Chris popped some popcorn after dinner yesterday and he and
the boys got comfortable in front of the iMac in the dining room for a marathon
viewing of Japanese Bug Fights. As I said, Liam and Ewan are fascinated by
bugs. With my parents took them to the zoo over the weekend they spent an
inordinate amount of time at the insect house, in its cool dark corridors,
pressing their faces up against the glass tanks holding scorpions and other
icky things. They have bug catchers and store nasty little grody things in them
and keep them confined, on the deck. It's always a delight to walk outside in
the morning with a cup of green tea, look down, and see a bunch of dead bugs in
a small, screened-in carrier.
On the bright side, it's a service and they're cheaper than
the bug spray dude.
So naturally, to watch bugs fight in a close-quarters
aquarium was eleventy-times the awesome. They particularly enjoyed it when the
millipede tossed the wasp like a rag doll and when the locust tore into and
started eating its opponent right after the bell.
They seriously have a bell. GOD BLESS THE JAPANESE. They can
take the most inane idea and turn it into theater. I have no idea what the
announcers are saying but when their voices rise and the music plays and the
audience (I assume track) cheers it brings me to the edge of my seat. They even
have rules: two bugs walk, crawl, or whatever it is millipedes do, and one bug
walks out. Also, no weapons are allowed, you know, for that rouge Japanese
beetle looking to bring in his tie iron or shank.
Yes, I could do this in my back yard but that's MISSING THE
POINT. I don't have a bell like that and you and I both know that so much of it
is about the bell, two, I don't have foreign announcers, and three, no audience
track. I like competitive fighting be it humans or bugs. I'm a huge boxing fan
and I watch UFC (the boys aren't allowed until they're older). It's one of the
most basic competitions out there with a purpose that's more than just winning or setting a PR for time; it's also about dominating
your opponent, physically, but in an artful way. It requires skill and timing.
It's about fighting a good fight, something you can do if you either win or
lose. It's actually a pretty awesome life lesson.
Anyway, the boys were fascinated and rooted for the insect
they wanted to win, which was always the biggest, gnarliest bug of the two.
There are a ton of episodes from which to choose. The boys particularly liked
all the ones with tarantulas and millipedes.
