Not For The Weak of Stomach

Having just arrived home from Phoenix tonight, we're tired, my mom and sisters and I. At 10:30 we are all so exhausted, in fact, that we decide to call it a day and head to bed. As is customary, my sisters took Bailey (our Bichon-Maltese) to bed with them, and I took my little buddy Wesley (our Westhighland Terrier) to bed with me. Girls in one room, boys in the other.

I am having trouble getting comfortable enough to sleep, but I notice right away that something isn't right with Wesley. He's not falling asleep like he usually does. Normally, within 10 minutes of lying down under the covers at the foot of the bed he's out like a light and sleeps like a rock. Not tonight. Tonight Wesley is fidgety, as if he too is having trouble getting comfortable.

Eventually Wesley does something strange. He moves out from under the covers and sits on top of them -- which isn't unsual; at some point in the night he always does this -- but the thing that catches my attention is that after changing location he doesn't lay down again. He just sits there and stares into the dark. I figure he's probably just not tired yet and roll over, trying to get comfortable and fighting the nagging sense that insomnia and I are going to have one of our rare evenings together tonight.

Suddenly Wesley leaps off the bed onto the floor, whimpers, and I hear a gurgling sound. My heart drops into my stomach as I realize what's coming. There are three parts to my realization: (1) He's sick, (2) something is going to come out of either the front or the back end of this dog, and (3) it's not going to be pretty. I'm already up and moving for the light switch. Please God, please, let it be the front end.

It's the back end.

There are some things in life that are beyond description. They are either so wonderful or so terrible that words to convey them simply cannot be found. The stench issuing forth with increasing intensity from Wesley's little midnight mistake is one of those things.

I take him downstairs (his ears are drooped and he's got this horribly guilty look on his face as if he wants to apologize) and confine him to the garage despite the chill. Then I head off in search of the Resolve, some paper towels, and some hot water.

I find all three and head back upstairs just in time to hear one of my sisters whisper "SICK!" and shut the door to their room, which is next door. I realize that the smell of this doggie-doo has actually woken them from sleep (in an adjacent room!!!!) and driven them into the hall to find out what's the matter. Wesley has been sick before and has had some stinkers in his many years, but never before has he reached such heights. This is what separates the men from the boys, the professionals from the amateurs. Tonight Wesley has taken his rightful place on the throne as king and the Circle of Life is finally complete.

I will spare you all the details of my attempts to clean this stuff up. Needless to say, Resolve and hot water was insufficient - this is a job for our rug shampooer, but that will have to wait till tomorrow morning. So now here I sit, 12:45 am, Wesley has been moved to the much warmer laundry room for the night, I've washed my hands no less than 4 times, and I'm wondering if I can stand to return to my bedroom for the night or if the couch is going to be a better idea.

Given the fact that it's looking like insomnia and I are going to get to know each other much better tonight, it probably doesn't matter.

My Location Revealed!

Told ya I went south!
So I've been itching to post about this for a good 3 weeks now and finally I get to. It was my mom's idea to fly me home for 3 weeks instead of them coming to visit me in Germany since it would cost way less and since it afforded the wonderful opportunity to go down to ASU and surprise all my friends.

And let me tell you, it was worth it. The sheer shock on everyone's faces upon seeing me has been PRICELESS and it was totally worth the Delta Airlines Flight From Hell that brought me across the Atlantic on February 16th. To describe the flight, let me just say that it involved a plane not meant for international journeys, two chick flicks, and worse, broken headphones. Oh, that and a pit stop in Maine to refuel our miniscule little aircraft. I arrived in Seattle sleep-deprived and groggy. My mom, my sisters, and my stepdad greeted me at the arrival area, and my mother predictably burst into tears the moment she saw me.

48 hours later we jumped in the car and headed for Arizona. Yes, we drove all the way to Arizona. Again. I am reminded of how much I love road trips and also of why my mother, my sisters and I have not taken such a road trip in so long. Course, there were some funny moments, such as the time when mom had to pee really bad as we were crossing the border into California and there wasn't a rest stop for miles.

Mom: Drive faster, son, I really have to go!
Me: I'm already doing 85!
Mom: Wait! Wait! There's a sign up there! Is that a rest stop?? What does it say??
Me: "Northern California Reservoir, 5 miles."
Mom: AAAAAAAAGGHHHHHHHH!!!

Stepping onto ASU's campus again for the first time in over 9 months was a weird feeling. I feel like I don't really belong there anymore, or at least like I'm a foreigner of sorts. But it was so refreshing to see it again and see all my friends and enjoy the Arizona sunshine (it's pushing 80 degrees F here). I have the best friends in the world and they have been awesome these past 5 days. It's good to know that they haven't forgotten about me and do actually miss me when I'm gone.

It's been bittersweet though. Seeing all this reminds me of just what I'm missing out on while I'm in Germany, even though I've known from the start that that was the trade off. I'm glad I'm doing what I'm doing -- living abroad for a year has caused me to really grow up -- but I think that what's really sad about it is the realization that when I get back to ASU I have only one year left with all my awesome friends. I wish I could just stay there forever, that we could just freeze time and never graduate and just have this carefree college life with each other forever. But time goes on and life marches on with or without us, and I guess it's just part of growing up.

Man, it sucks though.

We leave Arizona on Monday and fly (not drive, thank God) back to Seattle. I fly back to Germany on March 9th to start my term paper and enjoy the remaining 5 months of my stay. Being back home has really made me excited to get back to Germany and make the most of the time I have left as well as get me pumped about getting home again at the end of the year and starting my senior year at ASU.

For now, I've got one more day with my friends and then it's family time for the weekend. This will be spent planning my grandparents' visit to Germany, laying by the pool in the warm sun, and reading. Aaaah the good life.

Oh and another announcement that I've been dying to post about: I finally took the plunge and got an Apple iBook. Let me say that I am euphoric to be free of the prison we all know as Windows and that I will never go back. This thing rocks my socks off.

And that's it!

P.S. No one gets 10 cool points because none of you guessed correctly (many of you didn't even guess at all). Sad.

Tomorrow:

Matt's location revealed!

Just So You All Stop Freaking Out...

Yes, I have enabled comment moderation. Yes, this applies to EVERYONE, not just you. Yes, I will review your comments and then allow them to be published. Yes, I have had crazy idiots leaving comments on the site and that's why I'm doing this.

No, I'm not turning it off.

Oh and Margaret, I don't know what comment that you're talking about...I never saw one that I didn't publish!

Now They Want HINTS!

Unbelievable. They're called GUESSES for a reason, people!

Okay, you get ONE clue:

I went south.

Doin' A Bit O' Traveling

We're going to play a game. It's called Guess Matt's Location. Ten cool points to whoever can guess the country and city that I am currently in. The answer will come later this week.

Note: those who know my location are DISQUALIFIED from competition.

Go!

Aaahhh....Relaxation

I love the simplicity of doing nothing.