Oh, man! I am such an emotional basket case sometimes! With all the trouble in the world, I ACTUALLY CARE about Jon Arbuckle’s romance with Garfield’s Vet, Liz. Jon has been the ultimate nerd for such a long time, with the fashion sense of a marmoset and the romance potential of a pet rock, that it is refreshing to see him in a romantic relationship, and witness his joy and slight confusion as to why this is happening to him, after so many failures.
I am also really enjoying the latest episodes of “Doonesbury,” where Alex, the wunderkind of Mike Doonesbury, is adjusting to college life at either M.I.T or Walden College, I can’t figure out which. She talks about M.I.T, but is seen at freshman orientation at Walden, so maybe I missed an episode or two. I have also been following the progess of B.D., as he deals with his Iraq-induced post-traumatic stress syndrome and the loss of his leg. The insights into the therapy he has been receiving as a wounded vet have been nothing short of incredible. He has gone from a bitter, dream-haunted part-recluse with violent outbursts to a guy who is about to have his prosthesis painted. Would that it were that easy for our returning servicemen, and, of course, B.D. is a long-running character in the strip, so he can’t stay emotionally crippled forever. But Garry Trudeau is giving us a brilliantly-conceived scenario.
Getting involved in fantastic stories can also have its downside, too. Have you ever seen the movie ” Ghost,” with Patrick Swayze and Whoopie Goldberg? I have too, once. I just can’t watch the end. I run from the room sobbing. The sense of loss is just too great. Yes, I KNOW it’s a movie, and Patrick Swayze is alive and kicking, thank you very much. Makes no difference; I cannot even talk about it without choking up really badly.
A dear friend of mine says I cry when the shampoo works well. I know I am also going to come apart at the seams when I see my dad on that Kinescope recording of the Original Amateur Hour from 1958, since Dad died in 1969 at 59.
I am also upset at the plight of a beautiful little calico kitten I saw who has a progressive eye condition which will blind her without treatment, and I know she won’t get the care she needs and will not survive. I would love to save her and get her taken care of, but we have three rescue cats already, all of whom have their own needs.
Sometimes it’s really tough.
