I went down to Old Town San Diego today to check in on a special friend of mine. He lives in that big white barn behind the theater. When I got there he had just got up from a roll in the dirt and straw and was standing just looking at nothing in particular. He looked around when I clicked-clicked and came right over and leaned in for a good head-scratch. He does it every time. There are some folks who would say he does that to everybody who stops by, but I prefer to think it’s just me. I asked him if he’d seen any elephants around lately, and he shook himself and shrugged. I told him about the bumper sticker I saw a couple of days ago: “Let’s just get along... I’ll hug your elephant, and you can kiss my ass.” He frowned and shuddered.