That Offer Still Stands, Bro

Bella responds to some voice commands. Getting ready to leave the yard, I command "Get some water", and she gets water most of the time. Sometimes, though, she gets confused and hunts all around the water bowl, maybe fetching a bone or a toy, and I have to reissue the command repeatedly, or sometimes lead her directly to the water bowl to clue her in. When crossing the street, Bella understands "Wait" and "OK", although she doesn't understand why anyone would want to wait to cross the street (it's because of the passing cars, Bella).

Bella loves to hoover up food fragments on the street. Several nights ago, Bella came to a small bush, stopped, and looked longingly at the bush. Just looked at it. I put my head down to her level, looked under the bush, and saw a nearly-intact chicken thigh-and-drumstick piece. "Bella, you know as well as I do that that is forbidden." Bella stared wistfully at the fried delight.

Passing Sol Collective after hours, I saw a man waiting in the darkness. The place is a magnet for students and creative types, so I wasn't worried. To my surprise, the man asked to use my phone to call a friend. Figuring he needed a ride home, I let him.

The fellow seemed to be a skeezier version of Pitbull, or a younger version of Joe the Plumber, given that: 1.) he offered to hook me up with ladies, and bragged about being a ladies' man, although there were no ladies anywhere in sight, 2.) said he was in possession of a flat-screen TV, obtained under mysterious circumstances, that he was willing to part with for a very low price, 3.) said he was staying with people he couldn't trust with a flat-screen TV, 4.) talked a lot. He said his friend would meet him at the convenience store.

Last night, a rat crossed Bella's path, but she hardly noticed, or cared, surrounded as she was by scents. I noticed a cat on the other side of a wrought-iron fence and let Bella pursue, because there was no way she could possibly catch it.

Lots of cops were cruising the Broadway/W-X Corridor last night. Something was up. Wondered if it had anything to do with a flat-screen TV.

Returning back past the convenience store, I saw the fellow again in the distance, in the company of someone else, probably that friend he called. We tried to slip past, but the fellow saw us, and waved. I waved back, and hurried down the street. The fellow came around the side of the convenience store, and shouted down the street, "That offer still stands, bro."

(Maybe we should start heading south again on our walks.)