Greetings!

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You know those weeks that streak by in a blur leaving you uncertain where the time went and questioning why your "to-do" list only got longer? I'm happy to say my week was only a bit like that. I was so on-track Monday and Tuesday and then somehow mixed up Wednesday and Thursday never sure which it was, leaving me only Friday to try to recover the week before going into the weekend.

So far, this Friday is working out well and I anticipate a good day. Hopefully by end of it I will be chilling out with a bowl of popcorn and a reasonably good movie on Netflix. If I am extremely lucky, my teenage daughter will join me. I'm not holding my breath on that one though. Truthfully, I will be just as happy knowing she has a good group of friends to hang out with, all of whom are vaccinated.

This Week

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​Snore. Drool. Twitch. Challenges of Sleeping with Dogs and Cats​

Where our pets sleep can be a troublesome topic

In this essay, I address the issue of the sleeping habits and locations of cats and dogs and hint at the not so blissful domestic conflicts that may arise.

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​I Don’t Believe In Morning Routines, But I Believe In Cold Pizza​

Why 5:00 am doesn’t work for me

It seems every influencer wants to tell us about their super awesome morning routine that is sure to make you a millionaire by lunchtime. I'm not so much buying into it all.

Behind the Scenes

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Last week my wife and I were dealing with adjusting Jasper to a supplement that is supposed to be good for cardiac health and introducing both him and Max to freeze-dried raw food. In hindsight, it might have been better to attempt one new thing at a time. This week though, we know that he likes to take his new supplement enclosed in a Pill Pocket and nestled among small pieces of the freeze-dried food. OK then, if that's how it works, that's how we'll do it. I suspect it will change at some point next week.

On a non-pet-related front, I have been redoing the furniture in our bedroom. Last week, the headboard I made was finished and put into place, and since then I have been sanding, painting and staining an old Ikea black laminate dresser. I'm pleased that thanks to YouTube, I was able to make it look passably wood-grained. I should have a picture of the final result by next week. I'll include one of the headboard too, as I am quite proud of it. (There's no need to adjust your screen, my garage really is a disaster.)

Favorite Fun Stuff

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​This Artist Turns People’s Pets Into Disney Characters​

This talented young artist, Isa Bredt, is able to turn people and their pets into Disney-like characters. Well, not actually turn them into characters, as that would be magic, not art. In this case, she does illustrations instead of transfiguration, but her work is still magic. The lawyer in me is bothered by what is almost certainly an unauthorized use of the Disney name, but if I can let that slide, you probably can, too. This is really worth a look.

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​The Coffee Shop Effect Isn’t BS — It’s Real​

This article addresses the idea that people perform creative tasks better in a somewhat noisy environment, like a coffee shop. I personally have tried writing in a Starbucks and found I tend to get distracted by other's conversations. (How can I not want to know how some stranger's nephew's partner left him in the middle of the night?) My wife, however, who is a computer scientist and not drawn in by idle gossip, finds coffee shops to be a perfect environment for her productivity.

The article mentions a few websites that simulate the coffee shop experience. The one we tried was Coffitivity. My wife loved it. I found it decent since the conversations are unintelligible, so I wasn't distracted by their content. After an hour, or so, the constant racket proved too much for me, but my wife could have listened to it for hours. The article is worthwhile as are their simulated coffee shop suggestions.

Confession Time

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You know that half-tub of milk chocolate frosting that was left-over when I only used half of the baking mix to make cupcakes? (Just go with me on this...) There is an excellent chance it's almost gone now. Chocolate frosting is really good on graham crackers. Don't ask me how I know.

I hope whenever and wherever this update finds you that you are doing something to make yourself happy and something else to make someone feel good about themselves.

Wishing you peace,

Dakota Duncan

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If you want to find about about my graphic novel or children's chapter books, visit my website: dakotaduncan.com​

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