Today I was told I was trustworthy, nice, and brave, all by different people. Two different people called to invite me out for a get together. And my professor told me my presentation was very informative and that he appreciated it very much... twice! He said it immediately after my speech as well as again at the end of class, before I left. Not bad for a day's work!

I gave my speech on Gentle Leaders, a kind of head harness for dogs. I explained how they work, the misconceptions about them (namely, that people think they're muzzles, which they're not at all), how to put one on a dog, how to desensitize a dog to wearing one, how to use it safely, and how to use it as a training tool for teaching a dog to walk properly on a leash. I'm sure I went over my five minute mark, but didn't feel so bad about that once the guy after me spent two weeks talking about fishing. His presentation was fascinating, I thought, but he briefly made some reference to defecating over the side of the boat, and I was grossed out after that. I am a weirdo -- He stuck a needle, thread, and hook through the eye of a large anchovie, and it's the poop talk that grossed me out.

Anyway, I was so happy my speech went over well, and I even learned something about myself -- damn if I don't love talking in front of people! Especially when it comes to animals. Two lines into my speech, I felt extremely confident. Before that, I'd been a nervous wreck. I barely slept the night before. Luckily, my professor is this hysterical, sarcastic, 75 year old man, who always makes us laugh. His humor helped dissipate a lot of the nervous energy coursing through the room, as did his rehearsal exercises. Three of us at a time got up and presented only our opening lines... simultaneously! It was very strange! But it felt good to get a few sentences out in front of the class. By the time it was my turn to give my speech, I felt much better. I can't wait to see the rest of the Informative Speeches on Tuesday. I'm learning so much!

Also, I really love taking my class on this campus because it's so beautiful there. It's a community college class located on the university campus. Every time I drive to school, I feel better the closer I get. Driving through golden, grassy hills, it doesn't seem like a campus should even be anywhere in sight. I was convinced I was going the wrong way the first time I headed out there! The parking spaces are plentiful because we're the only class in session right now. It's wonderful. The trees sway in the continuous breeze we get at the top of this hill we're on, the view is spectacular, and this campus also has one of the greatest signs I've ever seen at a school:

I like my school.

I headed home for lunch, then back out again to meet my newest petsitting clients. This lady is so incredibly nice and loves her cats dearly. All are feral. One lives inside. Three more live outside, and periodically another pitiful looking kitty stops by, she said, and it's okay to feed him, too. Poor cat. The inside girl is 14. Wow! The woman is only leaving for the weekend but is nervous. She kept saying, "It's only three days," as she reassured herself. Then she said how great it is to have someone trustworthy to care for her kitties. Yay!

Once I'd learned where everything is and met all the cats, I again headed for home. I called my brother's mother in law (is she my mother in law, too, then? hmm..), because she'd phoned the day before to ask me about her problem dog. He has issues. Way beyond my area of expertise, too, I'm afraid, which is mostly limited to teaching dogs to sit and putting Gentle Leaders on their heads. Bobbi's the one to call for any real problems, so I gave her number to Susan, and then Susan and I chatted for a bit. She told me I was so nice to call her back, and that she looks forward to seeing me again soon. Aww! So cool! I really wish her the best with her new dog, and I look forward to seeing her again soon, too.

After I hung up with Susan, I took a very long nap because I'd only gotten two hours of sleep the night before. I guess I really was tense about that presentation because my shoulders are in knots. As is my right ass cheek. What's that about? So then, as I woke up from my nap, I stretched and my left calf went into such a painful cramp that I yelped! I tried to get off the bed quickly, but it's incredibly hard to move when your muscle has turned to rock and you're groggy. I got my foot on the ground and stood up, which immediately stopped the cramp. Thank god. And now I am Sore Muscle Girl. Or maybe Muscle Mess! Or Muscle Madness? Okay, I'm not a superhero, I'm just a mess. Sue me. (Please don't.)

It took me a little while to wake up, and then I had to make one last pet sitting run to see Sylvester, the scary, bitey cat. He is quite the rascal. He hasn't gotten a hold of me just yet, but he eyes me like he's considering it. He did grab my ankle with his paw today when I moved his food. I'm not ashamed to say he frightens me. But I still like him and pet him, and so far, so good.

After Sylvester was tucked in for the night, I watered the bazillion plants in the front yard. Something about standing there under the light of the full moon, feeding the plants, and listening to nothing other than the sound of the water as it splashed onto the earth was rather enchanting and peaceful. That's when I realized I felt (and feel) calm for the first time in a few days. I'm going to attribute that to school. My class assignment is not only over, I also have no homework over the weekend. Ah, Relaxation... How I missed you, my friend.

I got back in my car and blasted my Barenaked Ladies CD. My dad gave me a bunch of CDs when he gave me my car, and this is one of them. I realized a couple of things. One, a few of the songs I already know from hearing them on the radio so often, but never knew were BNL songs. Two, I freakin' love Barenaked Ladies! I had no idea. Now that I know, I like to turn up the volume and sing along... "Haven't you always wanted a monkey?..." Good stuff.

I was still humming my new favorite songs to myself as I walked from my car to my apartment. As I passed by the flowers and under the trees, I thought about how much I really like my apartment complex. Especially at night. Soft glowing lights shine through blinds and curtains of many windows in the surrounding four story buildings. The man-made creek babbles, and the fountain shoots high out of the water, making all kinds of cool, splashy water sounds and smells. The air smelled of rain, though I'm sure it was just the earthy scent brought out by the sprinklers as they danced among the flower beds. I felt so in touch with everything, so in love with my little home, and I thought, maybe staying here a while longer is actually a good thing.

Once upstairs for the night, I spent a quiet evening browsing sites, voting for the Diarist.net Award Finalists, and wondering why I can't seem to write as amazingly well as some other people. I also spent a few moments feeling mildly envious of someone adopting a baby from abroad. And then I remembered my own life (hello?) and realized that I don't actually want a baby, and that I enjoy my own writing just fine. Which is when I decided to go ahead and write this entry.

I guess that catches us up, huh? I'm glad today turned out so well. It's nice to feel happy and calm. It's nice to discover the raspberry vinaigrette you bought and were feeling apprehensive about is simply to die for. It's nice to know it's only a few more days until you see your favorite dog again...

 

It's nice when things go well. It's nice to receive compliments. It's even nicer to receive a hello kiss from a wonderful guy after he's had to work hard into the night. It's nice when he brings home fried chicken. And it's nice knowing I've got him and my kitties to cuddle up to when I go to sleep, which should be right about now...