Water and Miemaw's Mysterious Malady

Today was the first morning practice. NOT FUN!!!! We did a set that couldn't be defined as hard by normal standards, but since it was way too early in the morning, my body did not want to function for very long. And then I had class 15 minutes after swimming. I was hungry, and tired, but awake. Needless to say this combination of talking and being tired meant i babbled incoherent words that made no sense lol. This will happen every wednesday. whooopeeee

I saw yesterday a flyer for kayaking that was scheduled for today. Of course I signed up. I finally learned more details, like where to meet, and met the group there. I thought it would be a large number but it was ten people including me. The group leader was kind of odd--I don't know how to describe it but it was just a vibe. You know how these things go meemsie.

The kayaks were river kayaks which are quite different from sea kayaks AND flatwater sprinting kayaks. Much to say it was perplexing. There was NO rudder. and the paddles were flexible! It was so cool when we got on the water though. It was so peaceful and relaxing. It was very beautiful. I didn't want to bring my camera because I didn't want it to get wet. We saw water snakes it was so cool. I got close enough to see one stick out its tongue at me. Then we saw otters!!!!!!! And a beaver dam. (to clarify we weren't sure if the otters were beavers or not. They all had their tales in the water but looked like otters)

Very pretty. And we were in Wisconsin. We just crossed the Mississippi so it wasn't like the scenery was any different. This means that I have been to eighteen states; one for each year of my life :) They are as follows:

California_____Minnesota______Montana
Nevada_______Iowa__________Rhode Island
Arizona_______Wisconsin______Wyoming
Utah__________Michigan_____Massachusetts
New Mexico_____Ohio_________Hawaii
Idaho_________Pennsylvania___Georgia

Of course some were just crossing the border, but hey that counts in my book.

So on to the reason for the title. You guys are probably like: wtf is Miemaw's Mysterious Maladie? Haha that was just my funny name for it in under a second. At least I am proud of it. I don't know if you guys remember the story Miemaw always used to complain about; she said that she hated ladybugs because they bit her. And none of us understood her because ladybugs don't bite!

I hope you guys remember this story because for some reason I did. It just didn't make sense that ladybugs would bite. they're so nice! So here is the answer: When we got off the water, we (the faster group) were waiting for the stragglers to catch up. All of a sudden a lady bug landed on my arm. I mentioned this to another girl and she brushed it off. she said it wasn't a lady bug but a foreign bug from asia called an asian beetle. I realized I had seen these "asian beetles" all over the school pillars yesterday. I asked her why she brushed it off n she said they infest buildings and bite people. They also leave a really bad scent behind. All of a sudden these asian beetles were everywhere; landing in our hair, our clothes, skin, etc. It was very unpleasant and I was jumpy cause there was no way I wanted to get bit. It was very odd, seeing as how they look exactly like ladybugs, only more orange than red. Therefore maybe Miemaw was right in saying ladybugs (in her eyes) bite.

Also, almost everyone is going away for october break. So I asked Lauren if I could go home with her n she said yes but then said no because she is going to go visit her grandparents n wasn't staying home. I then asked Robbie but he is going to south dakota (mount rushmore is the only worthy thing to visit in the Dakotas so ive heard). I sent out a facebook message to all my friends and begged them to take me home lol. None of them could apparently. So I am staying here. Two of my "friends" Bryan (!) and Jarod (!) are staying so we will probably hang out a lot since no one else will be here except for one of the really cool RA's. I think it will be fun!

LAST THING: Britney Spears will always have a place in my heart.Strike that. Her MUSIC will always have a place in my heart and this one is no different. I think it is quite creative: http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/womanizer%2Bbritney%2Bspears/video/x6votk_britney-spears-womanizer-hq_music

On to bed :)

Always,

Neil