Are Canine Kisses a #Moodlifter? by Christine DePetrillo

Is there anything in the world better than sloppy doggie kisses? Is there? I doubt it. I can have the absolute worst day, but ten seconds after opening my garage door and stepping into my basement, my entire outlook is changed. Science agrees with me. According to this Time article, "People who have pets tend to have lower blood pressure, heart rate and heart-disease risk than those who don’t." Pets are moodlifters and good for your body! 

Keeping an eye on some deer in our field

For those of you that don't know, I have a large dog. A very large dog. Like outweighs-me-large dog. When I come home, he's usually right on the other side of the door, tail a-waggin' and snuffling noises of pure excitement sounding as I push into the house.

And then we cuddle. Seriously cuddle. Due to his size, I can literally spoon my dog. So that's what we do. For at least a 60-second count. In that minute of spooning, my soul is at total peace. Nothing in the world matters. Nothing that happened at work matters. Nothing on my to-do list matters. There is only thick German Shepherd fur to bury my face in. There are only oversized ears to rub. There is only the deep, growling rumble of canine bliss as we enjoy our reunion.

But such snuggling only lasts so long and then the beast wants to walk and play. He's a good sport though. He'll throw a few more kisses my way and when I've been sufficiently loved, we walk for a good forty minutes through the 'hood. Most days, I'm not really sure who walks who.

A few neighbors say hello, but most have learned that my dog takes protecting me very, very seriously. If your hello is a little too boisterous, he'll let you know. If your greeting looks as if you might approach us, he'll tell you to stay back. If you're walking with a little dog... good GOD, don't bother with us at all! Neither of us can handle it.

When we've had enough of the streets, we return home to play in the yard or in the basement. Or, most likely, both places. After this hour of walk and play--and sometimes dancing (The Werewolf loves to conga)--both the dog and I are different. He's released some of his zoomies and I've tapped into a new well of my energy. We're both renewed. I'm able to slip into writer mode after this transition time with my pooch. My mind is settled and ready to create some magic on the page.

I always thought I was a cat person, and don't get me wrong, I love my two cats, but it's not the same. They don't alter my mood. They don't seem to know exactly what I need.

They poop on the carpet.

I'd much rather have canine kisses. How about you?

Toodles,
Chris
christinedepetrillo.weebly.com 

Looking for more kisses and canines? Try Wolf Kiss, Book One in my Warrior Wolves series. Only $0.99 in ebook!

Questions

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning. ~ Albert Einstein

Good old Al was so right. Questions are what keep us moving forward as a species. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve been rather disappointed in the lack of speed with which humans are moving. Not forward by leaps and bounds. Sometimes it seems as if homo sapiens aren’t moving forward at all. Not even by inch worm wiggles.

What are we doing instead? Taking selfies? Texting through life? Watching the nightly news and growing ever more convinced that the apocalypse is just moments away?

Sigh. I grow weary of the de-evolution I see happening around me on a daily basis.

Here are ten questions I hope someone is working on answering:

1.      How can we teleport humans over long distances?

2.      Is there intelligent life beyond our planet?

3.      Do people with true superpowers exist among us?

4.      Can we obliterate cancer once and for all?

5.      Will movies/television shows ever be in holographic form?

6.      Is time travel possible?

7.      Will replicators ever be installed in our kitchens so we can have whatever we want for dinner?

8.      Will we ever be able to download information directly into our brains like Trinity in the movie, The Matrix? (Oh, the time that would save!)

9.      In what ways can we improve our system of government in the United States so we can restore our country’s greatness?

10.  What’s the best way to educate children so they will raise questions that need answering and send humans into a new era of enlightenment?

           

What questions do you hope someone is trying to answer?

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

Forward with Christine DePetrillo

In my January 4^th post, I wrote about being able to go backward in time and live a simpler life. This post is about the opposite situation—how much I love to dream about the future.

I’m not going to lie. I thought by the year 2014, I’d be driving a hover car on skyways. Though I absolutely love my current car, I’m pretty bummed that it doesn’t fly. I’m even more depressed that it doesn’t fold up into a briefcase that I can carry around, Jetsons-style.

And where’s my robot maid?

There are so many technological advances portrayed in science fiction shows and movies that I really hope some geeks are working on developing. Here’s my short list. We don’t have the time or the space for my long one.

1. Transporter – I’m dying to go to Hawaii in the blink of an eye one weekend. I just want to be sure they’ve got the ability to reassemble my molecules properly. I don’t want to arrive in Hawaii as a steamy, oozy pile of flesh. That’s just not going to look right in a bikini.

 

2. Light saber – I mean, imagine a guy trying to mug you in a dark alley and you whip a light saber out of your purse and cut his hands off at the wrists. Bad Ass.

 

3. Android assistants – There are so many occasions when I need an extra set of hands to get something done. It would be so wonderful to have a personal assistant that I didn’t have to give lunch breaks, provide health care or vacation time or pay. I’d make sure my android buddy was programmed to think just like me so I wouldn’t have to waste time explaining how I wanted something done. It would just know how I wanted it done. The right way.

 

4. Holodeck – What would be better than having a room in your house that you could turn into a dance club at the tap of a touchscreen? Boring Saturday night? No more! Just program the holodeck for 1980s Dance Party, and BOOM. You’ve got a holographic Cyndi Lauper ready to “just wanna have fun” with you. Tired of working out with a silly kickboxing class? Program the holodeck to insert you into a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie and virtually fight the projected image of the man himself.

 

5. Holodeck – Yeah, that’s right. I want this one so much I’m making it Number 5 too!

 

6. Instant Cerebral Downloads – Think Trinity in The Matrix when she downloads the info to fly a helicopter for Neo. (Check out the scene HERE.) I’d be downloading info on everything from how to train my dog to making the perfect apple pie to how to build a holodeck!

 

7. Time machines – See my January 4^th post. It’d be nice to visit the past whenever I wanted. I’d like a Tardis model. Small on the outside, super roomy inside.

 

8. Bionic parts – Being able to upgrade when the body parts start to wear down would be awesome. If they had an extra kick to them, that’d be greatly appreciated.

 

9. Food generators – I’d love to walk up to a box in the wall of my kitchen, say, “Chicken marsala,” and get a fully prepared meal. You know, for those days when cooking dinner seems like just another chore. Yeah, so okay, for every day.

 

10. Starfleet Academy – I mean really. Why don’t we have this already? NASA’s great and all, but we need to get to the next level, people. I’d love to have this conversation with one of my former students: 

 

Me: Congrats on graduation from high school. What are your plans now?

Student: I got accepted to Starfleet Academy. I start next week.

 

Me: Excellent! Don’t let them give you a red shirt.

So, while I love the past, the future excites me too. How about you? What scientific developments do you want to see?

 

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com Adult Romance

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