Quatre Choses

Four things. First, The Chronicles of Narnia:The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe came out on DVD today! I am very excited about that and can't wait to buy it. If I currently had a job, I would have bought it today, but since I don't, I'm trying to be a responsible adult and pay as much of my own bills as possible, and therefore can't spend the money on it right now. I definitely plan to purchase it as soon as possible. I suggest you do the same! I saw the movie twice in the theater and read the series. I think it's great and am very much looking forward to the release of Prince Caspian Christmas '07!

Secondly, I've moved a little further in the job search. Not only did I finally contact the Head Hunter I was supposed to have contacted back in August when I first moved here, and I finally posted my resume on Monster.com, but I applied for my first out of state job! Thus far I've been hesitant to do that, thinking a local job would pan out sooner or later, but since that is not falling in place as easily as I hoped, I decided to look a little further. I think the job is probably pretty competitive, but I figure the worst they can do is never contact me, and I've been there and done that, so what can I lose? The job is in Dahlgren, Virginia. It is about 8 hours from here, Greer, South Carolina and I'm afraid quite a bit further from my friends in Gainesville. I'm not too happy about the distance, but that's what planes are for right? It is a Microbiologist job at The Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren. It is 55 miles from Washington D.C. The work involves Research and Development on weapons and defense systems for the Department of the Navy, but is a civilian job. I think the job sounds fascinating, and it's fun to think about if nothing else. Keep for fingers crossed...who knows, this one might be it...

Thirdly, Congratulations to the Florida Gator Men's Basketball team for winning the NCAA Division 1 National Championship!!! It's always "Great to be a Florida Gator" but sometimes it is exceptional. My heart swelled with Gator pride as I watched Noah stand on the table and Gator Chomp along with the audience. As the signs around campus say, "The University of Florida is in Gainesville, but the Gator Nation is everywhere." Go Gators!

Fourthly, As many of you know, I own a Bassett Hound. His name is Socrates. He knows how to sit, stay, speak, come, lay down, and even whisper. He has never, however, been good at walking decently on a leash..preferring to drag me down the street. Despite all his tricks, he also goes crazy anytime new people or other dogs are around. Today, we made the first step toward correcting that. I have been watching alot of "The Dog Whisperer" lately and have gotten empowered by it. I learned that I can, with a choker chain, some confidence, and the famous "chhht" sound, can be the pack leader of my dog. As I attached the leash to Socrates this afternoon, I certainly had my doubts, but it worked! In a matter of minutes, my unruly hound was heeling as if he'd been to obedience school! It was amazing. We ended up spending a long time walking, and playing and chewing on sticks (I'd like to make sure you know that Socrates was chewing on sticks..I refrained) in the yard. A good time was had by all, and I look forward to more training sessions and being able to take my well-behaved bassett to parks and other public places without having to worry about him acting like an idiot. Cesar is a genius, chht!

***On the cold front...I'm feeling much better, without having resorted to a Fanta and Cough Syrup Cocktail. I'm still coughing some, and at times lose my voice, but on the whole, I'm definitely feeling better!***