Listening Post: Serene team

NCPR appears to have acquired a new player for the team. Mugsy is a recent addition to the Haenel family, a dog that has come under their care. Bill brought him to the new media office one day, there being no one at home to keep him company. He soon found that here, everyone wanted to keep him company. Which makes a big change in the social life of the geek contingent at the station. While we do have some office amenities–a love seat decorated with my Soviet-era Lenin baby quilt, and often a bowl of pistachio nuts–now that Mugsy is in residence, people are lining up at the door to coo endearments from the hall, or are slipping in to take one end of the love seat to give Mugsy a little “sugar.”

I’m thinking maybe I have forgotten some meeting on my schedule, after three or four people have made their way into the office, but no–they just heard through the grapevine that Mugsy was in today. After one particularly effusive episode, I complained to Bill, “No one has ever been that happy to see me!” I say this, knowing full well how pathetic it is to be jealous of the office dog. I’m just sayin’.

I must admit, he is a particularly fine specimen: calm, unflappable, accepting his honors with the quiet dignity of the Lion King. His celebrity has begun to reach beyond the station. One email this morning complained that they had searched the website for “Mugsy” and were indignant not to find any info. Hopefully this post will deliver to them the desired search result. I say this with some chagrin, knowing from the analytics how few visitors ever search the website for “Dale Hobson.”

But it’s impossible to hold Mugsy’s popularity against him for long; dogs (especially mellow dogs) are a proven stress reducer. And he wears well. I hope everyone has a great holiday break–one even half as serene as the newest member of the NCPR team.

Tags: listeningpost