July 23: Ethos of the Moment, Kids in the Universe, "Zootopia"

Last summer some muskrats had a den under this tree's roots on the bank; I think they are still there now.  Muskrats' wet fur rounds the domed clay walls of the den and slicks them smooth as any igloo.  They strew the floor with plant husks and seeds, rut in repeated bursts, and sleep humped and soaking, huddled in balls.  These, too, are part of what Buber calls "the infinite ethos of the moment."

I'm not quite sure of the context of the quote from Martin Buber (although I admire anyone named Martin).  I think it has something to do with finding something eternal in every lived moment.  There's something both very present in the muskrats for Dillard, and there's also something very timeless.  Muskrats doing what they've done for hundreds (if not thousands) of years, following some kind of divine plan that was put into motion way back in the Garden of Eden, when Adam looked at the first muskrat (or the first muskrat's ancestor) and named it.

Today, I tried to live in the ethos of the moment.  I didn't have any particular plan for my time.  I didn't set an alarm.  Woke up around 9 a.m., which is a good five hours later than I normally do.  I took a shower, made breakfast for myself, and then sat outside and dined al fresco.  It was a lovely beginning to the day.  In the moment.  Listening to cicadas sawing the morning in two.

Eventually, I ended up at the water park with my son and wife for about four hours.  My daughter went on a zip line tour, soaring through the forest canopies for three hours (talk about living in the moment).  She had a great time.  My son had a great time.  I always try to imagine what kind of kid Jesus was.  Did he beg Mary to go swimming in the River Jordan on really hot days?  Or climb olive trees and scare birds out of their nests?  That's what kids do.  They carve places for themselves in the universe.

Tonight, at dusk, I went to an outdoor screening of the movie Zootopia with my family.  My fifteen-year-old daughter loved it.  My seven-year-old son, who suffers from a severe aversion to sitting still, got incredibly uninterested after about twenty minutes.  He and my wife and my sister left early while I stayed to watch the end of the film with my daughter.  It reminded me of the drive-in movies I saw as a kid.  King Kong with Jessica Lange.  Freaky Friday with Jodie Foster.  Orca with Richard Harris.  Everything huge and wondrous under the moon and stars.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that everything today felt really new and really familiar, as well.

Saint Marty is going to sleep in again tomorrow morning.  Maybe have some oatmeal al fresco for breakfast.

Eating in the moment--another thing I believe in

October 30: Wife's Birthday, Betty, New Cartoon

Today is my wife's birthday.  Because of our finances at the moment, she and I mutually decided to refrain from buying presents for each other this year.  The trip to the Kalahari in the Wisconsin Dells a couple of weeks ago was our birthday and anniversary presents to each other.  We did, however, go out to lunch at Subway after church to celebrate her day.

I haven't really done a whole lot else this afternoon.  My daughter is over at a friend's house at the moment.  My wife and son are taking a nap.  And I'm drawing cartoons and blogging.  After I'm done on the computer, I intend to grade some quizzes.  I know, I know.  You wish you could switch lives with me.  Sorry, there will be no Freaky Friday moments with Saint Marty.

I do have a new cartoon for you.  It's the final Halloween Confessions of Saint Marty and touches upon my boyhood crush on Betty from the Archie comics.  I always liked Betty better, even though Veronica was the naughty one.  Don't ask me why.  Perhaps it's the whole purity thing.  Plus, Betty looked much hotter in a bathing suit.

Saint Marty has some grading to do now.  He's really living on the wild side.

Confessions of Saint Marty