I said it would take 12 months. Michael said six. Actually, originally, he said four, and he was closer with his first guess. It took four and a half months!
Michael was leaving for a business trip, so I was (still am) staying over for the week to watch the house/dogs. I had brought Jaiden over to his house yesterday, and while he was packing, all three dogs were getting on my nerves. So, I said, "Y'all need to..." and paused. Then, "Oh crap, I said it!" It's funny, because even as I was saying the word (I refuse to even type it anymore than I have to), I was fighting it, but it just slipped out anyway.
I still can't believe I said it.
Monday, September 22, 2008
More horsie rides
On Wednesday, I went to the keuring to watch Wal. I went after work, however, and she had already gone. I spoke with Richard and Susan for a bit, and the guy that was helping them out spoke with us, too. Apparently, he had tried to get in with Richard doing what I'm doing (helping out with the horses in exchange for lessons), but Richard had told him he wasn't a good enough rider yet. During my lesson on Saturday--more on that in a bit--I was riding one of their mares, and the minute I got on, Richard told me to get her to lower her head and neck so she would relax. I was able to do it immediately, and Richard stopped me for a moment. He said another student of his had tried to do the same thing, and throughout the entire lesson, couldn't get the mare to relax and lower her head. So he told her he didn't have anybody for her to ride! I appreciate that kind of honesty, and I'm flattered (and privileged, I suppose) that I'm good enough that he's happy to have me riding, but if someone had ever told me the things he's said to some of these riders, I'd be heartbroken. I mean, we all have to start at the same place--right at the beginning. His reasoning is that he doesn't want someone else to ruin his horses, which is understandable I suppose. The guy that helped them out on Wednesday took the criticism the way it was meant to be taken, and has been working hard to improve his riding. He's a better person than I am... I would have taken it personally. :)
I rode two horses Saturday--Nokomas and Dansk. Nokomas (pronouned "nuh-KO-muss") is a cute little bay mare that was actually pretty fun to ride, but slightly difficult for me. It was easy for me to get her to reach for the bit at the walk, but the trot was more challenging. Eh, she's a mare, and therefore prone to pickiness. We did some shoulder-ins and leg-yields, some good, some bad. The canter was difficult to pick up. I'm still learning this whole "ask for the canter from your seat" thing, instead of the leg. It's almost like I have to shift my weight to the inside seat bone while also pushing with my inside seat bone to the outside. Yeah, it's hard.
Dansk was pretty good. At one point, and I'm still not entirely sure what I did, but during the canter, I must have shifted my weight to the outside seat bone, because he suddenly did a canter stride almost on the spot, changed his bend, and then continued on as though nothing happened. Richard said he thought I was asking for a flying change. I don't know. He did kick out at the canter at one point--apparently I let my outside leg slip back. Oops. We had a beautiful shoulder-in to the left. Sigh... when it's good, it's GOOD. When it's bad, it's... well... really bad.
I'm really curious as to what kind of rides I would have on these horses had this been three or four years ago. Probably a mess. I also wonder if Baloo wouldn't have been such a squirt (that's putting it very nicely) if I were to ride him today. My very first trainer accused me of turning him into a jerk--he was actually like that before I bought him, but it did get worse--and while I realize now that maybe she's partially right, #1 she shouldn't have put me on Baloo, much less let us buy him, and #2 she should have trained me correctly in the first place so that our issues didn't escalate.
I rode two horses Saturday--Nokomas and Dansk. Nokomas (pronouned "nuh-KO-muss") is a cute little bay mare that was actually pretty fun to ride, but slightly difficult for me. It was easy for me to get her to reach for the bit at the walk, but the trot was more challenging. Eh, she's a mare, and therefore prone to pickiness. We did some shoulder-ins and leg-yields, some good, some bad. The canter was difficult to pick up. I'm still learning this whole "ask for the canter from your seat" thing, instead of the leg. It's almost like I have to shift my weight to the inside seat bone while also pushing with my inside seat bone to the outside. Yeah, it's hard.
Dansk was pretty good. At one point, and I'm still not entirely sure what I did, but during the canter, I must have shifted my weight to the outside seat bone, because he suddenly did a canter stride almost on the spot, changed his bend, and then continued on as though nothing happened. Richard said he thought I was asking for a flying change. I don't know. He did kick out at the canter at one point--apparently I let my outside leg slip back. Oops. We had a beautiful shoulder-in to the left. Sigh... when it's good, it's GOOD. When it's bad, it's... well... really bad.
I'm really curious as to what kind of rides I would have on these horses had this been three or four years ago. Probably a mess. I also wonder if Baloo wouldn't have been such a squirt (that's putting it very nicely) if I were to ride him today. My very first trainer accused me of turning him into a jerk--he was actually like that before I bought him, but it did get worse--and while I realize now that maybe she's partially right, #1 she shouldn't have put me on Baloo, much less let us buy him, and #2 she should have trained me correctly in the first place so that our issues didn't escalate.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Crazy Horse
I went out to the barn Tuesday night. One of their mares, Walkeure (the W is pronounced like V, and we call her "Val"), was scheduled to go to a Keuring the next day, which is basically a ratings test of sorts for breeding. Normally you only see mares, stallions, and foals--rarely geldings. The ratings are pointless for a gelding unless, I suppose, if you want to sell him. Or for bragging rights I guess.
Anyway, so I put Wal in the crossties to bathe her to get her ready for stardom the next morning. She watched me intently as I gathered everything--shampoo, brush, hose. I turned the hose on, and started at the legs to get her acclimated to the cool water. I hadn't seen the wrath of Wal yet, so she took me by surprise when, seemingly out of nowhere, she started flinging herself around in the crossties. I began talking to her in a low voice to get her calmed down, but when she flung her body back against the crossties holding her, I got the hell out of there. I was worried for her, but worried for myself first. I realized the hose was still running, and turned it off, thinking the sound of air coming through the hose scared her (makes a faint popping sound). I continued talking to her, but she wouldn't stop flinging herself around and pulling against the crossties. I was really worried she was going to get loose, or worse, flip herself upside down and break something, but I couldn't get close enough to her to unlatch the crossties.
Then, suddenly, she just stopped. I stood there for a minute, not particularly wanting to get closer until I was sure she was done with her little temper tantrum. She was still wild-eyed and breathing heavily, so I kept talking to her, my heart racing, and then went to her head. I wasn't too keen on turning the water on again, but it had to be done, and I didn't want to go back to Susan, telling her I couldn't do it, haha. I waited a few minutes for her to calm down, and sloooowly turned the water on. I talked to her the entire time, and she flicked her ears in my direction. Every now and then, she'd start pulling back on the crossties, and I would turn the water off again, and she'd be fine. Once she dried off, Susan (Richard's wife) helped me put a blanket on her, and I led her back to her stall. Once again with the firecrackers. That mare was wound up tight! She pranced around me in a circle, and I gave the lead rope a few quick, sharp tugs. We walked further a little bit, and again, she pranced around me, getting faster, pulling the lead rope out of my hands until I was practically lunging her. I figured the best thing for both of us would be to let her free (we were already in the pasture leading to her stall, so all I had to do was shut a gate). So I let go of the lead rope, and she took off into her stall.
Guess the trade-off to her good looks is that she's a damn psycho.
Anyway, so I put Wal in the crossties to bathe her to get her ready for stardom the next morning. She watched me intently as I gathered everything--shampoo, brush, hose. I turned the hose on, and started at the legs to get her acclimated to the cool water. I hadn't seen the wrath of Wal yet, so she took me by surprise when, seemingly out of nowhere, she started flinging herself around in the crossties. I began talking to her in a low voice to get her calmed down, but when she flung her body back against the crossties holding her, I got the hell out of there. I was worried for her, but worried for myself first. I realized the hose was still running, and turned it off, thinking the sound of air coming through the hose scared her (makes a faint popping sound). I continued talking to her, but she wouldn't stop flinging herself around and pulling against the crossties. I was really worried she was going to get loose, or worse, flip herself upside down and break something, but I couldn't get close enough to her to unlatch the crossties.
Then, suddenly, she just stopped. I stood there for a minute, not particularly wanting to get closer until I was sure she was done with her little temper tantrum. She was still wild-eyed and breathing heavily, so I kept talking to her, my heart racing, and then went to her head. I wasn't too keen on turning the water on again, but it had to be done, and I didn't want to go back to Susan, telling her I couldn't do it, haha. I waited a few minutes for her to calm down, and sloooowly turned the water on. I talked to her the entire time, and she flicked her ears in my direction. Every now and then, she'd start pulling back on the crossties, and I would turn the water off again, and she'd be fine. Once she dried off, Susan (Richard's wife) helped me put a blanket on her, and I led her back to her stall. Once again with the firecrackers. That mare was wound up tight! She pranced around me in a circle, and I gave the lead rope a few quick, sharp tugs. We walked further a little bit, and again, she pranced around me, getting faster, pulling the lead rope out of my hands until I was practically lunging her. I figured the best thing for both of us would be to let her free (we were already in the pasture leading to her stall, so all I had to do was shut a gate). So I let go of the lead rope, and she took off into her stall.
Guess the trade-off to her good looks is that she's a damn psycho.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Flat #3
Saturday, I went to the barn. Hurricane Ike was hitting us, but--OF COURSE--we missed all the rain, and just ended up with a lot of wind. I worked some of the horses on the lunge, and rode Antares, the three-year-old. He's such a good boy. Even with all that wind, he was a saint. Young horses can be a little "weee!" when it comes to wind.
I went on a solo ride Sunday morning. The wind was still kinda crazy, but I've had worse. I had a strong headwind the entire way out, but I knew it would be awesome on the way back, so I went further than I really felt like doing. I turned around, and immediately ramped it up to 22 MPH. It was awesome. Half a mile later, I was doing 25 with hardly any effort. Less than a mile after I turned around, someone passed me even as I was going 25, and I heard a POP and tsssss... I had secretly hoped it was him (deep down I knew it was ME), hoped that he would stop to help me, haha. He did look back to make sure I was okay, but kept on. Oh well, it's about time I fixed my own damn flat.
It was the second flat I've had in (almost) a week. I never did get any CO2 cartridges (to fill up the tire really quickly), so I had to use my hand pump. Every single cyclist that passed me asked if I was okay/had everything--that was nice. Yes, I did have everything, but some CO2 would have been nice. The hand pump was a little difficult for me to figure out since I had never used it before, and it took probably five minutes to fill the tire up. Even then, I probably only pumped it to 60 psi, when the tire should be at 100. Anyway, so after all that, Michael's team ride passed me up right as I was getting going again.
At their rest stop at Starbucks, Michael found a rather large hole in the sidewall of the tire, so we went to a local shop to replace the tire. $60 later... sigh.
Monday, I went on the same group ride I had been on last week. We took some of the same roads, including a construction road. There were some spots of gravel that I had to navigate (road bike tires do NOT do well with gravel and sand), but it was fine... at first. We were going fast, came around a curve, and the one and only guy in front of me slowed down and went off to the left without warning me, so by the time I realized why, it was too late for me. I went through an area of 3" deep sand and rocks for a good 20-25 feet or so. I was going somewhat fast already, and figured I could either grab the brakes and have a good chance of crashing (plus I knew there were people behind me, but I didn't know how close), or just sail through it and let my momentum carry me. I chose the latter, giggling the whole way (although the adrenaline was coming on full force), bouncing so roughly that my tail light rattled loose, flung to the ground and apparently made some impressive air--but I made it. Nobody knew why I went through until I told them I didn't know it was there until I was already going through it!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Interview two.
I had a second interview yesterday for a job that I really want. No offer. :( He said he had what he thought to be a better candidate, but that I'm a "strong second". Sigh. He might as well tell me I suck, because if I didn't get the job, second place means nothing!
Anyway, for some weird reason, it felt like I got dumped. I figure the best way for me to get over a guy is to start dating other guys, so I started looking for other jobs, and bam, I might have another interview. Here's the crazy part: the company is in the same building I'm working in right now. Ha! That'll be convenient for an interview. :)
It did make me feel better, though, a little bit.
Anyway, for some weird reason, it felt like I got dumped. I figure the best way for me to get over a guy is to start dating other guys, so I started looking for other jobs, and bam, I might have another interview. Here's the crazy part: the company is in the same building I'm working in right now. Ha! That'll be convenient for an interview. :)
It did make me feel better, though, a little bit.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Rides, rides...
I went on a ride on Monday and Tuesday. As it turns out, work decided to cancel training for Tuesday, and have us come in next Tuesday AND the following Tuesday. That means I would have to cancel on Richard three Tuesdays in a row. I sent my team lead an e-mail saying, "No, I can't do that." They should have had their shit together.
The ride on Monday was supposed to be a "recovery" ride, but we ended up going up a ton of hills. We did a hill called Yaupon, and on the way up, I noticed Michael and another rider turned off about halfway up, so I did the same. Afterwards, I felt like I had cheated. Next time, I'll go up the entire way. It was a fairly long, steep hill, and pretty hard. I decided at the last minute to join the Tuesday night ride last night. Some parts of the ride, I felt strong, while others, I couldn't go faster than 10 MPH. A guy that I see on a lot of the rides I do said he was going to report me for doping. He thought I did really well on Monday night, lol.
I've noticed that a lot of times, the people that I've had conflicts/arguments with are also the ones I end up getting along with the best, for the most part. Lindsey... I hated her for a good six months when I met her (I later found out she hated me too). Randi... she set me up with her ex, Justin, but I soon realized he still had a big thing for her, so instead of hating him, I hated her. But then after Justin and I broke up, I started hanging out with Randi, and we had a blast. I recently had an argument with a guy on BikeForums.net about women and dating. We got into some heated arguments, but now we're talking on friendly terms. I no longer talk to Lindsey or Randi, though.
Oh, the drama in my life. ;)
The ride on Monday was supposed to be a "recovery" ride, but we ended up going up a ton of hills. We did a hill called Yaupon, and on the way up, I noticed Michael and another rider turned off about halfway up, so I did the same. Afterwards, I felt like I had cheated. Next time, I'll go up the entire way. It was a fairly long, steep hill, and pretty hard. I decided at the last minute to join the Tuesday night ride last night. Some parts of the ride, I felt strong, while others, I couldn't go faster than 10 MPH. A guy that I see on a lot of the rides I do said he was going to report me for doping. He thought I did really well on Monday night, lol.
I've noticed that a lot of times, the people that I've had conflicts/arguments with are also the ones I end up getting along with the best, for the most part. Lindsey... I hated her for a good six months when I met her (I later found out she hated me too). Randi... she set me up with her ex, Justin, but I soon realized he still had a big thing for her, so instead of hating him, I hated her. But then after Justin and I broke up, I started hanging out with Randi, and we had a blast. I recently had an argument with a guy on BikeForums.net about women and dating. We got into some heated arguments, but now we're talking on friendly terms. I no longer talk to Lindsey or Randi, though.
Oh, the drama in my life. ;)
Monday, September 8, 2008
This company is such a bastard.
On the third Tuesday or something of every month, we're supposed to stay late for training. We missed last month, so they're making up for it this month. By the way, these training things are worthless--we end up sitting around BSing for the most part, so on the last one, we did this for two hours, and I got up and said I had to go. Why haven't I gotten fired yet? ;) Anyway, so we "might" be doing training tomorrow, but we still haven't gotten word, and it's now 2:43 on Monday. Regardless, I had to cancel on Richard for Tuesday because I didn't want cancel on him last minute.
So, my team lead sent an e-mail to me and the other guy on our team, but it was basically just to me. I had to ask for time off on Wednesday. I told him about this on Thursday, so that's 5 business days, right? Close enough. However, he had wanted me to send him an e-mail, and I didn't do it until today. He sent this e-mail a bit later, and I'm 92% certain that he BCC'd his boss on it. (Something has changed recently, because he's suddenly a bit more professional. We'll see how long it lasts; I have zero respect for the guy anymore.)
Hey I just wanted to update you guys for the future. If you need to leave early for any reason (aside from sick leave) please ask 5 days in advance at the latest. While I understand that things do come up that you will need to work on personally, we do have a business to run and a primary commitment to our clients. To this point I believe we have done whatever is necessary to make sure that when we need to leave early when you need too and I intend on continuing that practice. That being said, early leave will be at my discretion in the future if you have not asked off prior to the 5 business days. I appreciate your understanding on this issue.
I rolled my eyes, thought about it later, and replied with this:
Then I need at least five days’ notice to work late (training), work over lunch, etc., and anything within the five days will be at my discretion.
I’m being SOMEWHAT sarcastic, but it’s a valid point. I had to cancel plans (a second job, actually) due to this “maybe/maybe not” training tomorrow.
I IM'ed the other guy on my team saying I'm surprised I haven't been fired yet, and he goes, "that was well played... don't worry, you're not the only one trying to get fired ;)" LOL
So, my team lead sent an e-mail to me and the other guy on our team, but it was basically just to me. I had to ask for time off on Wednesday. I told him about this on Thursday, so that's 5 business days, right? Close enough. However, he had wanted me to send him an e-mail, and I didn't do it until today. He sent this e-mail a bit later, and I'm 92% certain that he BCC'd his boss on it. (Something has changed recently, because he's suddenly a bit more professional. We'll see how long it lasts; I have zero respect for the guy anymore.)
Hey I just wanted to update you guys for the future. If you need to leave early for any reason (aside from sick leave) please ask 5 days in advance at the latest. While I understand that things do come up that you will need to work on personally, we do have a business to run and a primary commitment to our clients. To this point I believe we have done whatever is necessary to make sure that when we need to leave early when you need too and I intend on continuing that practice. That being said, early leave will be at my discretion in the future if you have not asked off prior to the 5 business days. I appreciate your understanding on this issue.
I rolled my eyes, thought about it later, and replied with this:
Then I need at least five days’ notice to work late (training), work over lunch, etc., and anything within the five days will be at my discretion.
I’m being SOMEWHAT sarcastic, but it’s a valid point. I had to cancel plans (a second job, actually) due to this “maybe/maybe not” training tomorrow.
I IM'ed the other guy on my team saying I'm surprised I haven't been fired yet, and he goes, "that was well played... don't worry, you're not the only one trying to get fired ;)" LOL
Solo ride
I'd had a flat on my ride on Friday, and Michael noticed a small hole in my tire. He said I'd be fine on it for a while, so I changed the tube with his help, and off we went again. So, for my Sunday ride, I didn't have a tube, and the shops didn't open for a few hours, but I didn't want to wait. I got lucky--no flat! I'm planning on doing another ride today after work, so I'll have to stop at a shop and get some stuff. My right calf muscle is kinda sore, so we'll see how it goes. I really need to start drinking more electrolyte drinks.
I went on my first solo bike ride in a long time on Sunday morning. I did Parmer again, as it's just so nice to have a big shoulder. Plus, on Sunday mornings, traffic isn't bad at all. I normally turn around at 1431 (which is about 10 miles out), but I was feeling really good, so I went for another 6 miles or so. I rode relatively slowly, so a few riders passed me, but I was actually doing really well considering that after I turned around, I was riding into a good headwind for parts of the ride back. I kind of wanted to go further out, but I had no tube, was pretty far from a shop in case I flatted (and Michael was on his bike, so he couldn't bail me out), and was running out of water, so I decided the smart thing would be to turn around and head back. I stopped at a gas station and got a low-calorie electrolyte drink after I ran out of water. I ended up with 33 miles. The bad thing is, because I hadn't planned on being out very long, I didn't put on sunscreen. So I have a slight burn. AGAIN!
I went on my first solo bike ride in a long time on Sunday morning. I did Parmer again, as it's just so nice to have a big shoulder. Plus, on Sunday mornings, traffic isn't bad at all. I normally turn around at 1431 (which is about 10 miles out), but I was feeling really good, so I went for another 6 miles or so. I rode relatively slowly, so a few riders passed me, but I was actually doing really well considering that after I turned around, I was riding into a good headwind for parts of the ride back. I kind of wanted to go further out, but I had no tube, was pretty far from a shop in case I flatted (and Michael was on his bike, so he couldn't bail me out), and was running out of water, so I decided the smart thing would be to turn around and head back. I stopped at a gas station and got a low-calorie electrolyte drink after I ran out of water. I ended up with 33 miles. The bad thing is, because I hadn't planned on being out very long, I didn't put on sunscreen. So I have a slight burn. AGAIN!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My parents' visit.
Welp, my parents came into town and we had a blast. They bought me a television (woot!). We went to San Antonio to see the Alamo and went on the Riverwalk. We ate at County Line BBQ for dinner on the Riverwalk. It was pretty cool. We went to Hula Hut for dinner on one day. I took them to Mt Bonnell on their last day, and up to Iguana Grill for lunch. We had dinner with my cousins Corey and Jenny and their mom Mary, and a few other people. We also went to my favorite restaurant in Austin, Z Tejas, for lunch. It was sad to see them go and to come home to an empty apartment. :(
So, with the departure of Borneo (I thought it was Bolero), I looked on dreamhorse.com for Westfalens, which is the breed of horse that Borneo is. I found this guy, currently at third/fourth level. While I'm not too impressed with his YouTube videos, overall he sounds like exactly what I would want in a horse. (I'm ONLY looking!) They're not even listing his price, so I'm guessing he's well above $50k. I mean, heck, this Westfalen is only schooling first level, and they're asking $27k for him. Although, this guy WON at Intermediare 1 (a couple levels below Grand Prix), and he's only at $45k. Okay, I need to stop looking. It's depressing not being able to afford something like that. ;)
So, with the departure of Borneo (I thought it was Bolero), I looked on dreamhorse.com for Westfalens, which is the breed of horse that Borneo is. I found this guy, currently at third/fourth level. While I'm not too impressed with his YouTube videos, overall he sounds like exactly what I would want in a horse. (I'm ONLY looking!) They're not even listing his price, so I'm guessing he's well above $50k. I mean, heck, this Westfalen is only schooling first level, and they're asking $27k for him. Although, this guy WON at Intermediare 1 (a couple levels below Grand Prix), and he's only at $45k. Okay, I need to stop looking. It's depressing not being able to afford something like that. ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)