I’d like to start out this week by thanking those who went out of their way to reach out to me regarding my sick dog, Pops, and to send him well wishes.
I have passed all of your kind words and healing vibes along to him, and although the tumors make it ouchy for him to talk these days, he asked that I let you know how much he appreciates your prayers. (He also asked me to tell you to send medicinal snacks, but don’t do that. He thinks Snausages are medicinal.)
Not having much of a social life to begin with, taking care of ol’ Popsicle Stick has pretty much become my full-time job. (Well, my other full-time job, since I clearly still have this one, too.)
So if it could be said that I didn’t leave the house much before, running a Pops hospice has essentially made me a shut-in. Time spent at said regular full-time job notwithstanding.
And while the universe hasn’t heard my pleas for a cancer-reversing miracle, the Netflix gods have at least been listening, giving me several new documentaries to sink into when I’m not administering meds and cuddles (and sometimes when I am).
In case any of you out there were looking for a good watch on a cold evening (maybe with your own dogs), I thought I’d share a couple that have been good enough to take my mind off things, at least for a bit.
— “Tell Me Who I Am,” 86 minutes, Netflix. When Alex Lewis awakens from a coma caused by a motorcycle accident, he remembers absolutely nothing about his life. Not his name, nor his parents, nor his friends. But he does recognize his brother, Marcus — because the two share the same face. This leaves Marcus as the sole touchstone for his identical twin, tasked with telling Alex the who, what, where, why and how of their lives. The thing is, though, Marcus decides to change the narrative. I accidentally read part of review before watching the movie myself, so the big reveal wasn’t as shocking as it could have been. The tale, however, was no less moving as a result.
— “The Devil Next Door,” 5 episodes, about 45 minutes each, Netflix. In 1986, police knocked on the door of an unassuming Cleveland grandfather and accused him of being Ivan the Terrible of Treblinka, one of the most notorious Nazi death camp guards of the Holocaust. The documentary follows the dramatic court proceedings that followed, as well as the many twists and turns that caused the questions to continue coming well into the ’90s — and the ramifications that can still be felt today. I was alive when all this originally went down, but, being about 12, I didn’t remember the details. This documentary kept me on the edge of my seat — sitting on my hands so I wouldn’t ruin it by Googling.
Katie McDowell is a lifestyles writer/copy editor/sequestered sick-dog mom. Email her at kmcdowell@dominionpost.com.
