The copilot and Dog Whisperer of BecauseItzThere is none other than Sylvia Regan.

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Co-pilot Sylvia operating a steam-powered camcorder while visiting California some tears back

In an airplane, the co-pilots job is to prevent the plane from crashing in case the pilot becomes incapacitated. The Co-pilot of BecauseItzThere has a similar role, except that in this case, the pilot is seldom capacitated. Frequent ‘interventions’ are required.

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Some creatures require a great deal of patience to handle…
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…for others, no amount of patience is sufficient.

She has a very challenging role of assisting the Minister of Expedition Planning in the development and execution of all our hikes.

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Sylvia doin’ some whisperin’.

Recently she has also been charged with the role of Dog Whisperer to Mr. Fitz Roy Dog, the charter member of the B.I.T. future dog sled team. She has accepted the challenge of re-making Fitz Roy into a hiking Dog, just as she previously accepted the daunting task of re-making Brian into a passable human being.

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Sylvia, with the Yeti-like figure of Brian in the background.

Both of these jobs requires an exceptional amount of patience.

The Co-pilots duties include:

  • Personal assistant to Mr. Fitz RoyReminding Brian to ‘suck in his barriga’ during photographs
  • Locating fu-fu shops
  • Separating campsites with ‘good toilets’ from those with ‘thrones’
  • Supplying enthusiasm when Brian’s tank has run dry
  • Refusing to stop at Cracker Barrel during road trips
  • Identifying “good rustic boards” with a lot of “character”
  • Reminding Brian to relax, the world won’t end if we don’t get there on time
  • Making sure we never get there on time and thus proving the world doesn’t end
  • Telling Brian that she’s already heard his Looking Glass Rock story a thousand times
  • Learning the terms that one needs to communicate with a person from Boston, such as…
    • Idiot (Anyone who offends the sensibilities)
    • Jackass (Interchangeable with idiot)
    • “Yutz” (A form of jackass)
    • “Shmuck” (Similar to idiot but less refined)
    • “Wicked” (A modifier for anything extreme; a ‘wicked big glass of Sam Adams’)
  • In general, giving forth a lot of love
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Let my love open the door!