A pass on

Just so everyone knows (all 5 people that read this), my sister-in-law has started posting on her blog again. Reaching the third trimester of her pregnancy, she has found a bit of energy to post. I wanted to encourage you to go read it.

Birthdays

So Apple Jacks had his birthday yesterday. He's not even older than me... meaning we're back to being 7 years apart and no longer 6. Anyway, he's about as into birthdays as he was into every other holiday that's passed. He pushed me away for Thanksgiving and sulked around for Christmas and made little effort for Valentines Day (though that one is almost understandable 'cause it is only 6 days before my birthday). To give him some holiday credit he did try on my birthday. And now it's his turn. "I don't deserve anything." "Don't get my anything." "You know I'm just going to be disappointed with whatever you get me." Ah, do we all love the faith, optimism, and over all cheer!
So yesterday, after a good 15 min of him shaking the gift and guessing multiple climbing and motorcycle things he thought might be inside, he pensively took off the ribbon (no paper, I didn't want to go over board) and peeled back the tape. As the few seconds of recognition go by and he realizes what it is, he smiles. He looks at me with an open jaw and corners turned up and says "You shouldn't have." He pulls out the Chrome mess anger bag, red and gray to match his motorcycle suit. "I was trying these on the other day, how'd you know?"
I didn't know, I just remembered that back in December he mentioned that he REALLY liked them and was hemming and hawing about getting one.
That's right Mr. Apple Jacks, I do know you and though the gift isn't perfect (we're not sure if the size is right yet) it still hit the nail on the head!

My House

I once lived in this little house. I had a roommate with two cats. I had a car port where my Audi could sleep at night. The kitchen once looked like this:

But no longer... now it's more like this:

Yes, over to the left was the kitchen... or I guess is the kitchen because that's where it is going back.

No, I don't live in Kansas. This destruction is volentary. This is all part of the remodel. Well, this too:

This was the window wall to the master bedroom... but that's getting bigger so that's been removed.

Fun, fun I know, but at least now we have a building permit. Yes, we stared demo before we had permision from the county to build... it's time saving right?

Time

I'm a time person. My clock in my car is 5 min fast. I can probably count the times I've been late to ANYTHING the past couple months on one hand. If I am ever late I call. I have this one family I tutor for and there are times she is late and she always calls a good 5-10 min before our scheduled time, tells me where she is, and about how much longer until she's home with her kids. If my trainers are going to be late for a lesson they always call me about 15-30 min before my lesson to tell me how late. I have no issue with being late. It happens, traffic, lost track of time, something you're doing took longer than you though, you were folding underwear and just wanted to get it done. I understand, it's normal, but it's rude not to communicate your tardiness to the people who are waiting for you. It implies that your time is more valuable than others, that your time is so much more important that you can't call them so they can do their own valuable things with their own time. It's just rude, inconsiderate, and selfish.

My Job

So I don't often bitch about my job. It's a great job. I have no issues going to the store and picking out tomatos. I have no issues hunting down the top of a BBQ or making dinner reservations. Nothing I DO for my job bugs me. It's daily bullshit and if I get paid to do it fine with me. But today is wine moving day. Movers are coming to take a 7' x 5' x 3' wine fridge up to Napa. Inside this wine fridge is a couple hundred bottels of wine. No worries, I got wine boxes from every local liquer store that was willing to give them (F YOU BevMo). Yesterday, my boss says, "Hey, so I'll call you tonight and let you know when they are coming to get the fridge so we can start packing wine." 10:30pm last night... no call. Okay, I'll keep the phone near me and she'll call me in the morning. 8:30am I wake up... no call. Check my "work" e-mail... no messge. Okay, I take a shower get dressed, eat breakfast... call her... no answer... no cell answer. AHHH! I could have gone for a run (in hind sight). I could have slept more (way more likely). But now it's 10am and she calls. "Oh I didn't want to wake you." (As I said how can I really bitch about this job.) Such is life right. As Apple Jacks said... roll with the bunches. Also, "Don't get the Urban... we don't play well with others attitude." No, us Urbans' we don't have that... um no... we are great at team sports like... well badmitin... horseback riding... car racing... tennis... wreseling... wait those aren't team sports... DAMN. Well, we work for others like... let see I have... 1 out of my 20+ second level relitives that works for someone else... Hmmm the others they work for themselves. Well, okay so maybe I should roll with the bunches and do my best to put my Urban differences aside.

My Fancy Phone

I never tought there was such a thing as being too connected when it comes to technology, but i am. my phone is with me almost all the time unless i'm on a horse, on a plane or teaching in a classroom. i also have access to all three of my email accounts... this makes me expect the same from others. I email you I expect a response in 2 hr. I text you... same deal if not a shorter time frame responce. this makes me impashent which makes me "make" those people I communicate with lives difficult... ugh what is convenient for me seems to not be for others!

Jeans vs Shoes

Why is it I will spend a lump sum on shoes but not jeans? I'll wear the jeans about 100 times more than the shoes but $100 on cute shoes, that I put on and love... I'll think once, but never twice. But jeans... I've worn though two pairs of jeans in the past month and I have a third pair on their way out. So now I'm here looking for a pair to replace the pair I love so much that I've had for 5 years... but it's so hard. Fucking jeans!

SSPU

The AMAZING Silversun Pickups! I'm sorry for the V-cast ad, but really Rusted Wheel... one of my FAVORITE songs (though I'm not sure any of these videos give them any justice). They made the Shins look like a garage band. One thing this video doesn't show is their stage presence. He made it feel like they were playing for you. And check out the drumer's symbol like 6 feet in the air. He was mesmerizing to watch. If you have the chance go see them. If you don't love them I'll pay for your f-ing ticket (not really but you know what I mean). And yes, you can ask anyone if the bay who saw both shows. The Shins were a sad state in comparison. Not bad on their own but really... really!

Pebble Beach

So, I wrote this little blog on my fancy cell phone all ready to send it but for some reason the publish button wasn't working so... sadly I'm not writing this while breathing in the freash ocean air and watching the waves crash on the rocks. But this past weekend was the first time in 20 years of showing at Pebble Beach that I went to the beach while I was there. It was nice.
But what was nice was that I won the $5000 Open Jumper Stake. This was a class open to professioal and non professionals like me. Well, yes I won. I didn't will $5000 so don't come asking me for money but I did get a nice chunk that should pay for most of the show. I did beat both my trainers as well as a few other "big" NorCal trainers. I was (and still am) super excited. What a way to start a show year! Well, that and Lindsay and Matt have been kicking my as of late so I guess it's paying off and I'm kicking ass right back!

You Know There are Still Stupid People in the World... but not anymore

Tests found a bunch medications in Anna Nicole Smith's blood, including a sedative called chloral hydrate (used sometime to traqualize horses), benzodiazepines, methadone (which killed her son), Valium, Tylenol, weight-loss drugs (Trim Spa?), vitamin B-12 (suposidly part of an anit-ageing process), over-the-counter anti-flu tablets, antibiotics and human growth hormone(?!?!?!). Dear god, they won't even need to embalm her body... she already did it!

P.S.> yes, a bit heartless, but really who puts all this in their body (plus probably more that is undetectable) and expects to stay alive.

That's right Baby Adorable and Innocent (hehehe)

The X and my mom

Okay, for those of you know have read this blog before you've seen the name Mr. B cross over the screen. Mr. B was my high school sweetheart. We were best friends for a good long while before we technically dated. In this time period Mr. B became a member of my family. Even after we broke up (March or April my Freshman year) (after three months of not talking and him dating another girl, one he had been "talking to" before we broke up.) we were friends. We'd talk about all types of things, but mostly horses. Last spring, after a six year long "friendship", I had reached the final straw with him. He had told my mother about his new girlfriend before me.... well no, it was after that, it was when he moved in with this new girlfriend after only a month, oh yes, and i heard that from my mother as well.

Flash forward to today:
"Hey, mom."
"Hi. I was talking to your/our neighbor and found out her daughter (was my best friend in 4th grade) is engaged."
"Well, good for her. She was with the guy a while right." (ie: PLEASE no pressure!)
"Yes, and she's getting her PhD. Oh, and talking about engagements, I talked to Mr. B, since we are head to LA I thought we could get lunch of something, and he proposed to A over the weekend."
"Oh, really."
"I mean, they've been living together for almost a year."(Oh, and dating about a year... fun fun)

At this point I think... hmmm well if he is going to invite my mom to the wedding... how weird would it be if he didn't invite me? Oh, I bet they'll make some no ex's pact and that's why I wouldn't be invited but my mom would. "We said nothing about ex's parents." But would I want to go anyways? I know my mom would go....
FUCKING WEIRD!!!

Yes, A Bahamas Two

Yes, my sister-in-law set me pictures from the bahamas and they're too cute to not post, so here they are. Abbie's favorite thing to do was wash her feet. Over and Over and Over
This was the coconut we found on the ground a little unripe. It got dropped and cracked. So we worked hard to try to open it all the way.
Tao worked extra har.
But we got it done! To bad it was so unripe
And this is us the the National Park... walking along the path, very slowly... 'cause bugs and lizards are very scary and she didn't want her picture taken.

My Phone

So I have a Nokia 6102, the Nokia flip phone. This is my second one. The first one broke in half at the Oakland airport when I got back from Toronto in July. I use my insurance to replace it for free... oh no wait a $50 deductable. So now, six months later the phone broke, in the same spot, as the first one. So I didn't get insurance this time so I duct taped it together. It has been three months of the duct taped phone and now it has decided to randomly turn off. When it started this is did it like once a day. Now three weeks of this later, it does it five to six times a day, if not more. So fuck you Nokia, I went and bought myself and new FANCY DANCY Treo with Internet and a calender and a whole key board to text message with. Too bad it won't be here till Friday.

I hunt and I killed!

So I searched craigslist, I hunted craigslist, and what did I find? (Ms. T you'll kind of appreciate this) I found Silversun tickets. In the list of TICKETS WANTED I found the 1 ad that had some for sale, and yes I paid too much for them, but I got them! And really, when it comes to me, and I want something, I'll work hard to get them. and I got them! I got them!

Silversun Pickups, Ok Go, and Snow Partol

Yes, I was lucky enough to go to the show. But the band I wanted to see the most was Silversun Pickups. If you don't know them check them out. I love two of their songs, Lazy Eye and Rusted Wheel. Anyway, the bands played in the order listed above... and Apple Jacks and I, being who we are, took our time getting to it. The tickets said 8pm. We got there at around 8:45-9 and guess what?!? We missed band numero uno... that's right, the band that we were really there to see. I cried a little deep down but got over it. Ok Go was, well for lack of a better word, okay. And snow patrol wasn't half bad. Way better than Death Cab for Cutie were but not nearly as good as Damian Rice (who we have tickets to go see again next month). But you know who is also playing next month... ah that's right, Silversun Pickups... how quickly did tickets sell out... 8 min. By 10:10am on Sunday their show was sold out. Fuckers. Oh well... we did get tickets to The Shins.

No Bahamas part 2 Just Life

Okay, so life has been busy. I've had a great V-day dinner with the apple man. I went to a car event at Laguna Seca in Monetary and also had my birthday... whooo hooo 26! I've gone to Tahoe to get some half decent snow. I've gotten the flu. I've been working. There are details of course, there was the best wine I've had... EVER at Paul K where we have V-day dinner. I had on of the worst track driving students EVER! Just didn't seem to listen to what I was saying AT ALL. I got let down by my birthday because I'm no longer 5 the for that day, no matter how much I want in to, the world is not going to stop and bow down to me. And now I'm sick... like I've been this whole month but WAY worse. I'm a whiny bitchy needy girl who's temp is either sky rocketing or plummeting and hacks though the night. It's fun. So on that note I'm going to get my self some tea, but some socks on my feet, grab a coat 'cause it's going to rain and head off to work with small children.

Bahamas Part 1

This is a picture of the most northern and western point of Grand Bahama Island. Our resort was at the tip... past the ghetto with the Wind Dixi where my dad bought food.

This is a view from the road that runs though the ghetto of Grand Bahama... I mean if you're going to have a house with no roof or windows at least you get to see this!

This was the building the two two bedroom suits the eight of us stayed in, Ian, Amy, Abbie, and Oma in one suit. Mom, Dad, Tao and I in the other.

This is the hammock that was outside of the building. It was a really shitty hammock and would sink to the ground in you sat in in but it was really inviting.

Pictures From Jackson Hole a Month Later

This was me hiking up to the top of the Headwall.
This was the view halfway up
Everyone else finishing up the hike to the Headwall
The slow soft ride down.
AJ and I laying in the snow! What a ride!

Wait I got second!

I go and call Ms. M, just to tell her about the second, and thankfully last, week of the show. The second words out of her mouth are, "Congratulations of the second!" uhmmm.... what? "I got second?" I ask, yes that is correct I should know how I place in my classes, but this class, Saturday's class I went fourth or sixth out of sixty plus horses. I wasn't going to sit around for over two hour just to see how I did. And, to be honest, I didn't do GREAT. I made it to the jump off (the round that counts) and had one rail. I was fast, which is normal, not to be cocky, but really one rail with over 60 horses... what's the likely hood that none of those people would go clean as well... well it looked like bigger than I thought. So yeah, i guess that makes this last weekend better than the weekend before. I even rode great on Sunday, so I'm happy with that as well. I've got some time to get rid of the rust that i seemed to have found building up in my riding ability before the next show.