Meeting the Bloggers in Helena

Tonight I got the awesome opportunity to meet some real life bloggers here in Helena. I have to say, it was much more than I expected. First, lets meet the cast:



Craig of Montana Politics. Now, this is a guy I can really respect. He is a real conservative, and he had done his homework. This guy makes me undrstand why Wulfgar! calls the folks over at What's MessedUp in Montana kool-aid drinkers. The entire time we talked, I felt like I was talking to someone who was relevent, usefull and a part of our future. He is a conservative, and the fact that I agreed with most everything he had to say served as a reminder that most of us want to do the right thing. There really are only mild shades of grey between what reasonable people see as the correct course of action. After meeting him, I moved his link from the section with WRiM on the left, he doesn't belong there.



Kim of Revolving Ducks. Now, how cool is she? This girl waited patiently while we had 'poly' talk. She is ultra quick and infinitely interesting. She kept us all in tears ROTFL. I am not much into reading archives, its too much like watching a rerun of a show that you know has already been cancelled. It's too painful to fall in love when you know that there is already an ending. I encourage her to come out of her hiatus because I think that we all need more of her kind of charm in this old (creepy) world of ours.



Randy from A Secular Franciscan Life. He seems such a patient and thoughtful man. This is in high contrast to my overly intense and overly self important (egotistical) self. I liked him a great deal. I appreciate thoughtful people and I appreciated him.




David of Big Sky Blog, GreaterFalls.com, Better Living Thru Blogging and the fetish site Fluffy Pigeon. I am not sure about the last one, I think it about either about John Bolton's toupee or most likely about the super mullet Saga of Stanly Malowe. Seriously, even if it isn't about Stanly Marlowe, you should read his story, you will find it much more compelling than anything else I have said here tonight. This is a guy who, though I did not always agree with him, really has his head screwed on straight. I really liked him, almost as much as Stanly Marlowe.

To be sure, these guys I met tonight were awesome. It actually rekindled my dwindling faith in human kind and reminded me that I tend to jump to conclusions about everything and everyone. I thank them for letting me take part in their bash and be a part of bloggin' in Montanta.

To you, my constant reader, I thank you for coming here and giving me a voice. I am proud to blog along side of these people. Aren't I just gushy?

What in a Name?

I am going out on a limb and make this my longest post ever to answer one question that was raised tonight, where did the name of this blog (Wrong Dog's Life Chest) come from. I have already answered the question Which Dog Is The Wrong Dog?, but a few beers have impelled me to explain the name. I took special care in naming it, so I will take special care in explaining it.

There is an REM song called 'Hairshirt', it is quiet wonderful actually. Only slow accoustic guitar and vocals really. First, you need to know what a hairshirt (also called a Cilice) is, we will turn to wikipedia for that:

Such garments or adornments have been worn at various times in the history of the Christian faith, for the purposes of the mortification of the flesh. Apart from the itchiness of the shirt's coarse texture, when worn continuously it formed a breeding-ground for lice, which would have the effect of increasing the discomfort. Saints and monks are often reported to have worn one, and rich men sometimes wore one under their fine clothes as penance for adorning themselves, something some people believe to be forbidden in the Bible, though less drastic forms of penance are normal throughout the Christian church

So, it is a way of punishing oneself, perhaps needlessly. Now, what did REM have to say about that?

I am not the type of dog
That could keep you waiting
For no good reason
Run a carbon-black test on my jaw
And you will find it's all been said before

I can swing my megaphone and strong arm the rest
It's easier and better
To just beat it from the chest
Of desire

I could walk into this room
And the waves of conversation are enough
To knock you down in the undertow
So alone, so alone in my life
Feed me banks of light
And hang your hairshirt on the lowest rung
It's a beautiful life
And I can hang my hairshirt
Away up high in the attic of the wrong dog's life chest
Or bury it at sea
All my life I've searched for this

Here I am, here I am in your life
It's a beautiful life
My life
It's a beautiful life
Your life

The important part of this is when he says:

It's a beautiful life
And I can hang my hairshirt
Away up high in the attic of the wrong dog's life chest
Or bury it at sea
All my life I've searched for this

The reason I named my blog The Wrong Dog's Life Chest is because I can see that there is an end to our self punishment. It is a beautiful life. We COULD strong arm the rest and we could beat on our chests in desire. We can make it worse and continue to punish ourselves OR we can hang our hairshirts away up high in the attic of the wrong dog's life chest AND bury it at sea. I think (hope, pray) that we will choose the latter and the better.