Dirty Dancing

The 14th marked one year since Patrick Swayze's death, and Sharon and I both having the same ideas decided to watch good old Dirty Dancing again - although not together as we are on separate continents. So I snuggled up in bed on my own and was drawn into a world where appearances still meant so much, where men were still gentleman and believed in opening car doors for women, and people took pleasure in something other than TV.

It's a story that has been repeated hundreds of times in different ways - people from different sides of the tracks fall in love and overcome the obstacles that confront them in a society where that still mattered, but this movie somehow managed to become popular with all ages and throughout the years. It definitely made Patrick Swayze's career, but unfortunately didn't have the same effect for Jennifer Grey.

For me, my first memory of watching Dirty Dancing was as a child in my Aunty 'Nita's house in Durban - her beautiful sprawling house where she lived with her family and my grandparents. It must have been when it was first released as I was very very young, and my Father was still scandalized that I had been allowed to watch it at such a young age as he felt it was hardly appropriate for a child to be watching - he was probably right.

The memories of that house awed me as a child - I saw that side of my family as worldly and glamorous; through a child's eyes they sparkled. My grandparents loved their dancing, and even though it is probably not true, I saw them as coming from that same age and time, my grandmother sparkling in her beautiful gowns and high-heeled shoes that she had in her cupboard and occasionally allowed me to play with and try on. To this day I still remember hobbling around in a pair of high-heeled gold shoes that the sight of Penny's in Dirty Dancing always reminds me of. 

I wonder if in 60 years time, people will look back on the "noughties" and think that they were as glamorous and sparkling as the golden years of the 50's and 60's, and I somehow doubt it.

Ball-less Bear ...

So the deed was done ... my poor baby had his crown jewels lopped off!

We took him in on Wednesday, and I was almost in tears at the thought of my poor baby being mutilated and very nearly backed out and said sod it, he can keep them! I think he must have known something was wrong, as he was as hyper and mad as always dragging me through the car park and vet offices. He also made his mark and peed on the table in the middle of the consulting rooms! I almost died, idiotic dog. 

He then had to have a thermometer stuck up his bum to his great disgust, and between climbing into my lap and almost sitting on said thermometer (I shudder to think what that removal would have been like) he spent his time snarling at the vet Saskia as if he was about to kill her. She even took a step back at one point and I had to hold his mouth shut whilst she listened to his heart (complaining all the while that she could hear nothing over the vicious rumbling) and then he got really mad when he had to have the first injection to dope him down slightly. 

The vet, Saskia, was probably pleased to chop off his balls after that.

I can only imagine he must have known what was coming to be in such a foul mood as he normally loves Saskia - well he just loves everyone really and doesn't have a vicious bone in his body. Well we then had to get him into the cage, which he adamantly did not want to do, and then I had to leave my poor child looking after me with big mournful eyes and no doubt dreading what was to come. 

In the meantime Kita was standing in the front chunking her head off as she hates being separated from her Teddy Bear so Pio had to take her back to the car. She was meant to be done as well but the daft cow picked the opportune moment to come in heat and so they couldn't operate on her. 

So Bear spent the day in lockdown, and I spent the day panicking over my child and counting down until I could go fetch him at 3pm. On arrival he was lying in his cage, all doped up and miserable, but when he heard my voice he was up and chunking in a shot, and launched out of that cage as fast as his still-drugged and very wobbly feet could take him, straight into my arms. He then took off out of the place dragging me behind him, bumping into walls and tripping down steps as he frantically sought for a way out of this horrendous place. 

Even whilst still drugged, he insisted on peeing on gutters and car tyres before jumping into the car and very nearly missing it entirely. He sat on the back seat, head out the window, still drugged and falling asleep, but once home insisted on trying to play with Kita and peeing on everything in sight whilst his wonky legs almost gave way beneath him - Pio and I almost died laughing at the poor thing almost falling over whilst desperately trying to mark his territory.

He was spoiled rotten that night with a huge meal and bones and I even gave him my lamb chops to try and ease the guilt I felt - no doubt he clearly knew this and those brown eyes got sadder and sadder as he eyed me, my plate of food and gingerly licked his non-existent balls until I gave him anything he wanted. 

He went for a walk on Thursday, and howled so much that he got his run behind the car as well, and by today he is back to his irrepressible and crazy old self - still jumping, biting me on the bum, and trying to hump Kita every opportunity he gets. It seems as if all the action in his nether regions (even though it was negative) has made him feel quite the stud and he is even worse at trying to get onto Kita that he has ever been, so not sure how long this is going to last!