Show Results and other tidbits

Luke and Me after our second day of classes. We placed 5th and 6th in our classes on Saturday; we didn't place on Sunday. BUT, we had a great time. There were several ponies who were not happy and spooked in the indoor warmup arena and although he spun and tried to be scared, we regained our composure quickly. In the ring, we tried to assist the photographer, so we missed doing a circle where we were supposed to, but I had a GREAT TIME.

Luke and Heather also did well, getting three seconds, and a fourth. They also fell. Everyone is ok, just bruised pride in my noble steed. The photos from the show photographer are not posted on her website yet, but when they become available, I will post you the link. Luke and Heather were the Photo of the Day on Wednesday. It is a beautiful photo.
We are home now, getting ready for our Open House at work on Thursday. More later.

Luke is at the Show

Well, the Halloween Show has officially started. Luke with Heather aboard is in the 3' Jumpers Division and in the 3'3" Jump for a Jump Division (the winner after three days of riding gets to take home a jump, standards and all). Luke and I will be doing four flat classes, no jumping. I haven't jumped much this year.

Also, we have opted out of the costume party this year. We will spectate.

That is all. for now. Will update again on Friday evening.

Week Six

Week Five Update: Wednesday (October 18): Rode Luke for 30 minutes. Final Score: Universe: 6 Me: 1

Thursday (October 19): Epic Circuit training and 12 minutes Level 4 on the recumbent bike.

Friday (October 20): 30 minutes on the recumbent bike and rode Luke for 20 minutes.

Saturday (October 21): Rode Luke for an hour, not including the two hours bathing and show prepping. No housework this weekend, but it doesn’t count anyway.

Sunday (October 22): Rode Luke for about 45 minutes, practicing for this week’s show. He was very good. Hope he and Heather do well.

Monday (October 23): Overslept. We were visiting friends until 10. Besides, I can barely walk after riding the "thigh master" three days in a row.

Tuesday (October 24): Overslept again. No excuse, just didn’t hear the alarm.

Wednesday (October 25): Epic Circuit and 12 minutes, Level 4 on the recumbent bike.

Universe: Two Me: Five
Not a bad week.

Have you ever

been so overwhelmed with a project, that you are bored to tears.
Well, I am.
Where to start.........certainly not the beginning. That makes no sense. Especially if the beginning will change pending the outcome.

Crabby v. Non-Crabby

I have never been a morning person. Well, mentally, that is. My body gets up and going ok, but my brain, just sits. No, more like spurts and sputters. No amount of caffeine (soda or coffee) helps. Only time cures my crabbiness.

Don't talk to me about anything more important than, well, nothing. I can't make decisions and you are likely to lose your head. I'll just bite it off and spit it back.

Thankfully, my loving husband and our critters know this about me. So do most of my friends. I am so bad, that when I go out of town on either business or pleasure with friends and will be sharing a room, my husband always warns my new roommate.

Having said all that, WHAT THE HELL happened this morning? I woke up around 7 (sleeping in) and am not crabby. In fact, I am quite giddy. I was singin' (poorly as is the norm) dancin' (even worse) and happily thinking about all the stuff I have to do to prepare for the Halloween Show (Still no costume ideas) and other projects around the house. I have done three loads of laundry, even folded and put them away.

Not even the puppies know what to do. They all went outside to assist in feeding the horses and assist in mole executions.

Hope the rest of the day continues this productive, but I just don't know what I am going to do if I am not crabby in the morning.......

Could it be those exercise endorphins finally kicking-in in the middle of Week Six? Could it be the win by the Cards? Could it be, well, anything?

Still no costume

Well, the responses have been underwhelming to say the least.

Luke and I only have 6 days to come up with a costume. He is no help. He keeps telling me he is in training and whatever I want is fine. We'll see.

Thought about going as the Green Lantern, but haven't been able to locate an adult costume. Guess we'll just go as country folk from Elverta.

I admit it

I am addicted to Dr. Pepper. It is my comfort food.

I also know that processed corn syrup and the phosphate stuff is not good for me. So, can I go cold turkey? Probably not. BUT guess what!!!!!

I found a bottler in Dublin, Texas that still processes Dr. Pepper with real cane sugar. They ship UPS. Wonder if I could wean myself off Dr. Pepper by going back to the "real" thing (sorry, Coca Cola).

It's a thought.

Week Five

Thursday October 12, 2006: On our way to Oregon. See 12 of 12.

Friday, October 13, 2006: IT’s Friday the 13th for gosh sakes. Spent five hours in the boat cruising the Alsea River looking for salmon. They hid well.

Saturday, October 14, 2006: Spent 4.5 hours in the boat. They hid even better this day.

Sunday, October 15, 2006: Only spent two hours in the boat. It rained. I am truly a fair-weather fisherman.

Monday, October 16, 2006: Return home spending ten hours in the car.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006: Return to work. Overslept. Galen came home a day early, so I had airport duty. No walking tonight.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006: Overslept again. Hoping to get a ride in this evening. Will let you know.

So, Universe:6 Me: 1(Maybe)

Interesting Questions (and Answers)

Four things about me... that you may not have known …

A) Four Jobs I have had in my life:
Lifeguard/Swim Instructor
Mc Donald’s early morning chef
Admissions Director for an Extended Care Facility
Special Projects Coordinator Acquisitions and Dispersals

B) Four movies you would watch over and over:
I love movies, especially pre-1980. I watch
Anything with Cary Grant over and over
Casablanca
And any film noir

C) Four places you have lived:
Gulfport, Mississippi
Sacramento, California
Normal, Illinois
Elverta, California

D) Four TV shows you love to watch:
Tripping the Rift
Dr. Who
Any sporting event, with the sound turned off

E) Four places you have been on vacation:
Oslo, Norway
Santa Monica, California
State College, Pennsylvania
Waldport, Oregon

F) Four of my favorite foods
Veggies, as long as they are grilled on an open flame
Italian
Pizza, although it doesn’t like me
Mexican/Southwestern

G) Four places I would rather be right now:
Any ocean city
Australia
New Mexico
The moors of Great Britain

H) Four friends I think will respond:
Friends, what are they? ;)

12 of 12

Here's my 12 of 12 for October 2006. '12 of 12' is sort of a day-in-the-life, photo essay project started by Chad Darnell. I'm a couple days late getting my images posted, but that's because I was so far away from the internet on the 12th that you couldn't even see its neon glow from where I was.

Photo One: Kitty Kat Waiting for her cheese. Hope she never figures out there are vitamins in that cheese. Elverta Califorina

Photo Two: And we’re off. Car packed heading for Oregon. Elverta California

Photo Three: Sims Flat Bridge sign. Sims Flat California

Photo Four: Moon over trees. Sims Flat California

Photo Five: Fly Fisherman and Mt. Shasta. Sacramento River, Sims Flat California

Photo Six: See, we do have leaves that change colors in California. Sims Flat California

Photo Seven: Mt. Shasta with very little snow remaining. Taken from Castle Crags vista point off of Interstate 5.

Photo Eight: Castle Crags. Taken from Castle Cregs vista point off of Interstate 5.

Photo Nine: Gas prices have come down $.30 since the last 12 of 12. Yreka California

Photo Ten a: Wolf Creek Inn Sign, Wolf Creek Oregon

Photo Ten b: Wolf Creek Inn. Wolf Creek Oregon

Photo Eleven: GPS reading. Highway 38 and Loon Lake Road Oregon

Photo Twelve: The Umpqua River. Loon Lake Road Oregon

We're in Oregon

Hi.
We are in the tiny costal town of Waldport Oregon visiting Uncle Doug. I figured I would be without internet service until our return on Monday night. Low and behold, what do I find at the local corner market (three blocks from the house) but an internet cafe. How cool is that.

I enter, buy a soda, and proceed to get started with my 12 of 12 photos. I can't connect. I am the oldest one in the cafe. I am surrounded by 12 year olds. What do I do? Call the bro. He says move closer to the 12 year olds. I move one seat over and GREAT connection. And fast too. Cool. Who would have thunk it, a town of 2000 with an internet cafe. COOL.

Week Four

The world won.

Thursday: (10/5) Overslept. Worked late. Went to the Sac County General Plan meeting.

Friday: (10/6) Epic Circuit. No cardio.

Saturday: (10/7) Housework and Laundry. It does count right?

Sunday: (10/8) Nada. Watched football.

Monday: (10/9) Epic Circuit and 1 mile walk run. Went a different route, forgot to keep tabs on the mile markers

Tuesday: (10/10) Had to take Escape in for its 60,000 service. Took co-worker to airport. Between picking up the car and fighting traffic, didn't get home from work until 8 pm.

Wednesday (10/11) Overslept. Have lots to do at work today. Leaving tomorrow for Oregon for four days.

World: 4 Me: 2 Bye: 1

Puppies and Ice Cream

Whoever said Canine critters are not smart and do not understand humans, has never met my three "puppies": Angus, age 17, Kitty, age 13, and Dawg, age 12.

They can tell the difference between getting a bowl out of the cupboard for fixing dinner and getting one out for ice cream. They love ice cream. Don't know if it is because they enjoy getting "people food" or if they like the time they spend with my spouse. They can even tell the difference between touching the ice cream in the freezer and removing it.

Oh, and 12 of 12 is a little more than a day away.

Later.

I'm Hot-headed?

Took, the What Superhero are you Quiz? Came up as the Green Lantern. I know who the Green Lama is, but who is the Green Lantern? I don't even like Green.

Oh, well.

Your results:
You are Green Lantern

Green Lantern 85% Supergirl 78% Spider-Man 70% Robin 68% Catwoman 55% Superman 55% The Flash 55% Hulk 50% Wonder Woman 48% Iron Man 45% Batman 35%

Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test


What Super Hero are you?

The Halloween Show is only Three Weeks Away!

And Luke and I don't have a costume. He is not very creative in this area.

Every year for the past five years, we have gone to the Let's Show Halloween Show. There is a costume party on Saturday night during the dinner.

Every year I tell Luke that next year we will participate. And every year, we manage not to.

Well, this year we will, but as WHAT?

I thought of dressing him up like Luke Skywalker and me as Darth Vadar, but that is a bit obvious, isn't it?

And then, I thought about making him a six pack of beer, and me as a drunk, but what kind of message does that send to the younger riders who attend this show?

Any suggestions?

Ramble away

I went to a Sacramento County General Plan Community Workshop last night. I was ready to stand up and tell these people WHO don't live here how short-sighted and dumb they were. Was I pleasantly surprised and mildly disappointed. I really was looking for trouble.

A bit of history: The last time Sac County updated their plan (1993), they came into the community and TOLD us what they were going to do to improve us and our fine area. (Pave several of the creeks that can overflow their banks; widen the thorough-fare to eight lanes, when it was only two at the time, so that the people in the east could get west without going on the freeway; increase the requirement for allowing livestock on one acre to requiring ten acres; planning to allow the development of 6500 homes and having no provisions or plans for improving or expanding the two tiny schools we currently have). You know, stuff that made no sense for the community or its citizens.

Created quite the uproar. The one thing I have learned in the last 17 years about living in a rural part of a major metro area is not to TELL the people what you are GOING TO DO, unless you live there and have discussed it.

Well, the powers that be in Sacramento County actually learned a lesson from that experience many moons ago, as well as others, I assume. The workshop was very informative, well orchestrated. The above link includes the link to the "game" we played.

I did let my group moderator know that while I learned a lot from the game about my attitudes toward development, I was EXTREMELY disappointed that none of the pro and cons addressed water. Either its drainage or supply. Water is a very important issue with me. My creek drains most of the northwest section of Sacramento County, and much of southwest Placer County. The more they add concrete and roads, the faster the water gets to me. Not a problem, except that the creek, my creek feeds into, is not maintained for adequete drainage DOWN stream, and the back 2/3 of my land "holds" the water until it can drain, thereby rendering it useless to my critters.

I left feeling like they listened to my concerns about growth and development, which are shared by most of my neighbors; but the truth will be known when the Board of Supervisors gets down to discussing the various plans in late October. The Board is known for swinging one way in a community and then doing an about face when together. They never met a dollar they didn't love.

Week Three

Thursday (9/28): All Day Staff Meeting. Not organized enough to prepare room with breakfast, seating set up and to work out.

Friday: (9/29): Regular Friday off. Brandt still out of town. Due home today. Got to finish the spring cleaning in the fall. Finished the kitchen. House work counts, right? ;) Did spend about 45 minutes grooming Luke and making him stand so I could get the tar weed off his face.

Saturday (9/30): Went to see Movin’ Out. Finished the family room. Kitty has her bed back.

Sunday (10/1): WHAT!!!!! It is Sunday afterall.

Monday (10/2): Epic Circuit and ran .4 miles and walked .4 miles. Almost up to the mile.

Tuesday (10/3): Tried to swim. Whimped out of getting into the lap pool. Water temp was at 68°. So, went to the Therapy Pool. It was only 76°. Will HAVE to talk to Management about that. Did stretching and some aerobics. Enjoyed the Jacuzzi.

Wednesday (10/4): Epic Circuit and Espresso Spark Bike. Did the Evening Bliss ride in 9 minutes. Will have to find another ride, or go twice around the lake.

World:3 Me:3 Bye:1

Comments on workout. I am getting very comfortable at the current resisitance levels I am using on the Epic Circuit. Doing 3 sets of 8. Will be consulting the Fitness Guru this afternoon on whether I should increase reps, or weight or both.

Movin' Out

Went to see Movin' Out at the Sacramento Community Center Theatre yesterday afternoon. It was definitely different. Not at all what I expected, although I am not exactly sure what I expected. All I knew about the show was that Choreographer, Twyla Tharp, took Billy Joel songs and used them to tell a story about Tony, Brenda and Eddie.

Not sure I liked her interpretation of Joel's songs. (I am more of a romantic, I guess). I didn't see Brenda and Eddie, and Judy and James as so tragic. Then again, it was a fair interpretation. Just different from mine.

The cast we saw was nothing short of spectacular. The athleticism and agility was amazing. There were several cast changes at Showtime, and many of the leads were listed in the program as part of the ensemble. As fantastic as they were, there were a few moves that were a tad out of sync, but all-in-all very fine performances by all. Did make me wonder how "wowed" I would have been had we seen the leads as described in the program.

Once I got used to the notion that it wasn’t Billy Joel singing, that it was a live performance, not a recorded one, and the cast was not going to speak, I was completely won over.