Steve Irwin

I love animals.  Always have.  I've had dogs, ferrets, cats, gerbils, fish, hamsters, and a turtle.  My wife has had the same plus several others including chickens, goats, and a lot more.  So, it's not uncommon in our house for Animal Planet to be on in the background.  "The Most Extreme,"  "Meerkat Manor" and the dog shows are all favorites.  As are, of course, all of the Croc Hunter shows. 

We always thought Steve Irwin was amazing for several reasons.  His causes, his big heart, his accomplishments, his energy, his ability to actaully LIVE life, and his way with animals.  I can't even count how many times I've seen him get bitten and just smile.  A reptile's jaw would be clamped over his finger, blood trickling down his arm, and he'd just talk about how beautiful it was.  He seemed invincible.  So much so that his immortality was often a joke.

Which is why when I got a text message at two in the morning (after coming back from a late night "PARANOIA" game) that simply read, "Steve Irwin just died," I laughed.

Someone was obviously pulling my chain because of the recent youtube videos.  It HAD to be a joke.

Steve Irwin doesn't die. 

Just in case, I turned on CNN.  And sure enough, there was the story about a freak accident while filming underwater.  My wife was removing her makeup in the restroom.  She stopped what she was doing when I told her what happened.  We just sat on the edge of the bed staring at the television in disbelief.

All the while, the Steve Irwin doll I've used as LOST Ninja was in the corner of the room.  It was a present to my wife from her Dad a few years back.  I brought him to take pictures of "Ninja" at Dragon*Con, but never got around to it. 

I'm very glad I didn't.

Pretty much everyone in the bloggosphere has already covered why Steve Irwin will be missed.  He's done a lot of good in this world and made a lot of people happy, including yours truly. 

And, no, the Irwin doll will NOT be used in the videos again.  But I'm glad it WAS used.  To me, it's a testament to just how much Steve Irwin has made his mark.  He's a household name not just in Australia, but world wide.  He is an icon and a hero.

So, to Teri, Bindi, and Bob - I send good vibes and thoughts.

And to Steve...

Thank you.

Comments

[woah]

RIP :(

[Main]

Rest in Peace my friend

[Puck]

Well said.

[THE WOLFE]

Well said Speaker.

Its weird that his death has rocked so many people.

We all joked, "That guy is going to get himself killed."

He dodged death so many times we thought it was impossible to kill him, and so we he died it reminded us that if he can die then all of us can.

I met his wife 2 years ago at an dinner. She was a very kind woman to everyone and stayed an hour after the dinner until she signed an autograph for every person who wanted one.

My Condolences to his wife and two children.

Sincerely,

THE WOLFE

[team lena]

Terri and kids,

We will truely miss him as well!

[Bigdog]

Well said Speaker we will all miss him

[scully]

Thanks, Speaker, for saying what we're all thinking and feeling ... RIP Steve

[ashleebear]

Speaker--A very nice tribute. Thank you.

All our thoughts go out to Terri & their kids.

[Oceanic]

RIP my friend, we will miss you always...

Crocs Rule!!

[vexingmodstwo]

I'm still in shock.

RIP Steve.

[THE WOLFE]

Best Line Ever by Steve Irwin:

(All said very enthusiastically) "Well the Cobra will actually spit venom when it feels threaten...oh here he goes...Ok the Cobra just spit venom in my eyes...It really burns."

[Pandora]

LOL, WOLFE. I think that's the best way to remember him, enthusiastic to the point of being carried away, yet 100% genuine. I think I will visit the Disc Ch building garden they named after him in a few days and leave some flowers or something, it's right near me.

[Pandora]

LOL, WOLFE. I think that's the best way to remember him, enthusiastic to the point of being carried away, yet 100% genuine. I think I will visit the Disc Ch building garden they named after him in a few days and leave some flowers or something, it's right near me.

[mOOn]

Crikey.

[THE WOLFE]

Pandora,

I think the best tribute would be to play with a spider or something slightly dangerous that could leave a welt if you got bit by it...that is the way he would have wanted it.

[GUTSCH007]

HE WILL BE MISS

[Cadfile]

I saw this at the end of a CNN article and it really resonated:

"He has left a legacy: That people do love some of the unloved animals like crocodiles and reptiles that people wanted to kill," Stainton told CNN.

"He's actually put a position in their hearts for them. I want that to continue. ... I want people to really go out there and remember Steve Irwin for what he really was, which was a great conservationist, saving wildlife and actually promoting wildlife that people didn't love."

[KBarrick]

Very nice words.

Strangely, after I saw this news my first thought was "What will Speaker do?!?"

Though I'm thinking that continuing to use the Irwin doll might BE appropriate. Let the man live on! Be it doll form or whatnot.

The best thoughts I've seen on the web have been the quotes from Irwin himself concerning animals' instinctual self-defense reflexes. (Paraphrasing a paraphrasing):
.
""I can't blame her. I'm coming into her territory. She's just doing what comes naturally. I'm the invader, here. If she attacks, she's just doing what she's supposed to."

That kinda sums up the morbid irony and the sadness. Not a bad way to go out. But certainly a bad way to go out for the father of a very young daughter.

[AprilJ]

I was stunned when I heard. He really did know how to live life. I feel so bad for his family. God bless him. Thannks for the nice words Speaker.

[amlocke]

RIP Steve. I will miss the antics of your show, all the while educating and entertaining at the same time.

[Maryjane]

Very well said, Speaker.

I still can't believe Steve Irwin is gone. I will miss him, and so will the rest of the world.

RIP Steve.

[kissmekate]

He will be missed and he was loved. As long as he is in our memories, he will live on.

[lurker]

""I can't blame her. I'm coming into her territory. She's just doing what comes naturally. I'm the invader, here. If she attacks, she's just doing what she's supposed to."

Posted by: KBarrick | September 04, 2006 at 09:02 PM

Interestingly, one of the definitions of Dharma (Hindu according to answers.com) is this:

The essential function or nature of a thing.

That's pretty much what Steve Irwin described, honored and educated us about wildlife.

An odd tie-in to TLE, but I just couldn't get it out of my mind.

[THE WOLFE]

Lurker,

Good Job...Get a name and it would be my pleasure to insult you some day (it is a right of passage to become an honorary old schooler of the Lost Blog)

[ashleebear]

Wolfe--Glad to see you still have your delusions of grandeur intact. ;)