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| A grizzly bear. |
Hi nice to see you. Everyone gather around, there are plenty of seats. If you haven’t already done so, fill out a name tag. There are refreshments in the back including vegan donuts and gluten free cookies. I thought we’d start by going around and introducing ourselves. Say your name, where you’re from and a little about what you hope to get from today’s gathering.
You in the Tyrolean hat and lederhosen, why don’t you go first?
My name is Fritz. I am from Kennebunkport, Maine. I hope to embark on a journey of self-discovery that will lead to a fuller understanding of the universe.
Very good. How about you, young lady in the pretty pink chiffon dress?
I’m Myrtle Hossenfeather and I’m from Minot, South Dakota. I’m mainly here for the cookies — they’re delicious. But I’d also like to unlock life’s mysteries.
Great, I’m sure you will.
You, sir, on the stilts.
You can call me Hoagy. I’m a soothsayer from Hay-on-Wye in Wales. I’m mostly here to meet people but I also hope to explore the inner depths of my psyche — if that makes sense.
It sure does.
How about you, the naked woman. No, the one sitting next to the potted plant.
You can call me Pippa. I’m from the Danish royal family. I came here to see how commoners think and speak and also to maybe meet a man for purposes of dating and romance.
See me after the first session, Pippa.
We’re going to need to get started soon so let’s meet one more person for now and then proceed to the first activity.
How about you, Luther. We’ve met before but why don’t you introduce yourself to the group?
Yeah, hi, so as you heard my name is Luther. I’m an alien originally from Uranus — no jokes please, I’m kind of sensitive about it. But I’m here as part of my ongoing efforts to seize total and complete power over all living beings on this planet.
Good luck with that Luther. Okay let’s everyone pair off, if we don’t have an even number it’s okay to have one group of three. I see a problem already, all you men can’t partner with Pippa, that’s it, whoever was sitting next to her….
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I re-watched the documentary Grizzly Man (2005) Herzog the other day. It’s the story of Timothy Treadwell who spent his summers among the bears of the Alaskan wilderness until one finally killed and ate him and his girlfriend in October 2003.
It was an inevitable, if tragic ending for someone who crossed the invisible line separating man from wild beast. To his credit Treadwell’s regular presence among the bears did much to protect them from poachers and raise awareness of the bears. He filmed his encounters with bears who for the most part steered clear of this strange human. And strange he was. This is best understood by watching the film or at least excerpts of it. There’s plenty of him on you tube. This is a very good example.
I love bears. They’re my favorite wild animal. I enjoy watching videos of bears. They come in a variety of sizes and colors. Some have long snouts, some short ones. Some are aggressive, some are timid. Some are scary as hell, some look cuddly. I saw one in the wild once, but that was from the safety of a moving train in Finland. I’d love to see a bear again, but only from a safe distance. I do not want to see one in a zoo. I don’t like zoos.
In Grizzly Man there is an Alaskan who decries the late Mr. Treadwell and suggests that he had what was coming. This is one of those idiots who disdains conversationist, tree-huggers and liberals in general. Fuck that guy. While Treadwell went too far and perhaps even suffered from some sort of psychosis, his heart was most certainly in the right place and while his story was ultimately a tragic one, it was also that of a person who lived up to certain principles and did much to help some of our fellow creatures. (He also befriended some foxes who seemed most amiable to being treated like pets especially enjoying the being petted aspect.)
Grizzly Man is a study of a particular -- and peculiar -- man as much as it is about bears. Werner Herzog was the perfect director to make the documentary having the proper sensibilities.
Treadwill and his girlfriend's horrific deaths were recording by Treadwell's ubiquitous camera but only the audio as the lens cap was on. Herzog listens to the tape of their dying moments and relates to an old friend of Treadwell's who owns the tape, that this is something no one should ever listen to. We are told that the woman is attacked first and that on the tape one can hear her screams and Treadwell's entreaties to the Bear to go away. They landed on deaf ears.
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As I write this President Joe Biden might be contemplating stepping aside and discontinuing his re-election campaign. Let’s hope this happens. Bless Joe, he did a fine job and the country owes him a debt — if for nothing else, because he beat Trumpy in the 2020 election. But he looks and sounds old and his debate performance made clear that he’s not up to the rigors of a campaign and it’s very doubtful that he could successfully serve even half of a second term. Unbelievably Trumpy is ahead in the polls (Americans do love a felon and habitual liar and cheat who is raging incompetent and doesn’t even began to understand the constitution.) If Biden drops out soon momentum can build around another candidate, likely Kamala Harris. Joey B is not inspiring anyone these days. Another Democratic candidate likely would, if for no other reason because she or he was not an old, old white man who was destined to lose. We want some hope because another Trumpy term would be apocalyptic. What a strange country this is that has so many millions of people who revere a narcissist like Trumpy term. Is the U.S. just full of incredibly stupid, gullible people? Now that I pose that question I see that the obvious answer is: yes.
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Checking in time. I’ve been fine. Had several days of back pain. The day that ended I was hit with a couple of days of knee pain. I’ve since had a couple of days of no pain. Don’t know what caused either the back or knee aches other than perhaps the fact that I’m aging (aren’t we all?). I remember that in his eighties and nineties whenever I asked my father how he was doing he often complained of having various aches and pains. Something for me to look forward to, I suppose. But despite it all my overall health seems excellent. I’m about to head to the gym. I walked nearly five miles in “running” errands yesterday. So I’m doing all right.
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