Hey look, another update!
Once again, this post mostly sponsored by boredom. And by our friends at "the desire to complain"!! Put on your party hat.
Horses
Let me see. Not a whole lot has changed since the last post. Horses are still being ridden on a weekly basis, bikes still being taken out to terrorize the neighborhoods of Ypsilanti (on a more random basis than the horses). Work duties still being slightly shirked to go help with therapeutic riding lessons. But I'm getting enough done...I think. Though I do believe that all of this "getting up at 7:30 on a Saturday to be at the barn by 9:00" action is wearing me a bit thin. The fun's not ending any time soon, though -- this Saturday they need me out there at 8:30. Lordamercy. All I can tell you for sure is that if I get out to that barn at (or around) 8:30 and I am not actually needed...I might decide to let my pissed-offedness show this time. (Ooooh, scary!) And by that I probably mean "I will leave without making a fuss". However, I know myself well enough to wager that, even if not needed for lessons, I stay around to help with...something. I'm annoying like that. Or maybe I can get in some riding time on a Saturday for a change. Ugh, speaking of riding...something horribly frustrating seems to be going on with Jessie, the most challenging horse I work with (and was -- am? -- really starting to make headway with). I don't feel like harping on it too much (not here at least...in person, I will happily chew your ear off about it given half a chance), but basically I've been trying to undo a lot of tendencies Jessie had when I first started working with her, and a new volunteer has taken it upon herself to work with the horse using the exact methods I've spent four months undoing the results of (and other poorly constructed sentences). I'm going to ride her a few more times before deciding it's an actual issue, but...I have this little hunch that it is. I mean, why wouldn't it be? The horse is probably bloody confused. Anyway. Frustration.
Life in General
But all of this is making me sound far more disgruntled than I actually am of late. Indeed, aside from these little things (which are really just "bad aspects of good things" to begin with), I seem to be coming at most days with a goofy grin plastered across my face. It's most unsettling.
Mark Kozelek Hates Ann Arbor
One reason to make the crazyface at life is that Nick and I are (most likely) going to New York City in June, to see the Ann Arbor-dissing Sun Kil Moon (aka Mark Kozelek) play a show. (I don't really blame the man for skipping Ann Arbor this time around after the embarrassing audience behavior at the Blind Pig in '06, but still...it would have been nice!) I haven't been to NYC in...damn...four years?! and am really looking forward to making my way back. And to seeing the fabulous MacKenzie and Ryan for the first time since they skipped town for the Big Apple. We've got the plane tickets and I'm getting the show tickets tomorrow; the only reason it's a "most likely" at the moment is some work-related stuff on Nick's end, but he's going to try his best to get it smoothed over enough to go. Here's hopin'.
Okay, I believe that is about all the glitter and whimsy I have to impart at the moment. Back in another two weeks, perhaps?
Horses
Let me see. Not a whole lot has changed since the last post. Horses are still being ridden on a weekly basis, bikes still being taken out to terrorize the neighborhoods of Ypsilanti (on a more random basis than the horses). Work duties still being slightly shirked to go help with therapeutic riding lessons. But I'm getting enough done...I think. Though I do believe that all of this "getting up at 7:30 on a Saturday to be at the barn by 9:00" action is wearing me a bit thin. The fun's not ending any time soon, though -- this Saturday they need me out there at 8:30. Lordamercy. All I can tell you for sure is that if I get out to that barn at (or around) 8:30 and I am not actually needed...I might decide to let my pissed-offedness show this time. (Ooooh, scary!) And by that I probably mean "I will leave without making a fuss". However, I know myself well enough to wager that, even if not needed for lessons, I stay around to help with...something. I'm annoying like that. Or maybe I can get in some riding time on a Saturday for a change. Ugh, speaking of riding...something horribly frustrating seems to be going on with Jessie, the most challenging horse I work with (and was -- am? -- really starting to make headway with). I don't feel like harping on it too much (not here at least...in person, I will happily chew your ear off about it given half a chance), but basically I've been trying to undo a lot of tendencies Jessie had when I first started working with her, and a new volunteer has taken it upon herself to work with the horse using the exact methods I've spent four months undoing the results of (and other poorly constructed sentences). I'm going to ride her a few more times before deciding it's an actual issue, but...I have this little hunch that it is. I mean, why wouldn't it be? The horse is probably bloody confused. Anyway. Frustration.
Life in General
But all of this is making me sound far more disgruntled than I actually am of late. Indeed, aside from these little things (which are really just "bad aspects of good things" to begin with), I seem to be coming at most days with a goofy grin plastered across my face. It's most unsettling.
Mark Kozelek Hates Ann Arbor
One reason to make the crazyface at life is that Nick and I are (most likely) going to New York City in June, to see the Ann Arbor-dissing Sun Kil Moon (aka Mark Kozelek) play a show. (I don't really blame the man for skipping Ann Arbor this time around after the embarrassing audience behavior at the Blind Pig in '06, but still...it would have been nice!) I haven't been to NYC in...damn...four years?! and am really looking forward to making my way back. And to seeing the fabulous MacKenzie and Ryan for the first time since they skipped town for the Big Apple. We've got the plane tickets and I'm getting the show tickets tomorrow; the only reason it's a "most likely" at the moment is some work-related stuff on Nick's end, but he's going to try his best to get it smoothed over enough to go. Here's hopin'.
Okay, I believe that is about all the glitter and whimsy I have to impart at the moment. Back in another two weeks, perhaps?