This is where I have been hiding

To my surprise, school will not be as demanding as I presumed. Don't get me wrong, it will be a straight kick to the giblets (thanks for the verbiage Luke) however, I don't have to be in class nearly as much as I thought. I will probably still be on campus, but at least I can leave the "lair of learning" and go to the library or something. Labs begin next week, so I believe things will hit the fan.

Things are different in STL. I figured I had a pretty good idea of what people would be like around here; I guess not everyone wears lycra and puts more miles on their bike than their car a year. Let me tell you a little story. Classes were cancelled today due to a power outage...wait a second. My rein at MU was the better part of 5 years, and I can't remember one time a power outage, snow and ice storm, hurricane, or any other natural/unnatural disaster happened. Point being, when you wake up at 5am, and drive 20 minutes to learn something you have invested a bunch of money into (well, borrowed a bunch of money to invest into), you feel a bit cheated. I tucked my tail and traveled back home. After a bit of shopping (I had to pick up some pencils and what not) I came home to a very depressed puppy. We haven't gotten Parker out as much as we normally do so he has been a bit of a crab-ass. The problem is, none of the parks around here have a leash-free zone. Ok, no problem, surly there is a dog park near by. Oh yeah, there are several...all of which cost at a minimum of 50 bucks because we aren't residents of the particular sector of town (residents are required to pay 20-30 bucks). Now, I understand that someone has to take care of the grounds, mow, repair fence, ect; but seriously, Columbia has a great dog park, and it is totally free. Well, there is one completely free, non-discriminatory (towards residence) dog park closer than Columbia (not by much), in Wentzville. Parker looked so upset, we rocked it down 70 to get his play on. We were alone when we arrived, and it looked like it was going to be a long soccer match between he and I. Over the course of the next hour, a few more dogs showed up. Two hours in, there was an army of dogs out there. The problem: the owners. Sure, there were some nice people, and I am sure that most of them meant well. There was one woman who just couldn't seem to keep her opinions to herself. To me, opinions are something I keep to myself, until someone asks for it (or, if I feel so compelled to give it, which is a rare case). This woman commented on the dogs she thought were ugly, stupid, breeds with bad breath and so on all the while her beautiful Redbone Coonhound (he really was a pretty dog) played by himself and the other dogs. Don't get me wrong, the dogs are supposed to play together, but I typically enjoy playing with the other dogs, and my dog while he is playing with other dogs. Another woman was fresh off the shacker list. Enough said. Most everyone else was kind, and easy to get along with. Sorry for the rant, I just don't understand the way some people think.

K and I rolled around the airport earlier this week. It was good to get out with her. She really enjoyed the ride too. We saw several F-15's I think (I am no fighter jet-buff, but I think that is the name). Riding comes in waves. Next week, I will begin riding to class hopefully. I need to finish my track wheels so I can roll on the SC to class...painful.