It’s late, but I’m drinking a quick shot of yummy caffeine. I’m sick of that stupid dog looking at me with his narcissistic glass eye, wondering when if ever I’ll get back to brutalizing him. Well, here I am, ready to kick a dog when he’s down. Are you happy now?

I’m struggling again. I’m not past the first two paragraphs when I grind to the proverbial halt. I don’t know what it is about this story, but I can’t get it out. I’m stuck thinking of nothing. I can’t get past my clever beginning into the meat of the story. It’s there, I just don’t know what it is yet.

I need another character. A second talking dog? The dog I fall in love with, I think that it’s a real dog, but it’s not. It’s Phoebe, the human Phoebe, the head of the talking dog project for the Cleveland Real Zoo. I don’t know that, of course. I think it’s a companion, a dog to keep me warm at night, start a pack. The things that I thought dogs did.

Consider the day written off. Maybe big things will happen on other fronts. I know on this front, even with my massive intakes of caffeine, nothing is happening. I’ll return to the garden. Big changes and choices are afoot. What is it Always didn’t want them to do? Such an obvious take on the bible’s story. Shocking, really.

I keep adding all of these little asides to the beginning of my writing. Just random thoughts as I try to wade through this horrible, never-ending story. I guess it’s better than doing nothing, which is what I was doing before I started in on this.

Changes:

1. Interleave the zoo story into the one about the garden.

2. The choice is between ultimate knowledge and personal freedom. Dog doesn’t know that before he makes the choice, but he chooses ultimate knowledge, which means servitude.

3. When Always is away, it feels much longer than it is b/c dog’s lives are slower. Always never understood this.