Back in college, I wrote an essay for my Philosophy in Literature class about a muddy metaphor Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. makes in his novel, Cat’s Cradle.** I just now finished editing the footage from this weekend’s Muddy Buddy (video below), and, watching everyone again - reliving the tingly joy of being exhausted and filthy - it reminded me of a certain reverence for nature depicted through Bokononism,* the ‘made up’ religion mentioned throughout the book.

I won’t get too far into it, but especially with everything that’s going on these days in the world, and in this country, there is a strange comfort in knowing that a drove of wild hooligans need no better reason to get together and act like a bunch of animals than just that. If anything, it says something about the demand for a feeling of community and release that is created by such an isolated society.

Anyhow, doing this race was really something.

• Read eliza’s entry about it.
• Check out the narrated photos: [set menu] [slideshow]
• Play the video below. Or view it [here] at blip.tv. Highlights include a man finishing ahead of his partner despite his prosthetic leg falling off. (His partner carried it for him.):

*From ‘Books of Bokonon’:

“God leaned close as mud as man sat up, looked around, and spoke. Man blinked. ‘What is the purpose of all this?’ he asked politely.

‘Everything must have a purpose?’ asked God.

‘Certainly,’ said man.

‘Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this,’ said God.”

**From Wikipedia:

“The book was adapted into script form by Richard Kelly, the writer and director of Donnie Darko [one of my favorite movies]. A film adaptation of ‘Cat’s Cradle’ was expected to be made in 2007 but now it appears unlikely to be produced.”

WTF!