First, I am sorry to report that Raymond Chandler, my trusty sleep apnea BiPAP machine, stopped working. I’ve sent him in to be repaired. If all goes well, I’ll have him back with me soon. Meanwhile, I’ll be sleeping sitting up. If you hear a noise that sounds like God’s woodchipper, that’ll mean I slipped down onto my back and am snoring.

This sounds like fun: The Silver Sofa Surfers club. Older people (ahem) like to have inexpensive vacations, too, but, unlike younger people, aren’t fool enough to crash on the couches of total strangers. The club purports to verify members (for a price, Ugarte, for a price). Then members can sofa surf across Europe or wherever. I would join, but that would mean I have to clean my house now and then.

Julian Peters turns poetry into graphic novel-type pages. Too awesome!

I found some coolio pet sites this week. The first is Tails Pet Media Group, “supporting rescue and adoption since 2000.” It has stuff about wellness, behavior, and all kindsa stuff about all kindsa pets.

Forever Feisty Chinchilla Rescue is exactly what it sounds like. If you want to know if you’re right for a chinchilla, or what’s safe for a chinch to chew, or where to get chinchillas without supporting chinchilla mill breeding nightmares, this is your one-stop spot. Our #4 daughter has a second-hand chinchilla, and I can tell you that, with patience and affection, you can form a tender and rewarding bond with an animal supposedly too old for socialization. I’m talking about the chinchilla, not our daughter.

Finally, I recommend you to wait but why. Stick figures explain to you about everything, including Facebook and the stars (cosmic, not Hollywood). Enjoy.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character goes looking for a pet.

MA