Writer's Desk Essentials Surrounding my PC are some of my best non-tech writer's tools. My dictionary, various grammar guides, thesaurus; French, Spanish, and Italian dictionaries, and my cat Giuseppe peering down on me making sure that I'm staying on task. Which often I admit I am not. As much as I love crafting words and the art of being creative, I just can't get motivated sometimes. Blame the Internet! I surf from the Seattle Times to the Vancouver Sun to the Manchester Union Leader to Bloomberg to the Drudge Report-and then God knows where I end up from there. But, hey I have a deadline looming. Get back to work.

Giuseppe is a great distraction. He doesn't seem to be bothered at all at the leveraging of America's future on pork-barrel spending or the total meltdown of the financial markets. He just wants to play, sleep, eat, and stare outside at the more fascinating elements of our world. The cloud catching hills, flanks of swans and geese flying by, and that annoying fly that wants in. You know something- I think Giuseppe is on to something. The craziness of my (and your) world can take a backseat. I think I'll spend a little more time trying to see the world through the eyes of my cat. Okay, I'm taking a nap-catch you later. Ciao-or should I say Meow?