Sisyphus VI: Pax Be With You

Sisyphus VI opens with a friendly sparring session with Orion. Sisyphus is in good form and enjoys the session.

Shortly after, a match is set up with Pax, who has been crushing everyone in her path.

Sisyphus' first strategy was to rope-a-dope Pax. Estimating that Pax was only going to have a 4-8 inch reach, Sisyphus went out at 2:45am to shovel away the first 2 inches (only took about 6 minutes), then went to bed. She thought she had outsmarted Pax, only, upon awaking, to be greeted with a foot of wet, heavy snow. She clearly underestimated her opponent.

Picnic, anyone? (From the set of Sisyphus VI)

Putting on her gear, her husband shouts,"Don't do it! You are NOT shoveling this!" "I'm just going to assess the situation," Sisyphus said. As she shut the kitchen door, she grabbed her shovel. Never tell Sisyphus NOT to do something.

Here, the plot becomes kind of a "Rocky VI meets Pay it Forward." Someone (we don't know who) had shoveled the end of her driveway- the part that would normally be impassable by car without shoveling first. So she, in turn, shovels her and her neighbor's shared walkway, which she had planned to skip this time.

As she shovels the center of the driveway, she realizes she's running out of places to put the snow. The pile in the yard is as tall as she is. If she just dumps it into the street, the plow will pile it at the end of the driveway when it comes through. But there's nowhere else to put it.

The shoveling scene is as long as the one in Maximus- a full hour. And you hear her inner monologue, as she's wondering whether she still had the eye of the tiger. The fun has left the fight. Maybe the season has been too long. Maybe there have been too many fights too close together. Maybe it's time to retire... A moment of contemplation, as she stands there holding the shovel upright, thinking about quitting mid-fight. But then a voice inside says "Never give up. I may rest for a moment, but I will not be defeated! I will not quit!" And although she may not feel like she has the eye of the tiger, she goes the distance. She finishes the fight. And knowing that, she can hold her head high.

The match ends in a tie.

Back in the locker room, Sisyphus hears that Pax wants a rematch. Immediately. As in 12 hours later. Are we really not taking ANY time between sequels now? Geez, talk about milking a franchise.

Sisyphus has new strategies lined up already: You know how they say "When God closes a door, another one opens? Or maybe He closes a door and opens a window? Well, now that my yard is 'closed' for snow dumping, I'll open a manhole cover and dump it down there." Well, that's creative. Wonder if it's legal. And also, next time she plans to wear an ipod, playing- you guessed it- Eye of the Tiger. Already cued up. This might be worth watching. I almost hope Pax shows for the rematch.

What did we learn? I guess you can climb a mountain or fight the fight and succeed, as long as you persist, even if you don't feel like a champion single every moment.

Did any of you see Sisyphus VI, or anything starring Pax?
What did you get out of it?

Carla Ulbrich

The Singing Patient

Humor, song and hope for people who need it most- patients and healthcare workers

www.thesingingpatient.com

Sisyphus V : Of Ice and Men (really young men)

Just 2 days after Sisyphus IV comes...

Sisyphus V : Of Ice and Men (really young men)

In my opinion, this was way too little time between sequels. And that’s even a plot point in the movie.

Usual setting (NJ suburbs).
The opponent in this episode is “Nika.” The snow isn’t as deep this time, but it’s heavy. Ice, then 3-4 inches of snow, then more ice.

In this sequel, we learn that Sisyphus is a part-time guitar teacher. Every Wednesday (and today is a Wednesday), she commutes to a guitar shop 40 minutes away. School has been called off, and the roads are a mess, so she cancels lessons. Again.

Now, what about clearing that driveway?

Sisyphus was warned by her trainer to be mindful of her strained back muscles (from the fight with Maximus 2 days ago), and not to go back into the ring too soon. Maybe even consider retiring. Open up a restaurant and go table to table telling stories of the glory days. There was a long dialog between her and her husband about this- if not retiring, then at least letting someone else step in this one time. The husband’s back is injured, her back is still recovering from fighting Maximus 2 days ago...

Sisyphus looks wistfully out the bedroom window at her neighbors fighting the icy mess- and winning. Ah, the thrill of the kill! Of just being out there in the middle of it all! And just then her back spasms, reminding her of her trainers’ warnings.

She goes downstairs and looks out the front window. Having built up some good shoveling karma with the next-door neighbor for shoveling the shared walkway the last 2 storms, it appears the neighbor has reciprocated.

Job already half-complete. And so, she relents and allows the husband to call Joan, a neighbor who had offered her grandson’s shoveling services, to finish the job.

That’s when I realized that “Child Labor in the Jersey Suburbs” was actually a Prequel to the entire Sisyphus series! In that movie, released Jan. 3, 2014, the actress now named Sisyphus was just a bit part, one of numerous neighbors in a New Jersey suburban condo complex to hire a neighbor’s 10-year-old grandson to shovel their walks and driveways. Upon seeing the child’s age when he rang the bell to get paid, the woman later known to be Sisyphus felt so guilty about this poor scrawny young kid being pimped out by his grandmother to shovel practically the entire neighborhood, she vowed to take care of her drive and walkway herself from then on.

But having the job already half-complete, and knowing that this time, the kid (we still don’t have a name- he’s just called “Joan’s grandson”) is showing up with a friend to help, Sisyphus relents. She had already convinced herself the job wasn't as big this time.

I’m imagining the convo in the writers’ room,where they’re deciding whether to focus on Sisyphus or the 2 young boys shoveling snow. “Sisyphus V or Child Labor in the NJ Suburbs II? Sisyphus franchise has momentum, and we can’t have a lead role who’s named “Joan’s Grandson”- let’s go with Sisyphus V.”

The movie ends with Sisyphus sitting on the couch, having just completed physical therapy routine, with an ice pack on her ankle and a heating pad on her back, watching the Weather Channel. They are forecasting another storm for this weekend, and possibly one a few days after that. Maybe I read her face wrong, but I’m pretty sure she secretly hopes to be up for the fight. They are most definitely telegraphing yet another sequel here- or even two. At least for now, Sisyphus fans just can’t seem to get enough of this.

I guess this was a story about dealing with ones’ own mortality. Or knowing when to accept help. Admitting you’re not invincible? Like all movies, if the story is told well enough, everyone takes something a little different away from it.

{If you've read down to here and you're thinking "what the bleep is this about? Has she lost her mind?"- it's my fake movie review of my real life experience of dealing with the relentless snowstorms this winter in New Jersey. With some Rocky references. The previous "review" had Star Wars references. An exercise in maintaining Humor. Imagining my conundrums as if they were an indie film- or even a blockbuster series of films. It's how I keep my sanity. The time just flies when I'm shoveling! Or in this case, sitting at my desk answering emails. Try it- if you're doing something you hate, turn it into your favorite actor or movie being played out}.

Stay warm and walk like a penguin (that's how you keep from slipping on ice).
See you after the next sequel- coming soon!

Carla

Carla Ulbrich

The Singing Patient

Humor, song and hope for people  who need it most- patients and healthcare workers

www.thesingingpatient.com