from the Welcome to Obscure Jude the Obscure.

I am presently ensconced in the Jill Schwartz Memorial Library,

my shitty little rat dog, Jack by my side a copy of Thomas Hardy's Judy obscure in my hand and Jack really is a shitty little dog.

He's a rescue.

And he's a half mini pincer, half chihuahua, half, shitty little rack dog.

And we were not in the market for a second dog.

We have another dog, a gorgeous golden lab named Oli, but my dear wife who was so dear is always

feeling guilty about the dog and when I say the dog that's only because for all intents and

purposes we have one dog and one shitty little rack dog so she was feeling

guilty about the dog because the dog

only lies about all day and gives you those eyes that dogs have that suggest that you are failing them in every conceivable way.

So my wife and my daughter last summer went on a vacation together to France.

My wife has a friend and she's got a beach house in France and they invited her and they went.

And part of the deal was when they went,

I would then watch their dog.

And it's one of these dogs that has like,

you know, kind of hair instead of fur and bulgy eyes that look at you

simultaneously in two different directions. So this dog comes to my house and

I have to watch this dog for approximately a month I think as as these people are away.

And the dog just nestles itself into my fossilized heart.

It just digs out a little space in there

and warms my heart.

...