Pongo Inspires
As I wrestled Pongo for the pair of whitey-tighties he’d proudly liberated from the laundry pile I was actually thinking about something else. Yes, I know, some of you will be amazed that wrestling with the parapup doesn’t require my full concentration, but it generally doesn’t (says the lawyer with two freshly-skinned knuckles). I was actually fixating on the telephone and why the damn thing wasn’t ringing. Still wasn’t ringing. Trying to come up with some rule of thumb about the difference between normal social activity and stalking.
Business is easy – I phone when I want to phone and return calls when and if I want to. People never return my business calls quickly enough, but it’s just business. Zealous advocacy is encouraged, not grounds for therapy.
Personal life is different. Coolness requires detachment. But interests must be expressed. Somewhere there’s a balance to be achieved. But there are also needs to be met. I’m so connnfffuuussseed.
This is where Pongo has the right idea. Last night new neighbor and I met for the first time while walking our respective masters. Pongo and neighbor’s master (NM) growled at each other. They pulled at their leashes. They made blatant overt efforts to figure out who was the alpha. (Honestly, NM outweighs little Pongo 4 to 1, but especially since last May’s disaster, Pongo don’t back down from no fight.) I think both dogs know where they stand.
At the same time, new neighbor and I exchanged generic bland pleasantries. I have no idea the neighbor’s first impression of me. I drew on all my skills as attorney, ex-diplomat, and ex-law enforcement officer to mask any outward signs of any thoughts, judgments or opinions I might have had. This is California and this is the way neighbors in massively-big apartment complexes are supposed to behave.
Is the human (or the California sub-species thereof) way actually more developed? Somehow immediate growling, licking, marking or mating definitely seem to have some advantages. Communication must be clear to be effective – why does the existence of vocal cords actually detract from communication? I’m not sure exactly where this post is going. The phone still hasn’t rung. Buffy reruns are still going in the background as I type this. And Pongo, ever victorious has retired to his blanket fortress of solitude with the remains of my Jockeys (The Next Best Thing To Naked™, yeah right, just go naked).
My sentiments exactly. That’s why I’m blogging today instead of “mingling” and exchanging bland patterned interactions with strangers. People exist in a social context, and until you work your way into someone else’s social context, it can be darned tough to establish any sort of friendship with them. Should you be in the DC area, stop by! (Your advice on color schemes was great, even though I obviously didn’t take it.)
As much as I try to be a loner / curmugeon, somehow other people paint me up to be a barhopping party boy. I blame other Dallas bloggers for this. I was all fine in my room, by myself, until they came along. It’s all their fault.