I grew up with dogs, I love dogs, I relate better to dogs than I do to people. For the first time, I live someplace where I could potentially have a dog (my neighbor has a pair of bratty, barky, badly behaved kneebiters). Of course I have to work up the courage to ask my landlord (to not be crushed when he says no).

The thing is, I've pretty much gotten through this latest bout of depression, but it has been replaced by another sadness -- loneliness. For the past few months, I have telecommuted almost exclusively (another argument for a dog -- I'm always home). I interact more with the nightstaff at Denny's than I do with my co-workers, and it is beginning to weird me out. I don't need a lot of interaction with people, I am pretty much a loner by nature, but I need at least one intelligent conversation a day with a human face to face that doesn't involve the exchange of money for goods. Granted, I can't converse with a dog, but caring for and interacting with a dog would certainly assuage the loneliness, if not eliminate it (and hopefully my social anxiety as well). Also, I refuse to become a catlady, which I think I am of very great risk of becoming (cats *love* me for some reason -- and there have been at least four occasions where one has tried to adopt me; if I don't get a dog soon I might cave in to the next cat that tries it).