I treated myself to a second viewing of Les Triplettes de Belleville the other night. (I went with Jenny Lee, the comic-book editor and all around sass queen who I have such a nonsexual/friendy crush on its almost embarrassing, but that’s another entry altogether.) The movie is an even richer pleasure the second time around, when you already know the story and can just enjoy the details and the tone and the animation that much more.
Just like the first time, though, I left the movie feeling profoundly sad. Madame Souza and Champion’s pet Bruno is such perfectly observed distillation of a typical family dog that he provokes the most awful pangs for Andy, who shared (and somewhere, must still share) Bruno’s barks, wheezes, and simple devotion to the prospect of snacks.
Ah, my dear, excitable, beloved, irritating, comforting Andy, who I still miss a little every day (and who I tend to miss even more whenever I have to interact with the cats, who I just haven’t been able to warm up to), even though I know we found a much, much better home for him than the one we were able to offer. Andy was a handful, but I loved him like crazy, even when he was jumping up on my tender parts or whining to go outside when it was rainy and cold. He was funny, cuddly, sweet, and my pal. I had the time and opportunity to develop with Andy what I never got the chance to with Buster, the dog Mark got back in the Bushwick days, who I really love, but was never really mine to bond with.
Sadly, the same reasons it was hard for us to take care of Andy properly are the same reasons it would hard for us to get a dog again. With the prospect of me leaving town for most of two years, it would be an even worse idea. Still, I find myself thinking about it regularly. Not with any intention, but just a certain longing for that li’l doggy vibe that I loved about Andy, Buster, and Bear. I don’t want to rag on the cats too much (well, I do, but I won’t out of deference to the other member of the household who’s quite fond of them), but they just don’t provide the same warm, fuzzy happiness.
think graduation present. My mom finally got the dog she always wanted maybe two years ago, after pestering my step-dad for 25 years. So be patient, and eventualy, the circumstances will fall into place.
Oh, and please pass along to Jenny that Daredevil is just amazing these days. Wow. Never liked the character before, but this stuff is really fantastic.
Bear woke up barking in the middle of the night.
“Lassie? What’s wrong, Lassie? Little Danny is in trouble? Little Danny is stuck in the well? He doesn’t love you?!?!? He loves some semi-retarded dog more than you?”
Your dog was nice, except for the leaping, scratching, biting, and hysteria on the streets. Wanna take care of Bear while I’m in Hawaii?