some things.

Thing 1: Free to good owner
When we were looking for a dog, I checked the newspapers in search of a "Free to good owner" ad. There were none. Instead I found fifty ads offering puppies in a variety of breeds, complete with papers, in exchange for money. We had already visited the animal shelter at this point, and after seeing cage after cage of dogs that were one step away from elimination, I just didn't feel good about buying from a breeder. I also did not feel good about paying $300 for a dog.

Where, oh where, were the free dogs? Is that just a small town thing, where someone stands out in front of the Wal-Mart with a box of wriggling lumps of fur, giving them away to whoever is willing to take them? Maybe here in the big city, people spay their pets and don't end up with a litter of unintended consequences.

But then last week, a guy from work sent out an email, offering a free puppy. There was a picture. It sure was cute (of course it was, it's a puppy). I thought hard about it, but then decided to delete the email so I would stop looking at the picture. It's nice to know that you can still get pets free, provided you promise to be a good owner.

Thing 2: Do not distract Simon.
We've just received our assignments at work, which is the list of things that we will be working on for next year's release. One fellow, Simon, is working on a very long, arduous, and critically important task. This week, my boss sent out an email to the rest of us, telling us not to distract him in any way, not even with work=related questions. In fact, if we were to ask him something, he has been instructed not to respond. I wonder if they are monitoring his email to see if he is replying. He must feel very sad and isolated.

I suppose that's an important thing to tell us, but it makes for a rather comical email. Indeed, I will think twice before I send Simon any questions. But also, I have a strange urge to hire a mariachi band to go stand inside his cubicle and play for hours on end. That sort of thing would never have occurred to me before, but now the thought is so appealing that it would almost be worth the money and the stern talking-to.

Thing 3: Some things are worth paying for a $8 ticket.


SO EXCITED.