how lame am I?

I sort of stole this idea from Leslie, who claimed it was lame. Yet, I found myself oddly amused by this. I google-streeted the house I live in:


View Larger Map

Life during the holidays.

cold

Riding has pretty much not been happening since temps have starting dipping below 20 and right now everything is slush and ice.

One of these days I'll sneak in a ride. It will be mostly easy work, since now we're both getting out of shape. Darn it. I'm ot too concerned though, we'll just start conditioning back up in March. Unless it continues to be arctic temps. Then, Plan B. Move to Florida and ride with Big Name Trainers down there. Now, to find the money to do that. lol.

I'm a comedian.

TV?

And.... the other red-headed step child

Sparkle's first baby - Corinne (Courage Under Fire).
I have to laugh, she's full of piss and vinegar anyway ... I wonder how long it took to catch her after she pranced around in the snow likely chased by plastic bags. She's such a good mover tho ... gets that from her mom.

Growing up ...

It's been quite a while since I've updated anything on Sparkle's babies.

Remember Piper?

(Here she is at 6 hours old, in 2006)


... and here she is this winter, at 2 years old.



***

For Morgan people, her sire is Pot of Gold. We bred Sparkles to him (Sparkle is by HRH Legend Command) specifically to improve Sparkle's neck. Well, I was disappointed that Piper ended up with a worse neck than Sparkle. But other than that, I think she's super gorgeous - despite the fact that she's red with lots of white. :-) She looks so fancy in this photo ... at Triumph Stables .. altho it appears she was probably gingered. Eh Well.

Busted!

Grover, my cat, yesterday ...

decides the toilet looks refreshing to drink out of:



... realizes I have been standing there laughing at him ...



pretends he was not actually drinking out of the toilet. lol!



****

Also snapped a couple of photos of T-Bone the other day at the new farm. I'm very pleased he's keeping weight on this winter (so far!) and has been in good spirits.

Another ploy for money

If you're looking to make a few extra bucks, check out FusionCash. It would be extra awesome if you would click on the banner below and use me as a referral. (I get moo-lah for that). :-) I have no shame.

It's T-Bone!

Yup, this is us. Going around in circles. ;-)

... and an update

Well, it seems as though I do have a hyperthyroid. Not Graves Disease, thankfully. And I have a very mild case, not even enough to be concerned or go on meds. I am to be retested in 6 months. I guess this is good news? Weird thing is, the Doc doesn't think this is what is causing my bulging eye. Um, so what is?

Health.

Well, seems as tho my money situation has gotten MUCH better over the past month. Moving T-Bone, selling stuff, removing all funds from a 401K from my old job (dumb, I know, but I needed it), and a new roommate have all given me much relief. However, now my health is going down the shitter. Figures.

I was at the ER for four hours Friday for serious back pain, panic, nausea, etc. Diagnosed with a kidney infection, sent home with antibiotics. Most everything has gotten better except the feeling that someone is strangling me. I often feel like my throat is closing up, and it gives me a feeling of gagging and panic. Not fun. So, I visited my regular Doc who ran more tests. She noticed that one of my eyes bulges out more than the other. This is a classic symptom of Graves Disease (a form of hyperthyroidism). Still waiting on those results ... This while still dealing with acid reflux and stomach issues resulting from antibiotics. Sure would be nice to be somewhat healthy by Thanksgiving. Right now, I barely have an appetite and have lost 10 pounds in about a month.

T-Bone has not really been ridden lately, mostly because I have been to weak and sick to go out there. And also because it's cold. But he seems to be doing fine. I really need to switch out his sheet for his heavy winter blanket soon. He also needs his feet trimmed. Man, I'm slacking.

Oh, and I'm on the hunt for a new dressage saddle. Again. I sold my last one, a County Warmblood, because I needed to pay rent. I didn't really like the saddle anyway. I'm looking at a nice Wintec Isabelle. I tried the Bates Isabelle before, and hated it, but have heard good things about the Wintec. It's less expensive, less maintainence and would make a nice trail saddle, too. I wouldn't have to worry about damaging it. I likely won't show in it, but would if it came down to that. So, we'll see. I'm tired of riding in my old huntseat saddle already. It does not fit T-Bone and slides all over his back. Sucks.

Peace.

History continued ...

You know, I have no problem with Republicans. On some issues, I'm right on the fence between parties. But I have to say, some of the statements made by McCain/anyone-but-Obama supporters make my jaw drop. I've made a collection of some of the comments that I found most interesting (aka retarded) - I gathered these up from message boards from various newspaper sites. The ignorance of some people just astounds me. (disclaimed: by no means do I mean ALL Republicans are like this, these are just extremes) These are not edited. I left in spelling and grammar mistakes.

Yesterday, the people of this country turned their back on God. Do not be surprised when he does the same to us.

The votes must be recounted in Indiana. We cannot let history record that Indiana supported Obama, or any other Democrat for president. It is not RIGHT!

NO, NO, NO! Indiana is RED State. Something went wrong. I am sure that once an investigation has been launched they will find that it was some kind of illegal liberal plot that stole this election from Indiana.

.... sorry, catching my breath from laughing so hard ....

Congratulations to Mr. Obama, president of the Soviet States of America.

It was Liberty Vs. Communism and Communism won.

Obana will try to completely disarm american citizens, to allow crime to run rampant. What a dirt bag!

Well, now we know that next year its no longer the White house, its the Black house

WTF.!?!? Is anyone else stunned at what people write?

Now that we have a Muslim president, we will be persecuted for our Christian faith.


... I think that's enough.

History was made

I NEVER thought Indiana would be a blue state. Perhaps the people of Indiana are starting to open their minds and their eyes? Or perhaps the voter population is just younger now, I don't know. I'm speechless. NOW we can move forward.



And I was most grateful to be part of one of the most historic events of my lifetime last night.

Who wrote this headline?

This is just ... hilarious. A read headline, referring to golf. Someone obviously didn't read it THAT close. oooops. (this did NOT appear in my paper, by the way)

Good news, finally!

Saturday I am moving T-Bone to a new farm where he will be living in the exact same conditions (pasture board) and I will be saving $200+ a month on costs. Yipee! The only downside is the new place does not have an indoor, but that's manageable. It just means a few less riding days in the winter. I will take photos when he gets there, as there are a couple of mini's there that are actually dwarves. They are SO cute ... a trio of Donkeys also live there. They are also way too cute. The idea that I now will no longer be selling my clothes in order to eat takes a HUGE weight off my back, and my horse will be no worse for wear.

Be aware in October

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Yes, I'm a little late with this post but too bad. It's important and awareness should be year-round. Do you or anyone you know have the following thoughts:
• feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
• avoid certain topics out of fear of angering your partner?
• feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
• believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
• wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
• feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner or the partner of someone you know:
• humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
• treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
• ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
• blame you for his own abusive behavior?
• see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Learn to recognize some signs of someone who is being abused:
• Frequent injuries, with the excuse of “accidents”
• Frequent and sudden absences from work or school
• Frequent, harassing phone calls from the partner
• Fear of the partner, references to the partner's anger
• Personality changes (e.g. an outgoing woman becomes withdrawn)
• Excessive fear of conflict
• Submissive behavior, lack of assertiveness
• Isolation from friends and family
• Insufficient resources to live (money, credit cards, car)
• Depression, crying, low self-esteem

Please help a friend and yourself. Report it.

Awwww ....

Finally the wedding photos are up. Some really good ones. Makes me sort of want to try my hand at photography, instead of just doing it as a hobby. I wish I could learn how to use my digital camera (a Nikon D50) which is so out of my league I really have no business owning one. But it's awesome, and it takes great photos despite my ignorance. But just imagine if I really knew how to use it. I know I have a good eye for photos, but executing my ideas is sometimes beyond my skill level. If I wasn't broke, I would take classes at Purdue or somewhere along those lines.

Trying not to face my financial woes

I really REALLY want to see this band in March ... in Hampton, VA, ... I didn't get tickets in the lottery so now I have to battle ticketmaster. Dammit. And to top it off the venue only holds 13,000 people. *sigh* ... Not that I can really afford tickets right now, lol, but you know, priorities. In other news, I'm still poor and really don't know how much longer I can continue to live pay check by paycheck - barely scraping by and overdrafting my account every week. I have sold pretty much everything I can sell, including my playstation yesterday. At some point I won't have anything else to sell, and I'll be up shit's creek without a paddle. I can't use my credit card anymore because I am unable to make the $500 minimum payment. My car insurance is due, $300+. Board will be due soon, and I have to pay rent tomorrow. Both $400+. I mean, seriously, something has to give.

Big ponies.

Out and about town last week and spotted this cute pair waiting by a church for the bride and groom to come out.

Bathtub gin, baby

Phish is reunited. I must go to the first Hampton show in March. Tickets go on sale Oct. 18. Guess I'll be stuck by a computer that day until I land tickets.

Do you ever get the feeling that some people are falsehearted? For instance, 99% of the time they act like you don't exist ... until they want something, then they act like you are their favorite person. I feel the type of people who do this are insincere, and frankly, liars. It's deceitful .. and hurtful. *sigh* And I tend to trust my gut when I sense it's happening to me.

I don't know.

“So if I'm inside your head, don't believe what you might have read, you'll see what I might have said, to hear it. Come waste your time with me.”

Beet

http://morganhorses.newsbeet.com/

Trying out something .... Morgan Horse beet

New fav time-waster

Inked up!

Here's my ink:

Dream big

A couple of things.

• I got a tattoo last week. I LOVE IT!!!! I'm going to try and get a pic sometime, but it's on my lower back and that is really difficult to snap a picture of that. Right now, it's itching like crazy. I'm trying to hard not to scratch it, but damn, it itches.

• T-Bone's tooth is MUCH MUCH better (big sigh of relief). He's finishing up some antibiotics, but he's been off bute for a few days now. I may ride him this week. We'll see.

• On Saturday I took a tumble from the tube and broke my front tooth off. Annnnnd so I need another crown. Funny thing is that when I fell off the tube, I went to the grocery store, bought some temp glue, put my tooth back on and got right back on the water. Haha. Thankfully now I have a temp tooth on and it still looks weird, but not as weird as walking around with half a tooth. Yikes.

• I'm still broke. (Just in case anyone was wondering!!)

• I can't stop listening to Umphrey's McGee.

... I'm in general feeling much better than I have been the past month or so. Even still, I have this weird sense of impending doom. Like something bad is going to happen. ... Not sure what that is about. Eh.

• I have started to develop more goals for my future ... change is needed. Yes?

Speaking of

Speaking of clicking on my ad sponsors (please?) I noticed that it was an ad for tooth extraction.

Classy.

Money.

< ---- Please click on my ad sponsors. This could earn me money, which I really need.

I am already struggling with paying bills and now have lost another $200 in fines to the bank for overdraft fees. On top of that, T-Bone got his tooth pulled. And now it's infected. More vet bills. *sigh* He likely won't sell now, and I cannot afford to keep him. Looks like I'll be living off my credit card for another two weeks.

....

but, you know, I can't keep stressing out about this. It's only made me feel miserable. So screw it.

"If you get confused, listen to the music play.”

Ink.

I'm getting a tattoo today.

Temporary roommate

This was waiting at my front door when I went to get the mail Friday. The boy let it in the house and it has been there ever since. *sigh* It's a female ... name-less, still, altho I have been calling her Peanut and Pipsqueak. She's cute, but is a terror to the other 3 older cats in the house.

(Here's a view from Grover's best side ...)



... anyone want a nice kitty?

oh yeah almost forgot

We tried to take the waverunner out on Memorial Day (I get to keep the thing for a few weeks) but it wouldn't start. So instead we got a bottle of tequila and got drunk. ... and forgot that the waverunner didn't work. Good times. And it's fixed now.

... here's the boy ... on his way to tequila heaven ...

Sista & new brotha

... here's a link to the wedding video.

Birthday and wedding

Saturday my little sister gets married at this place:



Saturday is also my birthday. I turn 29. *gulp*

So I shall return next week with photos.

How would you look in 1966?

FINALLY! Good news from the dentist.

My tooth issue was caused by traumatic occlusion - which sounds worse than it is. Baiscally, my bite has been off and because I grind my teeth at night - the one particular tooth got the brunt of the force and got very bruised, as did the root and the bone. Ouch! So my bite was adjusted, and as the day has gone on - the pain is slowly fading away. I can even chew now! That is great news and I was astounded that such a simple procedure could cure such horrible pain. :-)

***

And in other news ... I gots none. Except that I found a nifty Web site: YearBook yourself where you upload a photo and it creates yearbook photos of how you would have looked in certain years. Here were some of my best:

1952:


1964: (I think I look just like my mother here ...)


1966:


1990:


1996: (I think I may have actually had this hair style in 1996 ... yikes)


2000:


****

Yes, folks, that is what happens when you have no life.

Now it's me with the tooth issue (again)

I've got another tooth causing me major problems. Going in tomorrow morning to see what's up. It's far too painful to be just a cavity .. so ... lets hope I don't have to have it pulled. I can't have a swollen face for my sister's wedding on Saturday. Perfect timing! Ugh. And just another several hundred bucks added to my debt. *sigh* Great.

My two cents on Brentina's test

I feel bad for Debbie, who was obviously disappointed after her ride yesterday. And I am happy to hear that Brentina checked out sound and healthy, according to reports from dressagedaily.com. So, I've been reading all sorts of posts on why the horse was not herself. People have come up with every explanation - from the mare is lame, so maybe she had back spasms, to the heat, to her breathing problems. Maaaaaybe ... it's because she is a horse, not a machine. What happened to Debbie and Brentina happens to me (and MANY other riders) every single time we enter the ring. They are horses, sometimes they have off days. Just like humans. Lets stop overanalyzing poor Debbie and Brentina and cheer on the show jumpers. Geez.

Olympic addiction & more

Let me start off by saying I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!
I am addicted, and check the internet 500 million times a day for updates. Thank goodness I work in a newsroom - because the TV is on all day, with Olympics. Sweet! Tonight, the second group of dressage riders will be on. Including two Americans, and the favorites Anky and Isabelle. It will be nothing short of spectacular, I am sure.

**

T-Bone's tooth is still not fixed. He needs to go to the clinic for Xrays and to have his tooth removed. And since I have no trailer, I am at the mercy of other people to take him for me. *sigh*

**

I am moved into a house now, and it's pretty nice. I've lived in apartments ever since ... err, well since college so the space is awesome. Grover, my cat, is especially thrilled because he has much more space now, and 3 other cats to harass. He gets along with other cats wonderfully ... thank God. I was worried he might fight since he was neutered so late in life, but he's as passive as they get. Need more roommates tho, and then rent will be super cheap. Word.

**

So I checked out my old place of employment's Web site, the Journal Review, and WHY the heck don't they have the story of a FATAL motorcycle crash on the front page??? What the crap?

... yeah this is all I gots for today's lame blog. Go USA!

Tidbits

The sad news:

Randy Pausch, famous for his "Last Lecture" died today from pancreatic cancer.
Go back to my post on Oct. 22, 2007 for the videos, or just search for The Last Lecture on You Tube.

***

In other news:

• The vet is coming to look at T-Bone's tooth issue tomorrow, bright and early. (8:20 a.m.). She'll decide whether he can be fixed up at the farm, or if he'll have to go into the clinic. I rode him Wednesday and he was in good spirits, and went just fine. Gotta be careful with those Morgans, they are so stoic you often don't know there is a problem until it's nasty.

• Since horse shows are out of the question, I've been going to concerts like a crazy lady lately. Tonight, I'm seeing:



I havn't been to a DMB show since 2004 ... where I was a photographer and was so close to the band I could touch them. (I mostly drooled the entire time). I don't care what music elitists say ... I still have a soft spot for DMB, I can't help it.

In the past month I've also had the pleasure of seeing:



(Tom Petty - an OK concert, but sort of got boring)

and ...



Umphrey's McGee - one of the best shows I have seen. Ever. Amazing. Check them out.

Still yet to come: Jimmy Buffet. And what happens at Buffet, stays at Buffet. Word.

***

Um, still working other things out. Money is still so tight, but I'm trying.

More dental issues - this time, the horse.

I am not selling T-Bone.

Unfortunately, the amount of debt I am in now is almost comical to me. If I don't laugh, I just might fall into utter despair.
And it's about to get worse.

Seems as though the horse has a tooth that is growing into his gum, appears to have abcessed and is the likely culprit of chronic low-grade fevers that have resulted in T-Bone developing lines and tenderness in his front feet - possibly laminitis. This could also be the reason he lost weight over the winter. Best case scenerio? It's just an abcessed tooth. It gets pulled, heals and all is good. There may be a growth or some other issue, tho, which would require me sending him to Purdue. Yup. Oh goody.

I feel terrible, altho the horse has not been lame in his front feet EVER - the only lameness i have experienced with him is because of a possibly OCD lesion in his stifle. He has been eating and acting normal - never gave me signs of a fever, or any mouth pain. But, at least it's caught and hopefully I can find the money to get him fixed before it causes more problems. But he obviously won't be sell-able for a while.

So at this point I am at a loss of what to do other than to just pinch pennies as best I can.

I guess I could always be a prostitute. har har.

Changes

So I'm making some changes in my life in order to save money so that I can quit living paycheck to paycheck, and perhaps someday buy a house. Some of these changes I really don't want to make, but in the end things will be ok. I need to pay off some debt, including a big amount of money I owe to the dentist who has caused me nothing but pain and misery. No, I'm not whoring myself out on the corner, or taking up a job stripping. But I am moving, and also possibly selling the horse. I know, it sucks. But I can't afford to have him at this point. I have given it much thought, and I think I need to just not own a horse right now. I will still be able to ride on a daily basis, and even show, so horses will still be a big part of my life - I just won't have to cough up an entire paycheck each month to pay for one. I want to be able to save money for things like vacations, groceries, gas, truck payments, etc. And if I do sell the horse, I'll make sure he goes to a good home.

And in good news, a new boy in my life has made things a little easier to handle. He's great. Stellar. And that's all I'll say for now.

Later, gators.

Compare and contrast

Sometimes when I feel like I'm not getting anywhere with my horse, I go back and look at where we were 2 or three years ago. Examples:

2005's walk


Spring 2008's walk


2005's trot




2006's trot


Spring 2008's trot (only photo I've got)


2006's canter




Spring 2008's canter


Obviously, T-Bone's lost some weight, gained some muscle and has started to really accept contact honestly. I ditched the hilljack huntseat garb, got my legs (mostly) underneath me and learned to sit down.
Here's to another 3 years!

Holy crap she's updating

So the horse show from last weekend went really well. T-Bone was more relaxed at the show than he has been for the past 3 months. Our tests had low scores - mostly all of my mistakes. In the First Level test I rode my 15 meter circles about 25 meters. lol. oops. It was mostly things like that. Of course, several people told me that the judges are nortorious for giving low marks, but I don't know if they were just saying that to make me feel better (or make themselves feel better). Who knows. In any case, we were 1 percentage point away from a qualifying score. Ugh. I guess that's sort of good tho, means if I can do geometry next time, maybe the score will go up. Regardless, I was so proud that T-Bone was no only well behaved, but RELAXED. Next show is this weekend up at Lamplight. I can't wait to show there.

... and now a few photos from last weekend:

Show talk

So May 17 is our first show of the season. Harmony in the Park - conducted at the Hoosier Horse Park. We're doing Training Level Test 4 and we are "winging" First 4. I'm actually way less nervous about the first level test after Saturday's lesson. The only part that's going to really get us is the trot lengthening. Rawr. T-Bone just doesn't have the strength yet for the "umph" - altho he does lengthen his stride, it won't be comparable to the warmbloods who can really propel. It's improving tho, and good thing is that the canter lengthening is no problem at all. So, I figure as long as we're really tight on the other movements, we can make up for the low numbers on the trot lengthening.

After Harmony, I'm really excited about the possibility of showing at Lamplight. We'll be showing against the big guns there, but I've never been there before and hear it's beautiful. That's the only reason I really want to go. Have to come up with some funds tho, money has been tight. And that sucks.

After that it looks like Paxton, (in Ohio) and another show in Indiana before Regionals (if we qualify).

T-Bone has been awesome lately. I need to take pics of him in his body-clipped state.

That's all I gots for now.

Ugly and hairy kids

I want to thank my very wise friend, John, for posting such awesome links on his blog. Such as the link to the Found Magazine Web site where I came across this hilarious letter.





Good times.

Friday night partying

How I spend my Friday nights.




... :-) I can't get enough of that cartoon.