If you had 30 seconds to live

I have been watching Xena lately.  Xena and her mate Gabrielle swing swords and other weapons, in an extended Robin Hood style of fighting.  I'm actually disappointed that they didn't use the Robin Hood legend, because they had an episode based on pretty much every other legend from multiple lands, religions and times.  Xena does a thing called the "Pinch" that "cuts off the flow of blood to the brain" giving you "30 seconds to live".  It seems to be a brilliant method of interrogation leaving no discernible brain damage.  But the best thing about the "Xena movies" is right at the end of each of them. It is worth watching even the bad ones for the end. Where most movies have a line at the end saying;

"No animals were harmed in the making of this movie"

The producers of Xena always had a tag line at the end after all the credits that they must have written after a few drinks and daring each other to do it.

"Several Centaurs were harmed in the making of this movie"

"Xena and Gabrielle's relationship was severely harmed in the making of this movie"

And my personal favourite:

"The concept of linear time was severely harmed in the making of this movie"

It always gives you a laugh and is very tongue in cheek.  I think that it would have been fun to work on that set, just based on how funny the last line is. 

I know that it is an odd entry to this but Xena got me thinking...What would you want if you had only 30 seconds to live.  The other interesting thing about that series is that at least once in each series (there are 6 of them) at least one (or both) of the main characters dies, dramatically of course.  Now in the series, they also come back to life with the same frightening regularity.  The concept of life, death and the afterlife has only a tenuous hold on reality regardless of your religion.  The other really funny thing about the series is that Gabrielle's costume shrinks in each subsequent series.  I am sure that they didn't have a seventh series just because the rating wouldn't allow Gabrielle to wear pasties.

I can watch most of the DVDs but there are some that I am still unable to watch.  I am absolutely incapable of watching the first few episodes.  I could quote them word for word and I can see them if I close my eyes but I am absolutely incapable of watching them.  Frankie watched Xena.  I think it is why I do too at times.  He watched the first few episodes of Xena over and over in the last few days.  He never really got beyond those, not because he didn't have time but because he didn't want to watch any more.  He watched movies like a three year old, watching the same thing over and over; rather than watching like an adult, following a storyline over months and years.  My mother who is a great fan of flooding would believe that I should sit in front and watch the videos over and over until they no longer affect me, but I don't want to hate Xena, esp those episodes.  I don't want it to be a chore either.  I want some day, when I am strong enough, to watch them with someone I trust.  I want to be able to laugh and cry and trust that life will go on.  I want to be able to believe that for the last 30 seconds of Frankie's life, he was exactly where he would have wanted to be.  I want to believe that perhaps lying in his mother's arms, surrounded by love was the best that anyone one can hope for.

We tried to organize for Frank to meet Xena.  Had Lucy Lawless been in USA at the end of March 2003, I suspect it would have happened, but by the time we were getting organized we had both just run out of time.  One of the other actors lived nearby and he sweetly called to see if there was something he could do and to try to get the whole thing organized.  But we had run way out of time.

So I wonder.....If I had 30 seconds to live, what would I want?