The Day the Rabbit Died

"The hardest thing in this world is to live in it."
-The Late Great Buffy Anne Summers

It was a dark and stormy night as I turned right from Western Avenue in Roseville on to County Road C going west. I soon hit the speed limit of 40 miles per hour when I saw a little bunny run out in front of me. We both sort of panicked. The bunny turned, deer in the headlights look, started to go back to the side of the road he had just pranced from, decided against it and tried to bolt to the other side. I tried to decide whether it best to hit my brakes, swerve, continue at the same speed, or speed up. I slowed down and felt my left front wheel thump over Mr. Bunny. I was very sad and quite remorseful and still haven't quite recovered. I've never killed anything bigger than a squirrel before. That night I hugged Mr. Max a little tighter than normal, as the fragility of life dawned upon me.

Speaking of rabbits dying, and on a much cheerier note, a great big hearty welcome to the world to Henry Louis Myers, a divine baby if ever there was one. Eyewitness reports (from one I've come in a very short time to hold in the highest regard) describe Henry as, "adorable, perfect, exquisite... he lives up to the billing. A mere peanut of a lad, but with lots of length to grow into." Can't wait to meet you Henry Louis. I envy one who has yet to hear a Bob Dylan song, has yet to pet a kitty cat, who has never seen an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You have so much to look forward to and learn.

So with all the news, both good and bad, a standout highlight from the past week was a note from a self described "faithful reader" who as I, was quite shaken up by the season finale of the best TV show on the air today. OH MY GOD, THEY KILLED BUFFY! It was downright Star Trek II The Wrath of Khanish the way Buffy was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the many. I mean I love my sisters to the utmost, but I'm not sure I'd jump off into the void to save their lives. The whole thing was handled so well- the devastated look on Willow's face, Zander looking on in disbelief, Giles shedding a tear- just like the moment Kirk realized that Spock was going to die, I found myself along with fellow poet Spike bawling my eyes out.

I was actually home in time on Tuesday to watch the show. Unfortunately the night before I had worked until midnight when the Legislature adjourned, and the next morning I had to be at the Capitol bright eyed to watch the tax conference committee squabble at 9 freaking a.m. So as I lie on my couch I literally could not keep my eyes open even for the highlight of the TV season. So I gave up and went to bed not to wake up until 5:30 a.m. the next day. And I wasn't able to watch the show until Saturday. Egads what a surprise.

But rest assured dear faithful reader, since Sarah Michelle is all signed up to follow the show to UPN I'm quite confident that Buffy will not stay dead. Maybe they'll bring back a bionic, 'nother robot Buffy to take her place. We must remember that she died at the end of the first season too- although that time it was for only a few minutes and there wasn't that awful finality of the showing of her tombstone.

I must also express a tinge of guilt- I've always said that Buffy is by far the weakest character on the show and it would have been much more interesting if the show had been re-titled Faith the Vampire Slayer. But this season I was actually beginning to like the character of Buffy. It wasn't so much the brush with the dark side that Faith showed her- the thrill of the kill- but more her having to come to terms with the meaning of being the slayer. There are those that have responsibility thrust upon them that lose sight of friendships and give in to the esteem of power. Buffy saw that and decided that family was more important than any of that and to lose yet another family member, born out of blood, was more than she could take. So just as I was beginning to like her, they take her away. Typical, damn typical.