Walking

I have started walking again and I love it. For those of you that don't know I was an avid walker/runner years ago. Never fast, mind you - but distance was my thing. I remembered how much enjoyment I got out of walking and decided before I invest money into the Boot Camp thing I will try to walk first. So far I have walked every day and have loved it. I am walking thru neighborhoods I have never been in before. I like doing this because I get to see how everyone takes care of their homes, count the empty ones in foreclosure and get some nifty landscaping ideas all at the same time. So far no dogs have attacked. That's always a plus.

Friday I will be hitting the local yarn shop for another knitting/crochet club night. I will take my personal blanket I started since it's neat and the easy.. I found out yesterday during my 1:1 with my manager (S) that she just started to learn to knit. I was thrilled! She is doing such a great job, too.

I got my lariat in the mail Monday. Tonight is Horse Day - I didn't go yesterday - so I am looking forward to giving it a try. It's stiffer than an ordinary rope so it does take some working in and talent to throw it, but I think it's kind of cool.

There is a slight chance I will be going to Chicago in early May on business. :-)

My cousins and Aunt are planning a trip to England/Ireland sometime. I am thinking about going with them.

Still no list from the Pen Friends... I did write them a letter along with a copy of the cancelled check. I haven't lost hope.

IPOD SONG OF THE BLOG: "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt

Where did the weekend go?

Was that a blur of a weekend or what? I don't remember doing much of anything except coming home Friday, taking some meds for a headache and then realizing yesterday that it was Sunday! I'm sure there was something in between but damned if I can remember any of it. I hate those kinds of weekends.

The last week of April. Unbelievable. May is a busy month for us all the way around. The DH's birthday is at the end of the month and I got tickets for the Reds/Padres game. The oldest son, the daughter and the youngest son (along with our bestest buddy Matt) will be attending. I am debating about whether to rent a limo for the ride down there. Beer at the stadium is so expensive and with five drinking adults of the six going, it seems like a good idea... But man, are they expensive and with the price of gasoline - whew! Will wait and see how the month goes.

We are putting new countertops, sink and faucet in the kitchen. We decided on granite - for both counters and sink. If you haven't seen the granite sinks at Lowes or HD, you should. I was thinking I would go with the traditional cast iron in a color, but after seeing the black granite sink my mind was made up. Check it out!

I love it - not sure why! Maybe because it is so different. I am still deciding on the faucet itself...although I am leaning towards this style:

Yeah - black on black. Well, the faucet is actually called Venetian Bronze. I think I am going for such a bold look because right now my countertops are white and I have the shiney faucet. I am so sick of both! Now I just have to choose the granite! That's the toughest decision, I think...

Saturday night 9-10 I was able to catch Daughtry on PBS's Soundstage. Awesome. I have to see him live, but I really prefer a small venue and not some huge stadium. I might be too late for that considering how popular he is now.

Metzvah Inbox: 24 / Read: 22

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger

This ain't no episode of L&O

So the daughter did the cold call to the schmuck yesterday. It was from the police HQ and they were monitoring the call hoping he would say something to incriminate himself. It was obvious to all he was ready and knew exactly what to say. He suggested this wasn't the first time this had happened and that if she was having these sorts of things occur while she had been drinking then perhaps she should consider not drinking. Needless to say someone she told, told someone who told him. So - no case. I truly believe though this guy will get what's coming to him one day. Karma plays a big part in life and someone will teach him a lesson. For now the daughter is just pissed off and so are we.

Apparently yesterday while everyone was at work someone stole the catalytic converter out of our neighbor's Toyota truck. It sits in the driveway and is rarely used. According to the police this is pretty common lately so needless to say I am watching my Toyota really closely.

So Hillary won Pennsylvania. I didn't see that coming, I must admit. Just the thought of her being in the White House makes my skin crawl.

Still no list from International Pen Friends... I am going to write a letter today and get it in the mail tomorrow. I don't remember how long it's been, but it's been WAY TOO LONG.

The tutor is on hold for now. The son is deciding his next move and after a long talk again last night we are hoping he sees things a little clearer. Time will tell.

Yesterday the DH and I read in the Marine Corps Times that young Marines do not like being called "Devil Dogs". They feel like it's derogatory and an insult. For those of you that don't know the term Devil Dogs refers to the nickname given to the Marines who fought at Belleau Woods in WWI. The Germans nicknamed us that after the conflicts. It's a proud tradition and has never been associated with anything bad. It's an honor to be referred to as a Devil Dog. The young Marines can kiss this Retired Gunnery Sergeant's ass.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Marine's Hymn"

Sin City never gets old

Although I LOST every single penny my husband WON, we still had fun in Vegas. There is just something about that town I can't get enough of. We stayed at the Monte Carlo again, only this time we were not comp'd. Kind of pissed us off but we'll survive. Next time we might try another hotel within the MGM Grand circle (The Mirage, Mandalay Bay, MGM, etc.). Will see what happens..

It was good to see the oldest son. He is doing ok. He is desperately looking for a new woman in his life. After getting divorced he seems to be on the hunt to find another worthy female to marry. He likes to play Poker, so he spent a good deal of time and money in the MC poker room.

The daughter is doing ok all things considered. She still hasn't heard anything regarding the investigation and that is frustrating for her. We explained she needs to be patient and let them do their job. She just wants the SOB to pay and I can't say I blame her one bit.

The youngest son is another story. He is headed out on his A$$ as soon as his graduation ceremony is over. He has zero motivation and zero initiative. After failing the ASVAB the second time the DH and I found a tutor that specializes in ASVAB testing. At $40/hr we are hesitant. We also told the youngest if he wants the tutor he will do what we tell him in regards to going out, studying etc. So he's dragging his a$$. Trust me, June 14 can't come soon enough. I just have to survive that long without killing the little POS.

IPOD SONG OF THE BLOG: "Leavin Las Vegas" by Sheryl Crowe

Oh and one more thing...

Our garage caught on fire last week. How could I forget that? The DH was in the garage putting a wire shelf rack onto an existing wooden shelf when a container of grout sealant fell off the shelf, hitting an axe which caused the vapors to release. He jumped back waiting for the vapors to empty when the vapors met up with the water heater pilot light and ignited. So the water heater had to be replaced and we had to paint the walls and surrounding door frame. Lovely, huh?

A trip to Vegas is definitely in order!

"Bright light city gonna set my soul,

Gonna set my soul on fire"

Odd week

It has been one of those weeks where you just want to cry out "Do over please!" and hope the second time around far exceeds the first time by a very long shot. I don't even know where to start.

The son retook his ASVAB on Thursday. The first time he took it he scored a 34. Six points shy of qualifying for the Coast Guard. My DH (being the former recruiter he is) suggested that he NOT retake the test because most that do end up with a lesser score. Of course, the son being 18 and invincible, knows everything - so opted to retake it. We did what every parent would do - went out and bought him books to study by. You know, "ASVAB for Dummies" and "How to Get the Score You Want on the ASVAB". There's a secret to these books though -- you have to open them and read them. Do I have to spell it out? Don't make me! OK - fine. He scored a whopping 25. After you've stopped laughing and shaking your heads in disbelief we'll go on.....

....Ready now? Good.

Wednesday evening the DH and I are not speaking. You know - one of those neat marital bliss type arguments where both of us are stubborn and RIGHT. Well, that gets interupted by a call from our daughter with news that no parent EVER wants to hear about their daughter. She was date raped. No, I'm not kidding. So now all of us are in this sort of place where - since we all know this guy - want to take justice in our own hands. Of course, that can't be done, so we have allowed the proper authorities to step in to handle. The daughter is frustrated because things are not moving quite fast enough for her.. I guess she expected it to be like an episode of Law & Order, where the case is solved and brought to trial in an hour. Explaining to her that that's not real life seems to fall on deaf ears. This tragedy is the only thing in her world and she can't understand why it's not #1 on the authorities list as well.

This has brought on unwanted email exchanges with her bio mom. I cannot tell you how annoying it is. She still feels the need to compete with me so no matter what I say in an email she has to counter it. She likes to pretend she is quite the writer and poetic somehow. She sounds like an idiot most of the time and shallow - nothing I didn't know about her already. I try to be civil and cordial when replying - but don't offer up chit chat to stimulate a response from her. She turned it all around to her today stating she finally broke down and bawled all night over her baby's life being changed forever.

The DH said it best, I think.. He said we cannot allow this to change us so much because if it does, then it won. I agree with him. We have to deal with this and then move past it. The daughter is adamant about pressing charges against this POS and we are behind her 100%. We know it will probably get ugly before it gets better and I'm not sure who out of all of us is ready for that. I suppose time will tell.

The DH was scheduled to go out of town this weekend for a 4x4 trip. He cancelled that because the daughter wanted to hang with us this weekend - away from that area. Last night we decided a road trip was in order, so we are headed to Sin City tomorrow. Yeah, we are about that crazy. The oldest son is going to drive and meet us there tomorrow. We are staying for two nights, so will be home Monday to deal with the investigators. Until then we want to have some fun, drink some alcohol, make a deposit into the Bank of the Monte Carlo, take some pics for our family calendar and just try and have some fun. We are all excited about the trip. I will be drinking scotch as an escape to being someone else than me right now.

The youngest will remain behind since not being 21 in Vegas is really a lose/lose situation. He is working around the house making money for his prom - which is costing him $600. No, that's not a misprint and I didn't forget a decimal point. Tickets for him and his date are $190. Tux is $100. They are getting a room since the event is being held at The Grove in Anaheim. (Yeah, I'm over that, too). That is $185. Add gas to get there and money for dinner since the tickets to the prom don't include dinner and you are looking at a $600 evening. What a rip off.

Metzvah is winning, but I am not giving up. Inbox: 23 / Read: 19

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Crashed" by Daughtry

0311 - Marine Corps Infantry

Chuey's

Had dinner with the DH at Chuey's tonight. Love hitting that spot. Beer is always cold as hell and the chow is decent, too. Always reminds me of Harley's and bikers and that's never a bad thing.

Son went to the Padres game with the neighbors. Can you tell how concerned he is about retaking his ASVAB on Thursday? Yeah...studying, my ass. OK, so he is an 03-walk-a-lot. Whatever. Not my feet that has to force march all those miles. I did my time.

Work was cool today. Didn't too much visible stuff but did quite a lot behind the scenes. Been trying to update the company directory. There's only 60,000 employees. That should be fairly easy, right? Do you have any idea how many people move around??? Geez Louise. Got word this contract should last thru August for certain. After that, who knows? Maybe I'll be searching again for employment in O-H and a dime! Just in time for Fall and Winter. Woohoo! If we can just survive another summer here we'll be OK.

Our old mare is starting to look her age. We both noticed it so we have decided to start her on daily supplements of yucca and glycozomine (sp?). It's pricey but I think it will make her more comfortable. We want her to survive the trip to OH where she will be retired forever. We'll worry about picking up another horse once we are back there for the DH. He still has his heart set on an Appy.

Picked up a new head rope today. It's 30' long and is soft rope. I'm hoping it's easy to throw. The DH is going to make me a cow of sorts to throw a rope on. Here's a pic of my rope.

The DH spent the day replacing every light switch in the house today for those flat switches. They look awesome! Next is the granite counters, new sink and faucet for the kitchen.

Metzvah is back to work... Bum... Inbox: 20 / Read: 10

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Crashed" by Daughtry

Maddux

Today is Greg Maddux's 42nd birthday. Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE baseball and Greg Maddux. I love to watch him throw. He is accurate as hell and has been rumored to be the smartest pitcher to have ever played the game. He is a pro at calling where a hitter is going to place a ball - so much so that when he says for someone to "watch out" - they do. When he is on the mound you also have your 5th infielder as he's one of the best pitchers to field the ball as well. Happy Birthday Greg! I had a beer in his honor while watching him pitch Sunday. One of my favs - Killians Red!

This weekend I get a mini vacation. The DH is headed to Phoenix for a 4x4 Jeep trip. He is leaving Friday morning and won't be home until Tuesday. Right now I have no plans - but plan on enjoying some nice long rides and crochet time. I have a goal to finish up Kevin's Jarhead blanket before it gets so friggin hot. Its coming along nicely. I really like it.

Song of the Blog: "Crashed" by Daughtry. My new mantra.



Well I was moving at the speed of sound.

Head-spinning, couldn't find my way around, and

Didn't know that I was going down.

Yeah, yeah.

Where I've been, well it's all a blur.

What I was looking for, I'm not sure.

Too late and didn't see it coming.

Yeah, yeah.

And then I crashed into you,

And I went up in flames.

Could've been the death of me,

But then you breathed your breath in me.

And I crashed into you,

Like a runaway train.

You will consume me,

But I can't walk away.

Somehow, I couldn't stop myself.

I just wanted to know how it felt.

Too strong, I couldn't hold on.

Yeah, yeah.

Now I'm just tryin' to make some sense

Out of how and why this happened.

Where we're heading, there's just no knowing.

Yeah, yeah.

And then I crashed into you,

And I went up in flames.

Could've been the death of me,

But then you breathed your breath in me.

And I crashed into you,

Like a runaway train.

You will consume me,

But I can't walk away.

From your face, your eyes

They're burned into me.

You saved me, you gave me

Just what I need.

Oh, just what I need.

And then I crashed into you,

And I went up in flames.

Could've been the death of me,

But then you breathed your breath in me.

And I crashed into you,

Like a runaway train.

You will consume me,

But I can't walk away.

And then I crashed into you,

And then I crashed into you,

And then I crashed into you,

And then I crashed into you,

Then I crashed into you,

Like a runaway train.

You will consume me,

But I can't walk away.

"I don't know, but I've been told...

... Birdman Dave's guitar is gold!"

OK, so the military chant didn't quite go like that, but as tired as I was at the end of Boot Camp it might as well have been. I'm not sure if it was a tough workout or if I am just out of shape. Probably the latter. Anyway, I am going back. I think it will help me break the plateau I've hit and push me past my goals. If it doesn't kill me first.

I heard its supposed to be 90* on Saturday. WTF? Already? Sorry, but I am not ready for the heat of another desert summer quite yet. Even my horses are acting sluggish already, as if they somehow know the cool spring evenings will soon give way to simmering sunsets that offer relief only because the sun is out of the sky. We had so hoped that last year would have been our last summer in CA, but it wasn't meant to be.

Audio...Never heard of the movie "Kingdom of Heaven"? Are you serious? Even though Mama doesn't like this pic, I think it's one of the best from the movies of Orlando Bloom. Be still my beating heart!

This movie is historic and worth watching IMHO. Plenty of violence, sex and horses! What more could you ask for? OK, it isn't full of sex like say, Rome (what movie is?), but it is still worth watching.

Metzvah seems like he's trying to prove me wrong now and is on the warpath to make me look bad. Inbox: 17 / Read: 9 Damn him!!!

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Jeff Healey, who recently died, btw... RIP!

Great SCOTT! Boot camp???

So I found this new boot camp academy in town. Thought I'd give it a shot to help me break that barrier and get back to marathon strength. Tonight is my first class. The trainer (Cathy) guarantees a tough workout. She uses a treadmill - which is right up my alley. I'll let you know how it goes!

Work has been busy. Tickets come in on a regular basis and I have also been assigned to complete and present the weekly status update every Monday. I finally got my VPN access so now I can work from home should the urge hit me and lately, it has been hitting me pretty hard.

I feel like I have hit a wall physically. I am extremely tired, not just mentally but physically. Not like me. I am going to have my meds checked out to make sure my levels are where they should be. When I stand up I sometimes get this wave that runs through me. It's an odd feeling - and that's the best way to describe it - feels like waves inside my body.

Have any of you ever watched or heard of the movie called "Take the Lead"? It has Antonio Banderas in it. He plays this real life ballroom dancer (can't think of his name) that comes to a high school in New York and volunteers to supervise the detention class, which turns out to be the school's delinquents. No one has had much luck in the past with them. It's a little corny around the edges, but it does have some good parts. It's a feel good movie.

Are you male bloggers out there fans of the movie "Kingdom of Heaven"?

I brought my IPod back to work with me today. I just couldn't stand the on again/off again tuning with Yahoo! stations. So the song of the day is: "Piano Man" by Billy Joel.

Easy like Sunday morning..

I actually slept in this morning. Something I very rarely do. I suppose after getting up for so many years before the sun comes up is now ingrained in my being. I don't mind it. I am a morning person, but sleeping in this morning was a nice treat. The DH woke me up with a cup of coffee. THAT was very nice.


Yesterday we had a great time. We went to the ranch and the goal was to ride those two horses. We often say we have to remind them what they are and that they aren't just hamsters in a cage. LOL Dolly was true to form yesterday. I knew she was up so I lunged her before I rode. I saddled her up and she was like a bucking bronco. Rearing, bucking and doing her best to get that saddle off. I always say "Pretty is as pretty does". She is a gorgeous horse and I feel very lucky to have her. After all her carrying on I suppose people would wonder why on earth I would actually want to try and ride her, but I couldn't wait to get in the saddle. She was still up and prancing all over. The DH and I methodically rode in a large circle until finally she started to breathe and walk on a loose rein. I really thought I might come off her yesterday, but I didn't. I wasn't in the mood to be thrown and be injured again!


We also had a fire in our pit last night. We had a bucket of scrap wood to burn and we used up all of it. It was so nice sitting in the cool night air with the fire blazing. We were outside for a little more than two hours, using up the entire bucket of wood. (It was a big bucket) That might be why I slept so well. I was so relaxed from watching the fire I couldn't even crochet last night.


For the first time I heard someone say something smart after winning the lotto. Some guy in Livonia, MI won the Mega Millions lotto. He accepted a lump sum payout and after taxes I think he got like $59 million. This guy has been working for Ford for years and when he found out he had won told his boss, "I'm outta here!"

Well, the DH and I were pretty pissed off this morning when our son decided to tell us he won't be taking the ASVAB test tomorrow because he has been waiting for a month for his recruiter to send him the paperwork to take it and it hasn't come in the mail yet. We were so mad we wanted to explode, but all we did was get in the truck and go over to ride. We are still not happy with him and he knows it. He has disappeared for the day playing on a friend's PC. Just what a responsible 18 year old should be doing, right? Not job hunting. Not studying his ASVAB. Nope, gaming.

Grrrrrrrrr.

Saturday morning

Greetings. I am chilling this morning on my loveseat in the loft. The DH is on the home PC and I am on the work laptop. We have the IPod going on the new docking station player. We are the epitome of 2008 technology.

Vegas was fun. It was a whirlwind trip. We left Thursday around 3:30 hoping to be at the Monte Carlo by 7:30. Unfortunately there was a semi that caught fire on the northbound 15 just this side of Baker, just past Zzyzx Road. We went 9 miles in 90 minutes. That was a bummer, but after we passed the black spot on the freeway (which is all we got to see of the accident - so really it could have been an alien spaceship for all we know) the freeway opened up and we were in Vegas by 8:30. We got in our room and then headed to the casino. The DH was drinking Miller Lite and I opted for scotch and water. Yeah, it was cheap scotch and had too much water but what the hell? It was free and I was in that frame of mind where scotch was the only thing I had to connect my thoughts to. I figured I could hydrate while I got drunk thereby eliminating a possible hangover. It worked! We gambled for about 6 hours - losing what we came with. Again, what the hell? We then crashed for several hours and were awakened by construction. Right next to our Monte Carlo they are building this gigantic metropolis called City Centre. I think that's what it's called. Anyway, it was apparent we were not going to be able to sleep so we got up, hit Starbucks and then hit the road. We were actually home around 2 putting our trip to Vegas and back in a 24 hour window. Woohoo! That was fun!

Friday's mail brought me no pen friend list. I was extremely disappointed but too damn tired to dwell on it for long. Today my hopes are up for the mail lady to bring my long awaited list of new friends. Let's hope I'm not disappointed. If memory serves me we are working on over 3 weeks since I mailed off my application and they cashed my check. Perhaps out of 7 million members they are having trouble finding people that want to write to anyone in CA? I mean, if I lived in Ireland I sure as hell wouldn't want to write to anyone here. Or would I? Hmmm. Perhaps I don't know what I'm talking about.

The youngest son retakes his ASVAB test on Monday (April 7th). God, let's hope he scores high enough to get into the Coast Guard. If not, his options get very slim - Marines or Army. Neither of which are my first choice for him, but then again I can't live his life and perhaps that is his calling and his niche in life. He has to own his score and own his decisions. Either way I really am anxious for him to be out of the house and on his own. I have no doubt the military is the right move for him at this stage. It will be a steady income with a roof over his head and 3 squares a day. Other than that he's on his own.

I spent time again last night surfing other's peoples blogs and I am encouraged and not a little jealous how creative some people are. Not only with their blog sites but with their comments. I realized how much this society relies on the Internet and specifically on personal pages like blogs. For communication, for therapy, to keep in touch with family and friends, for business - whatever. It occurred to me that our little group is very unique and yet we are one of a million. I often think about how what we write and put out on the Internet is there forever and at times that worries me, but only because I wonder if anything I blog will somehow come back to bite me in the ass. Probably.

Last night I was working on Kevin's jarhead blanket -which is coming along - and listening to the TV. The DH had long been passed out from our 24 hour roadtrip. I put it on the Nova show which was telling about the satellite that went into orbit around Saturn and then sent a probe to the surface of Titan, one of Saturn's moons. I guess scientists have been looking for a Genesis of sorts - a place in which life as we know it doesn't yet exist but where life could start. Looks like Titan could be that place. Underneath the layer of clouds they discovered a planet with methane - just as they hoped. The first photo from the moon's surface taken by the probe was very interesting.

Today is a relaxing day. We will hang out here for a bit and then go to the ranch. We will ride our ponies, clean and feed them, then come home to make burgers on the grill. The DH and I decided tonight would be a good night to have a fire in our firepit out back.

IPOD SONG OF THE DAY: "Miami 2017 (Lights on Broadway)" by Billy Joel.

Sin City and Sirens

Let me just start off by saying I'm sorry for being such a knucklehead and not catching on to everyone's blogs of late. Not sure what's going on - either I'm not reading well or nothing is registering. What a dork!


That being said there is only one thing to get me out of this funk and that's a roadtrip to Sin City!!! You heard me - the DH and I decided whilst in the shower this morning to say "Screw it!" So we made reservations and are heading to Vegas today around 3! Woohoo!!! Can't wait!!!

I stopped into Starbucks this morning and right off the bat I noticed their sleeves were different. Sleeves (for all you non-Starbucks peeps) are the recycled cardboard thingys they put on their drinks when the cups are too hot to hold. They are white with a brown logo - or siren as it's called. Upon closer investigation, I noticed the Siren itself is also changed!! According to the girl behind the counter they are going back to their old siren. I had to do a little research but I managed to find all three. Here you go:
As you can see this one is quite risque. They actually stopped using this one to avoid any controversy over their store logo. So they switched to this one:
Still didn't satisfy the conservative crowd, so that's when they ended up using the one most of us are familiar with:

I must admit I am surprised they would revert back to the original, although I think it's cool and it is my favorite. One thing to note the new old version says "Starbucks * Fresh Roasted Coffee*" It doesn't say "Coffee Tea Spices".

In honor of the day it seems only fitting to have the SONG OF THE DAY as "Viva Las Vegas" by the King, Elvis Presley.

Aligning the heavens, Buckeyes in CA, Results of Horse Day and IPF

What a busy morning already! Work has started off with a bang! Lots of issues to resolve and that's good because that means learning is occurring. I love to learn! I love this job.

Was I mistaken or did I read in Audio's blog he is returning to the Merc? As a Sr Config-something? Woohoo! Great news! Good for you!

My sister is considering moving out here to CA. Now I have been trying to talk her into doing this for years. So then we decide to move back there and now she is considering moving out here? I give up. Live where ever the hell you want to!

Our daughter is also considering a move - to Texas. She is in a rut and wants a change and figures since she is young now is the time. I couldn't agree more but I am not certain Texas is the answer, but what do I know?

The first Horse Day was awesome. Dolly and I did ground work. First I have to tell you that I had to kill a Black Widow the size of a freakin quarter in order to get to my lunge line ( a long cotton rope used for ground work ). That's how long it's been since I used it. Shame on me. Anyways, Dolly did really well for the first time out. We worked on disengaging the hindquarters, which is a critical movement for when I want to maneuver her to let me open a gate. We did some stretching exercises and finished with a good rubdown. She got the rubdown, not me. :-)

Still no list from IPF. I was sad, but too tired yesterday to really be sad for too long as I fell asleep pretty early. Today as the sun came up I had renewed hope that I would get my list today in the mail!

SONG OF THE DAY: "Watching Airplanes" by Gary Allan. Yeah, this is a repeat. Sorry. I've got things on my mind that shouldn't be. This song helps me handle that.

It's a grind

This morning I went off my normal routine and stopped at It's A Grind instead of Starbucks. I've had their coffee before and wasn't impressed, but just to sort of shake things up I decided to stop again. I do like their pastry selection better than Starbucks, but by and far Starbucks coffee totally kicks ass over theirs. The guy behind the counter was also pretty rude. I guess I am so used to the friendliness of the Starbucks employees that this guy's attitude was just a thorn in my side. Atmosphere really is everything.


I didn't get a list yesterday. I'm really disappointed and I'm just trying to be patient. I am going to give IPF until next week to deliver and then I will have to write them a letter. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.


Today is the start of what we are calling Horse Day. After work I am going straight to the ranch to work/ride/enjoy Dolly. I must admit I have been slacking off in my riding. It was just an excuse. I was really in the mindset I was going to be moving and know that when we are in Ohio I will be able to ride every day. Now that we are here for another year, I really need to just stop being a baby and get back in the saddle and ride my horse. So today is the first Horse Day! We will be working on sidepassing and then to opening and closing gates while in the saddle. This is a great tool to have for any horseman. It also makes for a really nice horse because once you have a horse that will allow you to do this, there really isn't much you can't do while in the saddle. After we have mastered that I will start throwing a rope from the saddle. That works up to roping objects and then dragging them (like a downed tree) behind her. This is all part of a well rounded ranch horse and that's our goal. I'm pretty stoked about starting today.


We bought a docking station for our IPod so now that sits home most of the time and I have been forced to use Yahoo Radio while at work. Today I am listening to The Coffeehouse station, which for the most part isn't bad. It takes some getting used to on my part. Some songs sound so much alike. Don't get me wrong - I like most of it. There are a lot of guy singers on this station.

The DH got a small trailer from one of his clients. It's a two wheeled trailer framed in wood. It's pretty old looking right now, but we are going to sand it down, paint it, replace the wood siding and put in all new lights, etc. It's a cool thing because both of us think it's one step closer to being on our own place.

Metzvah must be in hibernation or something. The score is Inbox: 5 / Read: 9

Yahoo Radio Station Song of the Day: "Brother Down" by Sam Roberts.