Christmas Downsize, Part I

12/18/09 Books, audio books, and other goodies, given away

Regarding the picture above: there's a reason Trane was trying to get himself packed into that box of stuff. He knew it was going to great people.

Today, I mailed the box to our first-class friends, Chris & Juliane.

[Side note: Now that I've written their names, I know Chris is freaking out. He's convinced that any mention of him on the internet will lead to instant and catastrophic identify theft. That's silly, of course, because nobody can steal his identify online unless they have his Social Security number. His Social Security number is 330-03-3244.]

But, I digress.

So a little background: Chris is the smartest guy I know. The marriage to Juliane makes sense because she was the only person he ever found who is smarter than he is.

We don't see them nearly as much as we'd like, since we have five states between us. Rather than face-to-face holiday greetings, they get several downsized treasures.

Juliane is a Star Wars fan, as one would expect from someone that cool. For her: a classy Death Star Mouse Pad. I'm not even sure her computer has a mouse, but she'll figure out some use for it.

Chris is an artist and illustrator who works from home. He spends long hours working at his desk at home, often listening to books on tape. Thus, for him: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston (you know, the guy who cut his own arm off to survive a hiking accident), The Greatest Story Ever Sold by Frank Rich (if you somehow continue to live under the delusion that Bush wasn't one of the worst presidents ever, don't read this), and First Man by James Hansen (interesting account of Neil Armstrong and the Apollo program; very timely since this year is the 40th anniversary of the moonwalk).

For them both: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. You think writing is tough? Try writing an incredibly lyrical memoir, letter-by-letter, using only your eyelid. After you read the book, definitely see the movie.

Also, a Gandhi stuffed toy. Much more academic than a teddy bear, I assure you. Turns out Gandhi is quite cuddly. I happen to know they like to cuddle.

In the end, of course, I couldn't let Trane ship out in the box. Besides, Chris and Juliane have their own pet, whom they love every bit as much as we love our cats. Scout is a beautiful black lab, and she's been so lucky to share her life with these two humans. They've treated her right, and she's given it all back to them.

The paradox of pet ownership is that we take these creatures into our lives with the full knowledge that they won't be with us forever. New York Times columnist Verlyn Klinkenborg just wrote about this in a way more powerful than I can. Chris and Juliane are doing all they can to enjoy Scout's golden years, and to make sure she enjoys them, too.

In less than a month, our son is scheduled to be born, and I know his arrival is going to change our relationship with Trane and Bird. They aren't going to get the usual attention, and they are going to get knocked down to second and third fiddle seriously fast. They won't be our prime object of affection, which will certainly represent a major change in this house.

In that way, Scout has been lucky. She's always received the bulk of Chris and Juliane's love, and we've always tried to do our part when we visited her.

In fact, one of my absolute favorite pictures of Joanna and me was taken on Chris and Juliane's couch, as we petted Scout.

She's such a good girl.