The good the blah and the ugly

Good: I emailed Lady's leasors yesterday and left a voicemail to check email. She called me around noon and gave me the update. Lady is loving it up in Conifer. I didn't quite catch the name they gave her; she HAD to get a spanish name, smile, but I guess she has quickly become the pet of the farm. They were out of stall space for mares so they moved a couple of theirs outside to give Lady company in a group of runs with 3-sided sheds. I guess the nearest mare has gotten quite fond of Lady, and protested when L took Lady out of sight on a cooling down walk after she'd been worked; and Lady is enjoying the attention/fuss and just blossoming.

Blah: Of course after not getting my ducks in a row to ride M-W morning and deciding I MUST ride today --rationalizing Shade needs to get out for a least a few miles, wink; it was hot for our ride today. Then I had to get to the CCR office, luckily local branch office is close to home to get my duplicate title. They issued it no problem, had to pay cash, I had been going to write a check even though small amount for records so I had to void my check I'd pre-started. Then I had to take the title back to the C/U to sign off on since the CCR office had to issue it to them since their records showed the C/U as the lienholder and my notarized statement from the C/U was sufficient to get the physical title but it still had to show the C/U as the lienholders. That was all ok, just tired of chasing around settling details with the car. I HIGHLY recommend staying out of accidents. The aftermath is a PITA.

The ugly: I remembered I had not retrieved my garage door opener when I cleaned out my car. Swung by the collision place to fetch it and it had been towed already. I had a mini-meltdown, least managed to keep it internal, but was just a mess for 10 minutes until I managed to achieve some perspective and rationality. And my legs feel like lead after my wee little ride this morning. Does not bode well for the ride on saturday. But I'll suck it up and gitRdone so long as Shade is ok. I cannot wimp out on going (barring crap like my truck end up not being finished and ready to tow) I have GOT to take a few trips with the new trailer and decide whether to keep it or not. But I have my insurance settlement. Now just have to decide whether to replace my car, or get a much used car and just carry liability on it. I'm leaning towards the 2nd idea but depends if I can cope with checking out used cars until I find one. I'm such a shopping weenie.

A few more hours and its all downhill? Please

Aaack. It has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL riding weather every morning this work week. I work 12-9 so I can ride in the mornings. So of course I have gotten ZERO rides in. Monday was ferry p/u from Welder to 5star to get wired for the new trailer. Yesterday was washing the trailer, because I noticed it smelled dirty since I wiped off the dust and got ride of the musty smell, plus leaving a bit early because I needed to clean out my car. Which was FULL, I had dumped extra stuff from my camper in it to transfer to the new trailer over the weekend not thinking I'd get in a car accident. I'm still mad at myself for that lapse of attention friday. Today was searching for the car title that I forgot to search for earlier, didn't FIND it of course. Then after I had given up and decided to call the DMV from work but was wrestling the mats back into my trailer V's older mini colicked as she was out to fetch the other one for a therapy visit. Good thing she had the visit as I would not have noticed him. But spent over an hour syringing various remedies from plain salt water, aloe juice and gelatinized sand clear into him, plus V gave him some banimine. He was eating when I left that to finish getting my mats in the trailer.

Stopped and got stuff out of my glove box and console that I forgot to clear out yesterday. Found DMV web page, called local county office about a duplicate title. Their records indicated my credit union still had a lien on the car. So I had to go to the credit union and they gave me 2 notarized forms that they did not hold a lien on it anymore. (because they have changed their name, they gave me a from with the old name and duplicated form with their current name) So hopefully that will be all the county office needs to issue me a duplicate title. I'm going to be taking extra PTO this week, not just the 8 hours for friday. At least I have the PTO hours to take.

Yes, there are small blessings here. Shade is not in a stall, she can keep herself limber and doesn't NEED riding. It was not one of my horses that colicked. I was able to get the form from the CU, and its not an emergency that I get the insurance funds as quick as possible. I'm thinking I should just get a 90's Civic, or Corolla etc now and wait until my driving record is clear before getting another new car.

Waah -- maybe my new trailer is bad luck

I was in a car accident friday. MY stinking fault. I did not register a red light and went into the intersection.

The rental I got to be nice and not make sickly mom pick me up when she is in pain or doped up for her bone infection cost me more than twice what I expected from my friday accident daze, + they charged me for 4 days when I had the car for 71 hours.

My trucks u joint is broken. The welder who is building and installing a plate mounted ball hitch for me is STILL waiting for the iron plate from his supplier. I (well mom, she has been helping me out in spite of being sick I should be more grateful, dammm I hope they have the diagnosis and get her cured in 10 weeks or so. Stinking infectious disease specialist --who was the FIRST dr smart enough to have her off antibiotics before testing for problem --GAAH I knew that and I'm just an Aero. engineer, but the IFD doc did also order the right tests to show things so I guess he knows his stuff but he is not meeting mom to review the tests until friday after her test was last friday! What the heck? HELLO she is seriously sick and the infection has had 2 years to get primed to take advantage of her being totally off antibiotics. I hope this isn't some 'let the patient get really sick, then they'll feel like treatment is REALLY helping' BS.

Sorry --back to my truck --the truck service plaza center sent a whole list of 'needs done next appt' with it. They did NOT however inspect it enough to spot the broken u-joint and they told me I'd need to replace the tires soon which is absolute BS, the high quality, several year tires I replaced last year after getting at least 6 years service out of the first set look FINE, I ran out and checked when I read that in case I had bad wear and had missed it (alignment was not on the service plaza list either though) I need to quit whining and do some research/homework on what should be done with the p/u. I suppose the service plaza goes on the shortest time span service intervals --they sure don't appear to go by any actual inspections!!! and since I didn't replace tires there they didn't happen to know to change the date on that one. Well they've lost a customer, I need a reliable mechanic to help me keep my vehicle running, not someplace that is just selling their most profitable services.


OK if anyone read to the end of this they are a trooper and I know full well that one could argue that my luck is still good,
the U-joint was found and didn't break on me out in the middle of nowhere, leaving me to try to remember how I would limp home by taking it off completely or tying it up and using the 4WD setting to have a FWD truck -yeah dad had to do that once with an old p/u we owned. I hit a p/u and did little damage to it and no injuries so I don't that extra weight on my concsious from my lack of attention to my driving. I have great neighbors who will have to be coerced to accept gas money for fetching me tonight.

?? What Shade?

I think she was just yanking my chain, ran around for 15 minutes before finally allowing me to walk up and catch her. and NO I did NOT say 'oh keep running around until you are ready to come to me' I'm a lousy chess player too, do not have the patience for such things. She sure moved nice while she was trotting and running around and she doesn't go hide in a corner and only move when I get close; she almost does laps herself, or I have to move minimally. Good thing since she is the fit one of us. But I'm wondering if I should just throw her in a stall friday night so I have a decent shot at getting an early start on saturday.

Does this look like a horse that dislikes her job? These are Karl creation photos from the Fort Meade remount ride in July.

Sure hope that I can get in a ride up in Conifer without having to deal with pouring rain. I need to ask the family to start paying board for Lady when she returns too. The first month is fine, they got to know her and they've put some training on her but I don't want to feed her indefinitely for free. If they think they will keep her they can make payments and cover the food cost of her board as well.

I don't think I got enough vitamin H this morning

I am getting cranky and the irritants are not bigger than usual, its just me taking them too personally. BUT, I did get Grey Moun and Sadie out today and they were cool, we cantered up the hill I like, first time I dared do that ponying her. The bling halter I bought just BARELY goes on Sadie. I'll have to see about adjusting it tiny for some mini photos and then pass it on to Naomi for "Arcy' --her Ramsey Copy filly.

Warning -VENTing

Oh maybe I don't even want to type this out. I am kind of pizzed right now. I reviewed a paper in Feb, spotted some but not all lapses in the analysis done to generate this paper and was asked to review the new submission. --which is done as a new submission, not responding to reviewer comments. Its ALMOST identical and none of the analysis problems were addressed.

#@(!(!*@*@* TWERPS wasting my time. Which I don't manage as well as I should but still, plus they are also wasting the time of 2 other reviewers. I am going to print the old and new and look at side by side to see just HOW much of a copy this is. and then I, MS. easy-going, usually only correct a few grammar mistakes and maybe catch a plot or 2 that is not clear am most likely going to write an absolutely SCATHING review absolutely reaming them for not addressing the issues I pointed out 5-6 months ago, sheesh I did not even catch all the problems in the original because I reviewed the thing too quickly, but I think I pointed out enough that they should have done some serious emergency re-analysis of at least some of their data and done more comparisons of their results that they are using for conclusions versus other instrument types and other institutions' analysis of the same public GPS data?!? They must have thought they'd just get new reviewers who maybe wouldn't catch the problems. BWAA HA HA losers.

Another all day 50

rode with an old jumping buddy of mom's again at Happy Jack this year. We rode really slow again too. I really thought I would pace better this year and it felt like I was a bit better the first loop and we didn't hit a gother hole and fall. But although Little was drinking better than last year he was kind of worrying S, and we just didn't make much time. He wasn't really slowing Shade and I down, but sure wan't pulling us along any; and Shade was feeling kind of tired on the last loop, not like at Fort Meade, but not peppy so I hopped off and led down some rocky downhills. So the current plan is to ride only 1 day at CHP in 2 weeks and 1 day at Rushcreek 1 week after that. Then see what transpires at Turkey Creek, then Kenlyn and decide on going to Moab or not. I am going to try not giving her any alfalfa at all at CHP too. She seemed to have quite a bit of snotty nose again so I think she may be allergic to alfalfa itself now. She shouldn't need it with the BP and mixing elytes with CMC that I do, but for me its giving up a security blanket of feeding extra Ca and K, plus hay that is a treat and I know she'll eat it with gusto. But if its hindering breathing its very much not worth it. I may push to get her tested so I know. Compared to the price of diesel the ELISA test is not all that spendy.