’s a long story. Actually it’s not a long story at all. I just always have wanted to say that.

Of course, as Merrie will tell you, pretty much anything coming from me can very easily turn into a long story. This is why she has strongly supported me being a minister. It broadens the target of my pontification away from her.

Enough, already. Get to the point.

We have a new puppy. He’s an 8-week-old German Shepherd named Sherman. Sherman the German Shepherd.

Let’s be clear about something. Adopting a puppy is an irrational act. There are a dozen good reasons to not do it. But we did it anyway.

We admit it. We love cats and dogs. All of them spend virtually all their waking hours with us, mostly in the house. And we like it.

Sometimes it’s like living in a cage at the zoo. Often we have to step carefully to not trip or squash one of them. There are regular races and chases around the house. Small piles of animal hair accumulate in the corners.

Our animals are all friendly, and they like spending time with us. It seems like all our idiosyncrasies and maladjustments complement each other. Or at least entertain each other.

After watching the news of the day, it all provides a nice reality check.

Puppy to ER

Quote of the day:
“If the Second Amendment right is a personal right (rather than one enjoyed by the now obsolete state militias), it is one of those rights (like the obligations of a contract) that government may for good reason regulate or limit, and there is plenty of good reason for most gun-control regulation.”
--Charles Fried, Professor of Law, Harvard University

We had our second trip of the week to the emergency room. This time it was Sophie. It turns out she had an allergic reaction to a bee sting.

We were out for a walk in the beautiful afternoon sun. On our way back home she started looking a little woozy, and then she simply laid down in the grass. She was very sick and very weak.

I thought I might have to carry her, but she rallied to make her way straight home and in the front door. Then she laid down on the floor, her face swelling and breathing labored.

Merrie took her to the ER vet (whose name is spelled $$$$). They found the bee sting in her mouth, gave her a couple shots and watched her for about 90 minutes. We were glad that she could come home after this.

She seems ok now--sleeping, mostly. Merrie is fixing rice, chicken and cottage cheese for her.

What a dog. What a dog mother.

First Trip to the Beach

Quote of the day:
"Looking foolish does the spirit good."
--John Updike

It was one hyper-happy Sophie who bounded out of the car at the beach this afternoon. She immediately began doing her German Shepherd thing of running in circles to begin the round-up.

When she got to the water, she included the water in her running. She loves to splash. And she loves to retrieve the kong and then go running into the water with it. Sometimes she leaves it there. (Me to myself: “Can I beat this wave to go get it?”)

I’m not sure the water is part of the German Shepherd lineage. It must be somewhere in the “Mix,” as in “German Shepherd Mix,” which is what Sophie is.

It was Merrie’s first beach visit post-MI. There were lots of dogs and their owners enjoying the positively beautiful day. We both threw the kong to Sophie dozens of times. We all got wet. One of us rolled around in the sand a couple times.

There was another first for Merrie when we got home. The first bath for Sophie. What a dog. What a clean dog.

Which Segment Are You?

It was one of those ideal Southern California days--bright sun, cool ocean breeze. Merrie spent a big part of the day in the backyard, reading and watching wildlife. Sophie spent the evening obsessed with one corner of the house where a real or imagined critter was making noise. She had to repeatedly check it out from both inside and outside. Translated: “Let me in.” “Let me out.” Repeat 47 times.

Quote of the day:
“All of us, I'm afraid, tend to shun the work of actually engaging our critical-thinking faculties.  Instead, we prefer to simply be told what to think, what to like and what to buy, as long as we are told in a way that makes it seem like our own idea.”
--Preston Creston

The science of marketing seems to reach higher and higher into the sophistication stratosphere. Yet focus groups and one-on-one interviews consistently indicate that almost everyone considers his or her tastes and preferences as unique--that is, not susceptible to marketing.

However, the real story is that each of us, whether we know it or like it or not, is in a demographic/psychographic segment. And marketing forces are at work on us throughout each day. Marketing has become so microscopically fine-tuned that this happens all the time.

If we think we are not susceptible to advertising it’s because we are not aware we’re affected by advertising, or other forms of marketing. And it is not just products and services that are marketed. It is also ideas, opinions and candidates.

The best favor we can do for ourselves is to be aware that this is happening.

If You Have Your Health....

Question of the day:
When was the last time you used duct tape on a duct?

Quote of the day:
"The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas."
--Linus Pauling

Man, there were a lot of people at the pharmacy this afternoon! I’ve never seen it that crowded.

As I was leaving the parking lot, I saw this on a banner on the building across the street: “If you have your health, you have it all.” That’s gotta be one of the world’s biggest cliches (right up there with “first and foremost”).

But it’s true, isn’t it?

This evening, Sophie had a barking fit in the backyard and came in smelling like skunk. Oh, joy.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a full-on skunk spray, but rather more of an essence. Sort of like when you spray the cologne and walk through the mist. Or spray the cologne on the ground and roll in it.

Merrie sprang into action (great to see!) and took the dog into the garage for a washing and drying. And that took care of the problem.

Our quiet and restorative days continue.