I woke up this morning feeling pretty okay for a Monday.  I went through my morning routine without the usual half-asleep morning grogginess.  I took my dog Baxter out for his normal morning walk and it was clear that he had gotten over his little bout of sickness from the weekend.  I checked the the traffic report before leaving and the roads were free and clear.

Walking up to my desk I found a pleasant surprise.  One of my coworkers had left a five pound bag of Cuties oranges on my chair with the note "Enjoy!"  If you have ever tasted the crazy deliciousness of a california mandarin, you will share in my excitement.  I immediately ate three of them, because they are so dang easy to peel!  That same coworker came right around the corner asking if I would cover their 9AM appointment for them.  Of course I wanted to!  Any reason to get out the office on a Monday is a good reason.

Upon returning to the office, I discovered that the head honcho was leaving for the day.  I don't know how to explain it, but the office is just a little less tense when he is not around.  Everyone is a little looser and smiling, and more work seems to get done. 

Then came the best news of all.  First, I will give the background story.

I'm sure many of you have noticed the "Taste the Madness" promotion that Coke Zero has been shoving down our throats during the NCAA tourney.  If you haven't, it is a contest where anyone can submit a photo or video of themself being a "crazy fan."  The videos and pictures Coke Zero likes they are putting into an ad that will air during the Championship game.  Well, I had found out that one of the photos I submitted (for reference it is the second one down on my "About the Authors" page) on Friday and I faxed in my SAG contract this morning.  I wrote the marketing lady to ask how much I was going to be compensated (it said "Scale" on the contract) and she said that meant around $550.  Not too bad considering it took me three seconds to submit the photo online. (So be on the lookout for that ad by the way!)

I had two more appointments of my own that were going to take much of the afternoon, which meant lots more time out of the office!  My first appointment went fairly well and quickly.  This left me time to stop for a few minutes at the parking lot at Juanita Beach to do what I always do when I have a little spare time between appointments...

Browse the internet on my PDA.  I did my normal rounds.  First Gmail, then Cougcenter.  Everything seemed fine until I got to facebook.  The statuses were concerning.  "We'll miss you Tony,"  MLips's said the story came from Cougfan, so I was a bit skeptical.  I texted Nuss and he said that Grippi had not mentioned any thing about it.  I went to my next appointment a bit apprehensive, but telling myself that false things are reported all the time.  This was too unbelievable to be true!

After my appointment I rushed straight back to my car to check my phone.  I had a text from Nuss that told the story.  It was official, Tony was leaving us.

I went back to the office in a bit of a daze.  No one there could understand.  I work with a bunch of ladies, none of which are big sports fans.  I knew the name Tony Bennett would draw blank stares. 

After all this, I go home to find out that Baxter had not gotten over his weekend illness and he had in fact done a fantastic job of making a mess of the bathroom.  There was only one explanation for this.

Tony Bennett.

Tony Bennett's actions had given my dog diarrhea.  There is no other way around it.  Baxter was perfectly fine in the morning.  Tony Bennett leaves.  He gets the runs.  The sad thing is when I try to explain it to him he just tilts his head to the side in confusion.  He will never know who cause him to feel so terribly.

Of course, he is a dog, so all I have to do is say "Go Cougs!" and he jumps up and down wildly in anticipation of a treat. (Easiest and coolest trick ever to teach your puppy.)  I wish it were that nice for the rest of us.

As I finish typing this, a smell lingers in the air.  Tony Bennett has caused more pain and misfortune on my part and he doesn't even have to think about this mess that he has created.

Life just isn't fair.