Atlas was driving me crazy one evening. He’d played with his friends Copper and Cash earlier that day but he apparently still had some energy to get out. So even though it was late we headed out on a walk. I figured I would walk to my sister’s apartment and say hi. That is a long walk and if Atlas wasn’t tried by then I would be surprised. It was getting dark and I was very grateful to have Atlas with me. Something about having a big dog by my side just made me feel so safe. When we got to the Hart Gym, I noticed a group of people standing on the other side of the street. They were all watching the side of the street I was on. I thought it was weird but this is campus we are talking about, everything is going to be weird. As I got closer to the intersection I saw something big, black, and furry moving behind the big pine trees by the building. Atlas saw it too and didn’t like it. He didn’t bark but I watched as his hackles went from being flat to standing straight on end. I didn’t stop, I just kept walking but then the thing that was behind the trees came running out toward us. I stared at it and saw that it was a guy in a gorilla suit. Then I looked at Atlas. His legs and shoulders were square ready to spring; his head tilted forward snarling just enough to show his teeth. If this gorilla guy got any closer I’m sure Atlas would have attacked. It was dark and Atlas blends in so well with the dark that I doubt this guy could even see Atlas from inside his gorilla suit behind the trees or else I don’t think he would have been stupid enough to come charging up to us. But when he did get close enough to see Atlas, he stopped dead, squealed, and ran back behind the trees. I’m almost positive that he wet his gorilla suit. All the while Atlas didn’t move an inch. He was right there by my side making sure that nothing was going to touch me. The people across the street burst up laughing. I guess it had been their friend in the gorilla suit and they were just there for the show (stupid collage students). Can I just say that Atlas is one of the best dogs in the world? I love that dog.
Andrew got a job up on campus! It was kind of a miracle how he got it. We had looked on campus back in October and they said they wouldn’t be hiring till spring semester. Ugh. Andrew started looking elsewhere but I was hoping that something on campus would open up. If you work on campus they only let you work twenty hours a week and work your schedule around your classes. They know that school comes first, so if he had a big test he needed to study for, they let him go home early. He can’t get over worked with the twenty hour limit. It would have been so perfect but he didn’t want to wait for spring to start working. Halloween rolled around and we needed to go out to my parents place for trick or treating. We hadn’t really thought about costumes so I dressed up in Andrew’s gym clothes (big shorts and a bright orange U.F. Gator shirt) and he dressed up in mine (spandex running capris, an UnderArmor tank top, and a zip up hoodie) Ha ha ha!!! Oh he was a sight to see! To top it all off we got Atlas into some basket ball shorts and a hoodie too. We drove out to my parents’ and as we walked up to the door I noticed that Andrew was shaking. I guess it was cold but I was in a bunch or baggy clothing so I wouldn’t really know. Andrew on the other hand wasn’t used to the kind of clothing I normally wear when working out and didn’t appreciate it. Suffice it to say that he was the first one inside when the door opened. To our surprise, we weren’t the only visitors my parents had over. One of my dad’s friends from campus had dropped by. His friend is over the computer help desk and other computerish things. He and Andrew started talking and really hit it off. Then my mom mentioned that Andrew was looking for a job and asked my dad’s friend if he knew anyone on campus that was hiring. He turned and looked at Andrew, (I could have died! This guy could get Andrew the perfect job and here Andrew was in my workout gear with a coordination head band! I was kicking myself, wishing I’d had him dress up like Superman or a successful business man or something more respectable.) Then my dad’s friend turned and as he grabbed a pen and paper said that Andrew should call this guy and talk to him. If he didn’t help, to call this other guy and ask him and if neither of them could help that he would hire Andrew. He handed Andrew the list with the names and numbers and told him to try the next morning. As we left that night I promised myself that we’d never use that idea for a Halloween costume again. The next morning Andrew called the people on the list, went in to meet with them and got a job by that afternoon. Moral of the story: Trick or treating can get you a job.
