Jun 01 2009
Blog-worthy topics
Pre-Ramble: Hi, it’s me, Daisy – I’ll be your esteemed guest-blogger for today. Actually, Mom begged me to write the blog because she was all in a panic since it was Monday morning and the blog muse hadn’t kicked in yet. I could tell by the way she was whining and clawing at the refrigerator that things were going to be coming my way. (She always sticks me with the blog when she doesn’t know what to write about.)
To make matters worse, she had just read an article in the New York Times Sunday Magazine (“Say What?” by Rob Walker, 5/31/09, p. 30) about the plethora of opportunities and technological tools available to the individual for expressing themselves to a World-Wide-audience. The article also eluded to the associated expectation that bloggers will not only have something to say, but that it will be interesting, entertaining and meaningful, and that fresh insights will be shared with alarming frequency.
… blogs have evolved from something to be updated on occasion to being updated daily, then many times a day, and now social media invites updates hourly, or constantly.”
No pressure there.
Apparently, a site called “plinky.com” (sounds like a good name for those useless accessory-dogs that fit in purses) generates a daily blog-worthy inquiry; something to spur pithy thoughts, like, “What top five songs should you take on a road trip?” … “Which movie characters would you befriend in real life?” … “Who would win a fight between a bear and a shark?” … or, “What’s the most useless thing in your house right now?” While those topics are very nice … none of them really speaks to me or the doggie demographic. What about, “List your top 5 puppy names” … “How to win friends and solicit table scraps?” … “Which movie characters would you bite in real life?” … or, “How many ways are there to actually skin a cat?”
The great thing about being a dog is that there is no imperative to be witty. In fact, speaking of speaking, unless someone issues the “Speak!” command, or errant wildlife violates the perimeter, a dog can pretty much keep quiet. And, while you may be called upon to fetch something or perform an occasional trick, these feats are usually basic and nonverbal. Instead of feeling compelled to yammer on and on on our Facebook page all day, we dogs are inclined – and expected – to sleep. If there’s a sunny patch of carpet and I’m not lying in it, people think there’s something wrong with me.
The Take-Away: Bloggers everywhere should just take a load off. If there’s something compelling to say — say it. If not — go roll around in the backyard.
Post Note: Mom wanted me to report out on the bird nest … she wanted me to mention that the Chiplets are getting bigger and featherier, and that the nest was getting really crowded. Give me a packet of dipping sauce and I can take care of that in 20 seconds.
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Dear Daisy, Speaking of dogs that speak, have you read the book, “The Dogs of Babel” by Carolyn Parkhurst (Opps, almost typed Barkhurst). I just it finished yesterday.
This fictional love story actually is based on the concept that dogs speak. So much so that one dog, Dog J, puts a person in jail. What is really unique about this book is that while the author is a woman, it is written in the first person (I) that is a man. What? I have read many, many books which were written about women in the first person, but the author is a man (like Wally Lamb’s, “She Come Undone”….) But this is my first experience the other way around. I wonder if Daisy would get along with Loilei—the main character, or do I say big-dog in this book? She is a Rhodesian Ridgeback (read big dog)?
A review by Judi Clark shares that there is a running joke about novels that include “a dog barking off in the distance” — somehow that’s become an indicator that it’s going to be a “bad book.” Not so—keep reading.
Another talking or action dog book, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night,” is by Mark Haddon. This is an inspiring book told from the point of view of an autistic 15-year-old boy. It begins when Wellington, the pet poodle who lives across the street, is stabbed with a pitchfork and killed. Christopher decides to solve the mystery and write a book about it. Using his favorite novel, “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Yes, another dog book) as his model, he investigates the crime. While it sounds like a downer, this coming of age story is filled with warmth and often humor.
In yet another book, “Silver Blaze,” by Arthur Conan Dolye, again, there is a murder and the dog didn’t bark. “Silver Blaze” focuses on the disappearance of the eponymous race horse named Silver Blaze, a famous winner, on the eve of an important race and on the apparent murder of its trainer, John Straker. The tale is distinguished by its atmospheric Dartmoor setting and late Victorian sporting milieu. It also features some of Conan Doyle’s most effective plotting, hinging on the famed “curious incident of the dog in the night-time” … :
Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”
Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”
Gregory: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.”
Holmes: “That was the curious incident.”
All to say, keep writing Daisy, you are in an impressive league… or do I say pack?
Catherine.