I'll Have Some Plastic with my S'more!

So, I thought I'd give you a little background info on myself before I tell you about my mini adventure this morning.  I graduated from the UW-Madison (Go Badgers!) two years ago with B.S. degrees in Zoology (pre-med) and English Literature w/ an emphasis in Asian American literature.  The last two years I have been working to save up for medical school, but have since discovered that a career in physician assistant studies is more suitable for me.  Currently, I am taking a few courses to fulfill PA school prerequisites...I would have thought that if I was qualified to apply to med school that I sure as heck as was for PA school...nope, nada, nien.  So, the majority of my time is spent working, in school, or studying.  But to maintain my sanity I need to get out, get a little wild, and kick off my shoes sometimes.
My posts are going to be a meshing of all of these areas in my life, but greater emphasis will be placed on my freetime shenanigans.  Because who really wants to read about the life cycles of nematode worms, over anecdotes about a girl who, while out running is offered a beer by an onlooker, takes it and continues running; all the while sipping the ice cold Miller Lite?  (Which I did, but that's a tale for another time).
Okay!  Now for the deets on my mini adventure today!  I have the cutest baby in the world: soft blonde hair, looks so damn charming in her sweaters, and has teeth that can crack a cow bone in half.  Bella is a 2.5 year old yellow lab mix.  The mixed part is a bit of a mystery, but the general consensus is that there is definitely some Whippet in her.  I adopted Bella 5 months ago from a Hi-Kil shelter in Illinois.  Every weekday we run around at a dog park, we rotate between two different parks that are close to home.  But on the weekends we venture out to explore the many other gorgeous off-leash dog parks in Dane County.  Today, we explored Prairie Moraine Parkway, in Verona.  It felt good to get out and hike the wooded, hilly trails of the park.  And Bella enjoyed the fresh layer of snow that fell yesterday.  The snow has an effect on both her and I; it gets me giddy, feeling refreshed, and nostalgic for childhood winter activities.  Any moment  in which snow has fallen during this highly unseasonably warm winter has been monopolized and taken advantage of!  Here's a few pics from our hike!

Bella ready to get going!

Racing down the trail with a new found friend!

When we arrived there were great, dark plumes of smoke in the near distance.  A bright orange sign on the entrance gate informed park-goers that the Madison Fire Department was using the nearby farmstead for "Live Fire Training."  Initially, I loved it!!!  Images of soot-smeared, fearless, handsome firemen going head to head with the roaring fire filled my mind, plus it smelled like campfire and s'mores.  MMMM!  But that quickly changed to a staggeringly strong smell of burning plastic and rubber.  My exquisite daydreams of bravery and machismo turned to scenes from the post-apocolyptic film "Waterworld," and the characters called "smokers" (please don't judge me for knowing this movie)

But once we got towards the back-half of the park the smell was gone and there were no more clouds of smoke to walk through.  Overall, I had a blast getting outside and doing a little hiking, and Bella enjoyed playing in the snow and with the other dogs.

The rest of my afternoon is going to be spent in my local favorite coffee shop, eating too many delicious desserts, and studying some physiology!  Adios chicos!

RagazzaC
Carpe Diem
PSA:  This blogger enjoys tossing in some Spanish and Italian haphazardly, whether writing or talking.  Enjoy your Span-ita-glish salad!