Zebras

I'm not sure if it's just because of the equine connection, but I've been loving the zebra print fad, lately, and let me clarify that I usually hate fads. I also hate leopard print, usually...I don't know what the deal is. This puzzles me greatly, actually. Shrug.

Still at one of those life crossroads things. This troubles me. I'm one of those people who can't make a decision to save my life, so it's difficult to choose what I want to do and how to pursue it in the most efficient way. I'm determined as #*)%, so I know that pretty much whatever I want (in reason) can be achieved. I've done it befo'. So in the meantime, I have to work on pinpointing where and what I want to do and then going for it gung-ho and then saying a prayer to the Atheist gods that the economy won't obliterate my chances of getting what I want. It's annoying that most jobs I find are a near-fit, but I'm usually either over- or under-qualified.
Then there's also the location issue -- I went to college 3000 miles away from home and then after I graduated I went 10,000 miles away from home, now I just wanna stay put for awhile. It occurred to me that Ventura County isn't where I want to be, long-term, but I don't exactly know what sounds ideal, either. Hrmph.

Something needs to pan out with my writing endeavors. I have several writing projects on my lap top that I've been doing just for something to do, but I haven't pursued getting them published. I also haven't done much in the way of cold calling to offer my writing skillz, partly because I'm being lazy and then there's the fear that I won't be taken on and that would be a royal slap in the face because I'm a rejection-phobe. *Deflates*

Horse stuff is going fairly well. It would be going better if I had more funds to do more stuff and snag an animal to ride long-term, but ya can't always get what you want. Y'know what would be nice? If I could buy a dirt cheap animal (I'm talking a couple thou) and then training that bad boy up and selling him. Nah...right now that sounds like a fool's errand. I remember one of the horses I rode in NY, Trilby, was what If Only Farm called "Sue's Folly," because she was super expensive, but hardly anybody could ride her because she was such a pain in the keester, so she never got sold. Mares can be a real piece of work -- add in the thoroughbred factor and a wicked temper and you have the trifecta of yuckery. Then again, I got Trilby to like me, so neener-neener. Only one other rider got her to go around well, and that was a quasi-pro who trained at IOF and took her to Harrisburg in the A/A Hunters. So yeah -- if someone tells me something can't be done, I make it my mission to prove otherwise. Because I'm a *bleep* and it gives me a delicious sense of schadenfreude, I suppose. Well, anyway, I'll admit I didn't fit her very well, seeing how she was *maybe* 16 hands and I'm 5'9" with junk in the trunk, but hey, she had a massive barrel and suitability isn't the be-all, end-all for adult amateur hunters. Also, no match is perfect, even if you spent 7 figures, the animal can go permanently lame and you're out all that $. I mean, take a look at a horse's legs at some point -- they're super long and spindly and they're holding up an animal that weighs as much as a car. They also land from large jumps at high velocity, so there's that, too.

Somebody told me a week or so ago that horses aren't meant to be ridden. He said it might've been necessary back when they were essential for transportation, but that anybody who rides a horse these days is just making the animal into a mindless plaything and should just join the circus. After I told this person that I couldn't continue the argument because I was busy eating a veal sandwich and I was off to go hunting in my mink coat, I actually thought about this. After dorking out and doing more research and going over the bajillions of coffee table books I've collected over the years, I've determined that there's a valid point in the "you shouldn't ride a horse" statement, but that it's not necessarily cruel. True, there's abuse. There are idiots who don't know what they're doing and don't realize there's a delicate balance in what is appropriate for each individual animal and that one size doesn't fit all. Then there's the fact that domesticated horses have their needs micromanaged, from food, supplements, medical attention, shoes, teeth, exercise, and of course aesthetics for the show horses. Training horses, also, is a lot of work for horse/rider, but it's not abuse if it's done correctly. Using things like whips/spurs also can be done effectively -- after all, not correcting something an animal does wrong and then deciding to beat the %*)% out of him after the 20th time only confuses the animal and therein lies the abuse, amirite? Yep. I am right. I win, QED. I have more to say on this subject, but shmeh. Later.

OK I just realized I'm tired. Imma go read and perhaps wake up for a game plan for my life. Wish me luck.