Missing Home?

I miss the snuggles and the cold nose waking me up from afternoon naps. I miss his whining when bored, and his excitement when stimulated. I miss the constant sound of his snoring (yes, even when he was awake). I miss my dog.

My avatar is a picture of Oscar (also called "beast", "dog", and "93-pounder"), whom I've had for about three years now. About four years ago, my home was broken into. It led to horrible feelings of insecurity, so we ended up adopting a twenty-pound dog from our neighborhood shelter. Although I was scared of dogs at the time, he and I soon bonded so closely that I'm not even scared of his now 93-pound self. 

I love this animal, so I chose to make my avatar a picture of him. This particular picture was taken when I returned from a study-break, only to find that he had taken my seat. As he stared up at me intently, probably wondering "when do I get to eat again", I was struck with the sudden urge to snuggle-study, which I soon found greatly decreased productivity, but helped stress levels. 

I don't even remember how I lived without a dog for my whole life, and I keep expecting him to push my hand with his nose, silently pleading for a scratch. I look forward to skyping with him, and to fall break, when I will get a snuggle-fix for the next few months. 

I guess you could say I'm feeling slightly homesick?