I am not a huge nature lover.  I know, I know...that may come as a surprise to you - and most of the time I keep it to myself and feel a little bit bad about not appreciating it like I **should**.  [eyeroll]

Anyway - this lack of appreciation always makes me scratch my head and wonder a bit when people talk about going fishing and how much they enjoy it, how relaxing it is, blah, blah, blah. 

Fish are slimy, people.  They are ugly.  Some of them have teeth, and others [like catfish] can spear you with those little pokey things on the sides of their heads.  They taste gross. 

I just don't get it.

With all of that said, I try to keep away from the pet department at the store, and when someone needs help with getting fish from the fishtank, I try to find someone else to deal with it - and usually there is someone else within helping distance....until Friday.

On that particular day, I was the ONLY one around when I was walking past the pet department, and wouldn't you know it - a guy snagged me and asked if I could find someone to help him get a couple of fish.

UGH.  [[sigh]]  So much for staying away from the fish.  My two+ year streak of avoidance of the fish totally broken, I told him that I could help him, but let him know that it had been awhile since I had done it, and that it might take me a while to scoop those wiley buggers up.  I am not kidding you folks - me chasing those stupid fish around the tank with a tiny little net?  Enough to make me cry and those watching laugh 'til they cry.  It's like they take classes on evasive maneuvers and they are quick!

So I get everything set up - water in the bag that the fish will be transported home in, net at the ready, tank lid open - and wonder of all wonders...on my very first scoop of the net I got BOTH of the fish that the customer had pointed out.  It was a freak thing, but I immediately started to congratulate myself on the inside and began breathing a bit better.

I celebrated too soon.

I pulled the net out of the tank and was inches from getting the net to the transport bag of water when one of the fish apparently didn't see anymore reason to live and JUMPED OUT OF THE NET and hit the floor.



[Just a little side note here - this net was at least four feet in the air at the time, and this was not a large fish - which means that the drop to the floor would have been like the equivalent of me falling off a fifty story building - yikes]

I was so shocked I wasn't quite sure what to do.  It took a couple of seconds to recover and by that point the poor suicidal fish wasn't even flopping about on the floor anymore.  Still not sure what to do and loathe to touch the thing with my hand, I decided to try to grab him [gingerly] with my index finger and thumb...however, as soon as I touched him, he started throwing himself all over the place, which made me [yes I am ashamed to admit] SHRIEK like a little girl.  [Don't tell anyone - especially the Wal-Mart people who could fire me for this, but I think I may have let a little curse word slip out at this point as well...just maybe...and if I had, it might have sounded like the word 'ship'.  ]

Sheesh.  Now in an almost panic I decide that I need to just put on my big girl panties and scoop him up with my hand...blech, blech, blech....but once I had him in my hand I realized that I didn't really know what to do with him - I couldn't give him to the customer because he was probably going to die, and I couldn't just throw him in the sink...he was still wiggling around in my hand [SICK]...so I threw him back in the tank.

And wouldn't you know it - that skank fish started swimming around like nothing had just happened - like he planned the whole thing out just so he wouldn't have to leave his comfy Wal-Mart home.

It is at this point that I realize that not only has the guy buying the fish been watching me the entire time, but I also have had the net with the other fish hanging around OUT OF THE WATER.  Essentially trying to kill the other one.  Good grief.  I am not doing this well at all.  [See - there is a reason to keep me away from the pet department after all]

I got the remaining fish into the bag of water and without much further ado was able to procure another fish to send home with the ever-so-patient customer.  Then he went on his happy way.

And that is the story of the one that got away.

ps.  I checked on Saturday and there were no dead fish in the tank, so apparently despite the huge drop, skank suicidal fish lived through his little stunt. 

So today I am on  my way to class from my parents house and stop to get gas [because believe it or not it is 20 cheaper per gallon than right across the river - but that rant can be for another day] - on my way out after paying, I am juggling my wallet, HUGE styrofoam cup of coffee and my keys as I head for my car and get in.

I was aware of the fact that there was a car parked right next to me at the pump, and that there was a person in the passenger seat, but as my hands were full and I was thinking about the next few hours, I didn't even look that direction or pay any attention.

Finally situated in my car, I reach over to grab my seatbelt and glance in the direction of the car right next to me - only to find the guy in the passenger seat staring at me. Hmmm [do I have something hanging out of my nose? Take a picture - it lasts longer...].  He is unkempt - mid-length curlyish gray hair sticking out all over the place, and it was slightly unnerving to catch him looking at me.  Before I can glance away however, he brings his hands up to the side of his face, sticks his thumbs in his ears and wiggles his fingers at me like a taunting child.

WHAT THE?

I gave him a little half smile and quickly averted my eyes.

Seatbelt in place I go to look both directions before pulling out, only to once again meet his stare and have him DO IT AGAIN.

Am I the only one that thinks that is weird?

Good grief.

And while I am on this topic of weirdos...I am at work the other day, zoning in the food department and minding my own business when this creepy older guy walks by and PATS ME ON THE HIP - dangerously close to the rear end...[HELLO - can you say personal space?]

I was so stunned that a complete stranger would do that, that I had no response.

Did they have a mass release of crazy people lately that I hadn't heard about?

Or am I drawing them to me in greater numbers?

These are the questions I ask myself.

What would you do in these situations?

Got to get to class...

I am FINALLY hitting my stride at this new store...I really didn't think when I stepped down from my position that I was going to miss being the boss.  No more responsibility, no more complaints from every direction [and sometimes several directions at once], no more 14 hour days, no more stressing about work when I wasn't even there, no more customers angry complaints and threats, no more fearing every second of every day that I was going to screw up and lose my position/job, no more making lists that never seemed to be completed - you get the picture.

That is enough for today - I have to go study/write a paper.  More soon...

I LOVE SNOW!!!
I love how pretty it is - all white and pure.
I love how quiet it is when it snows.
I love it the day after the snow when the sun comes out and makes everything sparkle.
I love how it makes me feel like I am six all over again.
I get a weird 'fresh start' feeling when it snows. 
LOVE IT.
(driving in it with other wacko-s on the road...not so much)

BTW - It's snowing here...yippee!

Funny story about snow - one of my favorite snow memories...
It doesn't often snow more than a couple of inches where I grew up, but one winter when I was 17 maybe [old enough to be too cool to play in the snow really - eyeroll] it snowed 8 or 9 inches one evening and my brothers were bugging me to go out and play 'fumblia' in the dark/snow with them.  I finally decided that they would never stop bugging me unless I went with them, so grudgingly I bundled up and went out in the cold and snow with them.  It wasn't long before I was actually having fun romping and playing in the snow with them.  It was pretty dark and at one point I was running pell-mell after my brothers when all of a sudden I was flat on my back.  Turns out they had set up a booby trap for me and had strung up a scarf that I couldn't see in the dark and had completely clotheslined me.  I wasn't hurt because the snow broke my fall, and we laughed 'til it hurt....I could have been mad, but was honestly having so much fun with them that it just didn't matter....
Ahhhhh....good times.

First of all, let me say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who prayed - I am feeling a TON better today. 
Nothing like feeling like crap for a while to make you appreciate feeling better!
I did end up going to the doctor at student health services on Monday - basically she told me what I was expecting - the flu is going around, stay away from work and school until I didn't have a fever anymore and get some rest.  Unfortunately the window for the tamilflu is only if you take it in the first 48 hours, and at that point I was almost to day 5....so fluids, rest and taking stuff to keep the fever down was the prescription.
I did feel better that she checked my ears and said that they were okay and that while I was congested, my chest sounded okay - so....
I totally skipped class on Monday and Tuesday - back today and tomorrow...it feels good to be back on schedule.
Wow.  This may be the most boring post of all time.
Let's see - let's see....I did see two people by the side of the road today pretending to be the statue of liberty in full green robes and with pointy things sticking out of their heads... an unusual way to advertise for 'Liberty Tax Services', but it made me smile.
Unfortunately, my camera was at home on my dresser, so there are no pictures - maybe they will be there tomorrow if I swing by. hmmmmmm
Off to catch up on the piles of reading!!!

day three of 101+ degree fever...
i think tomorrow i will at least call the school dr.s office to see if i can get in?
sigh.  it is probably just the flu and i will have to wait it out anyway - so i am debating. 
in the meantime i feel like crud and cannot miss work or school...
so - all of that to say - please pray for me to get better FAST.
thanks...

(and vicki - i am thinking i need to trade out for season four soon - i am totally hooked - line and sinker)

I know, I know - I am being a HORRIBLE xangan.

School has begun again - fast and furious. 

Work is kicking my butt.

I am ready for winter to be over.

hmmmmmm - what else can I complain about?

[smile]

Seriously.  Lots going on - I will try to be better about updating.

Love you all....

Wow - are you ready for this?
Better grab a beverage - I'll try to keep it short, but you know how my attempts at brevity generally work out.

We are getting ready to walk out the door to attend the Christmas Eve service at my parents church, when my grandma [visiting from out of town for the holidays], looks at me - kinda wrinkles up her nose and asks...

Merry Christmas friends!!   Stay tuned for more stories and pictures soon!