192: Slumming With A Pissant Mop

I power-walked to my office this morning. I didn’t need to wake up at 6:40 to get to work at 9:00. I didn’t need to take the subway, a door-to-door commute of 1 hour. I walked! Because since last night, I’ve become a Manhattanite, but only temporarily: I’m house-sitting for my cousin. (Yes, I am a New Yorker, but I don’t live in Manhattan. Get over it!) I get to live in her fab, two-bedroom apartment for two weeks! Well, actually, more so than house-sitting, I’m dog-sitting her sweet, affectionate, little puppy-dog, Bebe. For the life of me I can’t recall what her breed is called, but I know I’ve seen her kind in a movie before. And during the walk, it hits me: Bebe’s the same breed as the dog from “As Good as It Gets.” Now, I can be like Greg Kinnear, imitating Jack Nicholson: "Verdell. What's wrong? You miss the tough guy? Well, here I am, sweetheart! Happy to see me, you little pissant mop? How 'bout another ride down the chute?”