I'm in love with Sophie

OK, so Melissa's raccoon is probably the cutest thing I've ever seen. Don't cry, as I know each one of you was hoping it was you. But it's not. It's the little three month old raccoon named Sophie. MJ took some pictures, so I'll post them on my MSN page as soon as I get them. Sophie is very small. She is shaped like a very small pomeranian, with fur that sticks out in all directions. (but with a very pointy nose and beedy little eyes). She lives up to the description of her species, being very curious and active. I watched her climb up the side of an ironing board to get on top of the washing machine, where she ate all the cat food and stuck her feet in the water dish before walking around and tracking her dirty little feet through everything. Even when she is napping with you, she is rolling around, sniffing, scratching, burrowing, twisting, playing, purring, digging, searching, exploring. She is so cute and so sweet and I wants one!!!
NOW!!!
I am satisfied with life. I have fulfilled all my hopes and dreams.
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And those of you that are wondering, the photo shoot went so well! Now the hard part will be selecting the best pics cuz there's quite a few that I really liked. Well when someone shoots 200 pictures of you, there's bound to be some promise. These pictures will also follow, when I get my little paws on some of them.

PhotogenicNess

Bug Up Nose Disease

The other day Travis and I were walking back from AJ's Coffee Second Home -- oh no wait, AJ's Coffee House -- that's what I meant. We were walking back toward the house, and I breathed in quickly through the nose, probably getting ready to say something really clever, cuz that's pretty much what I do with every breath.
I inhaled a bug. Now at this point, all of you are thinking "Yeah, so what? I've totally had bugs try to fly up my nose before." No, I'm talking, this one succeeded. It flew half way up my nose, and crawled the rest of the way up. Ever felt a bug crawl into your nasal passage? I can't even explain the feeling. Most of us have never actually felt something go that far into the nose. I did once, when the doctor was checking me for nodes, but I got this stuff sprayed up my nose to numb the effect of the tube going all the way up my nose and down my throat. How rude of the bug not to spray some numbing agent first. I think it might have been a spider. I'm not sure. All I know is that I could feel the little legs carrying the body all the way up to the point of the weirdest tickling sensation ever, and watering eyes. I screamed.
I'm not sure what happened to the thing. I couldn't blow it out, nor could I snort it back. It could still be there, building a summer home (the trees are actually quite lovely).

http://www.homestarrunner.com/buginmouth.html

NosyNess

Archeological Dig

Yesterday I rollerbladed to the library (Alice Turner, not downtown -- I'm not psychotic), to pick up a book for my mom. I took one route going there and a different route going home, which swung me by the street on which I used to live. I decided to try to find the place where Michelle, Kim, and I had carved our names on the curb, back in highschool.
Well, I should mention that it's not our real names. The date of the ancient carvings would have been around the same time that we were being stood up in front of the entire band and choir, being forced against our wills to make apologies for having boys in our cabin at night. So if the IYPC (International Youth Police Conspiracy), which was obviously out to get us, had seen the three of our names together on a curb, all of hell would have broken loose, and we certainly wouldn't have wanted that.
I remembered that I had initially determined that our names were lined up with the house in which Morgan used to live, in line with two trees, at an angle. After careful scrutiny, and almost giving up, I found Meesh. This name was easiest to find because it was on the bottom of the curb by the road. Ber was a little harder to find, because it was on the top of the curb, where it was half covered by dirt and grass. I searched and searched, but couldn't find my name. I tried to determine, where would I have put it? On the top of the curb or the bottom? After sifting through a lot of sand and dirt down beside Meesh, I finally stepped back and thought hard. Where's my name? Think like 11th grade Vanessa. Oh yes, I know, it would be right beside Ber's. So I dug into the dirt and swept the area to the left of it. And there it was! Gus!!! I FOUND IT I FOUND IT!! All three names! Best buds, there for the remembering. How cool were we.
CoolNess

THE ANSWER!!!

Well, I did it today. I did the chore that I hate doing. While dishes is not a bad guess, I don't hate doing dishes. I just don't always do them as promptly as some others. I'll try to work on that next year. My exercise bike was getting really cluttered, too. I haven't used it in about two weeks because it has been so nice outside, that I've been walking or rollerblading pretty much every day. But today I looked at it, realized things had once again gotten out of hand (as they always do before I do something about it.) So I did it. I hung up my clothes.
I don't have anything against putting clothes away in a drawer; I'm pretty consistent with this (not 100% or I wouldn't be an artist), but MAN! I hate hanging up my skirts, zip-up hoodies, whatev. Hate it.
I actually think this stems from my childhood. When I was little, I couldn't get anything to stay on the hangers. I remember having to hang things up three or four times, and being the sensitive child that I was, after having something fall off the hanger four times, I would get all teary. I actually remember when my mom showed me how to hang things up in a way that would make them stay on the hanger. I guess since then, I've always just considered this chore to be a huge pain in the butt. I let all of my zip-ups gather up in a pile before I actually go and hang them all up at once. It wouldn't be as big of a pain if I just hung them up one at a time right after wearing or washing them, but...
uh...
but...
I gotta go.

LazyNess

You'll stay up 'til this place shines like the top of the Chrysler Building!!

Today I dusted, polished, washed and dried a grand piano. Have you ever done that before? Yeah, me neither.
The other day I bathed a kicking and screaming and whining and clawing five-year old that happens to weigh 90 lbs and is very very hairy.
This gets me thinking about chores. These chores are really not all that unpleasant. While bathing Zeth does get one wet, smelly, and hairy, it's really funny to see his wet and droopy face give you the "What did I ever do to you?" look. (Well, if he really wants to bring that up, I could mention all the times I've picked up his poo and cleaned where he puked. -- No pun intended on "bring that up")
It actually isn't the big messy chores that I detest. I have never dreaded cleaning a toilet or a fridge. There is one simple chore that most normal people do every day or close to it, that I really really don't like doing. Do you know what it is? Before you go with your first answer, it's not making the bed. I have nothing against making the bed. It's just that I never remember to. I'm not a habitual bed-maker. I kinda wish I was. The guy I marry better be, or we're screwed in the bedmaking department. (And if you had a joke to go after that sentence, get your mind outta the gutter!!)
And it's not showering either, cuz that's not technically a chore, although to me it kinda is. I'm not a big fan of the monthly shower (Just kidding). But I do shower more often than I do this...
It's a simple little thing.
And I don't like it one little bit.

MessyNess

(Bonus points if you can tell me what movie the title is from)

...but I couldn't find the killer hook

I just exercised my face off. I feel like I'm going to barf. It feels amazing!! There is nothing like pent-up energy to get rollerblading results! I should take a sick day more often.
Well, ok, now I know I have given all of you the wrong day that I'm starting recording, twice!! Yesterday I wasn't up to it, and today Rick found himself double-booked and had to postpone until tomorrow. Tomorrow I rehearse with the kiddies from 5 until 9 and then go over and lay some tracks. I'm guessing we'll only go about three or four hours, so it won't be much, but it's a start. Man, there's so much to do and I am really anxious to start. I haven't heard back from my violinist yet, but it's not like I want her to be there tomorrow or anything, so she's got time. And I can always call my previous violin teacher if it doesn't work out with this one. I am about to email the cellist that I played with for a wedding last summer. I have a djembe player and I just have to decide on an electric guitarist -- I have a couple in mind. But first things first, tomorrow I will probably go in and lay all of the guitar tracks, bing bang boom! I spent today marking tempos, practicing with a metronome (bleah!) and finalizing the string arrangements.
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But that's not all that exciting to read about. Did I tell you about the time Julie came over, and she dropped her toothpaste in the toilet? Now THAT was gold! I should write a song about that. But I already have a song about Julie.
Julie!
Julie!
What-ee?...

FunnyNess
(...as in, Julie saying, "Yeah, very funny, Ness.")

There's no place like home...

It is a beautiful day. Not only has it been nice out for two weeks straight, but I also happen to be in a very nice mood.
This is mainly because of one thing:
The sermon in church this morning was amazing. Well, the service started at 10 instead of 11:15. which wasn't all that cool, but I think we all lived. Except maybe Amy, who showed up when we were leaving... Poor girl!! But she looked beautiful, anyway. The sermon was about how to be a Christian Canadian (or American if that applies to you instead), and what our duties are as such. The number one duty named was to pray. To pray for our country and for our leaders instead of bashing them. To pray for our society and for our friends. This was a great reminder, because since I'd moved to the States, I'd really been making a commitment to pray for my Canadian friends. However, it's easier to forget them in prayer when I'm home with them; but now that fire is rekindled! I always pray for my Americans, so don't worry about being left out! I guarantee that anyone possibly reading this post, I have prayed for. You are loved!!! :D
Well, my Americans, as some of you may know, yesterday was Canada Day. It was fun, but seeing as how Canada Day is also my longest-bestist friend's birthday, it's always been more about her than about Canada. Yeah, we dress up in red and white, and go to the fireworks, but they're really all lighting up the sky just for Michelle.
Anyway, this morning we sang the national anthem in church, which I've never done before. Let me recap the words in case you're not familiar with them:

O Canada
Our home and native land
True patriot love
In all thy sons' command.
With glowing hearts, we see thee rise
The true North strong and free
From far and wide, O Canada
We stand on guard for thee!
God keep our land
glorious and free
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

Now comes the amazing part. There is a second verse of O Canada that hardly anyone knows. I have never heard it before in my life. Singing these words was one of the most powerful things I have ever experienced. The pastor touched on not emptily singing something we don't really mean. We should mean what we say and what we sing. I kept this in mind as we sung the following:

Lord of the lands
beneath Thy bending skies
On field and flood
where'er our banner flies
Thy people lift their hearts to Thee
Their grateful voices raise:
May our dominion ever be
A temple to Thy praise.
Thy will alone
let all enthrone;
Lord of the lands, make Canada Thine own.
Lord of the lands, make Canada Thine own!

If only all of our anthems and pledges and oaths were this God-centred! Think of it! How different our world would be.
I've gotta say, I was feeling mighty patriotic. Don't mistake me here. I love the United States, and I love Kentucky very very much. Kentucky will always feel like home as well. But I want you all to know that I love Canada very very dearly. I have a very sweet affection for it. There's nothing in the world quite like the place where you're a fish in water.

PatrioticNess!!