In case you haven’t figured it out from the constant references to my cat, Aria, I’m something of an animal lover.

So I was obviously thrilled to learn that Special Publications Editor, Linda McThrall, had recently adopted a new puppy. He’s a golden lab named Cinco, because he became the newest member of her family on Cinco de Mayo.

To be clear, the fact that Linda adopted a new puppy was not the main reason for my excitement. I was happy for Linda but, when it comes to puppies, the most important question is: When do I get to play with it?

Thankfully, Cinco is still too young to be left at home alone and, as it turns out, the office of The Times doubles nicely as a daycare. We’ve had several human babies become honorary members of the staff, so it’s only fair that we’re open to the four-legged variety, too.

And just like with the babies who visit the office, Cinco quickly became the center of attention. I think most of us dropped by Linda’s office a few extra times a day last week just to check in on the little fella.

Best of all, we all basically get to be Cinco’s grandparents. By that, I mean that we get to drop by from time to time, spoil the puppy rotten with lots of love and then leave Linda to deal with the hyper ball of fur afterwards. Sorry, Linda!

Sadly, Cinco will only be around the office for a few more weeks, but that at least gives me some time to think up some convincing arguments to present to Alan as to why we need a permanent office pet.

If that doesn’t work out, then I’m going to need to think of some clever Ocean’s Eleven-type shenanigans to kidnap Cinco without Linda noticing.

I’m sure Aria will love her new brother!

*****

In case you missed it in these past couple of issues, Mad Monster returns to Fort McDowell this weekend.

The event is set to run from Friday to Sunday at We-Ko-Pa, with thousands of visitors from Arizona and beyond expected to take part in three days of festivities.

For the uninitiated, Mad Monster is a convention dedicated to sci-fi and horror; a couple of genres near and dear to my heart. I grew up on Stephen King and The Twilight Zone, after all.

If you didn’t make it out to last year’s event, it’s something of a spectacle. Lots of folks show up dressed like their favorite horror movie characters to buy swag, watch movies, listen to Q&A sessions and get autographs from industry legends. From The Munsters to Night of the Living Dead and beyond, there’s a little something for everyone. I mean, where else will you have the opportunity to meet wrestling legend Ric Flair and star of The Exorcist, Linda Blair, in the same room?

If you’ve got some free time this weekend, I’d recommend dropping by The Fort and giving the convention a gander.

You don’t have to carry a chainsaw or dress up like Godzilla, but it’s definitely the one place you won’t get funny looks for doing exactly that.