The rules have gone to the dogs for some people

Where to start?
Even the man who opened the door for the woman with the accessory dog knew it wouldn't sit right.
This was not Europe. Theirs was not a working dog.
"What will you do if they don't let you bring the dog in?" he asked as he opened the Starbucks' door, for her, the dog and the two children tagging along with them.
"I'll go outside,'' she said.
The rule follower in me couldn't believe what I was hearing, let alone watching, as I followed them inside for my caffeine fix.
She sat down at the table closest to the door as the man and the two children got in line for breakfast treats and beverages. I waited patiently behind them. 
Seething. 
I tried to reel it in. I could hear the voice of one of my closest friends telling me to ignore it. It was not hurting me. Looking around I could see other customers acknowledging the dog, ignoring the scenario.
Hey, it doesn't hurt me to watch infants put salt shakers in their mouths while their parents text and talk at a restaurant table, but I let the waitress know to remove the compromised condiment container before the next unsuspecting customer reaches for it.
I've mellowed, even though I have moved a few years closer to losing that filter we all try to engage until we get old enough to ignore it completely.
The old me, the me that got cursed out and was once told to mind her own business after suggesting a less-than-attentive dad have his toddler sit down in the grocery cart instead of allowing her to stand to reach something out of realistic grasp on an end stand, would have confronted dog-toting woman.
Time has taught me that people are crazy, so I really don't like to confront people unless I see someone in danger.
FYI, I have watched a child a few feet away tumble out of a grocery cart. It's not pretty.
The dog in the Starbucks on this subzero day was not really endangering anyone. I've seen children with drippy, glazed donut faces touching everything in sight, being more dangerous.
The owner was, however, breaking the law.
The woman made no attempt to really hide the dog under her arm. Not even when the manager, who had already had to ask someone to take their dog out earlier that day, went over to break it to her that dogs are not allowed inside unless they are working dogs.
The woman said she would go outside and wait in the car; the rest of her party was still waiting for its complicated drink/breakfast order to be complete.
But, she still sat and chatted with a person she knew, modeling behavior in front of the children.
 I was still waiting to get my coffee. I had opted for decaf.
As I was leaving and she was still talking to her friend, the dog gave me a look. It's beautiful face begging for sympathy.
Maybe he was a working dog after all.

Bucket list motivation

I was sad -- not surprised -- that David Letterman announced he will be retiring next year from hosting CBS's "Late Show."
Sad because David Letterman has been a constant in my TV-viewing life, since he was on in the mornings.
I used to wake up and eat breakfast while watching NBC's "The David Letterman Show" on my black and white portable TV, during my cub reporting days in Florida. 
Most people I know don't remember Dave used to be on in daylight.
Motivated by his humor and shtick I'd head to work with a smile on my face and some "Davisms" to share with my fellow newspaper co-workers.
I am not surprised that Dave is retiring. I know how hard it is to be funny. That's why you have not seen me crank out this blog on a consistent basis. It's hard to be funny, and I'm writing for a much less demanding audience.
Can you imagine having to come up with an entertaining "Top Ten List'' five days a week, let alone an entire hour each night of fun and crazy?
Dave's been pretty funny for more than three decades. He is the longest-serving late-night host in TV history.  Aside from quintuple bypass surgery, a writers' strike, and switching networks, Dave has not missed many days of work. 
 Thursday he told CBS president and CEO Les Moonves, his boss, he will retire sometime in 2015, when his contract is to expire.
The timing was good. He had outlasted Jay Leno, who left NBC's "Tonight Show," this year.
Dave, 66, has not yet been obliterated by the youthful Jimmy(s), Kimmel and now Fallon, in the current fight for the highly coveted late-night audience. But I have to admit, I have not watched as much Dave as I have Fallon in the past month. 
I will have to move attending a "Late Show" taping toward the top of my bucket list now that Dave has set a deadline. I can't tell you how many times I have looked on line to get tickets, and or dropped by the closed box office during trips to New York.
Even last summer I strolled under that iconic marquee at the Ed Sullivan Theater, and thought I would try again the next time.

***

Dave's body is not even room temperature (I hear the studio is kept at near-freezing) and people are talking about who will replace him. Since no one will ever really replace Dave, I hope TV execs at CBS will do something different and put a woman behind that late-night desk. Women, after all, make up more than half the audience. I hope they won't overlook Tina Fey and Jane Lynch.

I will take a pass, because it just is too hard to be funny all the time.