It was a busy weekend, I figured I would share it. Thursday night was great. My guy and I went to see comedian Jeff Dunham. He was hysterical as usual! He also had "Guitar Guy" opening for him and joining in for parts of the show. That man is insanely great on the guitar and funny as hell. It was truly an enjoyable evening, worth every penny!

Knowing it would be a late night, I took Friday off. Mom was off as well, so we took the dogs to the beach first thing. Isis loves the ocean. Dyna isn't a fan of the waves, but she did enjoy eating whatever the hell it was she found in the grass. YUCK! Vaquita was having a good time as well until Dyna ran at her, nearly running the pup over and therefore scaring the crap out of a dog that is scared of the mere thought of her own shadow.

I had a gift card to the mall, so I decided to ATTEMPT to find some new clothes. I did not do too well, got a pair of jeans and some shorts. Of course I need work clothes...oh well, maybe next year. I also got my hair cut. Deciding to throw caution to the wind (I know, brave aren't I?), I got BANGS! I have not had bangs since maybe Middle School...been a LOOOONG time. If the girl had listened to me and given me long bangs, I would be happier, but she seemed to neglect the fact that hair shrinks up as it dries and curls, so now they are a bit shorter than I would have liked, but it's ok. Like my guy said, "hair grows." Infinitely wise isn't he? Oye.

Having time to kill before my guy got home from work, I decided on a bike ride. The skies appeared a bit ominous, but not so much as to deter me from a ride. I have lived in Middleboro for about 7 years now, but I still love sight-seeing there. About 40 minutes into my ride, the phone rang. My guy was stuck in traffic leaving Boston and would not be home in time to pick J-bird up from camp. It was 3:50, the bus drops her off at 4:10....I had 20 mins to ride back the route that took me 40 mins to travel. I had a lot more energy on the way out. I have never peddled so fast to get home, threw on a hat, got into my Guy's truck and was in the parking lot in plenty of time. The bus was late, of course! In the rush of picking up J, I left my bike outside...needless to say it got a bath that night in the pouring rain. :(

At one point in my Friday adventures, I headed to the grocery store for some sushi grade tuna steaks, steamers, and beer. The tuna was fantastic on the grill, with the help of my delicious marinade. (Don't ask me how I made it, I totally made it up in my head...not to be duplicated, oh well.) A little garlic and some beer to help them cough up all the dirt they collected, led to some rather delicious steamers for an appetizer. I even sauteed some fresh summer veggies from the garden, mouth-watering and healthy! Dinner was great, so good we fell asleep on the couch after dinner at 7:30pm with some full stomachs and big smiles.

Saturday morning brought the usual routine....breakfast for the horses. I need a coffee maker at the barn. Nothing worse than horses kicking stall walls when one has not had at least one cup of coffee. I then ran home, exercised and got ready for a cookout at my ex-bosses house. The field office for which I worked the previous two years was having their annual summer shindig and they were kind enough to invite me. It was great to see my guys. I miss them all. I do not miss the work, but those guys are a riot, I love them! I got to catch up on all the latest stories of screw-ups and practical jokes on the job sites. It was great fun! A couple of the boys also told me I looked really hot...that always helps a girl enjoy her evening. :)

Sunday the usual crew went boating, the Sunday activity. I was able to bring my kayak and cruise around the pond for a bit. There were a lot of boats on the water, making it quite rocky for the kayak and rough for the guys when they were skiing. We were proud of our friend's 6yr old son, who finally decided he would ride in the tube and then wanted to keep riding. His Dad had to ride with him, but it is a start!

Now I am tired and can not wait for this coming weekend. I do not have to feed the horses breakfast, covering lunch instead. Sunday I can sleep in a bit because we are not going boating. My Guy's twin nephews are turning 2...big party in their honor. It is only Tuesday, but I will make it. 8am wake-up...here I come!

New Quote

I know...I am a total quote junkie. This one came from a website called women-at-heart.

"I did not lose myself all at once. I rubbed out my face over the years washing away my pain, the same way carvings on stone are worn down by water.”

-- Amy Tan

Happy Friday??

Not quite. The day has not begun well. I have account managers bitching at me because the plants will not take their customer's waste. I have to review the work of someone who is listed as "lead" in our group and paid at least $10K more a year than I am. That is not even the worst of it...I would not mind if he actually GOT ANYTHING I FUCKING SAID TO HIM! I explain what to do, even 1., 2., 3. write out exactly what needs to be done to get the work done and he just cocks his head like a damn dog and says "ummm, yeah". OMG! Yes, this job is technical and sometimes difficult, but I am not spouting out the recipe to make a goddam nuclear bomb.

Serenity Now!!!

I am glad it is Friday. My guy and I are going to have a relaxing night at home, barbecuing some salmon on the grill and having some home-grown veggies. I can not wait to get home, crack open a beer and start slicing some veggies. I am not sure what is on for the rest of the weekend. There is a Blues Festival in Onset tomorrow, might try to swing down there. My horse is in desperate need of a bath though and we do have a ton of yard work to do. There just is not enough time in 2 days to get it all done and have fun.

Never Again

I had the cyst removal surgery or procedure or whatever you call it...and it sucked! I figured it would be easy, a little numbing meds, a quick slice, pop them out, a stitch and away we go. Nope. The numbing medicine was very painful, and then was not working very well, so had to keep adding more. The cysts would not come out, so the surgeon had to keep pulling and digging and cutting deeper. A quick half hour procedure lasted over an hour. I was not happy afterward, especially with no pain meds.

I will keep the rest of my little bumps on my head. They just better not start growing!!

Gives Me Goosebumps

Call me crazy, but this video is so beautiful. I do not see a Moose and her calves...I see a loving mother and her innocent babies. Unlike humans, they will stay innocent...

http://www.maniacworld.com/twin-baby-moose-in-sprinkler.html

Shhhh, Don't Tell Mom

But I just got back from my first ride on the back of a motorcycle!!!! She would flip out. (They are dangerous ya know!) :) It was a blast. My guy has a sport bike, crotch rocket, rice-burner...whatever the hell you call it and I finally got my ride. I can not wait to go again. The feeling of complete nauscea was gone after the first mile. To think...I almost said "nevermind". Yay me for not wimping!!

Blah Blah Blah

I just have some random thoughts and some free time, so decided to blab it out on a blog.

Yesterday did not end much better than it began. The vet called the house phone instead of the cell that I told him to call. No one listens! I went to a different grain store to get the new grain I want to try and they were out, so had to get the old stuff...and overpaid for it. Oh well, I will bill it out to the horse's owner. Poor CV's back is killing her, bad timing with one of the girls going on vacation next week. We need someone to help feed the horses breakfast and none of the other people are volunteering to help. I can not get over people who are quick to ask others to cover for them, but when the shoe is on the other foot, they are nowhere to be found. I would help, but I have to be at work too early to feed breakfast. I hope CV doesn't have to pay someone to do it, but if she can not and the other losers don't step up, it has to be done.

The Facebook thing is working out pretty well. I am catching up with some people I have not seen in years. It is far easier for me to set up than Myspace was as well, so when I have time, I do enjoy it.

One of my new favorite songs is "What do ya think about that" by Montgomery Gentry. People are always jabbing their jaws about things that are none of their concern....well, I have enough to worry about than to think about the gossip. I love this song!

"Some people care about what other people think
Worry about what they say
Let a little gossip
Coming from a loose lip ruin a perfect day
Say, blah, blah, blah, just a jacking their jaws
Got a letta roll off-a my back
I don't give a dern what other people think
What do ya think about that"

I am having a terrible Chilis craving this week. Last week it was sushi, this week Chilis. NO, I am not pregnant! LOL. Odd though, I have not been to Chilis in almost a year. It just goes to show the power of advertising. I saw a commercial for some of their new dishes and now REALLY want to go. Maybe this weekend...or the sushi craving will return. One never knows. :)

Beautiful Pony

I just had to share the loveliness that is my Capall.

Notes From The Inner Journey

I liked this one, so figured I would share...

The push & pull of relationships

"It's surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you're not comfortable within yourself, you can't be comfortable with others."

-- Sydney J. Harris

Relationships are such a challenge because life pulls us in opposite directions at the same time.

Our personality feels the need to be unique and special and so our focus lies on how we are different from others. Differences hold the potential to create conflict.

At the same time, our souls live through connection with others. We are challenged to rise above our personal preferences to discover how we and the other are the same.

Our overall need lies in balancing these two tendencies.

"The purpose of relationships is not happiness, but transformation."

-- Andrew Schneider

The Tip of the Iceberg

I am trying very hard today to not let everything upset me, but as things just are not going well, it is not easy. Nothing seems to be going my way, and just when I think it is, I get shot back down the to the depths of reality.

My back had started to feel better the past two weeks. I have been working very hard; exercising, riding my bike, stretching, and TRYING not to get stressed. I rode my horse a couple times last week and was getting excited to finally get to riding on a regular basis again. Well, my body disagreed. Suddenly Saturday, my knee gave out. I have no idea what happened, but my knee is so sore I can barely walk and have to drag myself up and down stairs. I did fall at the barn on Thursday, but as it was not a direct hit on the knee joint, I don't' see why that would be the cause. I think I just over-did the exercise, but goddamn it...I was trying to get better. Now I can't do anything, no bike, no horse, no stair climbing, no walking the dog. I am very frustrated and depressed, I feel like someone is telling me to just stay in bed. I want/need to get back to working out...SOON!!

My cell phone has decided not to work in the past few months. I believe Nextel is shutting down tower service to Nextel phones, forcing us to switch to a Sprint plan. Well I am not! I do not want any of the Sprint plans and refuse to pay more for cell service. I am currently involved in a rather hostile email chain with one of Sprint's flunkies and if he doesn't give me what I want, they can kiss my business goodbye.

My vet is also trying to screw me. It is pissing me off lately that the vets are all becoming so goddamn commercialized and it is all about money. They want to run tests that will tell them what we already know, rather than treat the dog for a disease we KNOW she has and should have gotten a second treatment for anyway. Let's see...pay full blood chemistry for $200, then pay $50 for the meds I know I need or just pay the $50 now and make the dog feel better. Assholes...it's all about the mighty dollar!

The electrician I hired to wire our new hot water tank has never done one before and does not know how to do part of the job. Excuse me, but information that would have been useful YESTERDAY! So I have to pay him to do part of the job and then pay someone else to do the other part, all the while the plumber is waiting to finish his job. If this electrician was not a friend of a friend, he would be out on his toolbelt.

My local grainstore is on my shitlist as well. I do not go often, as it is out of the way, so I like to stock up on grain for the horses. I also wait until I only have a few days left to go, as I want to use up the old feed, especially in these hot days. Well,they did not have one of the grains I always buy and to top it off, the idiot didn't know WHEN they would have them. COULD YOU CHECK? I am feeding horses here, can't just not feed them, ya know? Well, I am switching grains now as I can not be waiting on this particular grain to come in, so now I have to go back and get the new type and carefully switch over the horses....all in my "spare time".

Anyway...those issues are only the tip of the iceberg of what is pissing me off today. If I wrote it all down I be here most of the day. :(

Random Pics

I was up early on Saturday morning, getting ready to feed the horses and noticed the sun looking ultra orange. I wish I had a better camera to get a shot, but hey...can't have it all.



I decided to get a shot of Jade as she finally decided to come back in the house too. The other two were back in a flash after a tree suddenly split in half across the street, scaring the "bejeezes" out of both of them...sending them sprinting so fast I saw only a blur of blonde and black and white. Jade, as one can see, was not phased in the least.

Memory Test

I joined the Facebook revolution. I had Myspace a couple years ago, but along with having no time to update it, I found Myspace to be an online meatmarket and popularity contest. Possibly Facebook will prove to be no different, but so far it is easier for me to work on, so I will give it a whirl.

My trouble lies in the fact that people from my past appear to be coming out of the woodwork!! Just today 3 people have joined my facebook friends list, and I can't remember who they are. I recongnize the names, but just can not place it. I am unable to access Facebook from work, so I will have to suffer until I get back home and can look up some pictures and read messages, hoping to jog my young, yet senile mind. When I see people I used to know in the mall but can not remember their name, I walk the other way. I can't do that online. I am going to have to be friendly. This is going to be tough. :-)

It can only happen to me.

Last year this same tire nearly came off on my ride to work. It just wasn't meant to be....

Sad to say, but my time off is about over. I took tomorrow off to give me one day on my own, but I have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, not looking forward to it. The week was pretty good. I think the best part was Tuesday night. Mom and I went to see Melissa Ethridge at the Music Circus in Hyannis and it was an AMAZING show. Melissa and her band were insanely great. I was enraptured by them all the entire time. She came onstage at 7:30pm and did not stop until 10:30pm, and the show did not lack in talent and thrill the entire time! I am definitely going to make a point to see her again.

I finally got my kayak out today. I was out for a nice quiet ride down a local river, saw tons of turtles, birds and strange fish...it was great. I would have loved to have my camera and maybe some company, but it was great to have some quiet time with Nature. I just looked down now to realize sunscreen would have been a good idea. I swear I am NEVER going to learn. :( Maybe someday red will be my color. Hee hee.

A friend of mine was home for the week and I never got to see her. I am so upset. I suck at getting my shit together with just a week of vacation for time. The days seem to fly by. I told my Mom that going boating Wednesday messed me all up, but really, that's a sad excuse. I had so much to do, at least some of it should be done. I wanted to see my friends, I wanted to have a plumber come install a hot-water tank in the house, I wanted to buy a pellet stove for Mom. I will get some of those things done, but I am once again disappointed with myself.

Yesterday sort of topped off the insanity of my week. I headed out to the local Rite Aid looking for a few essentials and as I pulled out onto the street, I ran over some sort of metal pin (at least 6 inches long and an inch in diameter). It stuck into my BRAND NEW tire and bore a hole into my rim. I now have to buy another tire and find a Toyota wheel to replace the mess I have now. I have no car for at least the next week, going to have to drive my Guy's F350 Superduty, supercab pickup truck. Let's see, what do I not have money for.....a new tire, a new wheel and the diesel to fill that truck's tank and drive to work every day this week. It's not a good sign when two men who have worked around trucks/cars and other motorized equipment their entire lives say that they have NEVER seen anything like what happened to my tire/wheel. Yay me..should I be proud or very sad? :*(

Monday Minutes

My time off has sure been interesting so far. Saturday we went to the most unbelievable wedding EVER. I could not get out of there soon enough. I love the bride, but her family is nuts! Sunday I rememberd how nice a bike ride down the Cape Cod Canal to the beach can be, and how much the ride back (against the wind) totally sucks! Oh well, good exercise. I am sick, I would do it every day if I could.

It seems I have a lot to do on my vacation. I have to learn all I can about Apple Computers so I can help a friend find the right one for her photo work. I know NOTHING about Apple. I am lucky I got my damn IPOD working properly. I have a bunch of appointments with doctors, both for me and the dogs. Most important of all, I have quite a few friends I need to catch up with soon. I caught myself thinking today, "it's already almost Tuesday!" How aweful is that?? I am thinking my vacation is close to over and it's only just begun. Oye, I must smack myself.

I realized something recently, totally unrelated to my time-off, but nevertheless worth mentioning. I learned that forgiveness is more about forgiving oneself for the wrongs done, than for forgiving the wrong-doer. Now that thought has nothing to do with serious crimes against someone, but I mean personal relationships, where some malice has come about. For so long I thought I had to find a way to forgive some of those who have hurt me in the past, yet in reality I need to forgive myself for allowing those actions to occur. I saw the negative, I knew it should not happen, yet I allowed it into my life. Human Nature? I am still working on forgiving me for past mistakes, but like I say of those who have not always seemed to be doing what I saw as right, they (and me) were doing the best they could at the time. Very difficult concept to accept....but time will tell and relief will come.

Let Freedom Ring!

Today at 3pm begins my "vacation". I am not going away anywhere, but I am still very much looking forward to some time off. It has been a stressful week, from finding out I have to have some surgery (nothing major) to worrying about one of the dog's and her nasty eye infection. I am attending a wedding tomorrow, then the rest of the week is up in the air. I am hoping to get some extra sleep and spend as much time outdoors as I possibly can.

The Blahs Need to Vamoose!

I am getting that blah/discontented feeling again. The fact that NOTHING seemed to go well yesterday could be part of it. One of the dogs has a major eye infection, work just totally sucked, my computer at home decided not to work again (time to get the hammer) and Dyna Dog ate one of my Mom's books, that I totally wanted to read. I am hoping my upcoming time-off from work will help. I will not call it vacation, as I will not be going away, just not going to work for a week. I am hoping for good weather and some time in my kayak and on my bike. I am looking forward to a Melissa Ethridge concert. Mom and I are going...girl's night. I think it will be fun.

Tonight the gals from Bookclub (or as the men call it, the Cult) are going to dinner and then to see Sex in the City, the movie. I never watched that show new, but do enjoy the re-runs. We will have fun, we always do. The ladies are good for me. I told them the new song by Lee Ann Rimes "A Good Friend and a Glass of Wine" reminds me of those ladies. We will have a nice dinner, some beer or wine and relax at the movies. I could use a laugh, those ladies always provide one!

Fried Friday

Whoever came up with the concept of "Thirsty Thursday" obviously did not have to get up for work on Friday morning. And whoever invented Tequila...I despise you right now. (Yes, I know it is my own fault for drinking so much, but damn it, I do not want to take responsibility at the moment.) Girl's Night Out is great, but not on a work night. Yep, I am old and lame. I am ok with that! It was a good time though, so once the nausea passes, it will be worth it.

My real concern came when my Guy told me that I got up in the middle of the night mumbling to myself and went downstairs for awhile. He has no idea where I went or what I was doing, but I eventually came back. I thought at first he was messing with me, but nope. I have NO IDEA what I was doing and the dogs are not talking. I hope I did not go outside or something. My Guy offered to tie me to the bed at night, but somehow I do not think he was looking out for MY best interest. Men!

I am not sure what is up for this weekend. I was hoping to get out on the kayak again, but Sunday is not looking so great as far as weather. I am going to get some batteries for my camera, those rechargeables are not working, so back to the lithium I go. Of course all week with no camera I have seen so many things I would have loved to photograph. Next year...new camera. One with it's own rechargeable battery and a really good zoom lense. :)

Winding Down

It has been a busy few days for me. Friday I was off from work, got my hair cut and then went to Boston with friends for dinner and the Red Sox game. It was a disappointing game, but a fun time with the ladies. Saturday I spent some time with the dogs, did the usual chores and then headed to CV's for a Triple Crown Party. Another disappointing sports event, but a really fun time with friends. By Sunday morning, I was beat, but off we went for a day of boating. Today was the maiden voyage for my new kayak. In between being the official "spotter" for those skiing or wakeboarding, I was out trolling the lake in my kayak. It was a beautiful day, but I am left with no physical energy, only my mind has anything left to give at this moment.

I wanted to stay home tonight, have a nice dinner and relax, which I have. I turned on the tv only to watch a beautiful, yet sad movie, "Mrs. Paltry at the Claremont". Though I would much rather think of the fun times I had this weekend and attempt to ignore the horrific sunburn I got on my bike ride yesterday, this movie has left me wondering what it is like to grow old. Many wonder what it would be like to know when he/she is going to die. I would not want to know, but what happens when one is elderly and knows that time is fleeting? In the movie, it seemed the elderly characters were all waiting to die. One woman stated, as the passed away in Mrs. Paltry's arms, that she has been waiting a long time for this moment. It was so sad to me, but how could I understand how she would have felt, as I have not lived through so much, lived such a long life. Compared to the senior characters in this movie, I have barely lived in my 31 years. It is amazing how time flies, how things change, how people change. No matter how long I live, I hope I continue to change, continue to grow. Two steps forward, sometimes one step back, yet there is still progress. I have to remind myself of that on a daily basis. Don't sweat the small stuff, because in the end, none of it matters. Right now matters. Right now I know that I am loved, that I am comfortable, that I am determined. Determined to do what? I am determined to be here, in the now....content.

A Few More Pics

Someday I am going to get a camera with a fabulous zoom lense...but until then, this is all I could do.