That's Some Pig

I was a fan of Charlotte's Web long before the adorable Dakota Fanning rendition. I read the picture book aloud, the paperback silently, and when I'd finished, the animation. I immersed my eyes and brain and imagination in talking sheep and goats and pigs and spiders, and when in the 4th grade our teacher asked if anyone was interested in taking home to live out it's glory days our classroom rat, I knew my parents would be the only ones who'd say yes to my animal rescue missions. In my house, in my living room, across from the piano, and next to the fireplace, Templeton lived out his two year life in the lap of luxury: a mansion style cage I asked as my Chanukah present.

Templeton was some rat. No Templeton was more of a son of a bitch. But when someone passes, even a rat, as he did in 1990, it's bad form to speak badly of them. So, that Templeton, he was some rat.

He ran the roost as the little one always does. The cat, the golden retriever, even my human sister feared him. But he was alright. He was some rat.

Charlotte's Web tells the story of a pig destined for a bacon fate. Who, by the miracle of his courageous little spirit and the help of a spider, made unlikely friends and prizes abound. Charlotte reasons if she can make the farmer see the things in the little pig no one sees, he won't have to die. Some Pig, she writes.

Terrific.

Radiant.

And, humble.

I have a "some pig" theory when I need to see the best in someone. Somewhere in a barn, there's a spider who thinks there's a pig that's radiant and terrific, and it's only my task to try to see that too.

I like baseball despite my friend's insistence it's boring and slow. (Their words). (And they are wrong). But it would be a seemingly tiresome mission to convince them otherwise. Instead I enjoy it for what it brings me, and through that, through the nuggets of optimism and "did you see that fast ball on a 3-2 count" details of the game I hope they will see it as the "some pig" it is.

Social life. I'm not allowed to have one in October. Because when I do, I'm out on such an outing, and the Dodgers have a 9th inning like the one we had today. A game 2 clinching NLDS Dodger win 2 outs in the 9th inning win. And while I'm dumb enough to leave my house in October, I'm also smart enough, even by accident, to leave on the television and let tivo rewind the entire game for me.

There is a charm about getting to watch a 9th inning like todays, when you already know they won. Because it's not like those bases loaded bottom of the 9th situations where runners are stranded and there's disappointment. It's more like Christmas where you know there are presents downstairs, it's just about how fast you can run to violently unwrap them. So I violently unwrapped the 9th inning, thank you Tivo, and it was just as the 11 text messages I received said, a win. A win. A win.

A radiant.

A terrific.

If not humble.

Win.

That was some pig, win.
That was some win.