Let me start off by saying I am lucky to be alive because yesterday, Mother Nature decided to throw me some curveballs. My first story involves my dinner last night. I was cooking brown rice and if you have never cooked brown rice before, it takes a really long time. I had just got back from work and really wanted a shower, so the fact that I had decided to cook something that would take a long time was pretty inconvenient. With that said, I chose to put extra water in the rice and I turned down the heat while I ran to take a shower. I was gone not even ten minutes and as I rounded the corner to the hallway the kitchen is in, I smelled smoke. As I started to sprint towards the door, someone emerged from the kitchen in a cloud of smoke. As I got closer I realized it was the same nice guy who struck up the random ten-minute conversation with me from a couple weeks ago. He laughed and shook his head as he saw the look of horror across my face and said “I went ahead and took it off the stove for you.” Smoke had filled the entire kitchen and my pot and lid were charred black. As I shamefully scrubbed the burnt rice out of the pan, I had to explain to multiple people what had happened, as they were coming to check out why the whole quad smelled so bad.  

However, if that isn’t exciting enough for you, the story has another spin to it. While I was in the shower, a spider decided to join me. After the initial shock and squeal, I decided I would let it live, but then it started crawling into the line of water and fell right towards my face, which led me to instinctually smack it dead. It was only after I did heaps of research on Australian spiders that I found out it was only a daddy long leg aka the most harmless spider ever. However, that wasn’t until much later, so the fact that I almost burned the village down and got attacked by a “scary” spider in the span of ten minutes was very stressful for me.

I wish my spider encounter tales could end there, but alas they do not. My roommate found one in her room, one in the cleaning closet, and another one in our common room, which she immediately squashed with her shoe and kicked it out the door. I’ll go ahead and break down the encounters for you play by play. We were both in our separate rooms when I heard Christine scream bloody murder. I jumped up and ran into her room and she was pointing at her drying rack yelling “spider!” Since I had killed one spider already, I made the decision I would attempt to actually let this one live. For those of you who know me really well, you know I tend to have this pact with insects and bugs. The pact is like this, If I don’t want them in my room or wherever I am, I’ll attempt to remove them and as long as they don’t try to jump on me, they’ll live. I like to think it builds up karma points with Mother Nature. Anyway, with this spider that’s exactly what I did. It was probably about the size of a quarter and I got it to crawl on the piece of paper I was holding. As I was successfully carrying it out of the room, that is when Christine found the other spider crawling across the floor – we were under siege! It was about an hour later Christine found another one crawling around in the closet, but we were able to humanely remove that one as well. I don’t know how, but I was able to sleep pretty soundly last night. I thought for sure my dreams would turn to nightmares with endless amounts of spiders in them since I spent about an hour researching scary images of them in an attempt to identify the ones we encountered.

On a side note, check this out: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/28/travel/melbourne-most-livable-city/index.html Looks like I picked the best place to study – go me! 

Guys, it’s finally getting warm here! I was able to wear shorts to class today without getting goose bumps. I won’t dare discuss the 10 day forecast incase of the possibility of jinxing were to occur, so all I’m going to say is yay.

This is already my last week in the gym, and I can’t help but feel sad. These past four weeks I felt like I had a purpose, and I absolutely love the people I get to be around, which is probably what makes it so hard because after this Friday, I won’t have that any longer. For the past four Wednesdays I have shadowed 9-5, but it never feels like I spend a whole day confined in the gym. This experience has made me realize I want to get out and start working with people as soon as possible, so I’m making it a goal of mine to become certified by the end of my junior year. And you know what that means? If you’re looking for a trainer, I’ll actually be legit. It’s your dream come true!

This week also signifies the half waypoint through the semester. It’s ridiculous to think that I’m already half way through my classes and school back home has just started. The inevitable is happening – time is slipping away from me, and it’s happening fast. I only have a little over three months before my plane leaves for the home, which absolutely blows my mind. After this week, I only have three more weeks of classes before our spring break, and the week after that are the Uni Games at Gold Coast. That Tuesday after I return home from the Uni Games, my mom and aunt are coming to visit me for my birthday, which I literally can’t stop smiling about. Then after they leave, classes end October 18th, and I only have six weeks left here. I’m trying to be really careful about living in the now, and not letting all that’s happening in the future take away from what’s going on here in the present, but I’ll be honest – it’s hard. I tend to get really excited about everything, big or small. For instance, I’m really excited about making my dinner after I finish this entry.

With all of the excitement from the weekend, I completely forgot to describe my first experience biking on the roads, so here it is. Unlike Devin, I don’t like riding in the rain or in cold temperatures; if I have the option to, I will stay indoors. But due to the recent increase in temperature, I rode my bike to class on Thursday. Naturally as soon as I started my ride it became cloudy, but that’s beside the point. The point is, I’m used to biking on the right side of the road. With that said, making sure I was in the correct lane on the correct side of the street became very stressful. I kid you not, I actually pulled off onto the sidewalk for about five minutes just to watch the driving patterns of the intersection to make sure I wouldn’t get squished. And I just gave up when I got to the roundabout and walked across the crosswalk. But all the stress was worth it because riding along the river is much more enjoyable than being on a crammed bus with various odors.

However, a not so fun experience I had going to class happened to me yesterday morning. I stayed the night with Devin at his uncle's and while Devin biked to class, I took the tram. There are two different trams that you have to take to get from his uncle’s to campus and usually it’s not a huge inconvenience. It is, however, when the tram you are on arrives right after the second tram leaves. I made the decision that because I had 40 minutes and the next tram didn’t come for another 20, which would make me late for class, I would walk to campus. I severely underestimated the distance. The map at the tram stop made it seem like it would be a 30 minute walk, but I was fast walking like I was an elite athlete in the sport and I made it in 50.  There was some cool scenery along the way though, like the racetrack where the Melbourne Cup is held. It’s Australia’s equivalent to the Kentucky Derby and it is an absolutely beautiful stadium, however yesterday it was just kind of a roadblock for my route. The campus was on the other side of the stadium and instead of being able to cut straight through the parking lot, I had to work around a bunch of gates and inconvenient paths. I was only ten minutes late to class though, and it was clear to the teacher I had tried my best to get there on time due to the brightness of my cheeks as well as the nice sweat marks on my t-shirt. A for effort, right?

This weekend was full of meeting new people and making new friends from all around the world. Even though they are not as intense, I still go through my waves of homesickness, especially right now because everyone is back at IU and starting school. I have met plenty of people since I have been here, but this weekend I was introduced to heaps more, which sky rocketed me to cloud nine. I got to meet people from Canada, Sweden, Norway, Mexico, and Germany, all of who speak perfect English (Canada is a given, I know guys). Meeting all these different people has changed my perspective on so many things, and I have found that I learn a lot from the conversations with people who aren’t from America. It has also turned me into a better listener, as the accents add a greater degree of difficulty. And if you combine that factor with being in a crowded house or bar, you have to pay attention to every single word. To all my Alpha Xi’s, I’m getting a lot of great practice for recruitment don’t you worry. It just goes to show that you really have to get outside your comfort zone and normal routine, because you can meet so many diverse people. It also helps put things in perspective, because I have realized that if I feel uncomfortable being here, at least I get to speak my native language. However, even though English is their second language, some of them have mastered sarcasm in it and it is amazing. I can always appreciate a sarcastic remark, but I have found with an accent, it is even more enjoyable. 

Yesterday on the train ride home, I sat down across the aisle from a girl who had a baby bunny in a box. I think my constant starting gave away the fact I was dying to pet it, so the girl invited me over to sit next to her. She let me hold the little guy for the whole ride home and I honestly couldn’t stop smiling the rest of day because of it. He was four weeks old, and was soft as could be. He nestled into my scarf, twitching his nose as he gazed into my eyes. I believe he was attempting to understand why I was looking so wide-eyed at him and making cooing noises. I absolutely love animals, but my affection for them has become even greater since I’ve been here, and I think it’s because I am not around any on a regular basis. It’s expected that I will stop anyone in mid-sentence to squeal about the dog across the street. I can’t help it; I desperately need something soft to snuggle with as Devin has stopped shaving regularly.

Today we finally made it to the beach. It was about an hour and a half to get there by tram, but it was totally worth it. Being on the beach helped me feel like I was actually in Australia, even though I was still in jeans and a jacket. We walked along the beach, ice creams in hand taking in every detail – smelling the salty sea air and felt the sand underneath my Sperry’s. While I can’t help but feel jealous of everyone in the Northern hemisphere for the warmer temperatures, it helps to know that as it starts to get progressively colder for you guys, I’ll be taking off the layers to build up my tan again. It became apparent to me this morning just how fast I’ve adjusted to winter here because I couldn’t even see my tan lines anymore. Not that I would ever go to a tanning booth because I prefer not to give myself skin cancer, but I have found out they are actually illegal here. So having a tan year round in Melbourne isn’t a thing it turns out, and instead you have to deal with your genetics and anxiously await the sunlight the natural way. 

Last night, I finally had my first night out in the city. I know what you’re thinking. “Maddie you’ve been there for almost two months, and you’re just now having your first night out in the city…”, but I promise you I’m not a hermit and I have a picture to prove it. It’s quite a trek to get into the city, especially when public transportation stops earlier than when you want to go home. With that said, it takes a lot of effort to get a big enough group to synchronize their energy to make the journey. I’ve been out to the bars, but this place was more than a bar. I’m not sure if it qualifies as a club, at least not a crazy three-floors-of-dancing kind of club, but whatever it was pretty cool. Going into the city is also something I do rarely because of the cost that comes along with it. For those of you who haven’t read my rants before, everything in Australia is a lot more expensive, and alcohol is no exception. Luckily, it’s not really an issue for me, but for those who are curious of the price difference: a long island ice tea costs $19 here, and I was told that was a deal. Appreciate Kilroy’s my friends. However, the most devastating cost increase I’ve had to deal with is how much my peanut butter is. It’s eight dollars a jar. Granted there is an off brand that costs only three dollars, but I’d rather not find out why it’s that much cheaper. I made that mistake with buying pasta sauce and it resembled water.

Another memorable moment from my Thursday happened to me while I was checking out at the market. I was having a conversation with the cashier and she asked me where my accent was from and I told her about how I was an exchange student from Indiana. I’ll spare the rest of the details but while it was a short conversation, there were a few laughs and smiles, which made it very enjoyable. It then became obvious that the man behind us had been listening into our chat because he tapped me on the shoulder and handed me something while telling me “I think this suits you”. It was a fortune that read “Share your sparkle with those around you”. I now have it taped to my laptop, next to my keyboard as a reminder; a reminder of that stranger’s kindness, as well as to never forget that I do in fact have a sparkle. Don’t forget that you do too.

Today us IU folk had a presentation to give to hopeful exchange students, promoting IU and why they should come to our school. In the midst of everyone’s welcome week photos, it was pretty hard not to feel homesick, giving a presentation about the school I've left behind for a semester and why it is so amazing. I never really grasped just how wonderful IU and Bloomington are, and maybe that’s just because I’ve been there for so long. That just goes to show that you really don’t know what you have until it’s gone. I knew coming to Melbourne and attending Victoria University would be vastly different, and that’s why I chose to come here. However what it has shown me is that I am absolutely 100% in love with IU and Bloomington. 

Yesterday I had my first test here, and boy what an experience it was. Back home, there are easy ways to prevent cheating, but I’m not sure if they have caught on here in Australia, or at least for this teacher in particular. Usually if there isn’t enough room to have a person to sit in every other seat, teachers create multiple versions of the exam to prevent cheating. However, my teacher didn’t consider that option. His idea to prevent cheating was rearrange everyone in the room. I started out sitting in the very front, in the middle group of seats and I was moved around three times before I arrived in the seat I would be taking my test in. He had everyone in the front four rows, move to the back and switch with the back four rows. This maneuver was done for both the middle section as well as the two side sections. Then, he had every other person in the first four rows and back four rows, switch sides of the room as well as switch to the front if you were in the back and vice versa. He then did this with everyone in the rows in between, both the middle and side sections. It sounds ridiculous and unreal, but I promise you we spent 45 minutes with this musical chairs game. If he wanted to get me all bent out of shape before the test, he certainly did his job. But wait, I’m not done. On top of all that, because he didn’t make multiple copies of the exam, he had us wait and leave until the original dismissal time for class. So that meant if you finished in the first 30 minutes, you could just be sitting there for another 45 minutes. Holding us against our will was to help prevent us from passing on the test to the next round of students in his later class. I wanted to punch him in the face – end of story. But don’t worry my day wasn’t ruined. Who would I be if I just sat here and ranted on about how upset I was?

Monday nights are ultimate frisbee game nights, so it is always something I try to look forward to even though it is freezing by the time we play. I always leave with a smile on my face; glad I braved the cold and wind to be around some great people. Last night after our game, we went to this pizza bar to splurge on $5 pizzas. Since it was a bar there were bouncers outside, which made me instantly  go to grab my ID. But wait, here’s the best part – I didn’t even need it! They smiled and said hello and that was it. I keep expecting to have to defend my age or something whenever I go to a place that IDs but nothing has ever happened. Again, the situations that get my adrenaline pumping are quite exciting. Anyway, I was feeling a little self conscious of my attire because we had come from playing so I was just in sweats – like baggy sweats that you usually don’t wear out in public because they are so baggy – and other people were actually dressed up to look presentable. However, we were sitting near the door so we could see what was happening outside if we wanted to and at one instance, there was a guy who was dressed in suit pants, a nice shirt, and a tie.  Our attention was drawn to this particular fellow because the bouncers wouldn’t let him in until he took off his tie. It was then I suddenly felt more comfortable in my loungewear. 

This weekend’s main event was Devin and I testing our abilities in the kitchen. The challenge at hand? First course, rice paper rolls; second course, enchiladas with a rice and corn salad. While they don’t go together really at all, the theme of our cooking was obviously diversity, as well as deliciousness.  We simply typed in vegetarian meals into Google and found the recipes. We decided both recipes were within our skill level, as they were advertised as easy, and each taking under 30 minutes to make. I’ll be honest though; the rice paper rolls were a little bit of a challenge. The directions made it seem so simple, telling us to simply wet with warm water, but not to over-wet. Having never worked with rice paper rolls before, neither Devin nor I knew the optimal wetness for rice paper, so we kind of just went for it, and we soon discovered that the wetter you get a sheet of rice paper, the more it likes to stick to itself. So while we got some pretty interestingly shaped rolls, that didn’t mean they were any less tasty. On the other hand, the enchiladas and rice salad were a lot less intimidating. I was worried about how we were going to get enough lime juice out of the lime we bought to add flavor to the rice salad, but I didn’t realize I had my own personal juicer: Devin’s biceps. Needless to say, both meals were delicious, even though with both dishes, we filled the kitchen with smoke. However I think the crispiness added necessary texture. 

In the weeks of my grocery shopping without a car, I’ve discovered two necessities no woman should ever go into a grocery store without and they are as follows: 1) A list and 2) A man to carry all the bags. Shopping with Devin makes life so much easier because believe it or not, he’s the stronger one out of the two of us, and he can carry about three times what I can with my twig-like arms. So ladies, whether you have a current man in your life, or you’re still on the hunt, make sure to test your man’s arm endurance at the earliest convenience to make sure he is up to par.

For the past week or so, the wind here has been absolutely insane. The Weather Channel reported on Friday night that it was blowing at a steady 31 mph, with the occasional fun gust of 44mph. Each time I look at the ten day forecast, it says that the day after next is when the wind will calm down. The Weather Channel is full of lies. It hasn’t let up, and tomorrow is forecasted to be another day with 20+ mph winds. So while in Melbourne my hair may be escaping the humidity, which torments it so, my hair has found a new enemy. 

Today a girlfriend and I set out to find the Docklands Market, which is near the heart of Melbourne. Elise and I are all about trying out new things and finding unique experiences to Melbourne – last weekend we went to the Queen Victoria Market – so this weekend we wanted to explore another city landmark. Before we started our adventure, we were 100% sure this place existed; however by the end of our trip, we were about 5% sure. We walked around for over an hour, asking random civilians where we could find this market and everyone responded as if we were asking if unicorns existed. So, we eventually gave up and settled for eating as a suitable alternative. 

Guys – I met a guy who knows a guy, and that guy, that the guy I met knows, is sort of a big deal. For all you IU basketball fans, this will be a fun story. So anyone who is good at basketball here in Australia usually goes to the US to play in college, or goes straight to the NBA if they are lucky. The guy in my class was asking me where I was from and I told him Indiana, and he actually knew where Indiana was – I know, it was shocking. One of the reasons he knows about Indiana is because he follows the NBA and knows about the Pacers. The other reason is because his friend – the guy who is a big deal – visited IU earlier this year. His name? Dante Exum. He’s like one of the biggest deals in the basketball world right now, and it’s possible that he will come to play for Indiana in 2014. His friend showed me Dante’s Instagram photo of him on the court in Assembly Hall and my jaw dropped to the floor. Don’t worry, even though I know someone who knows a famous person, I’ll still be the same ole’ me. And if Dante comes to IU, don’t worry friends, it’ll be totally casual when he comes to hang out with all of us. I don’t think I’m getting ahead of myself, do you?

Today’s dinner goes in the books as one of the best meals I’ve had since I have been here. It was from a chain burger joint, but I promise you this wasn’t a normal burger joint. My “garden goodness” burger had my mouth drooling as the server brought it up to me, and oh lord the fries. Any description I give won’t do them justice, so just know that they were the best fries I’ve ever had. And that’s saying something, because I am quite the French fry connoisseur – they are my favorite vegetable.

Twice within the hour, we got complimented on our accents. The cashier who took my order at the burger restaurant said she was confused on where I was from because “I sound[ed] so exotic”. I have been called many things, but exotic is not a very common adjective that someone uses to describe me, so needless to say I felt super sexy and the need to tousle my hair overcame me, even though I was ordering a burger…and the cashier was a woman…and I’m actually just American. The other compliment was given to Devin when we were ordering our ice cream. She said his accent sounded “so thick and strong, and that it was very intriguing to listen to him”. I wanted to tell her “I promise, you actually sound much cooler” and "oh yeah, that's my boyfriend", but instead I said thank you and continued to eat my ice cream.

Tonight Devin and I were finally able to watch a show from Project Free TV, which is the Australian equivalent to Netflix or Hulu. What show did we pick? The Colbert Report. It was from last night, and it was so hilarious. Yes, even Stephen Colbert makes me homesick. But my favorite part of the episode was a clip that revolved around a gay mayor in Eastern Kentucky. I am an avid watcher of The Colbert Report, and this was one of my favorite clips I’ve watched on his show. I’ve gone ahead and posted the link to the clip for your enjoyment:

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/428601/august-14-2013/people-who-are-destroying-america---johnny-cummings 

Today I was again reminded of how one little thing can lead to something wonderful. On two occasions today – one was while making breakfast and the other was while doing my makeup after I had worked out and showered at the gym – I was surprised by the kindness of strangers. Now these two activities are something I’ve grown accustomed to doing by myself and usually I do not have any interaction between people as I do them. However, as I was putting milk on my cereal this morning a guy bounced into the kitchen to make his breakfast and greeted me with a big “Hello mate!” Still groggy from being asleep nearly ten minutes before, I mustered up a rather husky sounding “hey”. I smiled and thought it was nice he acknowledged my existence and thought that would be the end of it. Nope. He started asking questions about what I was up to today and, after he picked up on my accent, he wanted to know all about my home. I became livelier with each answer and we ended up talking for twenty minutes. By now you should all know I usually hate going into that kitchen, but because of how nice this guy was, I secretly hope someone will be in the kitchen the next time I go in. I’ve had plenty of times where people have been in the kitchen and not even responded to me when I say hi, but this positive experience out weighs all the negative ones. And thanks to this morning’s interaction, I started off my day so much happier.

My second surprise interaction today was with a woman who was getting ready at the same counter that I was, and she simply asked me if I was having a good day. It wasn’t one of those typical conversation fillers or questions used to break an awkward moment like “how are you?” with the stereotypical answer “good, you?” Think about the last time you answered that question – “how are you?” – without simply saying “good”. I’m making it a goal of mine to attempt to give more of a genuine answer, because today it led to a five-minute conversation. And even if the person asking doesn’t want a detailed answer, they’ll get it anyway. Be the person that stands out. Today, the two people who stood out to me have no knowledge of how they affected me. But isn’t that cool? Wouldn’t you like to be the reason behind someone’s smile?

A few other positives that have happened in the past couple days:

-       Yesterday, I literally sprinted my fastest 200m to catch the bus, and was matching speed with it as it pulled away from the curb, but right before I gave up the driver happened to look over to see me frantically waving my arms. I looked like an idiot to everyone on the sidewalk as well as on the bus, but hey I got on. Booyah.
-       Another plus from yesterday is I made it through a game of ultimate Frisbee without hurting myself.
-       Today, it only took two rounds in the dryer to get my clothes dry, instead of last week when two rounds didn’t even get them the least bit dry.
-       I’m treating it as a positive, even though I wish I hadn’t finished it so quickly, but I finished my new favorite book, The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom. You all should read it. Oh, and you’re welcome in advance. 
- I also found some sea salt popcorn, something which is my crack back home, and I just treated myself to eating the whole bag. If you haven't tried sea salt popcorn, please do. You're missing out on life until you do so.


Oh also, incase you were wondering what my humble abode for the semester looks like, the picture  attached to this post is it. I know at first glance it might look like a jail cell, but I promise it's better than that - it has carpet.

I’ve gotten into a really good habit here of staying up way later than I need to. For instance, last night I stayed up working on a paper that isn’t due until the end of the semester. A couple of questions might be coming to your mind such as “what is your problem?” and “you worked on your homework on a Saturday night?” Anyone who knows me relatively well knows how anti-procrastination I am. I actually get nauseous if I don’t get to complete my assignments and tasks by when I want to, which on average is about two weeks before they are actually due. Screw the rush a person claims they get by saving everything until the last minute. If I did that, I might implode from anxiety. So because of the rager of a night I had last night, I’m making my bed time in 10:00pm. Call me crazy, but I can also get excited about a good night’s sleep. I realize this paragraph exposes my potentially lame side but to me, anyone who can’t admit to having a quirk or two is holding on a little too tight.

I have started to keep a list of words I am taking a personal pledge to implement into my daily vocabulary by the time I leave. For your convenience, I created a list for the words as well as their meanings:

- Mate: friend – isn’t that such a wonderful replacement for friends? Say “me and my mates” a couple times, and you’ll love how it sounds.
- “Good on ya”: well done or good for you – usually said with a lot of enthusiasm, which makes you feel even better about yourself!
- “I’d reckon”: instead of saying “I think” or “I figure” – I personally think it makes me sound smarter whenever I say it
- Jumper: sweatshirt – I giggle every time someone refers to “getting their jumper” or something along those lines because I instantly picture overalls
- “Off his face”: “he was really drunk” – obviously this applies to women too, but I think it makes talking about how someone was super crazy the other night even more fun, just because of how cool this phrase sounds  
- Heaps: loads or a lot – it’s a tie between this and mate for the phrase I want to start using the most

Devin’s uncle lives here in Melbourne, so that is who Devin is staying with while we’re here. Having a house to come visit every once in a while makes this whole experience so much more enjoyable. There’s a sense of family, great food, a fridge that doesn’t smell, which are all things that are hard to come by at the village. Needless to say, I am grateful for being able to sneak away from the village to something that mildly resembles home. Plus, I just watched DJ (Devin's burly Irish uncle) and Jinky (DJ's adorable, tiny malaysian wife) give Devin a haircut. You don't get better entertainment than that.

Last night was probably my favorite night I’ve had here in Melbourne so far. A few of us ventured out to the city in search of this vegetarian restaurant. We took a bus to the train, a train to the tram, and the tram to the restaurant – yeah we’ve gotten good with public transportation. The street this restaurant was on instantly reminded me of Fourth Street back in Bloomington. There were so many different kinds of restaurants with different kinds of ethnic foods – we’re already planning our next trip back there. This place was called Vegie Bar, and when we walked up to the restaurant, we could tell we were going to have to wait for a while. Literally packed to the point where you could barely move without accidentally placing your elbow in someone’s food. The five of us made a unanimous decision that since we had made the trek all the way there, we were going to wait it out. Luckily for us it was only thirty minutes, and they had a hip little lounge to go hang out in. Being vegetarian and being a hipster goes hand in hand it seems because everywhere I looked, there was a guy with styled hair, both facial and head, and a girl in combat boots. A guy whose moustache was as long as his hair brought us to our table, and that is when we laid our eyes upon one of the most delicious menus in the history of delicious menus. We went to town on all of our dishes and it was heaven. Luckily for me, I wore my leggings a.k.a expandable waistband. This was also the first restaurant I had been to in Australia where I didn’t have the sensation of crying when handing over my cash to pay the bill.

Today I had my second day in the gym shadowing, and like I expected it rocked. But you want to know the best part?  The trainer I was working with brings his dog to work everyday and she just hangs out in there. After his last client left, we went up to his office so I could see his dog, and as soon as the door open I just melted. This was the first time I’ve petted a dog since I left home and I didn’t ever think I could miss something so much. I got absolutely covered in dog hair but it was so worth it. I honestly could have stayed there the rest of the day just snuggling with the pooch, but I figured I should get to know the guy better before I crawled into his dog’s bed with her.