Cut off by a cop car

Okay, I meant to write this the other day but forgot. I don't remember for sure which night this was, but I know it was dark or almost dark. We had taken the campus shuttle back to the dorms. It drops people off in the parking lot across the street from the dorms, so when you get off the shuttle, you turn right, toward the back of the shuttle, and start walking. You walk a bit in the parking lot and then cross the street.
Well, when we were finishing the parking lot section and stepping into the street, a car flew right in front of us. Pasta didn't have to back up, but she slowed down to almost a stop so it could pass safely in front of us. And, I swear, it looked like a cop car! It was black and white with what seemed to be something written on the white driver's side door. A cop car cut us off! All I can say is, it better have been chasing someone down to have done that to us, but I doubt it since its sirens and light weren't on.
I just thought it was kind of crazy that a cop car did that. We've been cut off by lots of cars before or had lots of cars speed up and then end up stopping at the last minute so we can cross here on campus, but we've never been cut off by a cop before. Crazy!

Raccoon!

So I think we heard a raccoon last night. Pasta and I were walking with my boyfriend around 11:00 to the Seven 11 that's near campus. We heard some weird noise up in a tree and stopped to listen. For awhile, we had no idea what it was. Then, we wondered if it was some kind of a bird. But the longer we stood there, it didn't sound like a bird. Anthony was like, do you think its a raccoon? Lightbulb! It sounded like the raccoons in the movie The Great Outdoors.
I couldn't personally remember what a raccoon sounded like from when we went camping when I was a kid, but it stood to reason that what we were hearing was a raccoon. So, we kept walking. No need to stand across the street from a raccoon! Those things can be mean!
So, at Seven 11, I stocked up on some junk. I got a bag of Beef Jerkey, a big bag of Skittles and a can of Pringles. I also got a Snapple and some Notchos, but the guy put way too much cheese on them.
Anyway, on the way back, once we got to the street the raccoon was on, which was really close to the dorms, I got a tad nervous and hoped that it was either still up in the tree making noise or that it was gone. Preferably, it would have still been in the tree making noise so I knew where it was. I know how much Pasta likes animals and has attendency to try to say hi and times, and I sure didn't want her to try to say hi to a raccoon.
No later than I got these thoughts out of my head than Pasta lunged forward and to the left a bit. Panic! I said, no, in a loud, firm voice. I should have corrected her but just sort of did a harness check, which I don't think we're supposed to do really, and held back on the handle firmly. Thankfully, either nothing was there to begin with, or my no scared it away, because nothing attacked her. It took a few seconds for my heart to slow back down, though. I really need to work on her not lunging at creatures to say hello. That had the potential of being really bad. Leave it to Pasta to want to say hi to a raccoon!

Back again

I know I said I'd be back on the 2nd but well, stuff happens. Pasta barfed that night after drinking bunches of water, too, so I was trying to watch her and make sure she was okay. The canned pumpkin, baby food chicken mixture seemed to do her well because no more barf! Yay! I don't like cleaning up doggie barf and feel so bad for her when she gets sick.
The next night she started making those "I'm gonna barf" noises, but luckily, it must have been a fluke. No barf and no more weird noises since. Good stuff.
But anyway, what I was going to write on the 2nd was that it was the anniversary of our graduation from GDB. I tend to think of Dog Day, the day I got her, as more of our anniversary, but graduation day is our technical one, so I go by both, I guess. I could not have imagined then what a great impact she would have on my life. I have never been sorry for getting a dog, and she has made my life so much easier and more enjoyable. I love her with evry ounce of my being and am so, so happy to have her. She is the greatest dog I have ever seen and super smart and sweet. She is everything I asked for and more, and just what I needed, even some things I didn't know I needed. She remembers things I forget and even has gotten me back home when I was disoriented and didn't know how to get home. She always seems to know where I want to go, even if I don't tell her, and if she doesn't and I'm confused, she'll always take me to something familiar so I can reorient myself. She is super confident and has lots of initiative, just what I need and never knew I needed. She makes me feel so confident every day, and I don't even think twice about going to night class or to Seven Eleven at night. I hated night classes before and would never have gone out on my own anywhere else. So thank you, Pasta. Words cannot truly express how I feel about you and what a great impact you have had and will continue to have on my life. I love you! You are my eyes, my independence, my cuddle bug, my playmate, my friend and my baby girl!