When the going gets tough, Brenden gets joking. Trying to be funny and joking about things is my defense mechanism against things that are just too serious or sad. And since I’m not inherently all that funny, I glean what I can from other sources. Normally these other sources are TV or movie quotes.
My mom and I met my brother Matt for lunch the other day and we were talking about New Orleans and Katrina. Matt said something about how people are wondering if they should even rebuild the city being below sea level and in such a precarious spot. I hadn’t thought of it before but what popped into my head was a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The King of the Swamp is explaining to his son, Prince Herbert, about what he’ll inheret one day…
King of the Swamp:
Listen, lad. I built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show ‘em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So, I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, THEN sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up! And that’s what you’re gonna get, lad. The strongest castle in these islands.
Of course, it’s much funnier to hear it with the accent and all of the inflections in the movie. Or if you’re my mom, to hear me say it with the accent and all of the inflections.
I’m not sure if they should or shouldn’t rebuild New Orleans. I have a sneaking suspicion that they’re going to rebuild it. But I did find it funny to compare it to the King of the Swamp in The Holy Grail. Maybe that makes me shallow, but I think it just makes me human.
