My friends are awesome

ok, so i sent out a distress call because i need something new to read.
everyone came through for me! thanks! I got some great ides about where to start.
I did get a web link from my friend Melissa that I just had to pass on...
just in case anyone else is having trouble too.
thanks again guys!
you're the best!

http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/

jabber jabber jabber...ramble

I got a present from Chainsaw this morning. I felt so honored! A mouse, right in the middle of the doormat. I know for sure that she likes us now. Took some pics today of Frisco and Chainsaw, Pretty Kitty and I think I got one of Jelly too. (Jelly is a yellow lab owned by Libby, the lady i rent from) Interesting side note, Jelly is an alumnus of the BRCC Vet Tech program. Every year, the program takes in 5 cats and dogs to be used as "guinea pigs" for the students. A student was living with Libby at the time and introduced the two...Libby just couldn't resist Jelly. she's a sweet puppy. well, just thought i'd drop a line in. later.

Frisco's got a girlfriend...

Frisco has a girlfriend. Her name is Chainsaw, she weighs less than 10 lbs and is of the feline persuasion.

Right now they are laying side by side on the living room floor trying to stay cool and take an afternoon snooze.

Apparently, Chainsaw thinks she's a dog. so, it makes sense that since Frisco thinks he's a cat, they make a perfect pair. I wasn't sure if frisco would take to having kitties around, but he's really done great. Chainsaw has helped, of course. She's kept him in his place and shows him who's boss. She's swiped at him a few times, but never bared her claws which i take as a good sign because according to her mom...she can be one mean kittie.
The two of them started slow, keeping their distances. But then i noticed that every time we went outside Frisco started sniffing around the places that Chainsaw hangs out. (she's mostly an outside cat) I thought perhaps he was just curious, but he'd spend several minutes poking his nose into various crevasses around the back porch. he kept doing this with ever-increasing energy and feverishness, it was weird. Then, Chainsaw started hanging out up on our deck. Good sign. So, Frisco would immediatley find her and start sniffing, then backing away, sniffing, then backing away. A lovely dance those two have.
It got so that Frisco would mostly keep still when she came around, then they'd pretty much ignore each other...until Chainsaw decided to take the next step. She started getting really close and trying to rub on Frisco's legs. He wasn't too sure about this at first, jumping up and running away the first few times. I think he thought it was a setup of some kind, you know?
Anyhow, with increasing tolerance Frisco got used to her advances and they found a happy medium.
Then, the other night it was storming.
Chainsaw was hanging out on our deck and I was herding frisco in from a brief potty break. She was right next to the door and when I opened it she quickly invited herself in.
Frisco wasn't sure what to do. There was a cat in his house.
It was so funny. He got really excited. He started pacing around and drooling and panting, his nub wagging the whole time. Chainsaw slowly made her way around the apartment (all 2 rooms- hehe) and followed her everywhere. Sniffing at her here and there. The entire time, she seemed completely unfazed while Frisco was about to have a heart attack. I was caught between being really worried and laughing hysterically at the spectacle.
After about a 1/2 hour, Frisco still hadn't calmed down..hadn't even sat down really...so I decided that Chainsaw had to go back outside (the weather had calmed a little, don't worry)
That was 2 days ago.
Today, she came for a visit again and this time Frisco has been able to calm himself down and, while aware and interested, doesn't seem too concerned about her prescence. I can't wait to get a picture of these two up for you to see. It's so sweet. Frisco still gets flustered and backs away a bit when Chainsaw rubs up against him, but I think he'll get used to it.
I'm just happy to see him doing so well with a cat.
I think part of it is that Chainsaw doesn't back down or run away. In the beginning they had several staring contests and she won all of them. Now, the other kittie (Pretty Kitty) who lives here runs away at the mere sight of Frisco and I think it encourages him. When they run, he thinks its a game. "Wow. look at her go...wait for me!" -- i can hear him think to himself.
But Chainsaw just sits there...boring...so he finds other things to do....like go back to sleep.

Speaking of how compfy Frisco is getting, he's slept on the couch 2 nights in a row now. Which is where he usually likes to sleep...before that he'd follow me around until i went to bed and only then would he lay on his pillow in my room and, cautiously, go to sleep.

Think these posts are long enough?
I know...i'll try not to ramble so much.
later.

Interesting Website - Check it Out!

ok, so i've been catching up on my email today and read a note from my friend Martina who lives in phoenix. (she worked at tv6 my first time around....and she's really cool)
anyway, she sent a link to this really neat website. i think its hilarious.
don't worry, martina's black too.
do black people love me, too?

http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com

let me know what you think.

Starting to settle in....

Well, the two week mark has arrived...i think that's how long i've been here.
I never told you about my 2nd adventure...it was a short one...i "caught" a mouse with my plant water pitcher. yuck. I also use it to fill Frisco's water dish (he's got a drinking problem- haha)
So, I went to fill his bowl and no water was coming out. I shook it around thinking that maybe a piece of plastic or something got caught in the spout. No good. I looked down into the pitcher and saw a mouse floating around. I suppose he was a REALLY thirsty critter.
There must be more mice too because the next night Frisco jumped up and tried to chase something running away from the pantry and his water dish. So, i'm on the lookout for mouse poop...until i find something everything is getting sealed in extra plastic bags.

I finished my Chemistry class yesterday (online= no lab!) Checked today to see if final grades were posted and they were....I thought I got a 'B', but apparently an 88 gets you an 'A' these days. WOO HOO!! That'll look very nice on the transcript.

So, with the class out of the way...I have no excuse for not getting a job..not that i haven't been trying..i actually got offered 2. But i'm trying to find something close to home. I've gone through a lot more gas than i expected on trips to and from harrisonburg. So, finding a job on campus or in and around Weyers Cave has become the priority. We'll see what happens. I'm waiting to hear from the bookstore on campus..which i really hope comes through.

I got a letter from the Vet Tech department the other day. School has begun!
I've got homework and the warning of a test on the first day! YES! I'm actually excited about this. Basically, I've got to learn about 150 latin roots, suffixes and prefixes for medical terminology. Luckily, there are many I already know. (or can at least take an educated guess at)
So, my project this weekend is making flash cards for all the words. exciting, huh?
I think so.

Well, unfortunately i don't have any pics yet, but my folks may come visit soon and i'll ask them bring the video cam (has a digital cam function). And then I can have some pics up for you.

more to come soon...

Weyers Cave 24486

Well, I'm here. It's officially been one week and I've had a few adventures already.
My first morning here I took a walk out to the mailbox (about 1/2 mile). There's a hill that crests in the middle of a field just before the mailboxes. It was a gorgeous morning and I turned around to face the direction I'd come from. The most beautiful sight greeted me. There were layers of mountains beyond the treetops and the sky was so blue. Inspiring. Unfortunately, it's been overcast, muggy and rainy since that morning...
(I hope to have pics up soon..sorry i don't already..i'm going to have to get a digital camera)

Saturday night, I decided it was time for a fire. Libby, the woman I rent from, has a field next to the house with a campfire pit all set up. She burns her paper trash and I had a bit, so I decided to burn mine. I don't need much convincing to start a fire :)
It was great. Frisco and I hung out and set off some fireworks I got in South Carolina (on the way back from New Orleans) -- Frisco's not a fan of fireworks....it's funny...I took him to the "Great Outdoors" Fest last year and he sat still as a statue while guns were fired all around him...but he's 20 feet from a flashy firework and he runs away. I suppose it was the combo of lights and sound, so unpredictable, that he didn't like. We hung out at the fire for awhile...fire always mesmerizes me. I heard a noise, a jingling like Frisco's collar tags...but he was sitting right next to me. Out of the black around us comes a jet black labrador retriever. Scared the crap out of me. She and Frisco sniffed and said Hi...she sat for a few minutes and enjoyed the scratching I gave her then decided it was time to move on and jingled off into the dark field. Who knows where she was going, or in which direction she lived but she had tags and seemed to know where she was. Welcome to the country, huh?
My trash was about gone and we still had to walk back to the house (across the field and up a hill) so I packed up my chair and walked back to the house. When I got back to the house I realized that I didn't have my phone. (I'd made a few phone calls while out in the field) Of course, I began to freak out a little. The phone was probably in the field somewhere. I tried to use the house phone to call my mom so she could call my phone to help find it, but the house phone wasn't working properly. So I decided to drive my truck back out to the field and use the headlights to search for my phone. I crept slowly down the hill and out to the field, not sure if my phone was laying on the ground next to the campfire or along the route I walked. I drove way around where I walked in case the phone was there and circled around so that my headlights faced the campfire. I got my flashlight to use in combo with the headlights and, luckily, there right next to the fire pit was my phone. I'd put it in the cupholder of my chair and it must've fallen out when I packed up the chair.
Goodness, what relief.
Well, that's enough rambling for now. More about my 2nd adventure later.

We miss Richmond!
(a little, anyway) :)

Hugs to everyone!