THAT, my friend, is a chandelier

light fixture
Originally uploaded by yvettef

Scott and I went to 2nd Use and got this light fixture.

It is missing little crystals that dangle on top. I think I will get these.

I love it.

My favorite things

I was just lurking visiting over at Crazy Aunt Purl's blog, and she spends this entry talking about her favorite things. This got me thinking about what my favorite things are. The things that just make me happy. Now since we are talking things here, the biggies on my happy list, like Scott, and my family and my kitty cats, and my dog don't count.

Now, I have been really trying to have a carpe deim attitude lately, so I thought I would make a top 5 list what makes me happy.

In no particular order:

1. My garden. I try to spend 5 minutes every morning, when it is not raining, being in my garden - seeing what new has bloomed, and appreciating how beautiful it is. No bad thoughts are allowed. I can't worry over why not a single Calla Lilly came up, and neither has my anxiously awaited Mrs Black. Oh well.
   
   
2. My sparkly glasses. Mine are the ones on the upper right.
   
   
3. Survivor. Seriously, I love this show. The guy I want to win always gets voted out at the last minute, (Yau-Man! I loved him!) But Earl winning was okay. And Dreamz back-stabbing was excellent! Even though it was Yau he stabbed.
   
   
4. My palm pilot. More specifically the scrabble game on my palm pilot.
   
   edit: Okay I cannot believe I didn't think of this yesterday, but definitely one thing that is making me very happy right now is our new floor. And there is even more of it now, as Scott has finished the Kitchen. I need to get a picture of that.
   
   
5. Teh innernets. How did I live without Wikipedia? and lol cats? (And Zappos and craigslist and ebay and cruel and blogs and email and google maps...)
   

These are not necessarily the top five things - although I think they are. Just five things I can think of that make me happy.

Still in the running toward becoming America's next top model.

Rocket

So, I tried Dakota for a week - I would have liked to have had him a little longer, but his owner person had a vet appointment and farrier for him this Thursday, so she said if I didn't want him she needed him back before then.

He and I were just starting to get to know each other, and in fact I think had a major breakthrough the night before he went back home. I was supposed to have him until Sunday, but when I told the owner lady on friday I wanted to send him home, she wanted to come and get him the next morning at 8:00am. She was pretty pissed off at me, which was unfair of her I think -- I told her I had wanted to try another horse -- it didn't mean I was not going to get Dakota... But the more I think about it, the more I think I am just done with that whole thing...

I mean I could only try him a week, she was selling him with him needing shots and ferrier, she did not listen when I told her I wanted to try a couple of horses - Did she really think I was going to keep a horse needing a vet check and shoes? No, I am going to send him back, let her pay for that stuff; think about it and then (maybe) realize I liked him better than the other horses and buy him. I tried to tell her cute stories about the adventures we had had that week, but geeze, she was cold and just shut me right down.

OH and not only THAT but when she brought Dakota down to the barn I am boarding at, I bought three bales of hay from her, so he would still be on the same feed duringn the trial. Then, when she came to get him she TOOK THE HAY THAT WAS LEFT BACK. I paid for that hay! But she had a serious stick up her butt, and I decided it was not worth it to make her unload my hay. Besides, I just wanted her gone. Keep the damn hay. Dakota was a good horse, though.

So, what does that have to do with the picture of the horse at the top of the page?

Well, I am next going to try Rocket, and he looks like a super model. He is 17 hands high and only 4 years old. It would not be out of the question for him to top out at 17.2hh. I have only ridden him once, and he acted out a bit then, but there were very extenuating circumstances ( first time in this particular covered arena, had not been ridden for eight weeks, and was on super hot feed, sort of accidentally.)

It does not look like it in the picture, but his black socks are well above the knee and hock. Sexy. And the cornrows don't hurt.

Visual Codec

Oh yeah, and I am in a book.

One Shot

It is very exciting, and I am in great company. Here's a sample of some of the work and a list of the artists.

Look!!

For info on buying a book of your very own, go to Visual Codec's website.

I am test driving a horse.

Dakota was delivered at 8:30 Saturday morning. He did great getting out of the trailer, just backed right out, and then stood there nicely -- no histrionics no slinging his head around, wall-eyed while he pranced like a dork. Very calm and level.

Linda, the owner-lady is lending me her saddle (western) for the trial period, so I at least have something to ride him in, but I just don't like western saddles. I don't get it -- unless I am roping a cow, I don't get the point. Anyhow yeah.

So of course I had a hair appointment in the city that day at 11:30, so I got Dakota comfortable - (I think I my call him Dak; Dakota is too ... meah.) Introduced him to his paddock and everything then went and got my hair done and then drove back to the barn for a ride. I am taking it very easy, mostly walking until I get past the saddle sore stage. I lunged him and he does that really well, however I was not paying attention or something at first and the very first thing I did was get a finger caught in a kink in the line and twisted the hell out of it. So I have had my first injury.

Day two, Sunday:

I got to the barn at about 9:30 - put Dak in the arena so he could have a good roll,
and got to cleaning out the paddock (a daily must at this barn; part of the deal). While I was doing that this other boarder, Leslie, drove up. She is the woman who owns that Percheron gelding I rode a few times until she annoyed me so much I decided it wasn't worth it. She also drives a bright yellow Hummer. She is notorious at the barn for only occasionally showing up, leaving Sharon's elderly husband (OLD man, he is OLD.) to clean Blue's paddock. Well, she saw me there and decided that she was going to groom Blue, then bareback him a bit around the arena. Anyhow she did a thousand little things that just seemed needle-y and annoying, but nothing you could actually call her on; you know stuff where it would me me who was unreasonable, not her.

Okay, so moving on. Eventually I got in the arena and lunged and rode Dak, and he was a little squirrely, and challenged me on a couple of things -- nothing out of the ordinary, and never crazy or aggressive. So she kept going on and on about "Ooh, he is not so docile, is he? You better be careful you aren't sold a crazy horse -- they have this drug that calms them down that takes a month to wear off" blab blab blab.

Sharon, the barn owner, had gone into the loft to find a saddle she was storing in a plastic storage bin, and she hadn't sealed the container completely so a family of mice got in -- so when she opened the bin, a mouse jumped out. Sharon gave a little startled scream. Leslie, who was standing six feet in front of my horse let out a piercing giggly scream that obviously went a beat or two longer than it should have. Not that an idiot standing six feet in front of a new, unfamiliar green horse should be screaming at all. Dak was a champ, though--and while of course he reacted to the loud sound by tossing his head back, he did not crush me as he very well could have in the tie stall. Then, I swear to god SHE DID IT AGAIN. Only a little bit longer this time. Apparently mice you can't even see, across the barn in the loft are worth a FORTY SOMETHING YEAR OLD WOMAN TO SCREAM. TWICE.Unperterbed. Looking like a mule, but still.

Since she couldn't get my horse to fucking kill me, she sort of wandered away, to chat with this other lady who was there. She sat in her Hummer with the engine running leaning out the window for at least a half an hour having a high ol' time yakking it up. Oh, and the best part? She has a yappy fucking dog who barked in the car the entire time she was there.

I guess I have a rich fantasy life.

I dropped by my own blog today, and was shocked not to find a bunch of recent fabulously interesting posts. I pretty much have a running commentary about my riveting life constantly in my head; imagining I have my own camera crew like I was on Ladette to Lady or ANTM or something. Dear God!! Speaking of Tyra, did anyone watch America's Next Top Model last night when Tyra said "I go pee pee mamma, I go pee pee." (!!!!) Holy Crap! Or is that Wholly Crap? Regardless - Astounding! Anyhow, yes back to me. So I was surprised it had been so long since my last entry. I thought I would make one. So here you go.