—Things to include on your To Do List: pay more attention to your fierce but loyal dog, quit shooing him away from your lap, scratch his ears longer and more persistently, liberate more biscuits from their boxy prison . . .

“One, I’m trying to type and your nose gets in the way and your hair gets all over the keyboard, and two, I doubt the biscuits would agree that being released from a box only to be chomped on is even close to liberation.”

—So, it’s a short liberation: freedom of any duration is preferable to tyranny.

“What a noble philosopher you’ve become.”

—Become, nothing: it’s my natural state.

“I’m too tired to pursue this line of discussion. I think the first thing I need to do is take a nap.”

—I would agree with that course of action.

“Wow. Big surprise there.”