"You can tell me ... I used to be a man."

It's been awhile since my last blog entry. I've been thinking a lot over the last two weeks. Most of that thinking has consisted of asking myself, "How the hell did I get to here from there on THAT highway ?". If you want a chronological rundown of facts and events read the fucking newspaper. But in my blog symbol is king so if you want the whole story get ready for a parable and learn how to read between the lines.

The year was 1981 and I was eleven years old. I was spending a week in Tappan visiting my cousin David. His father was very kind to us and that year he took us to see the movie Dragonslayer. The tagline read: "In the Dark Ages, magic was a weapon. Love was a mystery. Adventure was everywhere ... And dragons were real". I've had the opportunity to watch the film many times since and I still love it. Dragonslayer came out in the same year as "Clash of the Titans" but unlike most other films of that era it managed to age gracefully. None of the characters are black and white or easy to pin down:

* The apprentice is clearly a fool and greedy for power.
* The wizard seems like an impotent charlatan until the end.
* The king is unscrupulous but in a Neville Chamberlain kind of way.
* The bitchy love interest was dressed as a man for half the show.
* The princess is eaten by baby dragons as a result of a noble deed.
* The dragon only ate one virgin per year and was a very caring mom.

So if you've watched the film what conclusions can YOU draw about fathers, their daughters and dragons ?