It’s the final day of Dog and Cat week. Enjoy it, it’s what you were meant to do!
That doesn’t mean you feel joy all the time. It simply means you pursue joy and happiness. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s selfishness. Do it right and you will end up helping your family, friends, co-workers, and complete strangers be happier and have more joy as well.
Drawing by Marty Coleman, who once went to a real bullfight in France.
Dog gone it if it ain’t day #3 of Dog and Cat week at the NDD!
I open the door for the dogs and Wiggle Dog comes in at a full gallop, even if I just let her out. Stubby Dog comes pretty close behind, unless it’s particularly nice out, in which case she put on her cat persona and looks at me with that ‘aren’t you going to come out and play?’ look. Normal Cat meanwhile wants to come in. I know she wants to come in because she is whining at the window telling me so. I know she will trail behind the dogs, but what I haven’t quite gotten used to is the fact that I need to put my winter coat on because she will take SO LONG to get to the door that I get a little bit of frostbite otherwise.
She also happens to be the only one of our four legged roommates who has been almost arrested for breaking and entering. She scared the bejesus out of a neighbor once by going in through their doggy door and rubbing up against her leg while she stood at the sink washing dishes. To say she freaked was an understatement. I got her off serving time by my charm and a well-timed bribe to the cat police. She still owes me.
Drawing and funny story by Marty Coleman, who once painted his picket fence to match his dalmatian, Oreo.
When I would come home to visit my parents from college or from whatever far off place I happened to be living my mother would go crazy wild with joy to see me. She would cry, she would hug, she would be loud and happy. That’s how dogs are.
I once went back to visit my home town of San Diego. While I was there I went to visit a family friend I had not seen in probably 20 years. His greeting to me was a mild handshake and a ‘hey, how are ya?’ as if he had seen me the day before. That’s how cats are.
Drawing and reminiscence by Marty Coleman, a dog for sure.
Quote by Dereke Bruce, maybe a chef, maybe a former vet, I am not sure.
A perfect quote for all you entrepreneurs, business and sales people out there.
I recently had a problem with my Mac Pro. I know, not a common occurrence. I went in to the Apple store to buy a new graphics card, which is where I thought the problem lied. At the last minute I told the 2 (yes, 2) guys helping me that I didn’t want to spend the money to have the computer looked at to see if it was really the problem. They said it’s all free at the store, just make an appointment and bring it in, which I did.
The diagnosis was the logic board, not the graphics card. More money, time in the shop, not a good thing. I left the computer and 2 days later got a call saying it was the graphics card after all and that because they held the computer for so long the card would be free. Yes, free.
I got the computer back and found only one of the monitors (I have 2) was working. I diagnosed it and found the new graphics card takes two power cables, one for each monitor and they had given me only one. I called and explained the problem. They ordered a completely new graphics card because it was the only way to get the extra cable. They had it the next day.
So, I had a problem. The company not only fixed the problem and any ensuing problems but did so in such a way that I want to stay with Apple. I want to support Apple. I want to revisit that store. I want to buy again from Apple. They exceeded my expectations not just with the one on one interaction, but in their way of diagnosing (right in front of me, with full explanation) and in their policy of getting things right, no matter what.
Do you do that with your clients? Do you design your company to do that?
One of our cats is nearing the end of her life. In honor of her and her best friend, my step daughter, I am going to do a few drawings about pets this week.
“Ignorant people think it is the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain’t so; it is the sickening grammar that they use.” – Mark Twain
