I'm sitting here staring at my Lit paper, trying to figure out how to pad it with another two or three hundred words or so, and listening to some tunes (of the young blood variety, hip-hop & R&B... hey, even hick girls are allowed to appreciate a good beat! :P ) and thinking about anything but what I should be thinking about.
Which, by the way, is the use of dramatic emphasis to create an atmosphere for the reader in two of the cracked-out stories that we're allowed to take from... and my paper is supposed to be longer than one of the stories I'm using is.
Oh, and I'm kicked back with the laptop and a beer, feet up on my desk and all comfy.
Sometimes I love being over twenty one...
There's a nice slow rain outside, with just a small breeze... which, once I turned the music down and realized it was raining, caused me to slip into some tenny runners and bolt outside to roll the windows on my car up... Got some funny looks from the moms-with-tots contingent of the complex, apparently they all decided to take the kiddies out to enjoy the rain under the picnic pagoda thingy, and I didn't bother to throw a t-shirt on over my sports bra and "athletic pants."
Well... I'm more covered than I would be in a swimsuit and I've seen them sunbathing on the lawns, so I don't really care what they think.
But, it's all good. I've got comfy seating, blogs to browse, future posts to ponder on, and things to keep my mind occupied.
All in all... it's a pretty nice Sunday afternoon....
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
New Desk
I have battled the evil of the convoluted instruction manual, and I have won!
With some help from Farmdad, but the whole instructions part... that was me.
And it even came out looking like the picture on the box at the end!
So, now I have a new desk, the old one is set aside for... storage, and stuff. Later, for to put the laptop on once I have my desktop machine on the "big" desk.
For the moment though, I need to reorganize things, and put my CDs on the shelf of the desk, instead of the little underside end shelf of the coffee table, and things like that.
With some help from Farmdad, but the whole instructions part... that was me.
And it even came out looking like the picture on the box at the end!
So, now I have a new desk, the old one is set aside for... storage, and stuff. Later, for to put the laptop on once I have my desktop machine on the "big" desk.
For the moment though, I need to reorganize things, and put my CDs on the shelf of the desk, instead of the little underside end shelf of the coffee table, and things like that.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Brave Bible Thumpers...
So, I just got the bible thumper visit, I'm not even sure which flavor they were, but I did my best to convince them not to come back.
Don't get me wrong, whatever faith you have, is fantastic, whether you're Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, or some flavor of "pagan" if you have a belief system, I think that's a good thing.
Just don't come knocking on my door trying to convince me that your flavor should be mine too. I have my faith, and I don't try to convince anyone else that it's the "right" one and I don't appreciate it when someone intrudes upon my home simply to rattle on about how their particular set of beliefs is the only right way.
So, step one in the scare-the-bible-thumpers-away plan (I'd heard them across the hall so I knew they were coming already) was to answer the door in my sports bra, jeans around my hips bare feet and lots of skin and my belly button piercing showing. Cracked the door, leaned one arm against the jam and said "yeah?"
Blah blah blah, here to share a Bible thought, yadda yadda, we have this book that tells you what the Bible really says (because the whole world is too stupid to find meaning in a holy text unless it's spelled out to them, and of course their interpretation is better than anyone else's because... well, just ask them!) and we'd like to leave it here for you to read....
"Yeah, sure, I'm almost out of toilet paper anyway..." (this after I've accepted the little book and am fingering the pages thoughtfully, still blocking the doorway so they can't come in.)
"Well, um... I'd like to come back and discuss this with you after you read it... er..... are you usually home on Fridays?" She was stubborn, continuing with her spiel in spite of my attempts to put her off of it.
So, I started shifting my weight and wincing, holding a hand to my latest owwie (which, in case you hadn't guessed, is in what you could call the "nono" spot) which was actually aching and making me uncomfortable.
Mildly shocked looks on their faces so I explained... sort of....
"Oh, sorry, I'm a little sore, a couple of days ago I was... playing..." insert a wicked smile here "with this big boy, thinks he's such a stud... anyway, he gave me quite a pounding and I'm still healing up..... But no, I'm not usually home on Fridays, I'm a college student, you know, things to see, people to do..."
"Erm... well... I guess I'll try when I'm out and hope I catch you?" Her voice had risen in pitch until she was squeaking a little bit, then she kind of trailed off and started to back away from the door, while the man, who had been silent the whole time, stepped in and shook my hand... while staring at my chest and telling me how nice it was to meet me.
"Yeah, fabulous... you know, she's got 'em too, why don't you go stare at hers?"
They retreated.... next time I just won't answer my door.
Don't get me wrong, whatever faith you have, is fantastic, whether you're Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, or some flavor of "pagan" if you have a belief system, I think that's a good thing.
Just don't come knocking on my door trying to convince me that your flavor should be mine too. I have my faith, and I don't try to convince anyone else that it's the "right" one and I don't appreciate it when someone intrudes upon my home simply to rattle on about how their particular set of beliefs is the only right way.
So, step one in the scare-the-bible-thumpers-away plan (I'd heard them across the hall so I knew they were coming already) was to answer the door in my sports bra, jeans around my hips bare feet and lots of skin and my belly button piercing showing. Cracked the door, leaned one arm against the jam and said "yeah?"
Blah blah blah, here to share a Bible thought, yadda yadda, we have this book that tells you what the Bible really says (because the whole world is too stupid to find meaning in a holy text unless it's spelled out to them, and of course their interpretation is better than anyone else's because... well, just ask them!) and we'd like to leave it here for you to read....
"Yeah, sure, I'm almost out of toilet paper anyway..." (this after I've accepted the little book and am fingering the pages thoughtfully, still blocking the doorway so they can't come in.)
"Well, um... I'd like to come back and discuss this with you after you read it... er..... are you usually home on Fridays?" She was stubborn, continuing with her spiel in spite of my attempts to put her off of it.
So, I started shifting my weight and wincing, holding a hand to my latest owwie (which, in case you hadn't guessed, is in what you could call the "nono" spot) which was actually aching and making me uncomfortable.
Mildly shocked looks on their faces so I explained... sort of....
"Oh, sorry, I'm a little sore, a couple of days ago I was... playing..." insert a wicked smile here "with this big boy, thinks he's such a stud... anyway, he gave me quite a pounding and I'm still healing up..... But no, I'm not usually home on Fridays, I'm a college student, you know, things to see, people to do..."
"Erm... well... I guess I'll try when I'm out and hope I catch you?" Her voice had risen in pitch until she was squeaking a little bit, then she kind of trailed off and started to back away from the door, while the man, who had been silent the whole time, stepped in and shook my hand... while staring at my chest and telling me how nice it was to meet me.
"Yeah, fabulous... you know, she's got 'em too, why don't you go stare at hers?"
They retreated.... next time I just won't answer my door.
TGIF
Thank god it's Friday. I only have the one class today, and I'll be going in early for that to work the bay out some and try to get him behaving before actual class.
The name Buck is not working out for him, I tried calling him Buck yesterday, and he stopped dead in his tracks. Called him buddy boy and he was good again.
We stayed in the arena yesterday until my leg started twitching and giving him conflicting signals, and I never did get him lathered. I got him blowing a little, but I was having to hold him to a walk and do figure eights at one end of the arena, because whenever we got close to the end with the gate, he got excited. He kept wanting to speed himself up into a trot and in the interests of me being the boss, I kept him at a walk.
Everyone else went out on the trails yesterday, but the instant everyone gathered at the gate end of the arena and started going out, he started acting up. He'd been better about behaving up until then, I tried a different bit on him yesterday, an o-ring snaffle, and he seems to give to it better than the curb bits I've been using, so I'll keep using it.
Had a couple of hairy moments yesterday, he tried bucking a couple of times, but he only got one jump in at a time and it wasn't very impressive, since the instant I felt him start to jump his reins got a lot shorter. This precipitated the rein wars... he'd hold his head lower and lower until the reins got long enough (so he thought) for him to do what he wanted before I could correct him. Fortunately I've figured out the secret of two handed riding at least in the configuration I use, and can shorten my reins in a hurry now. We also tried to have a runaway a time or two, but his nose got friendly with my boot when he did that. Hard to run at all when your head is bent to the side, and hard to go anywhere but in itty bitty circles when its touching your rider's boot.
Eventually, I'll get him over needing to be plow reined (all the time neck reining, not just when he feels like it) and we'll have enough discussions over things that he'll stop needing every possible cue to turn when we're having our figure-eight sessions. Right now he's being deliberately obtuse unless I give him inside direct rein, outside neck rein, and outside leg. It's been that, or pull his head around until he doesn't have a choice but to turn.
Progress is being made. Every time he tries to back away from me when I try to mount, I simply drive him back, walking by the saddle and backing him with the reins. Every time he tries to wheel we go in a couple of itty bitty circles in the other direction, and then go away from wherever it was he wanted to go. I didn't have as much of a fight with him yesterday as I did the day before, and I won't have as much of one today as I did yesterday. It's all about consistency and patience. He won't be a perfect horse for many years, he's too young and full of energy to be the nice laid back la te dah do whatever horse, but he can, and will, behave better than he has been.
On his back feet, Marylin and the kid that does the trimming up here were discussing giving him a mild tranquilizer. I'm fine with that, we need to get those back feet trimmed or they're going to cause problems, and its going to take a while before he'll relax enough about his back feet even with hosing them down to let someone handle them long enough to get the shoes off and trim. It's the lesser of two evils, really, and better for the bay if we can get him trimmed up.
Talked a classmate into cleaning my stall for me... indefinitely... because she spent all summer cleaning stalls and she's bored with just doing one or two. The price? Keep a cooler of water stocked in my car for at the barn. I can do that. I was thinking about doing that anyway. All I need is a cooler... and I have one of those at home its just getting the time and motivation to go get it, instead of buying a new one. Oh and I need to buy the water, obviously. I'll hit Wally World today, they've usually got some pretty good deals on bottled water.
I'm tired. Most of it is working with the owwies, part of it is the constant battle with the bay, and part of it is, its the first week that we're having real barn classes and I'm not adjusted to it yet. Last week we had classes but they never went the full time, and I didn't have to argue with the bay all the time. I'll get used to it eventually.
The name Buck is not working out for him, I tried calling him Buck yesterday, and he stopped dead in his tracks. Called him buddy boy and he was good again.
We stayed in the arena yesterday until my leg started twitching and giving him conflicting signals, and I never did get him lathered. I got him blowing a little, but I was having to hold him to a walk and do figure eights at one end of the arena, because whenever we got close to the end with the gate, he got excited. He kept wanting to speed himself up into a trot and in the interests of me being the boss, I kept him at a walk.
Everyone else went out on the trails yesterday, but the instant everyone gathered at the gate end of the arena and started going out, he started acting up. He'd been better about behaving up until then, I tried a different bit on him yesterday, an o-ring snaffle, and he seems to give to it better than the curb bits I've been using, so I'll keep using it.
Had a couple of hairy moments yesterday, he tried bucking a couple of times, but he only got one jump in at a time and it wasn't very impressive, since the instant I felt him start to jump his reins got a lot shorter. This precipitated the rein wars... he'd hold his head lower and lower until the reins got long enough (so he thought) for him to do what he wanted before I could correct him. Fortunately I've figured out the secret of two handed riding at least in the configuration I use, and can shorten my reins in a hurry now. We also tried to have a runaway a time or two, but his nose got friendly with my boot when he did that. Hard to run at all when your head is bent to the side, and hard to go anywhere but in itty bitty circles when its touching your rider's boot.
Eventually, I'll get him over needing to be plow reined (all the time neck reining, not just when he feels like it) and we'll have enough discussions over things that he'll stop needing every possible cue to turn when we're having our figure-eight sessions. Right now he's being deliberately obtuse unless I give him inside direct rein, outside neck rein, and outside leg. It's been that, or pull his head around until he doesn't have a choice but to turn.
Progress is being made. Every time he tries to back away from me when I try to mount, I simply drive him back, walking by the saddle and backing him with the reins. Every time he tries to wheel we go in a couple of itty bitty circles in the other direction, and then go away from wherever it was he wanted to go. I didn't have as much of a fight with him yesterday as I did the day before, and I won't have as much of one today as I did yesterday. It's all about consistency and patience. He won't be a perfect horse for many years, he's too young and full of energy to be the nice laid back la te dah do whatever horse, but he can, and will, behave better than he has been.
On his back feet, Marylin and the kid that does the trimming up here were discussing giving him a mild tranquilizer. I'm fine with that, we need to get those back feet trimmed or they're going to cause problems, and its going to take a while before he'll relax enough about his back feet even with hosing them down to let someone handle them long enough to get the shoes off and trim. It's the lesser of two evils, really, and better for the bay if we can get him trimmed up.
Talked a classmate into cleaning my stall for me... indefinitely... because she spent all summer cleaning stalls and she's bored with just doing one or two. The price? Keep a cooler of water stocked in my car for at the barn. I can do that. I was thinking about doing that anyway. All I need is a cooler... and I have one of those at home its just getting the time and motivation to go get it, instead of buying a new one. Oh and I need to buy the water, obviously. I'll hit Wally World today, they've usually got some pretty good deals on bottled water.
I'm tired. Most of it is working with the owwies, part of it is the constant battle with the bay, and part of it is, its the first week that we're having real barn classes and I'm not adjusted to it yet. Last week we had classes but they never went the full time, and I didn't have to argue with the bay all the time. I'll get used to it eventually.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The price we pay
So Since I've been whining about my injuries lately, I thought I'd share a couple of pictures with ya'll. These are of the scrape and bruise on my left knee (yes, I know, I have knobby knees, and my legs are white enough to use as a backdrop for a projector :P ) the first one shows the color of the bruising better, the second one shows the extent better.
This is actually the least painful of my injuries, and the only one in a place that I'd post pictures of, lol. Anyway, the bruising on the latest injury looks like it may outstrip this one, which is pretty impressive, since I'm already getting the yellows and greens on this one, even though it doesn't show well on the pics.
Yes, I'm weird, I'm proud of my bruises, hehehe.
Just a note, I had to twist into some weird positions to get these, which proved to be good to stretch out the stiffness in my thigh from yesterday's kick, bonus!
This is actually the least painful of my injuries, and the only one in a place that I'd post pictures of, lol. Anyway, the bruising on the latest injury looks like it may outstrip this one, which is pretty impressive, since I'm already getting the yellows and greens on this one, even though it doesn't show well on the pics.
Yes, I'm weird, I'm proud of my bruises, hehehe.
Just a note, I had to twist into some weird positions to get these, which proved to be good to stretch out the stiffness in my thigh from yesterday's kick, bonus!
Ugh
There's nothing in the world like a nice deep tissue bruise in the crease of your leg to help motivate you to develop that slovenly college student look in your apartment...
Thankfully, the stabbing pain in the area that was cut has abated... I'm delaying pulling the gauze pad and tape off to re-dress it as long as I can cause I know that's not gonna be fun.
My right thigh right by the crease of my leg has some interesting colors in it, I don't believe I've had a bruise in those shades since I had to ditch dive and landed on my radio out on the road. Thankfully its in a spot where no one is going to see it to ask what the heck happened.
Really not looking forward to riding today, but it's gotta be done. I think I'm gonna go out early, like right after my Lit class, and claim one of the round pens at the back to run him in, work off some of that energy before we have twelve other horses and riders around to distract him. I'll work him till he's hot, then cool him out and let him rest a little before class.
I also need to start spraying down his back legs with the hose until he gets over the whole kicking thing, because he wouldn't let the kid that was doing the trimming handle his back feet yesterday, so he's still got shoes back there and they're still long. Got the front feet trimmed, and they look much better, though.
He's always been a little touchy about his back feet, but like so much else that's been going wrong with him lately, I think a big chunk of it is the new place, and all the activity and new people that are going on around him.
In other news, I think he harbors secret dreams of being a roping horse, they were practicing roping yesterday while we had class and he kept wanting to go over to the fence and watch.
Thankfully, the stabbing pain in the area that was cut has abated... I'm delaying pulling the gauze pad and tape off to re-dress it as long as I can cause I know that's not gonna be fun.
My right thigh right by the crease of my leg has some interesting colors in it, I don't believe I've had a bruise in those shades since I had to ditch dive and landed on my radio out on the road. Thankfully its in a spot where no one is going to see it to ask what the heck happened.
Really not looking forward to riding today, but it's gotta be done. I think I'm gonna go out early, like right after my Lit class, and claim one of the round pens at the back to run him in, work off some of that energy before we have twelve other horses and riders around to distract him. I'll work him till he's hot, then cool him out and let him rest a little before class.
I also need to start spraying down his back legs with the hose until he gets over the whole kicking thing, because he wouldn't let the kid that was doing the trimming handle his back feet yesterday, so he's still got shoes back there and they're still long. Got the front feet trimmed, and they look much better, though.
He's always been a little touchy about his back feet, but like so much else that's been going wrong with him lately, I think a big chunk of it is the new place, and all the activity and new people that are going on around him.
In other news, I think he harbors secret dreams of being a roping horse, they were practicing roping yesterday while we had class and he kept wanting to go over to the fence and watch.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The hits just keep on coming...
I have got to figure out that this isn't home and just because I've become comfortable with the routine doesn't mean that the bay has.
Got kicked, today, a nice shot right to the crotch-ish area. Got a cut on top of my pelvic bone (the one in front, hell if I know what it's called) and some fabulous bruising coming up already in the crease of my right leg.
I forgot how long that sucker's legs are... from now on we ride in the round pen.
I want to beat my head on the desk, the wall, you know, whatever is handy. 'Cause frankly, I share the blame in everything that has happened to me.
But, I'll get through this stage, I've gotten through everything else life has thrown at me, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna give up on the one thing that I've done purely for myself in many years, just because I got a little banged up.
Determination is not sitting comfy on your couch and firmly resolving to do something... tomorrow. Determination is getting the crap kicked out of you and going on, because that's just what you do.
In the immortal words of T, I'll man up, rub some dirt on it, and go on.
I am, however, seriously considering naming the bay "Buck" short for "Sumbuck" because I can say that at the barn. Since we're not supposed to cuss, "you sonofa...." is out......
Got kicked, today, a nice shot right to the crotch-ish area. Got a cut on top of my pelvic bone (the one in front, hell if I know what it's called) and some fabulous bruising coming up already in the crease of my right leg.
I forgot how long that sucker's legs are... from now on we ride in the round pen.
I want to beat my head on the desk, the wall, you know, whatever is handy. 'Cause frankly, I share the blame in everything that has happened to me.
But, I'll get through this stage, I've gotten through everything else life has thrown at me, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna give up on the one thing that I've done purely for myself in many years, just because I got a little banged up.
Determination is not sitting comfy on your couch and firmly resolving to do something... tomorrow. Determination is getting the crap kicked out of you and going on, because that's just what you do.
In the immortal words of T, I'll man up, rub some dirt on it, and go on.
I am, however, seriously considering naming the bay "Buck" short for "Sumbuck" because I can say that at the barn. Since we're not supposed to cuss, "you sonofa...." is out......
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
