It's Personal: Dogs

I was 2 years old. We had a Boxer named Clancy. I sat in his dog house with him for hours on end. I've heard tell a story about some family member attempting to extract me from said dog house unsuccessfully; Clancy took offense and nipped. The old man tells another story about me walking down the sidewalk in front of that house on George St. It seems a stray cat was stalking me as I strolled about. The cat slowed, readying to pounce on me. But that cat never had a chance. Clancy had been tracking the mangy feline and struck before it could make its move.

Clancy was later put to sleep because he had cancer. I can't say I remember him very well.

I was about 6 years old. The neighbors - the Carrs as I remember - brought a mutt puppy to our front door. How could my parents say no with a 6 and 3 year old roaming the house? We named him Clancy the Second. Clancy for short. A black and brown mixed mutt, he was good-natured and frightened of his shadow. I remember seeing him run away from a rabbit in our back yard on Jeffrey Dr. We couldn't keep anything on the coffee table. Or even the end tables for that matter. He had a tail that swept from any surface every last thing on top. I have pictures. Thank God for that because I don't now recall him as well as I'd like.

When my parents divorced, we could not keep the dog. I was told he went to a family who would love him. In all honesty, I think that was - for me - the most difficult part of the divorce.

For the next 16 years, I did not have a dog. There are many reasons for it. There were those around me who professed not to be dog people. And then I went away to college. I met many frat guys whom I'd call dogs, but that would be insulting dogs. Moved from college to the seminary. Didn't meet many priests with dogs. Perhaps because it would be too difficult to fumigate rectories after a dog has lived there. Moved to Seattle and into an apartment. Adopted a couple cats. Had pets again. But no dogs.

Not until 2005. Only a little more than a month after we purchased the house. Cleo first. Then Buddy in February 2006. Two of the best dogs I could ever imagine. Each with their unique personalities.

Cleo, who will neither walk in wet grass nor walk in grass that is too long. Who hates hardwood floors. Who sucks on ice and drops it, repeating the cycle until it is thin enough to bite. Who rips apart dryer sheets. Who lays on her side on the bed and starts flailing her front paws in a running motion thus tearing comforters - three to this point - to shreds.

Buddy who runs at full speed, jumps onto the front porch, and slams head first into the front door - when it's closed. Who uses his nose and paws to force people to pet him. Who sits between the front seats in the car and stares out the window as if he's going to give directions to our next stop. Who eats wool blankets and carpet. Who then has serious BM problems about 2 days later.

Why all this dog talk?

I watched Marley & Me on Friday night. Joseph and I decided to watch that movie because we thought it would be less sad and depressing than Seven Pounds. We watched as the unsuspecting couple adopted a puppy. And subsequently watched as the dog terrorized them through thunderstorms and constant furniture destruction. We watched as they had children. We watched as Marley grew older. And then, the inevitable. I cried. Like cried the day I knew I'd never see Clancy the Second again. Or like I do when I watch the last scene in Field of Dreams.

I don't know that I can watch that movie again. But for those of you who love dogs, it's well worth the couple hours you'll spend. At least once.

Sunday Scribblings: Celebrate Good Times

The past week had been particularly challenging for me. Between work, home, and softball I was struggling to keep up. A friend of mine reminded me that it happens sometimes. And though I understand that, I - as a perfectionist - don't take any kind of failure well, I must admit that today's topic has given me a chance to pause and count the grains of sand on the beach. I step back and recognize all that I have to celebrate. I thus combine the Thursday 13 and Sunday Scribblings to give you 13 things I celebrate.

I celebrate Joseph for his humor, his desire, and his kind heart.

I celebrate all of my family. The old man. My mother. Uncle Mark, Ruth, Julia. The older white folks. My brother, sister-in-law, and little Madison. My other mother. My sister and niece. My brother and other two nieces. And all the rest. (I know that's cheating, but they would have taken up 13 all by themselves.)

I celebrate my friends. The ones on the least coast, the left coast, and everywhere between. (If any of you happen to be traveling to the outer reaches of the globe, I celebrate you too.)

I celebrate my health. Sure, I have a few bumps and bruises. A few things out of place and such. But for the most part, I have no complaints.

I celebrate the menagerie. Cleo and Buddy on one side. Hemingway and Macavity on the other.

I celebrate my job. Just the fact that I have one is a blessing. The fact that it is a challenge, all the better.

I celebrate living in Seattle. Mountains. Oceans. Lakes. Hills. Trees aplenty. You really should come and see Mt. Rainier on a clear day.

I celebrate good reads. A story that keeps me on edge. The twist. The sad moment. The happy ending.

I celebrate football. I love the sport. It taught me how to be a man.

I celebrate baseball and softball. Genetically introduced at birth, the game is as mind-provoking as chess for those who know how to play. I celebrate the Thrusters and Buzz especially - the team on which I play and the team I coach respectively. I think we'll have a couple good seasons.

I belatedly celebrate my 31.5 birthday. It was 4/2.

I celebrate my 203rd blog entry.

And I celebrate my faith in God.

I leave you with these 13 and suggest you take a moment and think about what you celebrate. It's an eye opener.

Sporting Rants and Raves: April 4, 2009

Happy 26th birthday to Mr. Benjamin Gordon, a shooting and point guard for the Chicago Bulls. Formerly of the University of Connecticut Huskies, he was an integral part of their 2004 NCAA National Championship team. On December 27th of last year, he surpassed Scotty Pippen as the Chicago Bulls’ leader in made three pointers.

Speaking of the University of Connecticut, their run at the 2009 national title has ended. Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan of the Michigan State Spartoons lead a second half charge that sunk the Dyson-less Huskies. We shall now see if this marked Calhoun’s last stand.

Tangentially, I must ask anyone out there if they’ve ever heard the names Kalin and Raymar used. What first came to mind was C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia only because I could imagine the character Prince Kalin of the land of Raymar.

Next up, we have the Villanova Wildcats up against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tar Heels took it to ‘em as I feared they would. And thus the Big East has faltered in one fell swoop. Does anyone think that Michigan State has a chance? Perhaps not the way UNC has been playing. But they do have home court.

Other sports? Ah yes, there are other happenings in the sporting world. And they are…

Welcome to the Windy City Mr. Jay Christopher Cutler. After much ado about something, the Denver ‘Great, We Got Kyle Orton’ Broncos parted ways with their Pro-Bowl quarterback. Will this make da Bears a prime time contender? Perhaps. And what of the Orange Crush. Time for the return of him who made ‘The Drive’ a reality?

In other NFL news, the New York Football Giants finally offloaded the troubled Plaxico Burress. I sincerely hope that he can straighten himself out. In the meantime, anyone have a premiere down-field threat lying around?

New York has now debuted its updated baseball venues.

CITI Field hearkens back to the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Ebbets Field in its look and feel. Although we are doomed to see everything in our midst reduced to a corporate logo, the edifice itself is a keen reminder of old New York national league baseball.

Trivia of the Week: There was another National League team in New York as well; name the team. Finally, there was a famous game between these two New York national league franchises in 1951 – and for those who love baseball, that’s all I need to say. In that game, a player hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the 9th to propel his team to victory. Name the man and the ‘hit’ for which he is known.

Did I say we’re doomed to see everything reduced to a corporate logo? I suppose there are exceptions, among them Yankee Stadium. Don’t get me wrong; I still think it’s a travesty that the original – or updated, as it were – Yankee Stadium is becoming a parking lot. But, for a new stadium, I don’t think they did half bad.

For a look at both, I give you a link to the New York Times. Click on the Multimedia Interactive Graphic on the left.

The NBA and NHL are rounding out their respective playoff contenders. Let’s see how the cities fare. The NBA will thus far send Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta, Miami, San Antonio, Houston, Denver, and Los Angeles. The NHL will thus far send New Jersey, Boston, Washington, Carolina, Detroit, Chicago, Vancouver, Calgary, and San Jose. This proves one thing, and one thing only. Boston has bartered its soul to the devil for winning franchises. Where’s Daniel Webster when you need him?

The Steve Sarkisian era has begun in the Seattle area. Dawgs fans have something to bark happily about it by the looks of it. Well, the Huskies have nowhere to go but up.

Speaking of Huskies yet again, there still exists a team in Connecticut that can win the national championship. And not just a title, but perhaps a perfect season. Good luck to them as they take on Stanford next. And congratulations to player of the year Ms. Maya Moore and coach of the year Mr. Geno Auriemma. Both well deserved.

I can’t say that I root for Tiger Woods any more than I rooted for the likes of Michael Jordan. But when Tiger steps out on Augusta National, I’ll hold my breath to see if he is, in fact, back.

I’ll never ‘get’ boxing. I love watching movies about it. But in real life, it just doesn’t makes sense to me.

The Seattle Sounders sit at 3-0 and have allowed no goals against them as of their 2-0 win over Toronto earlier today. I can’t claim to be a soccer – sorry, futbol – fan, but I’m curious. Perhaps I’ll attend a game or two to see about the hype.

Instead of a question about questionable decisions and the like this year, I would like to recognize and applaud an NFL player. Though there exist the Plaxicos and Dontes of football, there also exists a class act like Brian Dawkins. When Dawkins was traded to the Denver Broncos earlier this year, there was an urban outcry from Philly. And Philly’s not a place that generally loves a player. One man – who happened to work the Philly home games each year – made a rather public denouncement of the Eagles. Nothing in bad taste, mind you, but public nonetheless. He was subsequently fired. Now, Dawkins has given to the man the two tickets Dawkins was allotted for their 2009 contest. I suppose I do have a question after all: What were the Eagles thinking?

Trivia of the Week: There was another National League team in New York as well; name the team. Finally, there was a famous game between these two New York national league franchises in 1951 – and for those who love baseball, that’s all I need to say. In that game, a player hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the 9th to propel his team to victory. Name the man and the ‘hit’ for which he is known.

Bobby Thompson. The Shot Heard Round the World.

Potluck: Haiku

The red sun ascends.
The ship’s captain says a prayer.
Sailors take warning.

A night cold and brusque,
Frigid rain falls in rhythm
Softly on the roof.

Broken shard of glass
Once used to slice a man’s throat
Dulls in the ocean.

Dandelions weep.
Their cotton flits through the air.
One lands on my tongue.

3WW: American Sentences (Varied, Knack, Crush)

American Sentences: They are haiku-length poems that Allen Ginsburg suggested be limited to 17 syllables, like haiku in Japanese and like the Heart Sutra in Buddhism. The following two sentences are such American Sentences of 17 syllables.

He crushes knick-knacks – the lumberjack – with varied types of tamarack.

The crushed man felt varied emotions; he didn’t have a knack for love.

She had an odd knack for using orange crush to make delicious drinks.