Getting to Know the Neighborhood

This weekend we dog-sat our upstairs neighbors' dog, Annie. Annie is not the most charismatic dog ever, but she likes walking around the neighborhood and peeing on things, so we took her out a couple times a day to do just that.

In one 15 minute walk with Annie, about 4:30 in the afternoon, ZPJ and I talked to more people in our neighborhood than we have in the last 6 months combined. Mostly other dog-walkers, but some dogless neighbors as well. We talked about dogs, their urinary habits, the protocol of butt-sniffing, and the weather.

Apparently getting a dog is the key to getting to know your neighbors in New York. I don't have time for these walks a couple times a day, but maybe I'll ask the upstairs folks if I can walk Annie even when they're in town.

On a similar note...
We've been having an unseasonably warm spell this week, so although ZPJ and I had committed to going back to our long-neglected gym now that classes and travelling are behind us we have been walking around the neighborhood ourselves instead. These walks are less eventful than our walks with Annie and usually involve less public urination (except once-- ZPJ really had to go) but they have been a lovely way to catch up with each other and make plans for the future. It's what we do. Plans made this week include: 1)taking a vacation, 2) starting a theatre company, 3) arranging our finances. Pretty much par for the course.