But being left alone with my dog makes me surprisingly uneasy.
Here's the thing. Mark knows how to keep a dog happy and busy with no required effort. He tosses the ball, does tricks and entertains our dog all while watching TV, cooking, showering, repairing furniture, studying for the GMAT, whatever.
When Mark leaves, the dog and I look at each other in this sudden impending, "well, now what?"
The dog doesn't even pick up his toys, knowing I'm skillfully inept at maneuvering them for effective play.
I don't multitask well with the dog.
I can't get anything out of a TV show while I'm peddling tricks and treats for our fair animal friend. It's not natural to me. If he suddenly learned how to join in a dance party (already tried it, he mostly thinks I've had a seizure and wants to stop it), or typed blog posts for me, or massaged my back, or cut my hair, or did anything off my to-do list, we could be good.
How do I entertain a dog while entertaining myself, i.e. being massively productive at all hours of the day?
Our little sit-ins start with an epic staring match. And then me pretending like I don't see him looking at like he's totally bored. That goes on for a half hour or until the silence gets to me.
And then I just talk to him. At least he doesn't criticize or judge me. He thinks all of my ideas are awesome.
Perhaps that contributes to my productivity after all.
