Minimalist poet, minimalist lifestyle

A California company has begun offering FlexPetz, a new service for dog-lovers who just don't have the time to care for a pet, or the space.

The "shared dog" service is available in Los Angeles and San Diego. Its founder hopes to open new locations in San Francisco next month, New York in September and London by the end of the year.

Hanging out with man's best friend has a price. The annual fee runs about $100 a year. FlexPetz customers then make a monthly payment of about $50. A per-visit charge runs about $40.

The FlexPetz founder said only dogs with social temperaments are picked for the program. The current 10-dog crew includes Afghan hounds, Labrador retrievers and Boston terriers.

I've just been for a wander around the secondhand market, hoping I might find some cheap DVDs or videos. However, they seem to cost more than their secondhand equivalents do on the regular market.

Doncaster's Wednesday secondhand market is good for books though; they are plentiful and cheap.

Exclamation Point Costs Texter a Win

Oh, no! Don't forget the exclamation point! It could cost you $1,000! Kevin Taylor, 30, of Minneapolis, lost out on a $1,000 first prize in a text messaging contest at the North Dakota State Fair because he forgot the punctuation mark at the end of a phrase that he and his sudden-death competitor had to enter.

So he settled for $200.

Beth Brevik, 32, of Minot, ended up with the big prize at Saturday's contest, tapping out the phrase: "I hope I win the grand prize of $1,000 so I can buy a new phone. Whoo!"

"I was very lucky," she said.

Brevik and Taylor finished ahead of 38 competitors, many of them teenagers. Organizers said the contest was patterned after a similar event in New York, where a 13-year-old girl won $50,000.

Phrases were posted on a screen that contestants text-messaged to the judges, who verified the answers for accuracy. The contest was sponsored by a cell phone company.

Brevik said she thought she lost when Taylor put his phone down in the final round. Seconds later, Taylor realized his mistake and exclaimed, "Oh, no!"