Rock um' Sock um'

Stupid horse.

Fire rocked me in the head on Sunday after I got done working with him. He was screwing around bopping his head all over and pushing me, so I turned around to straighten him out and *WHAM*
right in the kisser!!! He knocked me pretty hard and the bruise is even bigger than in this pic that was taken Monday. But he's a baby... and you expect bumps along the way.

What takes the cake is that I went out again yesterday and, though everything was wonderful with Fire, I had a mishap when trying to turn out another horse. I was doing someone a favor and turning out another young horse, when this other girl asked if another horse could go out with the one I was turning out (they often do), so I waited and we walked both young MARES (we all know how I feel about mares) into the ring to let them out to play. Knowing how young horses are, I slipped the lead off slowly and hung onto her halter, waiting to let go at the same time and walk away.


Not so.

The other girl let go and the flung her hands in the air so spook the horses away. The horse I was turning out freaked out, promptly turned about face, and kicked me right in the leg. Not in my 16 years of riding have I EVER been kicked by a horse (other than a few yearlings) and I've even worked with a team of stallions. I was startled and not a happy camper. The girl got an earful and I got a bruise.

Figures.

Maybe better luck next time?

A timeout for shoes

because the weather is switching, and my favorite black short boots are splitting in the sole, I thought I would post a great site with great deals.
6pm.com
its the outlet for Zappos.com. And since Zappos is already cheap, if you can find something you like, then 6pm is great too. They don't have shoes, and just like Zappos have an array of accessories.
If I find a replacement I'll be sure to post them up, but I'm sure they won't be too interesting. Its all about function, a cute pointy toe and a nice heel.

Guilty until proven innocent?

below you will find portions of a conversation I had tonight with someone that I knew from my undergraduate career at U of I. Background: He told me that he's a police officer in Chicago and that they are paying for him to go to Law School at a law school in Chicago. This struck up an entire conversation about the law and how now he can bypass things and word things in a way that won't get his people he arrests dismissed because he knows they are guilty. I'm going to copy and past some sections below:

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[redacted]: yeah.... I hate when my felony dope cases get thrown out...so now that I'm learing more... I'll word my reports so that I get everything approved....that may sound bad, but I know the people I arrest are guilty... so I'm putting things in my favor

Paige: I dunno... I've worked for the PD ... and though I've seen a good amount of guys that were obviously guilty, I've seen enough too that arent, or ones that deserve a sentence, but not the book thrown at them

[redacted]: I work in the ghetto and everyone is guilty

Paige: so there are no innocent bystanders that are just in the wrong place

[redacted]: if you are up at 4 in the morning on a sunday you are dirty, no, we have a saying in the ghetto: today's victim is tomorrow's offender

Paige: I'm up at 4am on a sunday... I'm a law student, and I could be downtown Chicago

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Paige: one of my good friends showed up at my door after he chased the principle with a baseball bat. He didn't hit him or get near him. He was punished for it, but now has gone to college and works as a manager at the mall and has a family. Not something you would have allotted him with what you're saying to me.

[redacted]: you know that I could have shot and killed him just for a baseball bat

Paige:... should he be punished for what he did... sure; should he have no chance to further himself ever because of a mistake he made as an adolescent?I don't believe so

[redacted]: and punishment for trying to harm a life is taking his

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Paige: my guy in the car that saw the guys head get beaten off his shoulders... he's going in for murder. He was there, so thats where he goes. But do I believe that because he sat there in awe as another man, unplanned, pulled a bat out from a hidden compartment and bludgeoned another guy... he shouldn't get the same sentence as the guy who planned the murder, and who physically executed it.

[redacted]: sure he should, he was an accesorry (sic) to murder

Paige: he'll get a murder sentence for it, but he shouldn't get what the guy gets for beating this kids head in and setting him up for 1500

[redacted]: never think that these shit heads just happened to be there. Put it this way: you're getting him for something he's done that he never got convicted for [he is trying to say: this man has already committed murder and he has just gotten away with it before]

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Paige: you're saying my friend deserved to die? [the kid in the high school who chased the principal with the bat]

[redacted]: yes, he deserves what could happen to the victim, plain and simple

Paige: I don't subscribe to an eye for an eye, and neither does justice.

Paige: Im not put here to take lives, thats not the job prescribed to an attorney

[redacted]: it's called justice. then you should get out of law

Paige: justice is blind, by your answers its obvious that you're not

[redacted]: I can't be...because If i'm blind, innocents die, and for what? to preserve a democracy that's falling apart

Paige: take a min and take a look at what the symbol of law is, you look at that blind lady with the scales and remember what we are asked to uphold when we take that oath when entering law school.

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[redacted]: I know not "all" people are guilty but the majority is; everyone that I stop on the street at 3 am on a sunday is guilty. people sleep under a blanket of freedom I provide and then question the manner in which i provide it

Paige: I don't need someone who thinks that all people are guilty. I would suggest that an attitude like that is a hindrance.I think having beliefs like the ones you are sharing with me is a detriment to what is attempting to be upheld by the courts

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Believe me, the conversation was MUCH longer than this. I guess, its just one of the most disheartening conversations I've had since entering law school. I feel like when I entered law school I did it under the guise that what I stood and said when I took that oath the first day meant something, and was something to stand by. That people who are attorneys do so to properly uphold the law, to help mold it to further benefit the masses. I just got to the point where I couldn't even finish the conversation with [redacted]. By no means do I think anything is perfect. By no means do I think that every innocent person gets off and every guilty person gets what they deserve, and that people don't make mistakes when they are the attorney... but to hear someone set things up this way. To hear someone assume that everyone is guilty off the bat (among other things) was just... difficult.

I would appreciate comments on this conversation, and what people think about the law, attorneys, and what being an attorney means. Comment section is located just below this.

Merry Christmas to me

(NOW WITH BEFORE AND AFTER STAIN)
For Christmas I told my parents that I wanted a valet tack trunk to help keep the salvageable stuff I still have left from riding before. I found a guy that said he would do it within the price that I needed it. I was so excited and talked him through everything for over a month. Then the guy fell off of the earth. He wasn't getting back to me... nothing. Finally, in the middle of January, he got back to me (after I hunted him down with another email address) and told me that he couldn't do it because what he quoted me for it wasn't enough money. I was completely bummed and then needed to find someone to make me a tack trunk, now that I had my heart set on it.

Enter.... etsy.com and the alchemy request. I posted about wanting a valet style trunk and had a response from someone I had already worked with. This great Woman that lives within driving distance from me and had already made a cat climber for my cats responded and said she could make the trunk within my price.

I was back on the way to getting a valet trunk! Better late than never. So above it the trunk photo she sent me showing me how far she is with it. All she's got to do is stain it, put in all the hardware, put the top portion on it (the top of the trunk is going to have an area to keep little things like hoof picks, tests, gloves and spurs.) She said it should take her about another week to get it done. YES!!! Now I just have to make room for it here in the ever shrining sardine can of an apartment, and then go get all my tack and some heavy duty cleaner to clean and soften up all the leather that I haven't touched in wayyyy too long. Still excited though :)

What am I THIINGING!?!?

This is the horse I'm looking at now. He's 17+ hands and a 10 year old Swedish Warmblood.
Am I insane? Any insight would be great here.
Here's what I've got about him
- he is in California
- he's vetted clean
- I don't have a video yet
- he only knows basic flat work, no lateral movements
- hes got good feet and legs and is barefoot now
- hes got a roached back (the opposite of swayback), but I've been told the vet said it does not effect him.
- the "price is right"
- Hes out of an FEI stallion

assistance???

I didn't explode the kitchen!!

I decided to reheat some Chinese food from last night, and in not having any caffeine yet, I just took the box and put it in the microwave. I waited for the 2 minutes for the rice goodness to heat up.
When I went to go pull the food out I realized that the boxes wern't a style I'd ever seen. I've only ever seen the take out boxes that have a handle on top, which these did not, or that are glued together at the side seems... which this wasn't either. Instead, there were two tiny staples on the sides. Eeeekkkk... metal in the microwave! Not a good mix. But for some odd intervention of the microwave Gods... nothing exploded or started sparking in the microwave for the entire two minutes. Those crazy Chinese... they make it so even metal can go in the microwave! I'm in awe... and full of fried rice.

I have never once seen Pepsi with cane sugar. I know it exists, I have heard that Pepsi does a Kosher version as well but I have never seen it. When I was sale hunting at Target... there on an end cap was a big display of Pepsi Natural. Ohh, what is this? I love Pepsi! Which then means I must also love this natural version in the oh so cool bottle as well.

Pepsi Natural (which also seems to have been test marketed as Pepsi Raw in the UK) is an all natural version of Pepsi. It features sparkling water (because merely calling it carbonated is soo 2005) sugar and kola nut extract. It is also colored naturally and of course has that sweet, sweet addictive caffeine.

Blah, blah, blah PR aside what is it like?

The smell is exactly like that of gummy cola flavored candies that you can get at the old confectioneries. Just a little sugary but kind of spicy at the same time. Since I was expecting it to taste something like Pepsi and not like I was drinking bad 40's candies, I wasn't off to a good start. In terms of carbonation it is barely there. There's about the same amount of fizz as there would be if you left a normal Pepsi sitting for about six hours- I'm not a fan of flat soda, so it just wasn't there for me.

Again, I am going back to flat Pepsi, be honest in a moment of desperate thirst (or laziness) we have all taken a sip from that bottle or can that has been sitting around for who knows how long and if you have (don't lie) then you know it seems like the syrup in the drink thickens and the cola flavor both intensifies and goes stale- that's what this taste like. I guess some people would like this taste, and my boyfriend (who, will drink many things I wouldn't touch) thinks it tastes pretty good. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the after taste that I got from it kind of reminded me of a darker beer.


If you would like to try it for yourself and tell me what you think, please do. As far as I know its only in a few select Targets spotted around. But really, I'd love to have another opinion on this.

Off the deep end of the pony pool?

So today I was asked to ride "Leisee". Holy crap... totally beautiful mover, great hock action, pretty cadence, a great package. Well, I think she would be a great package if she wern't a mare and wern't a total and utter bitch of a horse.

She' s seven, but started late. I would say today she tried to get me off, and she almost succeeded! I would ask her to trot forward and as she came to the open portion of the circle I was in she would crowhop and canter and then try to dart quickly in the opposite direction. Oh, and in doing this... bucking and running and diving. GREAT.

I think tomorrow before i head out there I'm going to take a few painkillers, really stretch, and TURN HER OUT and chase the hell out of her for like 20 mins in the ring so hopefully she's not so insane.

oh. And I did have to give up. I hate giving up and handing off a horse, but she was actually pissing me off and I was going to react with anger. At least she also tried to kill Suzette and she said that she's never ever seen her act this bad. What a lucky day for me.

Her mantra is: Outside reign, inside leg... and a lot of FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

A "bit" of work

This is at the beginning of his workout, so he's not completely through... and he's totally obsessed with the bit because it was the first time it was in his mouth.
Hopefully we'll have a new video soon where he'll be clean and be a bit further along. But for now, this is what we've got.

Enter: the Project

And so it starts. Here is my new project. He's dirty, fuzzy, fat and four. His name is Mystic Fire and hes got a great guy personality. So far, he's done little to nothing. Today we added the dreaded saddle pad to our world and his eyes got huge, but once it was on him he didn't mind at all. Lunged well today so I thought I'd push my luck and try to introduce a bit. Yea, didn't go so well. He didn't DO anything bad, I got it into his mouth and had him playing with it for a second, but I never could get it hooked to his halter to actually have him hold it for a time. Once I figured out what was going on his mouth was like a closed trap, it was NOT opening. Maybe tomorrow we'll do a bit better... and have a chance on being at least a little cleaner.

I also need to figure out the gate to the barn. Its two big free swinging gates together with a chain. Not so bad... unless its crazy winds like last night. I kept tossing one door way far and hard and then tried to get the second door before the first one was out of reach again. It took WAY too long to actually get it to work. There has GOT to be a secret to it. (why there is no pull rope on it is beyond me)

How was it?

so... it is edible. Its got good heat and a good consistency. BUT its got some WEIRD spice taste to it. Joe hit it on eh head and said its like some sweet spice thats used in pumpkin pie. I can totally taste it too... but I think it came from the packet of Chili spice that I bought.

I'll make one more batch with what I have left and see what comes of that. Its the perfect weather for this too... totally crappy rainy and poor Joe has a cold :(

Really??? Just Toss it all in huh?

So today I talked to my parents a total of FIVE times about different things they wanted help on, or questions they had about things.
I ask my Mom, because she makes great Chili, "hey Mom, what do I have to do with these random ingredients that we bought yesterday to make the chili?"
her answer??
"Oh, just brown the meat and then throw it all in the crock pot over night"
REALLY!??! REALLY!?!?!
So, this is my mess of random shit in a crock pot. Tomorrow, when I open said crockpot and it tastes NOTHING like chili (because she was just grabbing random things off the shelves of Inbodens, not a specific mix of what she would usualy get or anything)... I'm going to call her, and then tell her that she is now required to make me chili.
Oh mark my words... this will happen... because something tells me the random crap that I just tossed in there with no measurement is not going to equal tasty.


Results to be posted tomorrow.

Put your word in-- Should I just quit and be a photographer?

YEA!! HEY YOU!! READING THIS--- MAKE A FRIGGIN' COMMENT!!!!

And its that time in my life again to go on the popcornnnnnn diet. I've gained enough weight to make me completely sick of myself, so now its back to the tried and true air popped popcorn and spray butter and diet pop until I drive myself nuts... and then MAYBE I can have a can of tuna.
Yes yes... I know its not the most complete diet that I could have. I understand that. But the diet that made me look and feel the way I do now for sure isn't much better.
So for one month I do this and work on keeping track of my super secret project, and I'll post updates here for course for you bunnies.

An idea

I'm thinking about taking a picture a day and posting it. How does that sound???
(NOTE: COMMENT BOX AT BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER!!)

This photo isn't from today, so I guess its cheating. This is from yesterday when it was nice and brisk out. I think River can't want until she can get out into a huge open field and run. We can't wait either, her energy is driving us nuts.