Horse Tails and Dirt Trails

Wishes

2011-03-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Wish I was a photographer...
I want to create the beautiful thought provoking emotional photos of people. I get so inspired by all these photo I see all around me. I wish I could do that...

I know I could. If I tried.
Really tried. Took a class.
Got the equipment.

But there are just too many things I wish I could do that I am working on instead...

I wish I knew more sign language.
I wish I could speak Spanish.
I wish I could do graphic design.
I wish I was a better rider.

I wish I could remember the French I learned.
I wish I was more confident in my chosen profession.
I wish I was better at making people happy.

I wish I was better at making myself happy.
I wish.

I wish.

Someday, I'll get to all of this.

The City

2011-03-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

I went for a walk in the city a week or so ago now. It was a lot of fun. Going exploring, hiking all over the city.
I posted several pictures to my facebook if you wish to see them. I shall post some here when my computer wakes up from its coma I induced upon it from being too lazy to find my power cord before it died.

Anytime I think about San Francisco and call it the city, it reminds me of this clip from Eddie Izzard's Dress to Kill.

Broken

2011-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty broken.
Not actually broken.
But walking hurts.

I rode a Clydesdale on Tuesday.

I haven't ridden any horses since this summer and I never really worked that hard.
Summer made me work for it.

And now I'm paying for it.
Inner thighs hurt.
Arms hurt.
Shoulders hurt.
Back hurts.

All musclular. Nothing to be done except work through the pain. Lots of baths and stretching. Trying not to let the muscles lock up mid shift at work like they did yesterday.
Owie...

That's one very large bite

2011-01-20T22:37:00.000-08:00

Train. in color by Parawan

So not only did I get a new part time job teaching horseback riding (finally), I was made a trainer at work. They've been trying to make me a trainer for a few months now but I kept saying 'no'. I finally gave in this last week. So when I showed up to work my general manager came up to me and went 'Surprise!' you're training!' Here's your trainee... Go for it...

Then later, it was 'Surprise!' Here work a mid'... lol

What have I gotten myself into?

English Smenglish

2011-01-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

I lose control over the English language rather frequently. It is incredibly frustrating. There must be a loose wire or connection that goes from my brain to my mouth that buggers up my words into sentences that no longer make sense.
Things always sound better in my head. Especially when it comes out as progressive instead of productive. (A recent notable occurrence that just happened the other day when trying to describe my day). This is why I prefer to write or type or text. My selective Aphasia tends to get worse on my days off but not always. At least I handle it well enough that I manage to make people laugh at my complete inability to make my mouth say what I want it to say.

I am smart gosh darn it. Even if I don't sound like it.

I hear the phrase 'It's a good thing you're pretty' way too often. grrrr... lol.

Dreams are funny

2011-01-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

Dreams are Dreams by ~olushia-loosiczka

I've been having so delightfully intriguing dreams the last couple days. They are strange but not unsettling. Not the kind where when you wake up you are off your game for the rest of the day.

Instead, the kind that almost uplifts you and makes you smile.

This morning's dream was so vivid and long. My parents backyard was massive suddenly and they had various empty flower box things everywhere. Abby and I decided to do a little bit of gardening so we went outside.

A few boxes were full with various vegetables that were a bit scraggly. And one particular box had what I thought were those live forever plants that Mom's side of the family adores. But they turned out to be hermit crab type animals with plants as tops instead of shells that grabbed my finger and scared the living daylights out of me. We moved those into a different box and planted wildflowers where they had been. We planted a lot of flowers, and some roses, ad tomato plants, even a little mustard seed.

Nothing really grew in the dream yet but we had high hopes for a beautiful garden after some rain and time. We discovered an old hand pump that had more of a foot lever in a shallow pit next to our garden. I fell through the thin plywood cover on the lever and started flooding the shallow pit that Abby was standing in. With a tiny bit of panic during and giggles after, she jumped out somewhat more damp. We covered the pressure lever back up so we wouldn't unintentionally trigger a flood somewhere in the yard.

After finishing our part in the new garden we discovered an underground house. It was huge and newly finished. Inside there was a bunch of game rooms, with a bowling ally and basketball court amongst the others. It super cool. My parents came down to play with us and enjoy the new hideout.

I don't remember everything else that happened. The last scene in the dream ended with me looking at the garden with fondness, even the hermit crab buggers, and hoping for progress and lots of color. I knew some of the seeds wouldn't take root because in some of the boxes we hadn't removed the gravel that laid above the soft dirt, just mixed the seeds in. But those that were strong enough would put root down anyway. I knew this and felt peace anyway.

I woke up to my dog jingling her collar feeling peaceful and rested and happy to greet the day. I almost hope I actually had that garden.

Would you look at that?

2011-01-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

I have discovered that I can post from my nookcolor. Its pretty snazzy. I don't imagine I'll be doing it often but its a nice novelty. I'm currently at the laundromat washing the giant living room blanket that Marley got a little too excited on one day.
So anyway back to laundry. More to come later hopefully.

First day back

2010-09-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you who follow me on facebook, you have already seen most of my pictures that got taken this summer. I'm trying to not double post and save bandwidth a bit. But luckily for you all, there are still some awesome artistic photos that got taken around the house that you all get to see.
Don't you feel special?

I had my first day back at the Elephant Bar yesterday. I worked for nearly eight hours. It kicked my butt. Hard. My legs hurt so bad that it took me a while to fall asleep even after the twenty minutes of scalding shower, I took before bed. And of course, I didn't want to get up even to grab some Tylenol out of the cabinet across the room. I woke up this morning still tired.
I'm in better shape after this summer than I was before, but man, serving takes it out of you.

If your server looks like they are working their little patootie off, they probably are, even if you are not getting the greatest service. Tip them at least a little bit. Not like the twenty five cents one of my tables left me last night.

Bastards.

New strings, new things

2010-09-04T01:51:00.000-07:00

I'm just playing around with my blog again. Time to try something new. We'll see how it all works.

In other news, I'm dropping some photos from my summer at Skylark Ranch. There are just a few unfortunately. Camp was hard and free time was pretty hard to come by. The barn was hard on me, let alone what it would do to my camera. So I apologize for the lack of photo documentation.

2010-03-26T09:07:00.001-07:00

I just realized I never posted pictures from Alcatraz from back in November. So here goes!

Yay! Pictures!

2010-03-26T08:57:00.001-07:00

Look at me! I'm updating!

2010-03-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Bug Lady here. I'm trying to get back in the groove of camp. I got my welcome packet (well mostly, there's a group online where they let me download it... I haven't actually gotten one through the mail yet)
I'll give you all a heads up now. Phone service and internet is not going to be around much for me all summer. Sorry. Nothing I can do about that.
But I do have the address if you want to write me a letter... Also a pay phone number I have as well. (Look at me, channeling Yoda) Email me if you want this info.

From the welcome packet: "Skylark Ranch is a 280-acre site located 30 miles north of Santa Cruz, CA and 3 miles inland from the California coast. The camp features mountain trails, towering redwood trees, forested groves, and even a few llamas!"
"The facilities at Skylark Ranch include nine living units, a dining hall, a solar powered shower house, arts and nature centers, health center, horse arenas, and a staff house for recreational use. Of the nine living units in camp, six have platform tents with four beds in each tent, one unit has tipis, and there are primitive units where girls and staff sleep in tree beds. The camp also has a meadow for games and activities, hiking trails, and an archery range."

I start on June Third and work through all the sessions until August 21st.

One Heart Beats...

2010-03-21T01:46:00.001-07:00

One Heart Beat. Photo by Kevin Van Aelst.

Do you see it?

I like this guy's art. You should check it out. I'm pretty sure there is some definite social commentary going on there.

I want one!

2010-03-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Image by Timm Suess via Flickr

Apparently someone has had the awesomely brilliant idea to make bumper cars street legal. Yup, you got it; someone went and made these little beasties legal to drive on the highway.

Created by California-based builder Tom Wright, the original set of modified bumper cars came from the Long Beach Pike amusement park's discards. Instead of watching them join the trash heap, he took out the Harley motors, replaced it with 750cc Honda and Kawasaki boxes, and redesigned them to pass city driving standards. His fleet now consists of eight crazy-looking street bumper cars (culled from different amusement parks), all licensed to give your hottest ride a run for its money. (Coolthings.com)

Some of these little monsters can reach a stunning one-sixty mph. Won't see me hit that in a car with a top let alone one of these shorty mc shorterson bumper cars.
Now don't get me wrong.
I still want one.

Funny Story...

2010-03-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

I received my contract in the mail a few days after my second interview with the Equestrian Director at Skylark Ranch. Matt opened it first and read the letter to me, telling me that I had been accepted for the position and that they would love to have me for the Assistant Equestrian Director. Woot!
As I was signing the contract I looked at the date of the letter and realized it was dated two days before I had the second interview.
Hmm... Well, that's interesting...
I didn't think much more about it until a week later when Tori called me. She thanked me for being so patient with the process but wanted to let me know I had gotten the job.
...Mmmmkay...
She continued on, saying that I would be receiving my contract via email. I had to stop her then and let her know I had already gotten, signed, and returned said contract. She was a little stunned and probably a little flustered that I already knew. lol

I'm thinking this is going to be an interesting summer.

Need Love? Call Tech Support!

2010-03-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

INSTALLING PROGRAM "LOVE"

Tech Support: Yes, how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

T.S.: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

C: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

T.S.: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

C: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

T.S.: What programs are running?

C: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge, and Resentment running right now.

T.S.: No problem. Love will gradually delete Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?

C: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

T.S.: With pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely deleted.

C: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

T.S.: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

C: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components." What should I do?

T.S.: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

C: So what should I do?

T.S.: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge Your Limitations.

C: Okay, done.

T.S.: Now copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

C: Got it. Hey! My Heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over my Heart. Is this normal?

T.S.: Sometimes. For others, it takes awhile, but eventually gets it at the proper time. So, Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various components to everyone you meet. They will in turn, share it with others and return some cool components back to you.

C: Thank you, God.

T.S.: You are welcome. LOVE is the program which allows you to run as you were designed to run. Without it, you could never operate properly, no matter which other programs you ran.

Author Unknown.

(reposted from The Quest for T)

Dreams

2010-03-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

I dreamt about a camp last night.

For those of you who don't know I've been having interviews to work at a girl scout camp this summer out here in California. I had my second interview last night for the assistant equestrian director position. She painted a vivid picture that colored my dreams.

In my dreams, it had elements from each camp I've been to. Some details weren't quite right since everyone was in little cabins even though I know they stay in platform tents (because I asked). But it still felt like a camp where I could be at home.

I woke up from the dream in the middle of the night when the door opened. I was so sad to leave the dream. Between the dream and the sunburn that colored my back yesterday, it was a little surreal to wake up in my bed. I wanted to discover more about the camp. I spent the next hour trying to will myself back into the dream even though I knew it was fruitless. Dreams never seem to work that way.

Hopefully this dream rings true and I even get the chance to experience this new place.
I need my Terabithia back.

Bleeding Trees

2009-12-13T10:09:00.001-08:00

The bleeding trees around the neighborhood. It was raining so the pictures aren't that great.
So yeah... enjoy.

Good morning all!

2009-12-13T09:38:00.001-08:00

We've started the rainy season here in northern Cali. It's been raining the last four days. I've even heard the sound of really distant thunder. (Wow, I miss that sound). It's nice to fall asleep to but not so much to walk the pup in.
Especially since the way she makes it seem like every raindrop that hits her is abusing her. Her ears go flat, her tails tucks under her legs and she slinks across the ground all while trying not to get her feet wet. She looks just completely pathetic.
When did I get a high maintenance princess for a dog?
Did someone switch her for the princess and the pea on me when I wasn't looking?
I think I'm going to have to buy her a raincoat so my neighbors don't think I'm abusing my dog when we walk down the street.

:)

2009-12-11T13:58:00.001-08:00

I realized I haven't posted since Marley got home from the hospital. She's doing just fine. Hasn't eaten any rugs since though she prombtly peed on my bed when I left for work the day I brought her home.
The weather has been rather drearly lately. The leaves on the trees around the neighborhood appear to be bleeding. Their edges have turned a really deep red as the centers are yellow. It looks really pretty but it's a weird sight.
I'm heading back to the heartland this month. I'm super excited to see everyone. I miss the easy going living of that region.
Maybe bad news on the job front. I'm hanging onto the maybe part.

- Posted from my iPod

Update

2009-11-19T12:31:00.001-08:00

Marley is coming home from the hospital today. She's just fine.

:)

Oh the Joys of Pet Ownership.

2009-11-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

(on one of our walks in Niles)

Marley's been getting a little on the wild side being as I've been sleeping late, and working until nearly dusk thanks to the time change and only getting out of the house for our short fifteen minute walk before work. So last night we went for a little trip to PetSmart to let her get some energy out and to get her a new toy/treat.
I got her some new flea stuff and waterless shampoo. She hates getting real baths and she was stinky. I thought I'd try this new alternative. (She's still not a fan...)
Anyway, she got sick halfway though the night. I let her outside but she came right back in. I was tired and didn't feel like playing the inside/outside game with her so I ignored her and went back to bed. I wake up this morning and find she ate the rug in front of the door. Literally.
In the living room, there was a pile from where her stomach ejected the carpet fibers. I was thrilled, let me tell you. And she was feeling sick all day, drooling all over the place, coughing, etc. The only thing I could figure is that she got some of the flea stuff in her mouth and upset her stomach....

Edit: I've taken her to the vet to get her checked out since she wouldn't eat her dinner. She was acting like a colicy horse. They took X-rays and found an obstruction and some gas (which is basically colic). Luckily, colic in dogs is generally a little easier to handle than with horses. They're keeping her overnight and treating her medically. If she doesn't pass anything overnight, they'll be taking her in for surgery in the morning.

I'm really upset. I hope she's going to be ok.

2009-11-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

Headed to Alcatrez today. Will be taking pictures.

That's really about it. Not feeling overly social today.

- Posted from my iPod

2009-11-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

I've been neglecting you again. I'm sorry. I'm finally a server. I have my two very first scheduled server shifts this week. Woot! Really that's about it for now.

- Posted from my iPod

California Academy of Sciences

2009-10-24T10:26:00.001-07:00

Finally! Pictures for all of you. That I've actually taken myself with my own camera.
Aren't you proud of me?
Captions to come later. I have to go to work now.

Long night.

2009-10-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

I just got my butt handed to me at work. And all I got was a measly thirty bucks. Ah well. That is all.

- Posted from my iPod

Shorty

2009-10-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

Just wasting a little time before I go to work. Next week will be a little strange due to the grat shift switch that will allow Kyle to have a party on Saturday and give me my birthday off and with anyluck get wednesday off to go to the free museum day too. Yeah hood luck with that.

- Posted from my iPod

Down the Rabbit Hole

2009-10-12T21:09:00.001-07:00

Marley thinks she's driving Matt's car...

So I get two days off this week. Tomorrow and Thursday. I don't have any idea what I'm going to do with myself except a whole lot of nothing. Because that's what a day off means, no one gets to tell me what to do for an entire day. None of this get laundry done for work the next day. That's for the other day-off-though-not-really-cause -I-got-so-much-to-do-day.....
Marley taking it easy sleeping with Matt. She gets more zzz's than everyone in the house... well except maybe Kenny.

Also I have finally been twitterpated. Live random nonesense from me delivered to your doorstep everyday! Come on now, you know you are excited.

Autumn

2009-10-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

Fall has finally hit this lovely state of California. The temperature has dropped to range in the lower sixties during most of the day. The clouds are threatening to drop their load on us every morning just to give way to sun by th time I get to work. The few sugar maples down the street have begun to change from green to red and litter the ground with their wasted treasure. This time of year always make me wish for back home and old friends. I guess it because the holidays are getting close. With my birthday, Halloween, and thanksgiving just around the corner, I can't help but think of hot chocolate, warm sweaters, and pumpkin gut fights in the kitchen.

- Posted from my iPod

Nothing special

2009-10-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Just a short little note to let you know I am actually alive. Work has been keeping me busy. I'm having a hard time finding the energy to even take Marley for walks. Luckily dog parks cater to the problem perfectly. I've taken her to one every day this week almost.
Nothing much else is going on. I am dropping to five days a week next week so maybe I'll have more exciting things to tell you then.
Have a great week!!

- Posted from my iPod

Late update

2009-10-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hi guys just trying something new. More later!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Back to School

2009-08-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

So I've been finally been certified as a server. I haven't actually had a 'server shift' yet but I've been picking up tables as take out. It's awesome. I even get two days off this week. Woohoo!

I keep seeing commercials for back to school supplies. I'm kind of sad that I don't have to go back to school. I miss getting new school supplies every year and the excitement of starting fresh again for another school year. But alas, I'm done and graduated. I should probably focus on paying off this set of school loans before I get thinking about going back.

Ok... more to come later. as always.

Long Awaited (i'm sure) update.

2009-08-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

Image by chibi_m via Flickr

I'm alive. I'm alive.
Great America was fun. No pictures though... Didn't want my camera to get hurt. I got soaked on my favorite ride the Rip Roaring Rapids and may have almost come close to blacking out on Invertigo. (I might be exaggerating a tiny bit. I did lose my breath. and I was incredibly dizzy when I got off though.) The Survivor ride was fun though it doesn't deserve a thrill rating of a five (unless apparently you are of the male persuasion for the nut crunching action). Though the park was definitely showing some wear and tear from hard times. Rides weren't open for an hour or so after the park opened and there was paint chipping and duck tape where the wear was the most obvious.
Aside from Great America, nothing much has been happening. I've been switched to the night shift for half the week, which is slightly disconcerting. The GM has told me and the other T/O specialist he wants to train us to be servers. So yay for that. We'll see how long that takes. Honestly, I can't wait until I'm too busy to do another bathroom check that isn't in my job description anymore. I don't mind helping out but its getting pretty ridiculous. The night shift has been letting me sleep in and still feel like I have time left to do things though Marley only gets to go for one walk a day on those days because its past dark when I get home from work.

Playing catch up.

2009-07-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

Life is good.
Um... if you're worried about me because of Facebook, don't be. Just read the stars and hopefully, you'll understand.

I took Marley for a short walk around the block off-leash. She was a champ. She listens very well as long as it is just me and her and we're in unfamiliar territory.

*Work is good. Hit a speed bump yesterday. I almost got to pretend to be a server for a day until management changed their mind.*

Image via Wikipedia

I made awesome chili dip today. It was delicious. And there had better be some left over for lunch tomorrow or I might go on the warpath.

Matt broke my favorite Fat Tire glass the other night by accident. Still made me sad, though. I bought that from the PO in Missouri. Who knows when I'll get back there...

Oh! My truck got new tires! (Thanks to Matt, cause I'm still flat broke.) Well, just two in the back. Which is really all I absolutely had to have. Yay for not fishtailing when it sprinkles!

Yawn. I should really be going to sleep soon. But I took an unintentional two hour nap in the middle of the day and now I'm not sleepy.

I'm going to Great America with people on Wednesday. Yay for actual fun on a day off. It's about time! I'm tired of playing catch up on my one day off a week. It's really not fun at all.

Pass it on.

2009-07-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

Image by heathbrandon via Flickr

My mom told me a story today on the phone where a random stranger paid for her groceries.

I want to do a random act of kindness.
You should do one too.
They'll tell the story to someone else.
They'll be inspired to do one too.

Pass it on.

Summer Days

2009-07-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

So I have found my camera, though sadly the batteries are utterly dead. There are replacements, I just have to find them. So... yeah... I'm trying at least.
I finally found the 'unofficial off leash dog park' at Shin Pond today. It was fun. Marley did actually get in and swim some but she would get out there chasing some other dogs then realize she was actually swimming, panic, and slash as much as she could til she got back to where she could touch. It was pretty funny. We didn't stay too long since I had spent about 45 minutes just driving around to find how to get there. And besides, it was hot. It got above 90. I got a little sun even with lots of sunscreen.
Work has been interesting. The general manager went on vacation so our district manager has been coming to the restaurant everyday. And as if that wasn't enough, the President, CEO, and owner of the chain are making visits to all the chains in the area tearing the place apart. It was an interesting week. I was very excited to have my day off today. At least I don't have to wait another nine days before my next one. :) Yay for actually having a real weekend day off once in a while.
I lazed around on the couch until 11 today. Did some laundry and played a little World of Warcraft. Then took Marley for our trip on the town. Then I watched pseudo-tv for the rest of the evening. I forgot to wash my work shirt with the other work clothes since I had left it in my truck so now I have to stay up for that to finish. I should sleep well at least. :)
Anyway, folks have a good night.

July? Already?

2009-07-02T00:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already July. They're selling fireworks on every major block and at night i can hear the distant pop of firecrackers set off in someone's backyard.
It's already been over two months since I had my involuntary occupation switch. It does not feel anywhere close to that long.
Marley hit nine months today. She's starting to warm up to the boys in the house. We've been going on two long walks a day. Between walking her and only eating twice a day thanks to my hours as a takeout specialist, I have a feeling I'm going to be skinnier than a rail before long. (Not like I need any help in that department).
I just found my camera today. Photos will hopefully follow shortly.

Randomness

2009-06-26T15:58:00.001-07:00

Bunch of rambling and ranting. Don't mind any of this.
Working a double (er...split... whatever you want to call it) It's 2 shifts, either way. It's just the host stand so not incredibly difficult just patience trying. Because no one will give it their all.
I need to stop defining myself by job. I need a life.
I need a hobby. Preferably a hobby with friends. I'm tired of doing things by myself. Marley is great for walks.
Marley is still growling at the boys and hiding under the bed. It's getting better slowly.
I'm burnt to a crisp from my couple of hours at the local waterpark. I put sunscreen on but I missed some spots. Mainly on my legs. So I have calico lobster legs. Yay!
Oh yeah... and if anyone wants to donate to the poor me fund please let me know.

dum dum dum

2009-06-22T20:45:00.001-07:00

Life is slowly getting back on schedule. We got some furniture and a new mattress (which is amazing btw). Marley only growls every OTHER time Karl walks into the same room with her. Jason (now known as RobotMan) still gets barked at due to still being on crutches. Marley seems to take huge offense to the clicking noise. (which is also why we are calling him 'robotman' now.)

Zipper and Marley are getting along. They approach each other to sniff and then one will walk off. Occasionally Zipper forgets not to run and thus gets chased but it's generally really short lived fun.

Been taking Marley on semi regular walks. The fence got fixed this morning by some very hard working guys. They tore down the whole things and rebuilt it all before I got home from work today. So now Marley can go out and play in the yard without supervision. This makes her very happy.

Nothing really special. Work is getting smoother. Had another mistake today but I didn't get chewed out this time. So that's cool.

Pictures to come sooner or later. Gotta find my camera again.

I've got a new major: Take-Out, Specializing in sucking.

2009-06-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

I was certified in Take Out yesterday morning (yay!). For those of you who don't what what that means let me explain:
You don't want to cook but you don't want to take the time to eat at a restaurant but you don't want fast food. So you call a restaurant and order take-out. (think chinese take out) You get good food and you get it kind of fast. Hey good food takes a little more time to prepare.... duh.
So the person you are calling is me. I take your order. I send the order to the kitchen and prepare your bill. I put all your food in nice packages and make sure everything you wanted is correct. Then you pay me (and hopefully tip me) and I hand you your food and you're good to go.
That's what I'm doing now.
It's not too hard but we have a LOT of food to know.
In short, my first orders this morning were horrible. I screwed up. We got a complaint because my mistake made the guest late back to work. (I really did apologize profusely). My manager got a phone call from his big boss man. And I got what amounts to a tongue lashing from my general manager.
It was not fun.
Hopefully tomorrow will go better.
For future reference, please be forgiving of the new girl on take out. I'm trying to do the best I can.

More excuses,

2009-06-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

We've moved. I now live in a house with four guys. Does that make me a man pimp? hmm... probably not. Exciting stuff it is. The apartment isn't empty yet. Matt's old roomate still hasn't gotten his stuff all out yet and there are still several items of ours left since no prompting on my part is going to get Matt to be smart and get in all in one trip. (no... I'm not bitter... not at all...)
(ok, bitter is the wrong word but something like that).

I was certified as of ten a.m. this morning to be a Take Out Specialist. That's really just a fancy name that says when you want E-Bar food to go, you talk to me and I send your order and get it ready for you. It was just a tiny bit stressful. I had to learn the menu inside and out. And THAT is a lot of food. And I've never heard of half of it. Edameme? Scallions? Schezwan? Bok choy? Seriously, it's just too much. Studying and the avoidance of studying (mainly ready the new book I picked up from the library) has consumed my freetime.

Marley is not uber excited about the guys in the house. She seems to think they are going to hurt me somehow and so she has designated herself my sole protector. I am not allowed out of her sight for long and she whines out the window for an extended amount of time when I leave for work. She and Zipper are on a bit of a truce. Mainly because Marley knows she'll get into trouble if she gives chase. Zipper has just decided its safe to walk super slow. It's a good plan on his part.

The last three days, I worked doubles. (well they're splits, but at work everyone calls them doubles.) Friday I opened the host stand and then trained on take out in the afternoon. ( in between shifts I had to eat and pack.) Saturday was two host shifts because one guy needed a cover for his night shift. This was also the day Matt decided to move. So between these shifts I helped move the bed, suitcases, boxes, desk, etc to the new place. Then scarf some food and head back to work. Sunday worked host in the morning and had my final training day at night. It was a long weekend. I hadn't been sleeping well because I kept dreaming about work and I would wake up freaking out about one thing or another. So yeah, I felt this morning like I haven't slept in three days.

Excuses.

2009-06-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

So as I've been told, I've been slacking.
I don't having any good excuses so you're just going to have to settle for some bad ones.

We've actually begun to move to the new place. Or rather, I have (Matt is being slow). Yesterday. Th muscles that lie just at the top of my butt are sore from climbing the stairs a hundred times in one day after working on my feet at the Elephant Bar for three hours. Marley discovered the cat (Zipper) she will be living with and proceeded to get herself in some trouble for harassing him.

I've actually crossed the line into official nerdom. I'm playing the very popular MMO game World of Warcraft. After about three years of hinting, Matt has successfully achieved his goal. I'm not going to lie to you, it has consumed a decent chunk of online time.

I've been working close to six days a week. Which is about twenty hours a week. Soon to be more if my boss ever gets around to training me for take-out.

I visited a chiropractor because I got a coupon for my first two visits (xrays and all). I apparently have a distinct curve in my lower spine where its supposed to be straight and my neck is straight where it's suppose to curve. (Matt is convinced they aren't my x-rays but since I saw the evidence from my shiny new root canal I'm hard pressed not to believe this ins't some scam) All in all, to get it fixed it's going to take me about 2100 dollars.

I've been trying to take Marley are regular walks at least a half an hour everyday. Though I haven't completely succeeded on the everyday part of that, It's getting better. Especially since the chiropractor said a thirty minute walk would help with my back. And since my credit card can't take another two grand I'm taking all the free advice I can get to save my back.

I've been reading voraciously. Seriously, I've finished the five books that I hadn't read from when I was at the ranch and have had to get myself a library card so I would stop going into Border's drooling all over the new books and inevitable bruising my budget for the newest bound fix.

Also, I've been watching a lot more tv. Mainly because it's here and it's free. I've been scouting for my newest tv addiction since HOUSE if over for the season. Burn Notice and NCIS are it right now for my afternoons and Scooby Doo is almost always on in the morning before I go to work eating my Trix cereal.

My shoes are no longer the victim to Marley's chewing habits. Between the walks and some new rawhide chewing bones, I think we have (knock, knock) fixed the issue. I still need to purchase myself new sandals though. My flip flops were the first to be sacrificed.

My truck is fixed. Completely. It's all shiny and repainted. Well, at least the passenger side doors are. Have to wait another week before I can go through the car wash. But when I get the time, I'm going to put some elbow grease into my beauty and wash and hand wax it.

More excuses to come later. (Hopefully)

Dog Days at the Dog Park

2009-05-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

I didn't have to work today (or tomorrow) so I took Marley and my camera to the dog park for a fun little shoot.
Here are the spoils from the day: (There are many more but I was testing out the hi-speed shooting aspect of my camera and the quality isn't that great on a lot of them.)

Photos starring (in no particular order) Marley (Of course), Duke, Olivia, Rusty, Jumanji, Buster

Happy Tuesday!

2009-05-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hey Hey! Happy Tuesday!
You are now reading from the blog the proud owner of a brand new shiny permanent crown! Woohoo. Too bad the dentist is threatening me with dire consequences if I don't get the rest of my chompers looked at and taken care of soon. Alas, my pocketbook won't be able to handle much more for a while.
Don't mind me too much. I'm just wasting some time before work. I only ended up working an hour and a half yesterday because we were so dead at the restaurant. Sad day... that's going to be hard on the pocketbook. Oh well... I may need to get another job if my hours don't pick up. It is only my first real week so I can't complain yet.
So yeah. I took Marley on a two hour walk yesterday afternoon. I was tuckered out. So was Marley. We took a nap on the couch when we got home.
Ok... that's it for now.
Ta Ta for now!

Certified!

2009-05-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty much awesome.
I scored better on the certification test than pretty much anyone has ever scored with my particular trainer. She was proud.
So yeah, I'm awesome.

Certification.

2009-05-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, or rather, today is my final day of training for hosting. BIG certification test.
Yeah, I know I should be in bed rather than writing in the blog but yeah...
Or I should at least be studying.
Wasn't I just complaining that I wished I was back in school. Just for the record when I said that I didn't mean tests and homework.
Yeah. Thanks for that strike of irony.

It's a hard life.

2009-04-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Just a shorty. Heading to work before long like in twenty minutes. So my window is fixed as good as new but I still have that annoying dent in the door that's going to rust eventually. Hopefully that will get repaired soon. I thought I was supposed to have a dentist appointment yesterday but I goofed and it was actually today. Whoops! So I rescheduled...
Laundry done, grocery shopping out of the way...
Now I just need to get my oil changed.
Anyway... happy day to everyone.

PS. Does it annoy anyone else out there when people type in all caps all the time? Or is it just me? Probably just me...

This is my three...

2009-04-27T14:53:00.001-07:00

So everyone says bad things happen in threes. Well, thanks to my truck getting broken into sometime last night by busting my passenger side window open and stealing my Ipod and transmitter, I have given fate my three.
First, a toothache from hell which needed a root canal immediately. (I only put this first because it started first)
Second, I was fired from my job for reasons I'm still unsure I totally understand.
And now this...

My truck was locked and alarm set (but apparently the alarm didn't go off, or maybe it did but no one heard it). I walked out to my truck 30 minutes before I was supposed to be at work (my first day.. first day, people!!) and saw the shattered glass. I'm not entirely sure what I did next but I'm sure it involved a few epithets of fame before walking back across the complex while dialing the number to my brand new job. It was my first day. And I had to show up late.
Sigh. They were cool about it though. Thank goodness.
Called the police who apparently aren't open on Monday's in this city. Since when does the whole flipping station get a day off?!?! I ended up having to fill out a report online. Called the insurance, and filed a claim. Matt was so very kind to wake up and drive my truck to the shop 30 minutes away to get it fixed as I went to work. It's fixed, but sadly I won't be getting my ipod or transmitter replaced or at least not until I pay off some of these other incidents of my run of bad luck.

I've paid my dues now, oh mother/father of the universe and dealer of destiny. Can't you leave me alone now? At least for a little while, so I can finish picking up the pieces.

Growl.

2009-04-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

Grrrr... so the video I posted on youtube got it's audio track deleted because I used part of 'Real World" by Matchbox 20 on it. So sorry, it's soundless. I'm going to see if I can't fix that by going somewhere else. It's not like I didn't give them credit... grrrr

**EDIT**
Ok... well, for those of you who know me, I uploaded it on facebook as well. But the sound still works for me, at the moment. So whatever, good luck.

**EDIT TIMES TWO**
Here's the embedded Facebook version. Hope it works.

Orientation Day

2009-04-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

First day of work was easy. Sat around with two other people who also were hired and chatted, filled out paper work, and watched a cheesy (aren't they always) safety video. Um... yeah. I start training tomorrow, and Tuesday... and then Thursday and Friday because I have a dentist appointment on Wednesday. Yay for permanent crowns!
And even more YAY for jobs that help pay for crowns!
Ok. I'm going to go memorize the menu now.
(probably not, but I'll at least look through it and let my mouth get all watery on me and then make myself some mac and cheese even though it's after ten already).

Puppy kisses and Goodbyes

2009-04-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I said goodbye to my favorite horse, threw the remainder of my belongings in the truck, gave Rob and Joey a hug, and said goodbye to Cannon and Lucy. Then I caught Marley who was playing hard to get and drove away to my very own perfect soundtrack with the stereo up as loud as it would go so anyone could hear it as I drove off the ranch one final time.

Some of the songs on my soundtrack for the road?

A Change Will Do You Good, Sheryl Crow
Who Wouldn't Want To Be Me, Keith Urban
Gone, Montgomery Gentry
Wonderful, Everclear
Learning to Smile, Everclear
Wild World, Me First and the Gimmies
Real World, Matchbox Twenty
Let 'Er Rip, Dixie Chicks
Every Day Is a Winding Road, Sheryl Crow
The Underdog, Spoon
Another Bites the Dust, Queen
On the Road Again, Willie Nelson
Have It All, Jeremy Kay

Packed!

2009-04-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

That's it. It's official. I'm completely packed up minus a change of clothes and shower supplies for the morning. Oh, and my saddle because it might rain tonight. (It's traveling in the back of my truck so it might get wet). Somehow the second half of my stuff seemed to be more than I thought but it's cool.
The cabin is clean as a new whistle and smelling super good.
I'm going to take a nap I think. Apparently, there is a tradition (rule) that when you leave Anderson Valley you have to leave with a gigantic hangover. Hmmm... this could spell trouble for me. Luckily, I don't get hangovers. (DON'T WORRY MOM!)
Ugh. I'm tired. Maybe I can convince my puppy she needs a nap, too. I need someone to cuddle with.

Sucess!

2009-04-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

I got a job! I'm hosting at the elephant bar restaurant! whoohoo!
It's something at least!

Persistence

2009-04-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Persistence does pay. (too bad it doesn't pay cash.) I called half a dozen dentists, got an appointment the same day for a decent price AND got my shiny new temporary crown! Hopefully persistence will help me find a job in the next couple of days.
Picking up applications at restaurants and such today. Wish me luck.

Sunday.

2009-04-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sunday. I tried to sleep in today but life at the ranch, even though I'm no longer involved in it, isn't really quiet in the morning. Especially when all the dogs, including Marley, think its a good time to bark at everything. And not even a good steady barking that you can yell at them for but the five barks in a row then quiet just long enough to start to fall asleep again before you're jolted awake by another series of barking.
Luckily, Marley isn't much of a barker in general. Mainly she barks if another dog barks at her or if she's trying to protect her space (ie. my cabin, the backside of the main house) from people like the maintenance guys.
I really have no idea what I'm going to do with myself today. Tomorrow is my root canal. Yay! And I have a meeting with Boonville brewery owner to see if he wants to hire me to take care of his two gigantic Shire horses.
Maybe I'll clean my truck out in preparation for interviews (because you know some people look at that to see how organized a person you are) and for moving out. Maybe I'll go hiking or drop in on a friend who works in a tasting room and taste some wine. Maybe I'll go into town and see if I can't scrounge up some boxes to pack up. Maybe I'll just lurk on Craig's List/Yard and Groom all day and find a lovely new job.

The Plan.

2009-04-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Alright... for all of you who want to know the plan.
I have to be off the ranch by April 28th.

Plan A:
Find something semi-permanent in Boonville and find a house to rent cheap.
Employment options:

possibly working at the brewery taking care of their shire horses. (have a interview on Monday at 2)
riding a friend's horses (in addition to whatever else I find to do)
washing dishes at a restaurant on Sundays
working at a wine tasting room

Living options:

slim to none.
renting room from said friend with horses.
paying about a grand a month for so much as a room anywhere on the coast or in town.

Plan B:
Living with Matt and his roommate until I get myself on my feet and either 1)find a bigger place with them or 2)find a job as with a living situation preferably still in Cali.
Employment options:

waitress, bartend, whatever I can find
desk jockey/cubical monkey with benefits
nothing horsey (at least not that I can find)
working at a summer camp in the south bay (that's horsey!)

Plan C:
Moving home. Most expensive option in the short run... probably the cheapest in the long run. Living at home=free.
Employment options:

waitress, bartend, whatever I can find
very little horsey

I've sent my resume out to a few places around the bay for that elusive desk jockey/cubical monkey job with benefits. Hopefully, I'll hear something soon. As it is, I'm headed back to the ranch for probably the remainder of my imprisonment (kidding! I can leave when ever I want/can...there's just nothing to do - can't play with the horses or help out in the kitchen or anything.) In addition to packing my belongings, I'll be surfing the web looking for jobs at all three locals while trying to catch little part time jobs during the remainder of my time to make some extra money to pay for this stupid root canal that I have to get.

Fired.

2009-04-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

Well everyone, I guess it was time to move on.
I was fired.
One more life lesson down... how many more of these are there?
I have two weeks to be out of my cabin and onto somewhere else.
Not quite sure what I'm going to do just yet but I'll update you all when I have a plan. I might be heading back to the midwest or I might see what else the west coast has to offer me. Anyway, I'm on the move whether I like it or not.
Wish me luck.

Teeth just get in the way of enjoying amazing food

2009-04-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

I have a massive toothache for while I have been taking pain killers all day for. Ruined my enjoyment of a perfect prime rib dinner, it did. I gave in and called the dentist today and made an appointment. I'm going in on Wednesday at 9am.
It'll be my luck that it's just sinus pressure and it'll all disappear tomorrow or the morning of the appointment, of course.
I should probably get a check up anyway... Hopefully I don't need a root canal for this one. I certainly can't afford it at the moment. (well, I suppose I could... but I don't want to...)

Quiet

2009-04-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, hey, everyone!
It's a quiet night tonight at the ranch. We have guests but they must all be taking naps before dinner. That's just fine with me. I'm happy to sit here and write for all of you while sipping on my lovely glass of Anderson Valley wine during cocktail hour. (yes... I am drinking wine now. Only white though... just sweet enough for me.)
Hope you enjoyed the myriad of pictures (and video) from yesterday. I'm back to the internet that hates me so you'll have to wait until the next time I can escape to the places where they hide the good stuff. Then you shall see Joey's frog prince, Ebert.
Anyway, Happy Easter tomorrow. Find lots of eggs and send me your candy and I shall reward you with lots of posts.

I had to choose the windiest day to head to the coast...

2009-04-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

So this is the day I went to the beach with Marley. Probably about two weeks ago. It was ridiculously windy. We (well, I) nearly got blown off the bluffs at the botanical gardens. Here are some of the pictures. I chased the sunset all the way down highway 1 back to the ranch.

Redwoods on highway 20 from Willits to Fort Bragg. It's really blurry here for some reason. Sorry. Maybe if you click on it you'll get a better view.

Something on the ground made Marley go crazy rolling. She loved the little patches of sandy soil at the bluffs.

Easter means spring is on the way, right?

2009-04-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Easter has snuck up on me. Suddenly the ranch is full of people and kids on their spring break. Funny how every problem seems to disappear when you get busy. Time to get your head out of the hole and get to work.
Marley and I went down to Matt's this week. Marley is thrilled about all the smells around the apartment complex and its hard to go for a walk and actually get anywhere. She is less than excited about having to be on a leash the whole time though. I know, I know, her life is so hard. She's currently passed out on the floor next to me again.
I played board games with several of Matt's friends last night until really late. It was so much fun. I wish I had people to play board games with at the ranch on a regular basis. But alas, everyone is always busy or otherwise involved. hmm... maybe Raydon likes to play board games. *makes mental note to ask*
So my two days off are far too short this week. I wish I had a little more time. I'm so not ready to go back just yet. At least we're still busy through the weekend. That's good at least. If you all are looking to get away and can spare the cash for a getaway come to ranch between now and the end of May - cause we have nobody. (literally!)
The database is going to be the end of me. I've had to lean the program from scratch which was fun. Creating the layout was a creative outlet for me and I really enjoyed doing that but now there is blip in my carefully laid plans that because I have had absolutely now training in creating databases I am having a hard time fixing. Spent several hours on Wednesday trying to fix it - watching tutorials and such - to no avail. Sad day.
Anyway, enough of my rambling. Not sure when I'll be posting again so Happy Easter to all. And Good Friday as well.

Holy Hill Video

2009-04-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry the video is so shaky. It's really hard to hold the camera steady and direct my horse at all three gaits. Yup, that's right folks, in the video you get to walk, trot, and canter. Woohoo!

2009-04-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

So... I had the day off today and I was all excited and going to get online with a decent connection and write some stuff and post lots of pictures.
And then some shiny things caught my attention...
So yeah... nothing.
Sorry.

Lord Buckley

2009-04-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

Happy April Fools!
I was totally going to pull some pranks today since I had the day off but I was too lazy and didn't have any good ideas. No good rafters to hang beds in... no good spots to spiderweb the office... nothing to put on the floating dock...
Oh well. tomorrow is just as good a day to pull pranks. (On those who will enjoy it.)
(too few do).
Oh Lord Buckley I miss you!

Sad Puppy Eyes...

2009-04-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

So as you all know about my own little rescue pup since she's certainly all I talk about these days. One of my favorite blogs, No Ordinary Rollarcoaster, I read has started a charity event on his blog that supports dog shelters in Canada, South Africa, and the United States. Which is really, really cool.
As he puts it...

Your generosity will be felt by vulnerable and abandoned animals throughout the world no matter how big or small the donation. For example, skipping your Starbucks today could keep a puppy cozied up in a new blanket tomorrow. It's that simple.

Don't even try to tell me that mental image didn't make your heart melt just a little...

So yeah... if you have some money, give it up. Help stimulate the economy and help some puppies that don't have a home.

Sorry.

2009-03-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. Internet hates me as usual.
Sorry.

Nothing all that new here anyway.

Except me feeling crappy and sleeping through dinner on a semi-regular basis. If anyone has any books you think I'll like (fantasy wise (NO SCI_FI)) please send them my way. I'm tired of rereading all the books I have here.

Uploads

2009-03-26T23:20:00.001-07:00

I just made a video of one of our trails since the majority will probably never make it out to the ranch... but it'll have to wait on the upload list until I go somewhere with better internet. I ran into an internet cafe in Medocino today to post the last picture.
Prepare yourself for that post to be edited tomorrow. (If I don't get fed up with 'Page Errors' and through my computer out the window...)

Pictures!!

2009-03-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

Marley... the batwinged wonder dog.

Trail riding. I'm not there... I'm behind the camera. Duh...

Two of our neighbors' gigantic shire mares.

Our neighbors' gigantic, beautiful stallion.

And finally, as promised. Marley all curled up on the laundry basket when I took my shower. Though she hasn't done it since.

untitled

2009-03-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's worth mentioning that I've reached over 250 visitors. I've had over one hundred visitors in less than a month. Sweet!

Marley is doing very well. She had learned to sit on command and come (sometimes... more often than not, though). We're working on stay now and down. She doesn't understand 'down' though. I'll have to check Rob's Dog Training for Dummies book for hints.

Nothing too exciting happening. Just work and intermittent pouring rain and hope-crushing sun. I say say hope-crushing because it comes out in all glory with blue sky and no clouds in the sky for about a half an hour or so, making you think the rain is over, and then the strom clouds roll in once again crushing all hope of a warm, dry day.

Happy Equinox!

2009-03-20T13:23:00.001-07:00

Today is the first day of Spring! Whoopie!
Marley and I just went for a walk to enjoy the fine weather of our first spring day at the ranch this year. We went to the neighbor's ranch who have giant shires that they breed. Two of their stallions are perfectly white and absolutely beautiful... I'll post more shots when I'm not going to kill the ranch's bandwidth.
It is just gorgeous!
Oh... btw, I caved. Marley slept in the bed.
I felt bad since I hadn't actually gotten her her own yet.

Oh boy.

2009-03-20T10:05:00.001-07:00

One of the guests just found out who I am (the wrangler) and proceeded to announce that if anyone wanted to ride that they should talk to me never mind that it is my day off today. Before I hightailed it out of there before they could actually put me to work (much to my relief no one seemed to want to ride) one of the other guests announced that she loved horses but wouldn't ride because she always had a bad experience.
Somebody asked did you get bit?
She replied, 'No they don't bite, but the saddle breaks and I fall off'

Au contraire! Horses bite much more often then saddles fall off and I have a bruise to prove it.

2009-03-19T23:51:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to go raid the kitchen and have a late night snack.
Yum.

Anyone up for a little irony?

2009-03-19T23:19:00.001-07:00

So I feel like I should point out that its supposed to rain on Saturday. The day I go back to work after my days off. I know I really shouldn't complain because I get all the nice weather to do with as I wish, but does no one see the irony here?
On the days I have to be outside it rains...
On the days I have a choice whether or not to stay in... it's nice...
Oh, and the kicker?
On the days I have to stay inside doing paperwork (not that I'm complaining, it's a nice change), it's frickin' beautiful.
Man... I better bring my raincoat to work. It's a good thing I washed my truck today. :P

Spoiled Rotten...

2009-03-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

So I'm officially kicking Marley out of my bed.
Maybe...
She starts all curled up in a ball but as the night goes on she stretches out. And she is one very long puppy. All legs she is.
And she has dreams.
Every night.
Where she runs and yips after some rabbit or goose or whatever she dreams about.
So, when this happens I tend to get a paw in the middle of my back, or even better, in my face, sufficiently waking me up in the middle of the night. I have a queen size bed, you think the two of us could fit - especially since she's not even that big yet. But since she's going to be growing up (and she is, before my very eyes - I swear she's taller and longer than she was last week) to supposedly 60lbs, she'd better get used to not being in the bed anymore. I don't like to share the blankets.
I took her with me down to Santa Rosa to go to Petsmart and Petco to get some supplies (collar, treats, another bone to replace the one Cannon stole). She was pretty overwelmed by having to be on a leash for the first time since I've had her (for all of a week) and all the scents in the store and other dogs. But we hung out and made it through the whole store. We stopped to look at the dog beds. Marley found one she wanted and told me this by literally crawling up onto the shelf, sniffing around and finally flat out laid down. I had to laugh when she looked up at me all proud of herself. She had picked out for herself the largest of all the beds and (of course the only one of its kind, and the most expensive...). I tried to lure her onto a smaller bed but she just turned up her nose and stayed put.
Guess the girl knows what she wants.
But at the end of it, I decided not to get it just yet because she definately wasn't going to need the ExtraLarge version, at the very least.

**Update**
I was going to post a picture of the bed she wanted but it's not on the petsmart website. Or any other website, for that matter. At least not that I could find.
But this is the closest I could come to it.
This is not the bed. This is an even more expensive version with more bells and whistles.
What does a dog need with bells and whistles anyway?
The bed she found was a Companion Road bed.
But I've looked everywhere online and can't find it.
I'm beginning to think I dreamed the whole thing.

Happy Belated St. Patty's

2009-03-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

Ack! I forgot to wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's day.
I didn't even get a green beer. (Not that I would drink it, but it's the thought that counts, right?)
So... top o'the mornin' to ya and kiss the blarney stone and all d'luck o'the Irish to ya good kind sir.
Hope I got it all. Weathers been nice the last two days. Whoopie! Marley and I have gone for a long walk on both afternoons. We're learning to sit and stay and to come when we're called. The latter seems to be the hardest part. There are so many other much more exciting things to chase and watch than coming to see me (even with a treat in my hand). But she's getting better.

It's a quickie

2009-03-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
Just thought I'd throw out a quick note.
I forgot to mention that on Friday one of our horses took it upon himself to leave a bruise on my upper arm with his teeth as I was trying to adjust the stirrups of his rider. Bratty horse. My arm has all sorts of pretty colors though. Didn't break the skin or anything. He's in the naughty bin for sure.
Marley is beginning to feel brave enough at the ranch to explore a little without me. *insert fake sniffles here* My little girl is getting so grown up!!! :) But her cough is getting worse. It's frustrating. The lady who runs the rescue is calling the vet and will get back to me. But with all the research I've done on kennel cough is that it basically works like the common cold. It just has to run its course, unless it gets really bad and then you get antibiotics. It's just so sad to watch her little body convulse as she coughs. :( poor thing. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse than this and she'll be better in about ten or so days.
I have an office day tomorrow and wednesday to work on the database. And of course, it's supposed to be sunny. Why can't it ever be sunny when I have to work outside in the barn. I love rain but I'm beginning to get a little burnt out on getting wet all the time. Plus with a sick puppy it's hard to keep her warm and dry without locking her in the house all day.

Ah well. Part of life. It should be over soon. This too shall pass.

Few more Marley pics

2009-03-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

Under the bed, pretending to be asleep. I know she's not because shortly after I took the picture, she licked the camera lens.

On the bed with her squeaky ball. She can't get on the bed by herself because she won't jump. I think it's awesome because when she gets all muddy on days like today, she has to wait for me to wipe her down before I'll let her up there.

She loves playing with my comforter, rubbing herself up and down the sides of it. She was very offended in this picture because I actually had to pull her out from under the bed to get a full body shot. She doesn't understand 'come' yet either. Though out on walks, it just takes whistle to get her running towards me. (Unless of course, there are shiny things keeping her distracted - she is a puppy after all)

Marley

2009-03-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

I know it's terribly cliche at the moment with the book and movie out but I have changed Magic's name to Marley. I wanted to stick with the letter 'M' so she wouldn't be too confused. And gosh-darn it, I like the name.
So there.

But she is so well-behaved.
The guests that were here this weekend couldn't believe either
A. She had only been at the ranch for two days...
and
B. She was only four months old.

She sticks close by my side all day, unless she's tired where she either lays down in the barn doorway where she can watch me while I work or she curls up in my cabin when I'm in the main house. She's just getting over a second case of kennel cough that she had with the rescue group. Her tiredness worries me a little bit because I'm afraid she's coming down with it again.
But besides that, she is full of energy. I bought a blue squeeky ball and a flavor filled bone the day I picked her up. She loves playing with them with or without me. She even fetches. I didn't even have to teach her.
She doesn't know how to sit on command but if she's lying down already, she'll stay if you ask.
She's small enough to pick up right now, but doesn't really like it all that much. She does love to be cuddled, though. She gives little puppy kisses, though not enough to give you a whole bath. She usually just gives three or four and then she's done.
(Unless you're Cannon, and then she'll kiss you're snout until you have to bark at her to get her to stop... hehehe)

The night after I brought her to the ranch. I jumped in the shower and left her alone.
She whimpered a little at the shower curtain at first and then disappeared. When I got out of the shower, I looked around for her in my cabin but I couldn't find her. I figured she hid under my bed. (She loves climbing under there on her belly, though I'm sure she won't be able to fit under there for too much longer) So I figured I would find her under there in a little bit and went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. I turned around and found her all curled up inside my laundry basket on top of all my dirty clothes. She looked very cute and wouldn't move until I picked her up myself to move her to the bed to sleep.
I took a picture. When I get somewhere with better bandwidth, I'll upload it.
Other than all that, it's business as usual here at the ranch. We don't have guests again until this coming weekend - and they're all here for a yoga retreat. I'm not sure how many of them are actually going to ride. We'll have to see.
I've been taking Marley on walks after work when she feels like it (which after a nap, she usually does). I've discovered that I am wildly out of shape. The first two nights my knees and ankles were protesting so badly I had to take ibprophen and put some muscle cream on them. Obviously, trail riding the horses all day long doesn't put as much stress on my joints like walking on red rock roads.
I should be in good walking shape before long with Marley. :)
She can keep up with me at a run, too. So maybe I have a running partner when I stop whining.

She's just so gosh-darn perfectly cute.
*sticks lip out and gives puppy eyes*
Can I keep her pu-leaze....?

New Addition.

2009-03-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

I got a puppy!!
Well, not for sure yet. I've got her for seven days to make sure she likes it here and all the other dogs get along. Anyway, her name is Magic until further notice. Pictures will be up eventually.
I'm typing this while I'm waiting for the horses to come in. I knew they wouldn't be waiting for me this morning. I don't expect them until at least 8:30 cause that's what time they were used to come in before the time change.
While I'm thinking about it, anyone come up with some names for the puppy?

Wedding Pictures

2009-03-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Some wedding shots for nonfacebookers.
This picture needs a little work so we can not quite so washed out. I mean, we can't be that pale, we're both living in Cali for goodness sakes.

Abby and Alex.

Mike Nichols presided over the wedding. (er performed.. whatever that word is)
Mr. Nichols was my Missions Professor at LCCS.
Pretty awesome.

Ta Da

2009-03-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

In Nashville. At the wedding. Pictures on Facebook.
More to come later.
But here are some mushroom hunting pictures.

Witch's Butter

Hedgehogs. edible.

150 Visitors!

2009-03-02T20:40:00.000-08:00

So I was getting a little downhearted about the lack of response this blog was getting. I mean, why keep writing, when no one is out there reading. So I finally put a statcounter on my blog. (It's down at the very very very bottom of the page.) I believe at this very moment it say 154 visitors since Feb 8th.
Which is super awesome. No I don't feel like I'm talking to myself. I have a real paper journal to talk to myself in, I don't need to do it online too. That's just silly.
So please disregard the grumpy previous message and celebrate with me. Hopefully there will be more to come!

Grrrr.... Lost the internet again mid post. SO ANNOYING! Want my little tiny piece of advice? Don't get your internet via satellite unless you can't help it. It's horrible. I'd almost rather not have it at all so there'd be no false hope.

Ok. I'm done ranting. Let's party!

Grrr.

2009-03-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

This is me ranting about the lack of internet connection. It cuts me off from everything - everyone.
No one is ever around to talk to when I finally have time to talk. Everyone is too busy or already in bed.
Grrrr.
I can't wait until the wedding. I just need to last until Thursday.

Then I can fall apart.

Trail shots and an unexpected visitor

2009-02-24T17:06:00.001-08:00

I just really liked this shot.
A rusted old barrel (I think) in the woods being taked over by moss.

This one totally needs a full view to see it all. It's a ponoramic shot I took today off the back on Charlie, one of our trail horses.

And when I got done with work today, I had an unexpected visitor on my doorstep.
A Banana Slug.
(Reminds me of the movie Coraline)
He surprised me so bad I actually almost squealed a little.

I think he needs a name.
Any ideas?

Order of the Cosmos

2009-02-23T13:12:00.001-08:00

Why don't they make water proof fabric standard on camera cases?
Although cameras have gone down in price over the years, they're still a pretty valuable resource.

At least to a college graduate, because we're poor. And with one as clumbsy as me, something is bound to happen.

My internet is broken today. Probably doesn't want me to write anymore. I way exceded my quota yesterday. So instead, I'm writing this on notepad. So take that, wildblue. In Yo Face.

I have a theory. The reason they don't make camera cases water proof is because if you are going to drop your camera in a puddle, it's not going to be in the case when you do it.
It's the rule of the cosmos. You know, like Murphy's law.
If it can happen, it will.
Eventually.

One day, Rob and I went to elk beach. This particular beach is rather tucked away and it takes a good five to ten minute walk dow the cliffside to even get down to the water so it's rarely crowded. Or at least, that's what Rob says. I've only been there this one time so far.

It was a nice day, though not especially hot. Either way it wouldn't really matter, for around here the coast is pretty chilly in comparison to the rest of Northern Cali. And the water is colder still. It was later in the year when we went and so I was not going to get in the water past my toes. Or at least, that was the plan.

We brought Cannon, Rob's dog with us, cause he loves the beach. We took our shoes off and let Cannon off the leash. There were driftwood houses all over the beach, some small enough for a mouse some tall enough that I had to climb to get on top of them. Carefully... I was barefoot. Driftwood splinters are not the way to a good time. We both had our cameras and were taking pictures.

On one end of the beach were some caves that the waves crashed into. Being crazy like people tend to be, Rob decided to go for it. He ran in when the tide was out and hung out in there for a few seconds while the waves crashed in on him. Then he ran out, no worse for the wear. He dared me to go in. And with enough prompting, I did.

The cave was bigger than I had thought but still small. I stood in the farthest spot away from the ocean. The waves crashed into us.
I screamed and giggled with glee. The water just swelled over my ankles. I had rolled up my jeans so they wouldn't get wet.
I could hear Rob chuckling on the other side of the rock from me. We waited for another wave to come in at us.

The next wave came in fast and strong. We were both standing closer to the mouth of the cave this time but we fled to the back wall of the cave as the tide rushed at us. I squealed as the water came up at me and splashed against the back wall of the cave behind me and splashed my entire right side of my leg.

As the water ran out, so did we laughing and out of breath. Rob had gotten soaked. The crevice he had been standing in wasn't as deep as mine and so he had taken a big hit when the wave came in. I had been holding my camera up (since I hadn't brought my case with me) so as to not get it wet. Rob had his in his case. Which had gotten soaked.

Luckily the fabric of the case had been thick enough to keep the camera mostly dry in the onslaught of water.
So no harm done.
But Rob was a different story. He had only one dry spot on his shirt sleeve.
And I had to listen to cracks about going commando for the rest of the day.

Just goes to show...

Croak...

2009-02-22T19:59:00.000-08:00

There are creatures living under the closed off eaves of my cabin. Those creatures tend to squeak and shuffle around this time of night. I'm not sure if they're mice or bats but they certainly are annoying when I want to sleep.
The frogs are no help either.
You see, my cabin is behind the main house. Closer to the barn - in fact my back porch (that I never use) looks out into the horse paddock. Rob's is faced differently than mine. His back porch looks out on Leack Loch George a pond also behind the main house. The frogs live around this lake and they really like to sing their hearts out.
Too bad they don't dance... they could totally make me millions... millions I say! And smoking cigars in front of a giant theatre in a full tux and a cape (I've always wanted a cape...)

So back to what I was saying... These frogs don't dance. And they don't actually sing either. They just croak.
All.
Night.
Long.
And my walls are paper thin - they barely keep the wind out. If the Big Bad Wolf came around, my cabin wouldn't stand a chance. Just sayin'
And the only way to get them to quiet down is to let off a loud noise.
Like a shotgun blast.
And then its blessedly quiet for a little while.
Until one frog, one frog gets brave enough to croak once. And then again.
Then a couple more join him.
Then a few more.
The the whole pond full of frogs is off again.

So those creatures crawling around and squeaking right above my head are really only just half of the symphony that goes on nightly at the ranch. Too bad most nights, it doesn't put me to sleep.
If only they could really sing. Maybe there's a green box hidden in the pond somewhere...

On A Roll...

2009-02-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll here. Twelve posts in less than a month?
Even a short month at that. This is a new record for me.
Maybe I can keep it up.
Who knows?

Ok... so now it's thirteen posts. Whoopie!
The rain and work has been getting me down a little bit. But not to worry, when the sun comes out again for good and I can finally see smiles on kids faces again all will be right with the world again. Rainbows and lollipops and sunshine and giggles...
But luckily, I have a wedding to attend in less than two weeks now of one of my very good friends from high school. It should be exciting. I even bought a new dress.
(Really, only because every other dress I owe has too much black for a wedding...
Hey - black looks good on me. so there. :P)

My only problem now is shoes. The only heels I own are black.
Can you were black shoes to a wedding or is that taboo?
Abby, my closest friend/fashion advisor has not been answering her phone or calling me back. Shame on her. What is a fashion clueless girl like me supposed to do without her own personal fashion advisor on call?
Just kidding...
But seriously now, folks?
Are black shoes cool for a wedding go-er, or does it spell bad luck for the bride?

Rainy Day Pictures

2009-02-22T15:57:00.000-08:00

So I thought I would venture out after work today and take some rainy day pictures.
Only the top one was really messed with. I love the time machine photo edit. :)

If only one of these had four leaves...
maybe then I could have some luck.
Guess I'll have to wait until March 17th like everyone else.

Our own miniature river helping to fill up Leaky Loch George weaving in and out the cattails.

And... all the water droplets all in a row.

Rainy Day in Georgia...

2009-02-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

It's raining...
again.
(Though, not in Georgia, at least as far as I know...)

Party for the farmers.
Party for the grape growers.
Party for the people who can curl up with a good book.
Party for the people who have the day off.
Party for everyone who can work inside.

But it's no party for me.

Don't get me wrong... I love working outside. Usually, even when it's raining.
But not today. But not this week.

Camp Songs...

2009-02-21T14:22:00.000-08:00

I miss camp songs. I'm starting to forget some of them which makes me sad, since I used to be the people came to remember a certain song.

Nobody likes me, Everybody hates me...
Think I'll go eat worms...

Moon on the Meadow, Bugs in our ears...
Smoke in our eyes, wet wood and tears...

Stay on the sunny side, always on the sunny side...
Stay on the sunny side of life...

Land of the Silver Birch, Home of the beaver...
Where still the mighty moose wanders at will...

Can you dig that crazy jibberish?
Can you dig it?

Give me a red balloon on a long black string...
I can whistle and I can sing...

2009-02-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

My head hurts.
Had a meeting today.
Won't happen again.
Don't worry.
I'm going to bed.

And for once... I thought I was in the right.

Magic

2009-02-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

This is Magic. She's the puppy I'm looking to adopt. She's a Border Collie cross, already been introduced to horses. Isn't she cute?
I just hope I can keep her. I need a pet.

Trouble.

2009-02-20T12:23:00.000-08:00

I'm trying not to be any trouble. I'm trying to stay out of trouble.
I seem to be failing.
Horribly.

I'm beginning to think it's me.
Am I that hard to work with?
What about me makes bosses want to yell at me?

Flowers in my Garden

2009-02-19T13:11:00.000-08:00

So my little garden by my house is drinking up the rain. Anywhere else in the world, the amount of rain we've been getting would have flooded the streets. But around here it's just barely what we need. We're at 50% of the rain we get normally for the beginning of the year. Hope we get some more or the grapes won't grow and there'll be little wine for this year.

The Amazing Unhappy World.

2009-02-14T12:20:00.000-08:00

Whoopie!

2009-02-13T11:14:00.000-08:00

I have a head cold... apparently though, if i were talking to you it would come out more like this: I hab ba ead cold. So much for not being sick more than once a year. Though, with my allergies, this is nothing more than an annoyance.
I did cancel my riding lesson this morning so I could nurse my immune system back to health so I can being perky for the guests that arrive today. So I'm going to be doing a lot of nothing today. Cleaning my house, notwithstanding.

Friends are made over a plate of cookies...

2009-02-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

The history: Our neighbors at the bottom of the hill have not been super, well, neighborly... There's disputes over the use of the road everyone uses to get up to the ranch as it runs through their property. Lawsuits were files, etc etc. And yet, no one really knows what's going on. At least on our end. Attitudes on both sides were/are rather defensive. Three of our horses ended up on their property three days in a row at the end of the summer which didn't make things that much easier.
So... I came up with the idea of bribing the neighbors with cookies. I wanted to meet these neighbors for a couple of reasons: One: I wanted to apologize again for the mishap of our horses ending up on their property. And Two: Curiosity. I swear I'm not turning out to be one of those old ladies who always peeks our the window blinds to spy on the neighbors...
So I baked about five dozen cookies and packed them up to meet and greet. Rob and Joey joined me on the trip down the hill to meet the new 'manager' of our neighboring property.
He saw the cookies first. We had a good little chat while he ate like four of the cookies right in front of us. He had just gotten off the road from a long drive. A good time for a snack, no?
And who doesn't like cookies? Especially when they're home-baked from scratch. (Yup, that's right. I can bake. So there!)
And now today: Our neighbor decided to drop by for a visit. Awesome. (I might have done a little booty-shake of my own in my head... and in the kitchen when no one was watching, but that's beside the point.) I love when plans to get people talking work out so well.
Who knows if it will continue to work out, but at least we're trying right? Hopefully, there'll be a ride soon too. I can get my horses exercised and continue to foster the friendship.
Just goes to show that friends can be made with a giant plate of awesome cookies and a show of goodwill.

Advice, like youth, is wasted on the young

2009-02-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

Wear sunscreen.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
Forget your youth... Enjoy the power and beauty of your world. Our world is an amazing place. The little things are what make up the big things. Take a closer look and fall for the majesty of the details.
Live in New York City once but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
It's been in the high sixties, low seventies here and people are still wearing scarves and heavy winter coats. Soft...
Life out here is great. Right now, there are about a million frogs calling their hearts out my back door. The grass is a beautiful plush green. The daffodils are in full bloom. The skies are a light shade of blue with little fluffy sheep for clouds. And it's February. Who needs Florida when Northern California is here with trees and open spaces not spoiled by over development.

I love the 'wear sunscreen' song. It came on my ipod today while I was driving back to the ranch after visiting down south. Just in case you were wondering:
Wikipedia says:

Mary Schmich's "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column on June 1, 1997. In her introduction to the column, she described it as the commencement address she would give if she were asked to give one.

And it wasn't actually given as a commencement speech. FYI.

Short and Sweet

2009-02-01T17:25:00.000-08:00

I wish I had the energy to write something entertaining for you all but... instead you just get some nibbles...

Bribing the neighbors went well. All my cookies were very well recieved.
I'm still on a cookie baking spree.
I might be getting a dog soon. Hopefully!
I went to see Hot Buttered Rum (a bluegrass band) in concert in Petaluma last night.
I have my own little garden outside my cabin now with flowers and everything... let's hope they live.
I'm not watching the superbowl because I'd rather watch House.
It's been super sunny. I love it except we really really need the rain around here.

Bad dreams stink.

2009-01-28T08:12:00.000-08:00

The last two mornings I have woken up before my alarm clock went off because of bad dreams: anxiety dreams. I have no idea why and they aren't about the same things. I don't even remember really what happened in them but it leaves me in a funk all morning. The feeling just sticks with me. If it was my day off I would just put the pillow over my head and sleep some more - increase the chance of more pleasant dreams to wake up to. But instead, I hit the snooze for the half an hour or so I have left and get out of bed and grumpily feed the horses.
Sometimes I consider trying to go back to bed - in fact, that's how I make myself get out of bed... I just keep telling myself that I can go back to bed after I feed - but it never happens. Once I'm up, I'm up.
It doesn't help either that the pasture horses have been taking their time coming in. I feed the boys in the paddocks on time but then I have to wake for the pasture boys to show up which can be a little as the time it takes to get back to my house and take off my boots or several hours.
Highly annoying.
But tomorrow is my day off. I've decided I'm going to go ahead and feed the horses but I'm not doing anything else so I will be going back to bed. So there.
Jim and Susie are back from their vacation... er.. event. But just for a couple of days. Jim's going to teach Joey and Rob somethings this morning while he's here. This afternoon, the plan is for the three of us - Joey, Rob and I - to go make friends with some of less than hospitable neighbors with a large plate of cookies that I baked yesterday. Who doesn't love cookies?
Surely, they can't deny us and a plate of cookies. :)