Working on the family movie has been fun, and I’ll be somewhat sad to see it finished. I don’t think I can imagine a young person taking a project more seriously than Seth is taking the completion of “Pirate Revenge.” I can tell that it’s a bit painful for him to watch me insert gags and “camp it up” (in the old Dixon manner of my generation), and when we talked about continuing to tweak it, I shared the George Lucas quote, “No film is ever finished, only abandoned.” Seth thought that was depressing. Marty, who came along to work with us one night, wanted to know if I saw the essence of the piece as drama or comedy. I said, “If anyone can tell, then Seth and I have failed.”
Twelve years later and worth the wait
August 8th, 2005My heart is once again laden with gratitude
August 7th, 2005After yesterday’s race, I had lunch with David in Lexington and hit the gun show, where we bought supplies for our deer ammo project and I bought a soft case for my Marlin. Dana and I made a connection, drove to Indy, and visited with Bruce until late. Today he mostly wanted to sleep, so we headed to Ohio. I read the conclusion of “The Sparrow” aloud, and the two of us discussed its themes for quite a while. When we got to Sydne’s marriage celebration in Bellbrook, it was a surprise to see her in a wheelchair She’d almost lost a big toe in a freak picture-hanging accident (that’s our Sydne!).
At the reception I struck up a conversation with a local couple, and found it hard to believe that they were of the World War II generation, since they looked younger than that. After about an hour, Ruth got Barney to open up a bit and I found out that he was personally decorated by President Truman. He’d been wounded three times—once by a sniper—and had successfully stormed a Japanese pillbox with a flame-thrower before being captured and sent to a POW camp on the Malay Peninsula, where he’d been tortured for information. I could see that his fingers were permanently disabled. I felt honored to have met him and he just averted his eyes when I expressed my appreciation for his service and the sacrifices he made. His attitude was made clear when he reminded me that he’d lost a lot of buddies and then told me this story: When he met Truman he said, “Mr. President, I don’t think I deserve this.” According to Barney, Truman replied. “I don’t give a damn what you think. Your commander says you deserve this.”
Before we left, Ruth said to me, “He’s been through a lot.”
Bruce… Barney… What have I ever been through?
Earlier in the day I’d read in the newspaper about a staff sergeant from Indiana who’d been injured in Iraq during the invasion and was now on his second tour, having just single-handedly taken out a suicide car bomber before his convoy could be harmed. He was recovering from shrapnel wounds to his face and head.
My Lord… may this nation continue to deserve such men.
(Josh is due to arrive home today for his two-week leave.)
Lesson learned
August 6th, 2005My performance fell short of a medal for the first time in four years at the Coach Plummer Cross-Country 5k this morning. There’s lots of reasons, but, most importantly, I must not cast aside my standard pre-race discipline so easily.
Bubble girl and the Mexican train
August 5th, 2005After a reception at the Community Arts Center, we joined Lee and David to share another enjoyable evening together as close friends.
More weird, wild stuff
August 4th, 2005We’ve all seen some bizarre content on the Web, but one has to admit that this page is pretty strange…
Genuinely awe-inspiring
August 3rd, 2005Live helmet-cam coverage on C-SPAN 2 of a complex, unrehearsed spacewalk by two astronauts, requiring the coordinated efforts of the Shuttle Discovery crew, the International Space Station crew, and Johnson Space Center controllers—with one spacewalker pausing at the end to visually scan the surface of California until he was able to detect his hometown. (“My Goodness, what a long road from there to here…”) For a lifetime space-program geek, it just doesn’t get much better than that!
Breaking up is HARD to do
August 2nd, 2005I’m trying to figure out how to say something about Andrew’s new film without spoiling it for someone who wasn’t at the Kentucky Theater opening last Friday night. It’s a clever twist on the typical love triangle and has many fine moments. I have enough experience with film/videography to know how much work goes into finishing a project like this, so I have to tip my hat to anyone who puts that much energy into a movie with no budget. I can’t wait for the day when someone gives Andrew the time, dollars, and support to do his best work. I know it will happen because this lad has more persistence than almost any other creative person I’ve ever known. He’ll be successful because he’ll never quit trying. I recall the only time I ever heard my friend Danny talk in public about being an actor, and there were a lot of young people present wanting to know how to break into “the industry.” He told them not to wait for somebody else to hand over an opportunity, but to just get a camera and start creating. I don’t believe Andrew was there that night to hear the advice, but that’s exactly what he’s been doing for as long as I’ve known him. He’s a talented, good-looking young man, but it’s his focused will to make it happen on his own that will be the key to his eventual “discovery.”
Various & Sundry, part twenty-two
August 1st, 2005— Month of July workout totals: Swim-7; Bike-5; Run-7; Lift-0; Yoga-0.
— The yew shrubs (taxus) in front of our porch had gotten totally out of control the past couple years. I figured I needed to either yank them out or do something radical with their appearance. On Saturday I sat and stared at one of them for half an hour, and then I attacked it with my old lopping shears. We’d seen pictures of how landscapers sculpt these bushes in the oriental style, then began to notice examples (Chicago, Cincinnati) in proximity to “Arts and Crafts” residential architecture. It was worth a try. I was pleased with the result, especially after I used shoe polish to camouflage the pruning scars. I have no idea how old these plants are, but they’ve reached nearly six feet in height and have to be dealt with.
— Bruce is doing better, now that he’s back in the hospital. It’s hard for me to see how they could discharge him last week without ensuring the continuity of treatment essential for his improvement. Much of the routine care he needed fell into disarray or was changed. If it hadn’t been for family…
— While Dana was having her Indianapolis adventure, I was trying my hand at topiary arts, making more stabs at getting back into triathlon condition, and spending some time at David’s range with my two carbines. The 1894s clobbered my shoulder until I learned to hold it correctly. David helped me take off the scope that Dadbo put on it, and that restored it to the desired simplicity. I’ve decided to learn to use this nice rifle with the naked eye. I don’t think I’d ever be comfortable with scope hunting, so I don’t intend to start that. If I can’t get a kill shot with open sights I intend to let the moment pass. The .30-caliber M1 was fun to sight in and proved to be far more accurate than I was expecting, probably due to the influence of some negative Rick Jason remarks published in a book about the “Combat!” series. Or maybe I just happened to get a particularly good example of the WWII-era design. I checked my notes and can’t believe I purchased that gun in 1993. That I just let it gather dust must have something to do with Dadbo dying less than a month later. (Interestingly, my father and Rick Jason were almost exactly the same age. I only just learned that he died in 2000 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but I don’t know any details.)
— Josh should be back in the States on leave by this weekend. There’s a tribute planned for the following Friday evening at Eagle Nest. That should be a memorable gathering and celebration. To top it off, it’s the World Premiere of “Pirate Revenge,” the family short we shot at Lake Cumberland a dozen years ago, but it was never completed as the last installment of the Clan Pirate Trilogy. Marty and Coleman were babies, Brendan was a squirt, and Dadbo made his final contribution to family creativity as “Frank, the old fisherman.” My, how time does fly…
Book Two
July 31st, 2005Received word from Dana that Bruce has been admitted back into the hospital. Obviously, the situation with the rehab center was not working out. He just wasn’t getting the level of care to preserve his stability, and so the notion that perhaps he wasn’t ready to leave the hospital is affirmed. Dana drove him back to Methodist herself and ran interference, answering numerous questions that the institution could have made unnecessary, but the ER people didn’t have access to his extensive chart.
All I can say is… :::::::::::::::::::: W O W :::::::::::::::::::
July 30th, 2005Commonwealth of Kentucky
Ernie Fletcher, Governor
To all to Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting: Know Ye That
HONORABLE JOHN ANDREW DIXON
having been duly appointed is hereby commissioned as a
Member of the
KENTUCKY BICYCLE AND BIKEWAY COMMISSION
and shall serve for a term expiring October 20, 2008
Happy, happy, happy
July 29th, 2005• Happy Birthday to my favorite stepdaughter…
• Happy Birthday to my favorite Russian composer…
• Happy Birthday to my favorite among favorites…
(I beg your pardon; the last one is totally not a joke.)
Now, that’s more like it
July 28th, 2005Bike, swim, run… within 24 hours…
Didn’t anybody tell her, Didn’t anybody see
July 27th, 2005My life may have changed significantly today, but I’m not actually certain of that yet, and I’ll have to sort it out before I can write about it…
Chapter Two— at long last
July 26th, 2005Don’t you eyeball me
July 25th, 2005I got an email from the optometrist today, He wasn’t able to provide any answers, but recommended that I see an ophthalmologist for my “interesting” eye deviation (which doesn’t surprise me at all).
Do I want to buy a ticket for this ride? I’d better have a chat with Jerome first.
Memorable day in the history of my Clan
July 24th, 2005The Clan Council made its historic decision to expedite the Living Trust on behalf of Mombo. After the meeting I finished most of the trimming in the cemetery and then picked a gallon of blackberries with Marty. Before leaving the valley, I took possession of Dadbo’s Marlin 1894s lever-action rifle—the one chambered in 44 Rem. Magnum. It’s the only firearm of my father’s that I ever had any interest in taking home with me. I’ll find a case for it and then test it out with David at his range.
Meanwhile, Lance Armstrong had a pretty good day, too.
And I think to myself
July 23rd, 2005It’s my month to care for our family cemetery, so I spent most of the day doing my duty on the quiet hillside. I’ve come to notice that when I’m working there, I actually take the time to absorb the natural beauty of our secluded valley, especially on days like today, with the cerulean hue of an N.C. Wyeth sky, and the wooded knobs in their full summer contours. It was hot and humid, but I didn’t mind. I’d gotten any discomfort out of my system early in the day during a 10k run on Bluegrass Pike (after Buck showed off his new MINI Cooper topless—super-swank!).
Lust for power, Kentucky style
July 22nd, 2005The Attorney General of my state is revealing himself as just another clever scoundrel, in keeping with the worst traditions of Kentucky politics. Will the Democrats of this Commonwealth transcend partisanship long enough to rebuke his self-serving manipulation of the legal process? I refuse to believe that my friend Basil left a distinguished (and comfortable) retirement in Danville so he could idiotically commit misdemeanors in Frankfort on behalf of the Governor. Yes, it’s a travesty, indeed… inflicting political damage through multiple indictments as if it’s a matter of scoring hit points in a role-playing game. If there’s actual evidence of wrongdoing, let the proper authority look into it—one that’s free from such a blatant conflict of interest.
When the way things oughta be ain’t
July 21st, 2005Dana’s been putting in too much overtime trying to sidetrack any effort to discharge Bruce to an inappropriate facility while his medical situation remains tenuous. Thankfully, Jerome has taken time to advise Pam, plus valuable counsel is coming in from friends who know their way around the health care system.
Two examples—
“I know that you don’t need any more pressure at this time but that is the reality. Don’t hesitate to call the case manager and tell her/him that they need to make something happen. Also, call the chief of nephrology and any other medical team caring for Bruce, as well as the hospital administrator. If you’re not getting the satisfaction that you need then you keep going up the ladder. You’ll eventually rattle the right person.”
“…there is absolutely no excuse for the quality of care to be sacrificed. Problem is, physicians are pressured by administrators to rapidly get costly patients out of the hospital. You will never get an admission by anyone that this actually happens. If you aren’t getting the response you need I suggest making an appointment with the hospital administrator and in as nice as manner as possible serve notice that you are unwilling to tolerate poor quality in the name of a dollar. I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen patients drop through the cracks after an acute battle. Doctors loose interest or perhaps they just move on to the next big challenge. Feeding the ego can be such a dangerous thing….especially in medicine.”
Lad, you can handle only a taste
July 20th, 2005Tonight I drafted shamelessly off anybody whose wheel I could suck behind, but they still made me suffer on our 34-miler to Forkland and back. Multiple “knobs” make for tough cycling, but it’s got to be a mere fraction of a percent difficulty compared to racing in the Alps or Pyrénées.
I’ll gladly leave such feats to the gods…
The proper perspective
July 19th, 2005Yes, Tiger is back on top, but the King of Awesome never fell from supremacy in the first place.
Why all this ink about whether or not the impossible Nicklaus feat can be matched or bested? Tiger is young. Lance was actually doing the impossible, past the recognized prime of cyclists, as all those keyboards were tippity-tapping away!
The summer of 2005 will shine with blinding intensity in the history of sport not because Woods won a few more majors or because the beloved Golden Bear walked proudly off the stage, but because Armstrong did the inconceivable and retired at the pinnacle of athletic achievement. This past weekend proved it, and the sports editors are fools if they don’t begin to take notice and more adequately document a true legend in formation, as they did when Jack was untouchable, and as they surely will do when the full potential of Tiger’s career is manifest.
Herding cats
July 18th, 2005We decided to spend the night, staying over long enough to monitor the situation with Bruce, to be sure he’s stable before we head in the direction of home. The surgical resident seems relatively free of tunnel vision and has agreed to attempt setting up a family conference with the various practitioners involved. We’ll see if that might happen any time soon. Since Bruce’s pancreas is still leaking, I’m mystified as to why that impressive pancreatic specialist who helped save his life in April is no longer a part of the team. Perhaps I shouldn’t be. The miserable economics of “safety-net medicine” or petty turfism would explain it.