Work was good! I got everything done... almost...before it was time to leave. I kind of don't like closing. Or else, can't wait until I know what I'm doing and it goes faster.  I love my job! I love helping people! I love keeping things neat and tidy! I love that I get breaks! I love that parents don't scream at me! I love that I don't have to force people to spend $100 every time they walk in!

Well, I went shopping the other day, and I ended up going to the mall to see what I could find. I don't like the mall. Anyway, I went into a few places... and fit a size 4 in one place and an 8 in another!!! A FOUR!!!! A FOUR!!! I've NEVER fit into a FOUR! Now, of course it was sized small, but a FOUR! I'm so happy that I'm in the normal range now. I love horseback riding.

And speaking of horseback riding, we had a get-together yesterday at the barn. So much fun! There were four of us riding, and we played some follow the leader games, and tried to synchronize, going in patterns around the arena. It was so much fun to do something different. I rode for a good hour and a half. I'm sore today. But it was SO fun!

I found breeches made out of recycled fabric and post-consumer waste. How. Cool. Is. That. I must buy me some. When I finally get my first paycheck. And after I pay my phone, and internet, and insurance, and rent.... well, after I get my third paycheck, I'll buy me some.

I am is such a good mood tonight, I think I'll go clean something. I'm super motivated! Homework! Guinea pigs! Litter box!Laundry!  Bed!

You wouldn't think it'd be so hard to find thermal riding breeches. Maybe most english riders don't ride in cold climates .

I'm getting so sick to death of people who have their heads up their... you know. Especially when they all band together and systematically beat down anyone who doesn't agree with them. As I've said elsewhere, I don't even bother ( well, usually) trying to argue with ignorant people anymore, because stupidity knows no logic. You say something, and the repeat themselves louder. You say something different, and they repeat themselves louder. On and on....

Sometimes, it's a curse having WAY more common sense than a lot of people, because then I just get frustrated. Stupid people...

In other news, my "biggest fan" (her words...and probably true) posted a...thing...not sure what to call it... with me in it, and it turned out fine. I have a sense of humor, I can definitely laugh at myself, but I don't like giving other people I don't particularly like ammunition. I needn't have worried... I'm far too small a presence for any of them to care. It didn't go any farther, and conversation was soon turned to other people whining because they weren't in the spotlight. Just as how it should be.

Spotlights are not all they're cracked up to be.

I have to go shopping. I don't want to go shopping. I'd rather stay in bed with a history book. (Well, rather stay in bed.) But I'm out of food. And I need more red and khaki .

So much to do today, but I've been slowly reading the Zen To Done book, and it's helping. I'm in a very very bad habit of piling (literally and electronically) everything I have to do up in one spot, and then frantically hopping from one thing to another, panicked because I can't get it all done. I've been trying really really hard to just focus on one thing at a time. It is a lot harder than it sounds .

All right, I gotta get going. So much to do today... in an orderly fashion, lol.

We have all these HORRIBLE dolls at work, that all make baby noises when when they sense motion. I had one I was putting away today, and as I was walking through the store the thing was cooing and saying "mama" and basically freaking out a whole lot of customers as I went by, lol. Let me tell you, my kid is never ever getting a talking babydoll. Or one that cries. Or one that eats. Or one that pees. Or one... well, I don't think they make those. But if they did, my kid wouldn't get one!

Hmm, I hate that I always have so much to say throughout the day, and then I get on here and my mind goes blank. I blame daylight savings time. I'm tired.

It's going to be so cold the next few weeks. Well, until May now, I guess. I need to move somewhere warmer.

In horse news, I've decided against owning my own horse right now. Most certainly later, but not now, I don't think. It's just a little too much on my plate. Sigh.....

Classes are going. Hmm, maybe that's why I'm not motivated to write, lol.

Ah well, later...

Woke up this morning- well, two hours ago.

Wait, yeah, that's morning.   I've been working and homework and staying up way way too late and riding and cleaning. So I was tired and slept in.

Anyway, woke up this morning to a full inbox! (LOVE when I wake up to good emails...) There was one telling me I had a new review for a story, one telling me I had a PM from my "biggest fan", who was all excited about a story I'm doing, one telling me I sold a peace-sign bracelet on Etsy.... and one from my riding instructor.

And that's where the decisions come into play.

She offered me a horse. Well, two horses. Arggh! I hate decisions! Especially when there is so much on my plate, and I know all the logical people are saying, "Don't do it." but it's something I've really really wanted and I know it will help me grow as a rider. There's one horse whom I've ridden since Sammy has hurt his leg. He's the one I fell off of my second lesson and how I got my concussion and whiplash. Anyway, I've been doing super awesome on him the last few times I've ridden, and she thinks I'd progress faster with him. The only thing would be I would need to find somewhere to board him. The other horse is Sammy. The owner is willing to do a full lease (me paying for board and vet and farrier) and after a year, would give me the horse. Sammy is much more stubborn, would require a lot more work on my part, and has a more difficult cantor (not that I've ever cantored him.) BUT...if I went with Sammy, I could do more barn work in exchange for board, and he could still stay at the barn. And I could go and ride whenever I wanted, because he'd be mine. And that silly girl who smooshes his face and baby-talks him ("Wook at you han-some boy!!!! You did good! You did a good job! You such a goood boy!") wouldn't be able to touch him.

But.... I just started my new job, and I'm going to school. I'd have to move my horse, when I go to grad school, and hope I have time to ride him and everything. And what would happen if he got really really sick or something? Do they have horse health insurance?

Sigh.......

It's something to think about, I guess. It's something I so totally would love to do, and I know I really want to, but this little logical voice...well naysayer... is piping up (aka my dad). Although, every time I ignore his advice, it actually turns out okay, lol.

Something to think about...

This weekend was very very bizarre, lol. 

Got all my homework done (YAY!) and have grades from some of my classes on my progress so far. All good :). Well, mostly good, lol. I did miss a few things in some classes. It's harder than I imagined to go back to school full time. Plus get the flu and switch jobs in the middle.

But, the good news is I am still happy.

Some people seem to be hating that, though. One of my friend's husbands has.... let's try that again. The husband of one of my friends (ahHA!) has been incredibly rude to me on facebook the last couple days. Well, just nasty under his breath, I guess. But I don't understand it. He needs to follow that old saying, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I finally had to say something to him tonight. My friend had some social group thing that I don't really agree with (we won't even go there) and invited me (once again...) and I respectfully declined, but congratulated her. Her hubby got on Facebook, and seeing that I updated this evening, got nasty. So I said I was sorry that he was so unhappy and felt the need to be so rude to me the last few days, and asked him to stop. I then said I was sending happy thoughts his way, that hoping whatever was best for him would happen to make him happy, and wished him a nice night. With a smiley face. If he's still rude, he's getting booted from my friends list. I don't care... I'll go back down to 35 friends. (I'm finicky, lol).

That was my vent.

I went horseback riding yesterday and had to use Anton once again because Sammy is still on the IR. BUT- I had a major breakthrough!!! I've been struggling with him, on steering, because my seat really wasn't properly placed, but sometime during our ride I managed to wiggle into the right position and suddenly he started going exactly where I wanted him to. It was amazing! I was so excited, lol. We did zigzags until he got grumpy with me and started the head tossing thing again. And then he spooked at a car. It was fun. lol.

Sammy said hello, shockingly. He didn't pin his ears and threaten to kick when I stopped by his stall. He actually let me pet him and then chewed on my helmet when I wasn't looking.

What is with the animals in my life trying to destroy my stuff?

Ah well. That's about it.

I certainly am LOVING fall this year, Milesky! It's definitely one of the best ones we've had in a while, I think. I mean, it hasn't even snowed here yet! Lol....

All right, it is REALLY late I ought to be in bed. LATER!!

Bleah. What a gray, sad, rainy day. So glad I got to get out a little and enjoy it Wednesday.

I went to the library today, and saw one of my friends who works there, and then on the way back stopped at Walmart. Normally I refuse to go into Walmart, but seeing as how it was right on the way home and I would have had to drive another 20 minutes out of my way to go anywhere else (which would have wasted gas) I stopped there.

I was standing in line, and behind me was a young mom and her two little girls, one about 3 who was looking at all the stuff they have next to the register, planning on what she wanted to ask for for her birthday, and one about 2, sitting in the seat in the cart. Behind them was a group of noisy goth teenagers. The mom seemed like a typical over-tired and stressed young mom, but the girls were really well behaived. While waiting, I heard the mom say to the 2 year old, "You have to take the binky out of your mouth, or else they can't hear you say "hi". Okay, you have to say "hi" louder, so they can hear." I heard the little girl say, "Hi. HI. HIII!" and apparently the teens never responded, because the mom said, "Now you have to say "hi" to someone who actually cares." I couldn't help it, I cracked up and looked back at her. She sort of smiled, and said to her daughter, "She'll say hi to you." and then the little girl looked up at me and said, "Hi," to which I waved and said, "Hi!" back. It was so cute.

I guess I do like children. lol.

I was so happy to receive an email from my difficult American West instructor. I struggled with the outline of my essay that I turned in, and she wrote back with advice, saying I needed a clearer direction, and to turn it in again with some changes and any questions that I had and she'd wait to grade it until then. YAY!!!! Although, it must have been really really bad, lol

All right, much to do... later!!

Thanks so much, AD, Jeanie, and Holliday! I can't wait to start...this whole week feels surreal. Every day seems to drag, but the week seems to have flown by.

Not a lot to talk about tonight. It's been BEAUTIFUL outside!!! I went to a nature preserve yesterday, it was sunny and 70-something, and I walked for a little bit until my cough got bad and I had trouble breathing, so I ended up having to go home earlier than I wanted. I do have some pics:






That's about it. We don't get many days like this in Ohio. In fact it's supposed to be rainy and drop into the 50's in the next week or so.

Ooh, one more: My dad comes up to me and says, "You know, there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who can count and those who can't." After I stared for about three seconds, puzzled, and he started to laugh, I asked, "What's that supposed to mean?" Finally he answered, "It means I didn't tell the joke right." I started cracking up, and he said I probably laughed more over his mistake than I would over the original joke.

Good night!