Reni kisses!

Forgot to post this earlier and blogger makes me angry with formatting issues so it is easier to post separately than try to organize in the earlier post. Ignore the sound. Dad asking his daughter what she's scared of with Tia out in the paddock. Not related to sweet Reni kisses! So cute! Way better than sloppy dog kisses. :)

Busy busy weekend!

Talked to a different loan officer about possibilities for making home ownership a reality. The result was that my fears are confirmed - an apartment dwelling lass with fabulous credit, a decent wage but just a teensy bit of money for the myriad of costs required for home purchase can't even afford to live in squalor, in Everett. Now, to be truthful, I'm making it a bit more difficult for myself. I live in a 1bdrm 1bath currently but want a 2x2. Resale is better and let's face it, I have a lot of crap at mom's still. And I want a w/d and a dw and a place to hide my car a little from the elements. This equals unaffordable in the land of western Washington real estate. Blech. I haven't given up hope entirely but I'm basically to the point where I'll just have to wait a few years before this can happen. Second mortgages just don't exist anymore. Goodbye fabulous tax break. But as the loan dude said, it doesn't make sense to have a couple hundred thousand dollar mistake for $8000 break in taxes.

So then I made the mistake of trying to find a decent bathing suit to go swimming in for health. Went to a store self-billed as the best selection of suits in the state and was very disappointed by the service. Nothing like the fabulous woman and suits at Stunning Sunning in Quincy. Definitely going back there! I did find a nice suit that didn't cut in like a crazy Brazilian carnival costume and it even has tummy flattening powers. Awesome! Not that I have a big tummy or anything but I'll take whatever help I can get. The sales lady would have been a great help if she had kept her stupid comments to herself. My favorite when asking her opinion of one over another (because I should have brought a friend but didn't), "I like this one better. The other one made you look too old lady-ish". Bottom line, I walked out with a black and white, slimming, slightly conservative leg cut suit with ROSES & BOWS on it! I'm keeping the tags on and will revisit the suit in a week or so to see if it really looked that good or if I will just want to burn it. I did find two cute cover-ups though that I will definitely be keeping.

After the super sore horseback riding adventure I tortured my knees further with a night of dancing. They are quite a bit swollen and angry with me over my escapades but I like to remind myself that if I don't use them, I lose them. They are going to hurt whatever I do so I might as well not have the muscles atrophy as well. Ladies Dance Night was interesting. I met some cool people and learned some new allergies. Apparently you can be allergic to sequins. Vintage sequins don't affect her but all the new ones do. Breaks out into hives and everything. But the girl is addicted to sequins and keeps trying to come up with different layers to outfits so that sequins can still be involved! Such dedication! I do not have that. If some type of clothing article made me break into hives every time I got near it I would just steer clear. This same colorful character is also terrified of dwarfs. Seriously sends her into panic mode. This is made all the more (sadly) amusing by the fact that she is easily 5'11". Luckily there were none to be had at the bar we chose and so the evening passed without a near-dwarf-experience.

It was lesbian night and I have to say it was a lot more fun dancing with no guys. No pressure and the gaydar of gay people is pretty good so when you are a hetero you just get left alone. And then you are free to dance the night away with your friends! I am amused that the stamp you get at admission (I still don't know why they require it on one specific location of your body - for instance the inside of your right wrist only) was "queer". I was curious if it was going to be a lasting ink and maybe make things interesting at the opera today but it has all but washed off so no curious looks from that crowd later this afternoon.

The sun is blindingly bright and makes me wonder if our false spring is back for a day or so. Gotta love it! Sorry about the east coast having the exact opposite. They seem to be buried in snow every week. They will savor the summer for sure if it ever makes an appearance.

- Signing off -

A horse is a horse, of course of course!

My boss boss boss (that's three levels of bossdom) needed a body to ride her calm horse Reni while she tried to figure out her crazy horse Tia. Enter yours truly. So with much glee and camera in tow I went to meet my horse for the day, Reni.

Meet Tia

And Reni.

My ride pimped out in a synthetic endurance saddle.

I was assured this was the most comfortable saddle ever but I still wore my cycling padded butt shorts and boy am I glad! I'm still super sore and we were only out for a few hours. Stupid bony butt. Thanks mom!

There are some super trails in their neighborhood. Dedicated to horses though joggers and walkers like them too. Reni is listening to me fumble for my camera.

Coolest crosswalk, ever! Note the button up nice and high for the horse trail users:

Such a good idea! Though I still think it is a bit weird to have a horse trail that connects residential neighborhoods. There were many gawking neighbors and I kind of felt like we were on parade with the loud clip-clopping of the hooves on pavement. Reni freaked out a bit when we walked by a storm drain. Apparently he's not a fan of water, still or moving, and he did the jump and land with legs splayed thing that horses do. Luckily he just stood there for a moment listening instead of running off like a berserker. Yeah for inexperienced me!

Reni was a good "babysitter" and I arrived back in one piece though my knees, ankles, thighs, butt and back were all complaining. And for the safety conscious I was wearing a helmet for about half the trip. But it was too small and was giving me a migraine. Reni was so calm that I opted to take it off for the ride back. Next time I will have to try and find one that fits so I can be noggin proofed the whole way.

The experiment was a success. Turns out Tia is just kinda crazy. She canters in place whether she's leading, following, on a trail or off. Will require some work.

The horses needed a bit of cooling off so Emma stepped in to help out.

You can't really tell here but there is steam rising from the back of Tia like a pot that is about to boil over. So hot that she's got to have help to cool down.

First a nice, freezing shower. She wasn't a huge fan...

Next, a nice little walk around the paddock.

Momma knows what is going to happen next so a quick towel dry before...

The mud bath!

And the after picture. Dirty, but much cooler, horse.

Wonderful time! I offered my services, such as they are, any time they might be needed!

RCRG pics

Finally downloaded the pics onto my computer for your viewing enjoyment. The lighting was terrible so not too many turned out well. Here goes! First and foremost roller derby ladies (and refs) have super fabulous names, as I've already mentioned. Here is the blurry behind of one of the refs:

What you probably can't read is the butt stamp of her name, Mae Kim Beg. haha!

And here is one of the mascots, Skeletora! Her make-up looked a whole lot creepier in real life. The camera makes it look less fabulous for some reason.

Here is how they start a bout. The two in back are the jammers, the ones that can score points. Everybody else is at the other starting line, just ahead. Two whistle starts for the different start lines and they're off!

At the equivalent of half-time in the derby they did some neato stunts, like this one. He's one of the coaches I believe:

Tons of fun! There are derby leagues all over the country so check out the one nearest you!

All moved. Will see for how long.

My happiness quotient has increased significantly since the move. My mom even commented on how relaxed I looked. Love this apartment. I did forget just how crazy hot it gets though on a sunny day. Easily twenty degrees hotter than whatever the temp is outside. Nice for winter, not so nice for summer. I collected the fans from the Storage Unit o'Mom and the portable air conditioner will be close behind I'm sure.

The housing hunt, on the other hand, is sad. Getting a second opinion from a lender to see if there are any creative loan options for a wonderful girl with fabulous credit. FHA loans don't get you a whole lot. Can't even afford to look at living in squalor. Anyone want to donate to the cause? I'd pay you back! In a timely fashion even. Especially if I can nab the tax credit.

Finally got to eat seafood where they throw it all on the table and you bash it in with a wooden mallet. Brilliant!

Will have to get one of Evan's "splat mats" and try this at home. Too much fun even if the food was mediocre. I kinda look like a malicious pirate in that terrible photo. Armed and ready to plunder with a squinty eye.

I attempted to make lemon strawberry cupcakes the other day and managed to turn out a fabulous tasting lemon sponge cake with a strawberry yogurt like substance. Not even close to the mark but tasty nonetheless. Will have to attempt again, maybe this week.

Addiction to Molly Moon's ice cream is complete. I can honestly say I'm not an ice cream fan. The problem started when my friends introduced me to magic shell. Oh dear lord, how wonderful is that stuff! And ice cream is really the perfect conveyance for magic shell. So I started eating ice cream. I can now appreciate it a bit more than I have in the past but until Molly I never actually craved it. Balsamic strawberry is my undoing. I HATE strawberry flavored things. Tastes wrong because fresh strawberries are so wonderful. Imitation is common and not hard to pick out. But this is an all natural foofy place and goodness gracious it is amazing. It is to the point that I don't even use the magic shell on this ice cream because I don't want to alter the flavor at all. This is significant.

I get excited on cold, rainy days because that means the line will be shorter.

They make the waffle cones right in front of you too. That really needed to stop so in my infinite wisdom I decided a pint of ice cream would be better. Just slightly more than the waffle cone version and I can eat it in my underwear while watching a British mystery. I'm actually quite pleased with my self-restraint. I don't allow myself to use a bowl when eating said balsamic strawberry manna from heaven. The trick is to only have a spoonful at a time. Then it isn't really an addiction - like my Doritos problem where 1/2 to a full bag in a sitting is typical. So far so good. Check back in a week or so. ;)

Feb is flying by so quickly it makes my head spin. Or maybe that is just the sugar coma from my cupcake/ice cream issues. Either way it means the cruise is that much closer! All hotels have been booked and the only thing left is to plan what to do. And find appropriate, comfortable, close-toed, ventilated, supportive, cute travel shoes. It's going to happen dang it!

Favorite shoe store lady (next to favorite travel store and across from favorite cupcake shop and down the street from favorite ice cream shop - this neighborhood gets a lot of my wallet) had a brilliant idea the other day. I was whining about how all the cute, ventilated, close-toed, cute shoes that would be good for traveling have little to no arch support. And if I was going barefoot ventilation is necessary and would only stave off the foot stinkies for so long. Here was her solution: get those itty bitty socks that ladies wear with pumps that just hide beneath the surface but you put the sock on the shoe insert. Then all the nasty foot grubs and sweat get on the sock which you change out daily. And there are these little arch support bumps that you can slide in to any shoe without altering room in the toe box or heel like a lot of full inserts do. Brilliant! So I need to re-order the shoes that I just returned to Zappos (best site ever) that were oh so cute in every way but non-supportive and try this idea out!

Makes me happy when there's a light at the end of the tunnel. :)

Thinking this much about shoes for a vacation takes my mind off of all the stupid stuff going on at work. Mainly it is our temperamental equipment but there's always some office drama playing out, especially as the official last day of those "effected" by the last lay-off looms closer. Not cool. So distractions are welcome.

I am happy to report that after six months of trying, Sugs has finally accepted the new, robot litter box. Can I get a hallelujah? HALLELUJAH. Bam! Nothing better than having a happy cat and only having to change the litter box once a week.

My language skill practice is woefully behind. I got a phrase book in Italian and I think it will come in handy but I haven't tried the sure-to-be-wonderful link my travel buddy sent me. She's completed over ten lessons now. We tweeted back & forth the other day and I was scrambling for words with my limited phrase book knowledge. Reminded me of college with my worn out Spanish dictionary! By the time I have looked at Italian to my satisfaction (btw, that is an unrealistic goal) it will be too late to get the French in. Ah well. Even if I had eight years under my belt I'm sure the Parisians would still frown upon the tall, pasty white American butchering their language. So I kinda don't feel bad about not practicing beforehand.

I have pics and even one cool video from the RCRG derby a while back. Was intending to post but I'm getting sleepy and well, let's face it; I like being lazy, especially when sleep is an option.

'Night.

Soooooouper Bowl!

That would be better if I was having or making soup today. Instead it is Dorito filled fun and a buffalo steak. 'Twas on sale. Think I like the buffalo burgers more. Especially if bleu cheese is involved. And of course, moscato grapes are making another appearance as well. It's like heroin! Anyhoo, the super bowl is actually entertaining. Close game - 1 point so far. I'm voting for the underdogs, as usual, the Saints! Also because I was in their stadium once upon a time performing and I feel like that counts as only one degree of separation.

Got a fun, new toy for the kitchen - a mezzaluna. Basically a curved knife with a concave cutting board that makes mincing fresh herbs fun! It is my least favorite thing to chop and now it is fast, even and fabulous. I was especially pleased to find it with the same handle type as my knife set. Speaking of knives, I have discovered that I am wretched at sharpening them. After much crappy cutting after crappier sharpening I decided to get it done professionally. Am supposed to get it back tomorrow. I gave them just my santoku in case they aren't all they are cracked up to be. Fingers crossed!

Have changed plans. There were actually no manual Foresters to buy last weekend from my dealer and it seems like that was for a good reason. I got to thinking and decided that I should wait for a vehicle purchase and stick with what I've got for now. So the new car purchase has been delayed to make room for a possible condo purchase. Mortgage broker is running the numbers and real estate agent is on standby for loan qualification results. If I can get mutual agreement on an offer in April and close by June I can still qualify for the fabu tax credit. I'm not going to let that rule my decision. I'm not super picky so long as the resale possibilities are good. I can live anywhere with enough natural light for a few years. Here's hoping I see my 'wow' condo in the next month!

Cruise plans are still on and all flights have been booked. Wahoo! Just looking at hostels and trying to learn Italian. Bought a phrase book today and had waaaaay too much fun pretending to be Italian inside my head. Makes me want to live there so I can speak so expressively all the time. :)

Went to see a Rat City Roller Girls derby last weekend. AWESOME! Will be going back for mom's birthday (with mom in tow). So much fun and everyone is supportive of the ladies and having a great time. It was immediately clear to me that this would be a Halloween costume and that the clock is ticking for the perfect name. If I were going to be an unoriginal copycat I would be Jalapeño Business. Ha! Fabulous I tell you, fabulous.

This weekend I am waiting for the new apt to open up. I've got to find some way to prop up my bed (frame has wheels) so that the hardwoods are protected. Was thinking a rug but maybe those plastic bed lifter things would work short term.

Tried out a new breakfast place, a pancake corral. Was pretty good for diner food and is ridiculously popular. Followed that with a nice movie, Up in the Air, and then some cruise ship shopping. Trying to follow the packing for one bag theory. Decided to go with brown, white, purple and maybe magenta as colors to stick with. Actually finding some long sleeved light-weight things at Exofficio. The most fabulous travel store if you have never heard of it.

YES! The Saints won! Woo hoo!!!

Ahem, shopping. And then the mezzaluna came to me (been searching for almost a year) on sale! 40% off baby. Yeah. Good times. Followed by pho and Molly Moon's buy one get one. Goodness gracious, what is better than handmade ice cream and sorbet? By the way, order a split scoop if you get two flavors - double scoop is gi-huge-ic. And did you know they sell their divine, creamy fabulousness by the pint?!?!?! Fi dolla and heaven is yours.

And then came the purging. Of my closet anyway. Decided that if I am going to be moving twice in the near future I will be moving less stuff than last time. If I haven't worn it in over a year then it is gone! I have three bags of clothes and one trash bag + recycling of food stuffs that haven't been seen in years. Managed to hold on to a muffin mix that expired in 2002. That is just sad. And some butter flavored crisco that expired in 2007 so you can only imagine when I bought it. Eek! Followed that with some carpet cleaning (thanks for the machine, mom!) and some laziness to watch the Saints. Sugar is now inspecting the carpet cleaner's handywork after maintaining a crouched-in-the-shadows, wide-eyed stare for the entire cleaning procedure.

Didn't get to anymore sewing (those babies won't need burp cloths forever) or figure out how to come up with closing costs on any potential home purchase. In my head I get to have a crappy house instead of a slightly less crappy condo with home owner's dues. We'll see what happens.

Getting sucked into Undercover Boss so I'll have to continue this next week. Probably given you enough to read over anyway. Seems boring but random enough to make me happy. That's my life!