Mark’s current adventure certainly has some twists in it, notably the realization that not only has Dreama been catfishing Happy, but that Happy has been catfishing her! The major difference here is that Happy is the only one sending money. Dreama wants money, but Happy wants a relationship.I’m not sure how that compatibility thing is going to work out.

It also turns out that both Happy and Dreama were sending fake AI photos to each other. Mark was upset about the environmental impact of AI, but not concerned about Happy’s interest in what was supposed to be a 28-year old woman. I suspect (now) that Mark knew all along that this person pretending to be Dreama was not really a 28-year old woman. For form’s sake, I hope he makes that point clear.

Through a process that only works in movies and comic strips, Niecy and Mark were actually able to track down Dreama at her gorilla conservation sanctuary. When Mark reached Dreama on the phone, the fabricated profiles of both Dreama and Happy quickly fell apart as the two confessed their deceptions to each other. Mark was not so impressed, but pressed Gail Getz—the owner of the sanctuary and the fake Dreama—on what was going on with all of the money Happy sent her.  I suspect a road trip to the Glamor Gorilla Sanctuary is coming up.

Well, Mark might be upset with Happy, but at least we can be happy that this adventure does not (so far) involve any of Mark’s usual troublemakers!

I had the devil of a time convincing my father that feeding table scraps to a raccoon on the side of his yard was a bad idea. And soon enough, its friends and families began to show up. Mark is a bit vague, or at least temporizing, about interacting with these varmints. If there is anything Mark Trail should be saying about wild animals, it is to constantly state that they are wild animals and must be treated as such. They are not pets, they are not Disney characters, and they can hurt you.  And I’m thinking of those boneheads in parks that want selfies with bison, bears, or even deer. But that’s not the whole point. Not only can wild animals attack humans or spread disease, their reliance on human intervention (think pigeons in the park) makes them less capable of surviving on their own. And that is bad for wild animals. If you need animal interaction, adopt a pet at an animal shelter! They’ll thank you forever. Unless it’s a cat.