Tuesday, June 24, 2003 STRAY DOG At first I mistook the fox for a German shepherd pup as he slowly walked along the bike track countering a column of cyclists and mopeds heading for the beach. Watching him from a distance the fox displayed unbelievable panache, to confront the oncoming traffic so casually. Stirred by the spectacle I rushed after him to get a closer look. As I passed by the dumbstruck bikers who had halted abruptly to watch the unexpected phenomenon; I managed to catch one last glimpse of him as he halted momentarily, then proceeded slowly onto the road, forcing cars on both sides to stop, leaving the excited passengers groping for their cameras. The animal, desolate and emaciated, looked unusually tall; his mythic features had sharpened into a caricature of hunger and fatigue. His coat, covered by scab and dust, looked like an old rug. In his iron-shaped face, gray like a wolf, pale green eyes stared numbly past the traffic and surrounding bystanders. As the animal crossed the road, slipping through the steel bars of the gate surrounding a vacant industry lot; I ventured in vain to retrace him, but to no avail. The fox had disappeared. A few days later it dawned on me that the animal represented a metaphor for my current socio-psychological situation. The fox reaffirmed a lingering need for an urgent career initiative, and seemed to signal imminent change. -- posted by Walter at 6/24/2003