Hibernation

Fly

black bird

over the sad winter night

where white snow

falls softly

and summer sleeps

as she awaits the sun

*****

So there's a poem from the fridge. And today is New Year's Eve. It's going to be nice and quiet around here. Rusty and I will probably stay up late watching Monty Python, and then go to bed and sleep until noon. I've never been one to watch the ball drop with Dick Clark (who is terribly scary, by the way). And Rusty would be asleep anyway. So I'll be watching Monty Python by myself, which is just perfect, because when I get tired, I can go to sleep.

Have a good night, and don't drink and drive.

Ho-ho-ho!

Happy Holidays, everyone! Rusty and I hope everyone has safe travels and a wonderful time with your families. Rusty would appreciate it if you could send any leftovers on to him, and he'll take care of them for you.

What do you know? A Picture!

Ok, you can stop complaining. Here's a picture of two sleepy boys. This is how everyone looks on a Saturday evening during movie time.

I want everyone to know that I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping. The only present left to get is for my mother. And I might be a good mama and get Rusty something (though I might not). Maybe I'll let him have a rawhide treat on Christmas as his present.

No, seriously! I read it for the articles!

Tonight was the jam session. Good thing the piano got tuned last Saturday. We actually fit seven people around my dining room table and it wasn't too uncomfortable. I'm amazed. Rusty was well-behaved, except for a couple small tantrums about being ignored.

In case you were wondering, we do this holiday gathering every year and play music together. We always have a lot of fun, even those who choose not to play an instrument and just listen. The more people there are, the crazier it gets. I play the oboe, my dad plays the french horn, and tonight there were a piano and a flute. That's the core group. Other players come and go like cool night breezes in the middle of July. It's a good thing we didn't have any more people tonight, though. I have space in my living room, but the group we had tonight was a perfect fit. If I hadn't had this tonight, I could have gone to a couple holiday open-houses with my boss, Cheryl. I really wanted to go and represent the company today! I'm not particularly good at networking, but I'm game for free food and/or food that I don't have to cook.

I want someone to explain to me why Dwight Yoakam always wears a hat that's so big it covers the entire top half of his face. And what is that thing he does with his leg? If anyone can explain it, please do.

Now I'm going to go play out of the new piano book I got yesterday at my piano lesson. Then I'll be going to bed so I can get up early and get to work tomorrow morning. ~Ciao!

TGIF Part 2

I got a little upset with the vet clinic today about their inability to call me with test results. I was told, way back in the beginning of NOVEMBER that they would call me to discuss the results of the urinalysis and blood test on Rusty. It is now DECEMBER and they had not called me to discuss said test results. I will get Rusty's next refill for his thyroid meds there, and then we're going somewhere else. In fact, I made an appointment with another vet (someone I just happened to go to high school with) for tomorrow morning. I refuse to deal with a clinic that can not follow-up with me.

And they always asked if I wanted to put Rusty on their doggy insurance plan. I kept saying no, because I didn't want to commit to always using that clinic because they hadn't proven their service as entirely wonderful yet. I made it abundantly clear when I called today (both times), that I was less than pleased with their customer service. So now we're moving on to another, hopefully better clinic.

Anyway, my piano is being tuned as I type. Hooray! I've been wanting my dad to come over and tune it for at least a month. If I had my way, it would be tuned every week. But that doesn't happen. However, now it will be good until next Thursday's jam session, which will be held at my house. (That's how I got him over here in the first place) When I was looking at houses, the one criterion that was the most important was there had to be an inside wall long enough for my piano. Beyond that, I didn't really have any other things, and I always said I'd know the house when I saw it. And I did. I have my piano wall.

TGIF

It's finally Friday! I thought this week would never end. I need a weekend. Anybody else feel the same way? I can't believe it's already December. It feels like it was just the beginning of November, and Teddy and I had just met. But now it's December! Wow.

There's snow on the ground now, and it sounds like it will be sticking around now. I've already had to shovel 3 times, and I might shovel again this morning. As someone who uses the sidewalks, I get frustrated with people who don't shovel their sidewalks. I don't want to be one of those, so I shovel. If you live somewhere it snows, SHOVEL YOUR WALK. Thank you.

Turkey Travels

Another year of travelling to Ulen, MN for Thanksgiving. That means at least 3 and a half hours in the car. And that's long, especially when my brother and I both have our laptops, but only one can run on the power from the cigarette lighter. I usually end up being the one who runs off battery, and then puts the computer away. It was ok though, because I slept on the ride up, and we watched Hellboy on Matthew's computer on the way home. But it's still a long trip in the back of a compact car. Because our father just had to drive the sedan that he and my mom bought a couple weeks ago, rather than driving the station wagon (which would have allowed for much more room). However, it wasn't like we could just stay home this year. Dad's mom (our grandma) is getting older, and it's more than likely these next few years will be our last. I didn't want to stay home, and then have this be the last Thanksgiving where Grandma was around.

Rusty stayed home and hung out with Matthew's fiancee, Kristi. On Thursday, she felt bad for him, so she took him over to her house to hang out with her family and their dogs. Everybody loves him, even though he broke into their supply of dog food. That's my dog. He'll be happy tonight, because my mom is coming over with more dog food for him (I will pay her back, of course). Not that I didn't have any left, but I figured it was better to be prepared for the time when my current supply had been depleted. So Rusty was pretty happy when I got home, even after spending some time in his kennel. I wasn't too worried though. He likes being in his kennel, he goes in there sometimes while I'm puttering in the kitchen and lies down.

And the Vikings won again on Sunday! I figure if I keep predicting that they're going to lose, eventually I'll be right. And I don't want to say they're going to win, just to have them lose. I hope they keep Brad Johnson on. He seems to be doing a pretty good job. Daunte who?

Eating

Oh greatest joy! Bubo the boa constrictor has finally eaten! He hadn't eaten since I moved, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I did offer him food, but he wasn't interested. Last night, though, he decided mice were yummy again. Now I can stop worrying about whether or not he's going to be okay. So please don't post comments about how neglectful I am. I took care of snakes all the way through college and I've had Bubo since 1999, so I do actually know what I'm doing. Got it?

I haven't been good about posting lately. That's what comes from finding a boy online and spending all sorts of time with him. And when we're not together in person, we're talking on the phone or online. Rusty's adventure is figuring out how he's going to deal with having to share his Mama.

Stinkiness

Rusty is the smelliest dog ever. I always have to warn people when they come over to visit that Rusty is stinky. I warned Chad (now known as Teddy), but I don't think he believed me because the first time he came over, Rusty farted and he was amazed at the smell. Dog farts tend to permeate the atmosphere. Some people might choose to give him back to the shelter, but I grew up with a stinky younger brother. Besides, Rusty and I were instant best friends. And we still are.

And, yes, Teddy is officially my boyfriend. (see yesterday's comment) He was cute when he asked. Yes, girls, there are still nice guys out there. You just have to weed through the creeps and jerks (of which there are a lot). Don't be afraid to be yourself. Things work out better that way. But don't call me Dear Abby, because that's the only advice I plan on giving.

Rusty wants everyone to know that he's still hungry, even though he had a big dinner. If you have any extra food, feel free to send it along his direction. In fact, if you have children who won't finish their dinner, he'll gladly eat their food for them. Or if your kitchen floor needs washing, he'll come over and lick up any minute traces of food that are left. And he would love to be invited to a picnic. (Note: I do feed him plenty. He's just a little beggar)

Magnetic Poetry

I finally put all of my magnetic poetry up on the fridge. Now that I have a fridge to put magnetic poetry on. I'm going to make a whole bunch of poems, and then I'll post them all in a bunch. Maybe I'll just take pictures of them and post the pictures. I've done that before with a magnetic poem. I didn't have a piece of paper handy to write the poem down, so I just used my digital camera and took a picture. That way I had a record of it. I hope Rusty doesn't decide that the little words would be a tasty snack.

It's cold and windy outside today. On days like this, I miss the summer being out on the lake fishing. But as it gets colder, the fish get more dormant. Sometimes I wish I lived where I could go fishing all year long (without having to go ice-fishing). My dad doesn't go ice-fishing. He says it kills the fish, you can't catch and release (which is what we normally do). And next summer, now that we know Rusty will ride in the canoe nicely, it will be even better because I won't have to leave Rusty on shore. He likes riding in the canoe and looking at the fish and drinking the water in the middle of the lake. As long as he doesn't try to climb out, everything is fine. I want to go fishing!

Rusty woke me up at 7:30 this morning. Far too early, considering I didn't get home until after 12:30 last night. So I got up, let him out, turned on cartoons, and promptly fell asleep on the couch (after he came back inside). I had strange dreams about what was happening in the cartoons. Tonight (and the rest of the nights this week), I'm planning on going to bed earlier. We'll see how well that works out...

I'll be in trouble at work tomorrow, because I still don't have a picture of Chad to show my coworkers. I have a picture of his cat, Socks. They'll get over it.

Rusty has finished his antibiotics for his UTI (urinary tract infection) yesterday, and he isn't as urgent about having to go potty anymore. And he doesn't pee in his kennel, though that could have something to do with the Rescue Remedy (a natural relaxant) that I give him before I leave. I wasn't sure if it would work, but it did! So I'm happy with how things are going on that front. Not having to clean up dog pee from my house makes me much happier.

Rusty Speaks

Today when Mama came home from work, she wasn't alone! Usually, she comes home from work and I yell at her to let me out of my kennel so I can get a drink of water and then go outside and potty. And she's always by herself. But today, she had this boy with her. I wasn't sure what to think about that. The only other people besides Mama that ever come over have been Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Matthew, Kristi and some friends of Mama's from college. But I think this might be the boy that Mama has been talking to since a week ago Tuesday. Whenever she talks to him, she's really happy and she gives me lots of kisses on the ears and on the face. There used to be a boy that lived here, but while Mama was on vacation, he went away and I haven't seen him again since Mama came back. So I'm really used to it being just me and Mama.

Anyway, she came home from work and this boy, Chad, was with her. He gave me a cookie. I wasn't too sure if I liked him or not at first, but Mama seemed to like him and she smiled and laughed a lot while he was here. I even got to sit on the couch next to them while they watched a movie. And Chad scratched my neck, just the way I like. I had two people spoiling me and loving me for the evening (not that Mama can't do it well enough on her own or anything). But I think that sometimes Mama gets lonely, even with me around. I can't exactly talk to her or laugh at her jokes. I just sleep. I want Mama happy, because when she's happy, she plays her piano and sings to me more often. I like when Mama plays her piano.

Don't tell my Mama I told you, but she's been kinda crabby and sad lately. So she'd sing, but not very often, and not as pretty as she can when she's happy. I guess it's ok with me if Chad hangs around. As long as he keeps making my Mama happy, I'll be happy.

Love, Rusty

I remembered finally

I finally remembered the last time I had as much fun on a date as I did on Saturday:

Never.

Because hanging out with my brother (see picture) doesn't count as a date. Besides, the last time we hung out, he had to dismantle his steering wheel so he could get his key out of the ignition and then turn off his truck. Then, he locked his keys in the truck. But we had fun sitting on the back of his truck in the parking lot waiting for the spare key to arrive. Don't give us churros and a digital camera, though. You can see what happens. We're hilarious.

So, I'm more than happy about the way Saturday went. Tomorrow night is dinner at my house.

And I got a message from a pastry chef in Minneapolis saying "I like your smile. Let's chat!" I still have to decide how to respond to him politely, but still tell him that I'm not really interested. He offered chocolate, but I don't have a problem deciding between chocolate and compatibility. Even when I'm having my period. Chocolate or compatibility... Chocolate or compatibility... I think I have to go with compatibility and someone who makes me smile and laugh. I have to go with the one with whom I have a lot in common. It's that easy.

Rusty's snoring. He just spent an hour eating a rawhide treat, and now he's exhausted. What a workout. But it makes him happy, so I'm happy. Even if he did go drink the toilet after he finished his treat. And I don't mean a few laps, he drank the toilet. The water level went down visibly. Strange dog. Cute, but strange.

And that's the adventures for today. More later.

I'm sleepy today

Wireless internet is a great thing to have. Maybe if I didn't talk on the phone and then chat online so long into the night I wouldn't be tired. However, the conversations haven't been boring. Having a life outside of work, Rusty and family is turning out to be a lot nicer than I could have hoped for. And within the conversations, there's only been one topic that I wasn't ready to deal with yet. So I just didn't say anything, and that seemed to work out. It will have to come up eventually, but I'm banking on having a little while before it happens.

Election Day: Everybody needs to vote today! You have a voice, so use it!

Now what do I do?

I certainly hope Rusty starts having some adventures. After yesterday's date (and then talking online until 4 in the morning), the possibility that I'll be taking down my profile is very high. At least for as long as the relationship lasts (I'm not making any predictions either way). I was rather thinking that I'd have to go through a few creeps and freaks before finding a nice guy. Apparently, that wasn't the case. Though, I did have one 19-year-old offer to pleasure himself while I watched. Forgive me if I don't reply, and report you to the provider. Sometimes it's easy to decide how to respond to someone.

I'm pretty happy with the way this week has gone. And my brother told me a pretty funny joke. Why does a chicken coop have 2 doors?

Scroll down for answer.....














Keep going.










Because if it had 4 doors, it would be a chicken sedan.

LOL! I think it's funny. Now go tell it to everyone you know.

Over and out.

An Actual Date

It's a red-letter day. (I know, I know- not funny, but irresistable). I didn't want to say anything before it happened (so as not to jinx it), but I actually met someone with the online dating thing that I actually wanted to meet in person. This, however, only occured after extensive instant message conversations, and a brief phone conversation (see S.S.? I am being careful). I was still nervous about meeting in person, because there's always the fear of something going wrong. Like, "What if he thinks I'm ugly in person?" Or, "What if we have nothing to talk about?" While I'm not sure about the first one, I can say the second item does not appear to be a problem. We talked and laughed for most of the day (except for during the movie). This is unusual for me, since I don't usually get terribly talkative with a person until I'm really comfortable with them. I had a great time (though Rusty wasn't too happy when I finally got home).

I think what worried me the most was just that I would be different than he expected. I know that I can be quite a character, and hard to predict. And I can be a bit scattered in my conversation topics, jumping around quite nimbly. There's also the fact that my last few dates (the ones before online dating, the ones with my ex) always started out with arguing about whether or not someone was going to be in a good mood. It was nice not to have to worry about that.

Now I have to placate Rusty... Except he appears to be my best friend again, after having been outside and eaten dinner. So all is right with the world.

No picture today. Go look at pictures in the other posts (or on my web site) if you really need the visual stimulation, maybe next time I'll have a picture to put up.

Snoring

So Rusty snores. And in the middle of the night, he wakes up and licks himself, which then wakes me up. If I act like I haven't woken up, everything is cool. Otherwise, I get yelled at to get up and let him out to go potty. Not at 2 in the morning. Not on your life. This isn't as mean as it sounds. He can hold it, he just thinks that me being awake is the signal that it's time to get up.

I really did catch this fish. My brother and I had a "Littlest Big Fish" contest this summer, and this was the winner. Second place was a 5-inch northern pike (caught by me, with no picture). Now I can look at this while I'm sitting in my house with snow outside, freezing, and remember how nice it is to be fishing in the sun in the warm summer. Even Rusty likes to ride in the canoe and go fishing. He has to be reminded not to get too excited when we catch any fish. Otherwise, he lies in the middle and sleeps. It's better than having him peeing and howling in the cabin.

BOO!

Happy Halloween! Super-Rusty and I are handing out candy, but soon we're going to close the door and turn off the light because it will be too late for the little kids. That's the whole point of Halloween, is seeing the little kids in their cute costumes. So, probably in another half hour, we'll close up the door and take the leftover candy to work tomorrow.

We're having fun, even if I did discover that the dress I made in college is too big. I must have had larger tracts of land (think "Monty Python and the Holy Grail") when I made it. I had to take it off and just wear my cloak over my regular clothes. Oh well. At least Rusty looks cute in his superhero cape. He likes answering the door.

I shouldn't watch scary movies when I'm home alone at night and it's dark outside. I can't help it, though. Most of the time scary movies are funny to me. Like "Scream". It was just campy. "Saw" was suspensful, gory, but still pretty over the top. That always makes me laugh. However, the scariest movie I've ever seen was Disney's "Sleeping Beauty". That was terrifying (okay, I was only 5 or 6, but it still gives me the shivers). Believe me, Disney movies can be more scary than any of the so-called horror films.

Hey, S.S. - Maybe we should have capes for everyone in the club! That'd be fun. :) - AA

Rusty the Superhero

Well. There it is. After a couple hours with the sewing machine, Rusty has a Halloween costume. He'd look more superhero-ish if he wasn't sleeping. Now I just have to decide what I'm going to dress up as.

Rusty spent most of the day at the vet yesterday. I get the feeling they gave him copious amounts of treats, because they were his best friends when we left. He's taking antibiotics for a urinary tract infection, but otherwise he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear after his visit. Even though they did have to use 3 people to trim his toenails. I don't know what they expected, he does weigh 83 pounds. But he doesn't have the layer of fat on him that he used to. Now it's muscle.

And that's the adventure for today. Tomorrow's adventure: Dealing with trick-or-treaters.

Planning for Halloween

Although he doesn't realize it yet, I'm going to make Rusty a superhero cape to wear on Halloween. I worked it all out in my head while I was riding the bus home. So I have my work for tomorrow night.

Tonight is laundry night and "there's nothing on TV" night, so I'll be watching a movie on cable. I think Urban Legend is on some channel starting at 7, so after The Simpsons is over, I'll watch something scary (maybe).

I got Halloween candy for any trick-or-treaters that happen to show up at my door on Monday night. Anything that's left will go to work to be devoured my co-workers. That's what they're for. Especially since Rusty doesn't get to eat chocolate.

I need to stop reading so late into the night. However, I fall into the trap of "one more chapter" and by the time I finally close (or finish) the book, it's well beyond the time I intended to turn off the lights.

Tonight is laundry night, because I chose not to do it last weekend. So now I have to do it. Of course, it could wait until Saturday or Sunday, but I'm afraid of being arrested by the clean underwear police, or having to go to the doctor/emergency room.

I went to Barnes and Noble (my favorite store ever) and got a new book today, and a little mini-bonsai kit. It suggests putting it on my desk at work, but I'm afraid Boris the spider plant would get jealous. And the grass I got from a co-worker for my birthday died a horrible death from neglect in my office. I think the new plant will have to live in the window with my African violets, pepper plant, Christmas cactus, and various other plants. I think the only reason Boris survives the work environment is that here at home he was sitting under George (a big plant) and didn't get any light.

No news on the dating front. But I'm not discouraged. I'm not doing it because I NEED to be in a relationship. I'm doing it to keep me entertained when I'm sitting at home being a hermit with Rusty and my plants.

Tennis balls

When we need toys, we don't buy the fancy dog-toys. We just use tennis balls that we stole from my dad (no, actually, he gave them to us). Rusty chews and rips them until they are destroyed. No one ever wants to play tennis with us. How sad.

I have a new problem with the online dating. People who don't respond. The least someone could do is just a quick note to say "Hey, I got your message". If they aren't interested, just say so. Don't just ignore my message. Have some courtesy, people!

So, the Vikings beat the Packers yesterday. But that doesn't mean they don't still stink. They got too many unnecessary penalties, and their offense was terrible. They allowed too many sacks (poor, Daunte) because the offensive line was allowing guys to sneak right through. Does anyone else think the Vikings should have lost? Even without taking into account their off-field antics? Good thing my dad and I didn't put any money on our pregame guesses as to the outcome. (I was betting against the Vikings, almost a sacrilege here in Minnesota)

That's the adventures for today. I have to go read the books I got from Amazon.com today.

Fun with PSP

I was bored yesterday. Could you tell? I hadn't tried anything like this with Paint Shop Pro (even though I've had it for almost 3 years). I mainly used it to resize pictures and take out red-eye. Now I'm going to be a complete nerd and make crazy-wierd pictures like this just because I can.

Anyway. Nothing to report on the dating scene. I've had a couple responses, but no one that I've approached has written back (how rude!). It's getting a little boring with no conversations going on.

Rusty is now the only dog in the house again. Cinnamon and Sugar went home with their family, but I kind of miss the little boys. There was more energy in the house with them here. And they liked to snuggle. Rusty likes to snuggle, but he's a little bigger so it's harder to let him sit on my lap. At least he isn't as big as Willard, the mastiff next door. My neighbor was taking Willard out for a walk this morning when I had Rusty out in the backyard for his morning potty. She was having to bribe Willard to walk with her. Good thing Rusty isn't like that.

Crazy House

I told my boss that I'd take care of her dogs while she went to a conference this week. So, she and her daughter dropped them off Wednesday after work. Right now I have 3 dogs living here. It's a bit of a madhouse at my house. Rusty's relatively calm, but Cinnamon and Sugar are two wild and crazy guys. That's ok, though. They're fun dogs, and tomorrow everyone will get a bath, but - shhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's a secret.
Aren't they cute? Sugar is on the left, Cinnamon is on the right.

Kind of an interesting adventure having other dogs in our house. I wasn't sure how Rusty would be able to handle it. He's been doing pretty well, all things considered. The little boys play together, Rusty plays with me. I think I would probably do it again, in the hopes that it wasn't so wet outside. I like rain, but the dogs make a big mess with wet paws.

Anyway, I've been scrolling through profiles in my online dating adventure. There are just a few things I've noticed that are turn-offs for me at least.

1. Writing in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
2. Misspelling words. There's a spellcheck function, for heaven's sake. Use it!
3. Profiles with no pictures, or poor quality pictures. This isn't as shallow as it might seem. You can tell a lot about a person by the picture they choose, and whether they are smiling in the picture. Makes me feel like I'm dealing with a real person.
4. Requesting only "hot" people/being choosy about who responds/basically being bratty about who will be "allowed" to even start a conversation.
5. Poor grammar (sorry, I was an English major in college).

I need a moment to indulge in sorrow about the sorry state of the English language. Talk amongst yourselves...

All right, I feel better again. I can get over the poor grammar and spelling. The other things are pretty important though. And I have two major rules. First, I'm not giving my phone number out. Second, no meeting in person until we've at least spoken over the phone. And when we do meet in person, it'll be during the day and in a public place. I've also had offers from my co-workers (Beautiful Becky, Countess Kari and S.S.) to be date spies.

****Side note: We have a club at our office, and we all have secret names. I'm Awesome Abby. It came from some guys asking our boss, Supercalifragilistikexpialidocious Cheryl, to join a club for lonely CEOs. S.S. and I decided that we would start a club so S.C. wouldn't be lonely.****

I don't think I'll be meeting anyone in person anytime soon. Not even the guy I messaged with most of the day today (he seems pretty nice, and he has an awesome looking motorcycle). I've also sent some little notes to a couple guys that seemed interesting/compatible/cute/etc. We'll see how that pans out. If nothing, there's always someone else.

One last thing: S.S. didn't think I would actually write about him. He was dramatically surprised when I showed him that I actually had written about him. That'll teach him to disbelieve the things I say to him.

A Quick Note

I just need to say this: Asking to meet in person within the first 24 hours of contact is a no-no with me. Moving a little too fast. Even if Superlative Steve (henceforth known as S.S.) hadn't warned me, I'd still be uncomfortable with meeting in person so soon. Coming up with a way to say "Not yet" without it sounding like a brush off is terribly difficult.

More adventures tonight.

New Beginnings

Rusty and I are beginning a new adventure. Since our housemate (read: ex-boyfriend) moved out in July, we've started to become hermits. Not like it bothers Rusty much. His life consists of sleeping on the couch, drinking out of the toilet, begging for food (and then eating that food), sleeping on the bed, sleeping on the floor, peeing in the basement/bathroom/kennel/yard/etc., yelling at me when I don't wake up in time, and sleeping on the futon.

I, however, have to go to work during the day (so he can eat the food he begs for). So my social circle has included my coworkers, my family and Rusty. So I signed up for online dating. Honestly, I must have lost my mind.

My best friend at work (Superlative Steve), upon hearing that I signed up for online dating, immediately began to worry. Apparently, he read this book about some guy in Kansas who met women online and then lured them to visit him, killed them and put them in barrels around his property. I wasn't able to convince S.S. that I would be all right. If I do plan on meeting any one of the guys I meet, it will be during the day and in a public place. S.S. is still worried though, which is sweet. I hope he didn't go home and tell his wife.

I was planning on signing up with an online dating/matchmaking service (that I won't name, but they have all sorts of commercials on the TV promising amazing results), but they didn't have their pricing anywhere readily accessible on the website. Not unless I wanted to take the personality profile (which is free, but they tell you it has an outrageous value to make you feel like you're getting a bargain) first.

So I found one that was honest enough to put the prices up front, and created a profile. I don't fit well into a couple short paragraphs. I don't know how anyone can even begin to describe themself in a little short blurb. I know there's stuff I left out, like my extreme geekiness, but I figure it won't take long for someone to find out about it after a couple conversations. And the only digital pictures I have of me are fishing pictures, or pictures of me with my boa constrictor. I have tons of pictures of Rusty and zoo animals.

This promises to be an interesting ride. Stay tuned.