Welcome to my Christmas-free zone

Tired of carols and forced jollity? Think that giving and receiving shouldn’t focus on a single day of the year? You’ve come to the right place. I’m here to assure you that you’re not a loser, curmudgeon, or bad person just because you’re not involved in the holiday frenzy (though, for all I know, you…

WWFD: What would Frankie do?

During my failed blog revamp these last weeks, I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster, one minute frustrated with my web guru, the next hopeful he could accomplish what was promised. I alternated between the personae of six of the seven Disney dwarfs, especially Grumpy and Dopey (I exclude Sleepy because I get insomnia when…

Five Nonfiction Dog Books I Love

[originally posted November 28, 2009] After yesterday’s shameless self-promotion post for Am I Boring My Dog, I thought it only fair to talk about some of the books that influenced, inspired, or otherwise gave me great reading pleasure while I was doing my research. Full disclosure: I started putting this list together for Flashlight Worthy…

A dog as a holiday gift? Think again.

[originally posted November 11th, 2009] It’s approaching that time of year when people drink too much, eat too much, sleep with their co-workers at holiday parties (if they have jobs outside their homes that still throw holiday parties) and otherwise do self-destructive stuff. That’s really none of my business; I’m right there with them (except…

Remembrance of Pets Past: Dia de los Muertos

Halloween has never been my holiday. It might have had something to do with my mother’s dislike of what she considered a religious — and not one of ours — observance, her reluctance to take me on the rounds of my Brooklyn apartment building (which wasn’t especially kid-friendly anyway).  It might have had to do…

Frankie: The first five years

Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of adopting Frankie, my first dog, ever.  In honor of that occasion, I was going to write a paean to the joys of life with a dog. Not coincidentally, however, the day Frankie was brought over to my house —  in rescuer parlance, his “forever home,” a phrase I detest…

Will My Dog Hurt Me?

Don’t worry. I’m not going to regale you with tales of vicious mastiffs who turn on their owners in a fit of rage. Nor do I intend to debunk the notion of unconditional love (though people sometimes forget that dogs don’t always demonstrate it — say, when you interrupt their mealtimes). Rather, I’d like to…