Hands-on dog ownership is an excellent way to introduce play constants. My dogs will generously allow me 1-3 days of intense work with short bursts of walking, playing, and affection, but if we don't go sheep herding, play ball off leash at a large park, or go on an outdoor adventure together to tire their minds and their bodies, they will pester me until we do or find ways to entertain themselves (i.e., wreak havoc). My dogs help me make sure that I don't neglect real play, in a generally loveable way.

I haven't made the tollhouse variety in years, but I seem to recall that these cookies ALWAYS became very flat and crispy, with the chips appearing as bumps, when I used thin trays. Is this what you mean by "splaying out over the chips"?

High quality ingredients like real butter and guitard chips are key. One of the secrets to making soft cookies, besides not overbaking them, is the order in which you stir in the ingredients. If you save the flour until the very end, and then stir only enough to incorporate it, less gluten forms and so your cookies are more tender. PMD's volunteer projects managers and I make homemade cookies for all our volunteers, ~18,000 cookies since 1992, using the urban legend recipe for Mrs. Fields cookies that makes 6-8 dozen/batch. This dough freezes well, too.