- Location:Should be at work!
- Mood:
accomplished
My old freelance contacts paid off in the best possible way: I was given enough work to get me through until I located a (hopefully) contract to hire position at an excellent company. I'm currently working about 50 hours per week, but I really like the job and the freelancing.
I am incredibly thankful to have had people take a chance on hiring me as an editor and letting me work remotely. It has been an awesome experience.
A few weeks ago, Isis colicked again. Mild, this time. Mostly from dehydration caused by the change in weather. We caught her early and she pulled through fine. (Here, Ms Vet, why don't I just give your clinic a direct line to my bank account? Sheesh. This summer I put their kids through college with all of the vet bills I had.)
Chiropractor also came out and adjusted Isis -- and mentioned that I need to have her saddles fitted because one of them isn't fitting properly along her back.
So... adjusted horse is doing better. I have a new saddle (when I really wanted to get a new cell phone) and we're finally back to riding.
Poor Kasane has been rather neglected because I've had to focus so much on Isis this summer. However, she will be getting back to pre-saddle work this week. With all of my time off for Thanksgiving I plan on spending a lot of time at the barn.
The cats all seem to be doing well. Ambush looks great. The nasty gunk on his fur has gone and his coat is soft to touch once more. Only thing is that I'm going through about 20 pounds of kitty litter per week because he pees so much.
Stella is playing a lot. I haven't been as good as I should be about her fluids because of starting the new job.
Kiesha has her behavioral issues still. I can really tell when the Feliway runs out...
I've been reading more: poetry journals of all things. It's interesting how reading poetry impacts how I write. I'm more aware of word choice (work as an editor this summer made me extra aware of grammar, word usage, and phrasing).
That's the long and short of things for right now. I have more pictures to post of the saddle and how it fits. Pictures of Kasane with a saddle on for the first time. Pictures of the cats running around and playing.
Maybe, just maybe, I can relax enough so I am not so focused on the world possible collapsing because of economic uncertainties.
If this job goes permanent after six months, I'll be a very happy camper. I'm documenting IT with a bunch of hard core geeks. I got the job because I knew Mac OS X was based in Free BSD. :) These are MY People! :) (It doesn't hurt that after the interview I was asked if I preferred a Mac, PC, or both? Yes!)
- Mood:
thoughtful
I'm still applying for full-time positions because well, benefits would be nice...
On a good note, the horses are both doing well. Isis has recovered from her bout with EPM and is back in conditioning. I'm hoping to begin real riding and schooling for a schooling show in mid to late October. Kasane, my three year old filly, is learning what a surcingle is and so far seems to be taking to it. She's not always happy about the girth but she is settling in well. Who knows? Maybe another month or two and we'll be riding. :)
So that's the latest. Off to bed.
- Location:Should be in bed
- Mood:
sleepy
Epona by *NibbleKat on deviantART
- Location:Awake when I should be asleep
- Mood:
enthralled
My phone buzzed with a new text message: a friend on Twitter had un-followed me because the game spam was taking over her Twitter feed. I checked my computer and was appalled and severely annoyed: the game posted every action to my Twitter account. I can tend to play games like that intensely for 10-15 minutes and then come back another day... I deleted 50+ messages from my Twitter feed that had been posted by that wretched game.
For people who follow me on Twitter: I'm really sorry about the spam. I did not know that *any* action (much less every one) would be posted in a giant spam feed. (Another friend pointed out that the spam messages can be turned off by going to the Settings page in Mobster World and turning notifications off.)
As soon as I realized what happened, I unsubbed from the game, removed it's access to my account, and began sending apologies.
If you play any game that accesses a social networking account, make sure you check the notifications *before* you start playing.
- Mood: amused
( Read more... )
Tove Jansson (1914-2001)
29 High-Brow, -21 Violent, 25 Experimental and -5 Cynical!
Congratulations! You are High-Brow, Peaceful, Experimental and Romantic! These concepts are defined below.
Tove Jansson was a Finnish painter, sculptor and writer. She was part of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland and so wrote her books, including her most famous works, the Moomin books, in Swedish. The Moomin books (1945-70), though perhaps not considered fantasy by some, are nevertheless fine examples of world-building for children, centred around the inhabitants of the Moomin Valley, where a family of white trolls known as moomin trolls live, and always return to, though they occasionally leave for adventures in the outside world. Though many of the Moomin books are pure childrens' books, Jansson conducted the experiment of letting the series turn more adult as she went along, the last three books (one collection of short stories and two novels) being psychologically complex stories that are just as fit, or sometimes perhaps more fit, for adults. Still, Jansson's somewhat romantic vision of the Valley as a peaceful haven of family life in the midst of a sometimes frightening and dark world is retained through-out the books. Though she considered herself a painter rather than a writer, Tove Jansson will always be remembered as one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest writer of children's books of all times.
You are also a lot like Philip Pullman.
If you want some action, try Gene Wolfe.
If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, David Eddings.
Your score
This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.
High-Brow vs. Low-Brow
You received 29 points, making you more High-Brow than Low-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, rather than the best-selling kind. At their best, high-brows are cultured, able to appreciate the finer nuances of literature and not content with simplifications. At their worst they are, well, snobs.
Violent vs. Peaceful
You received -21 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.
Experimental vs. Traditional
You received 25 points, making you more Experimental than Traditional. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, experimental people are the ones who show humanity the way forward. At their worst, they provoke for the sake of provocation only.
Cynical vs. Romantic
You received -5 points, making you more Romantic than Cynical. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, romantic people are optimistic, willing to work for a good cause and an inspiration to their peers. At their worst, they are easily fooled and too easily lead.
Tove Jansson was a Finnish painter, sculptor and writer. She was part of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland and so wrote her books, including her most famous works, the Moomin books, in Swedish. The Moomin books (1945-70), though perhaps not considered fantasy by some, are nevertheless fine examples of world-building for children, centred around the inhabitants of the Moomin Valley, where a family of white trolls known as moomin trolls live, and always return to, though they occasionally leave for adventures in the outside world. Though many of the Moomin books are pure childrens' books, Jansson conducted the experiment of letting the series turn more adult as she went along, the last three books (one collection of short stories and two novels) being psychologically complex stories that are just as fit, or sometimes perhaps more fit, for adults. Still, Jansson's somewhat romantic vision of the Valley as a peaceful haven of family life in the midst of a sometimes frightening and dark world is retained through-out the books. Though she considered herself a painter rather than a writer, Tove Jansson will always be remembered as one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest writer of children's books of all times.
You are also a lot like Philip Pullman.
If you want some action, try Gene Wolfe.
If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, David Eddings.
Your score
This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.
High-Brow vs. Low-Brow
You received 29 points, making you more High-Brow than Low-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, rather than the best-selling kind. At their best, high-brows are cultured, able to appreciate the finer nuances of literature and not content with simplifications. At their worst they are, well, snobs.
Violent vs. Peaceful
You received -21 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.
Experimental vs. Traditional
You received 25 points, making you more Experimental than Traditional. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, experimental people are the ones who show humanity the way forward. At their worst, they provoke for the sake of provocation only.
Cynical vs. Romantic
You received -5 points, making you more Romantic than Cynical. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, romantic people are optimistic, willing to work for a good cause and an inspiration to their peers. At their worst, they are easily fooled and too easily lead.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
saigh_allaidh ) is actually quite pretty out of her fly mask and grazing muzzle. I've had Isis since she was a baby. Her grandmother was my Mom's first Arabian mare. There is a lot of history in her bloodlines, history I was part of. 
I have almost lost her several times. The worst time was when she had colic surgery due to a strangulating lipoma, a benign fatty tumor suspended by a stalk in her abdomen and had wrapped around 60% of her small intestines. No one had been optimistic after her colic surgery. Five or six days in intensive care, a secondary colic, no motility in her small intestines until five days after surgery, and a history of laminitis. The odds had not been in her favor.
That is one of the reasons she earned the nickname of the Miracle Mare.
A few weeks ago that was really brought home when another mare I know died from tortion colic caused by a lipoma. Within a few weeks, I had two vets tell me that Isis had been very lucky -- most horses don't survive a lipoma because of the sudden onset and little time to get to an equine hospital.
Ever hear an Arabian snort? When they are excited, Arabians flag their tail (carry it almost straight up) and make snorting noises. In this video, you can see Isis prancing around and snorting.
(The full size video is also available (64 MB AVI file).)
She now has arthritis. We're working on treatment for that. Hopefully we'll have it managed by July...
- Location:Wishing I was at the barn
- Mood:Wistful
Isis is also now wearing her grazing muzzle and her fly mask. (Isis wears the grazing muzzle to reduce the amuont of grass she can eat. She is not supposed to have a lot of grass, so wearing the muzzle on her halter lets still be out on grass instead of in a dry lot.) She is Not Amused. She walked over to the paddock fence and pestered me to remove something. Normally she asks for her grazing muzzle to be off. This time, as soon as I removed her fly mask she was happy and went back to grazing.
- Mood:
cheerful
She recently had a car accident (she is fine, but the deer isn't) plus her kitty has some vet bills. If you think you might be interested in commissioning a very reasonably priced artwork, please consider Kat.
Besides, she's great people too. :)
Penny Bubbles by *NibbleKat on deviantART
Baron Samedi Boogie by *NibbleKat on deviantART
Eve + Serpent 4Evah by *NibbleKat on deviantART
I was curious how many books on this list my English studies covered.
-------------
Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?
( Read more... )
- Mood: accomplished
- Mood: chipper
I've read a lot of articles on Epona. Many of these articles use broad generalizations, confuse one deity with another, and repeat incorrect information found in poorly researched sources. This article just happened to catch me in a mood to point out some of the common problems I've found in articles(1).
How is it that material from one mythology, like Rhiannon's story in the Welsh Mabinogion(2), is confused and intermingled with Epona? Parallels between stories(6) do not mean deities are the same. This intermingling occurs with other deities with similar sets -- Macha is often confused with Rhiannon(3).
( Read the nitty gritty details... Ooh look! Citations! )
Ceffyl Aedui's Dewey Decimal Section:
003 Systems
Class:
000 Computer Science, Information & General Works
Contains:
Encyclopedias, magazines, journals and books with quotations.
What it says about you:
You are very informative and up to date. You're working on living in the here and now, not the past. You go through a lot of changes. When you make a decision you can be very sure of yourself, maybe even stubborn, but your friends appreciate your honesty and resolve.
Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com
| Which creature of the night are you? Your Result: Sorceror Control is the name of your game. You are a studied tactician and scientist and you seek a kingdom where things make sense, damn the morals, even if you have to create it. You are cold, calm and calculating. | |
| Cthulu Spawn | |
| Vampire | |
| Demon | |
| Ghost | |
| Incubus/Succubus | |
| Werewolf | |
| Which creature of the night are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz | |
Summary: A man, wielding a shotgun, entered the TVUUC building during the morning service and fired several times, injuring eight people. The gunman was brought down by congregation members. All of the victims were taken to the hospital; two later died. A suspect has been taken into custody and will appear before a judge on August 5.
Two friends of mine and their families were at the Church when the shooting took place. They are both safe, thankfully.
Please offer prayers, candles, and hope for the families and community as they deal with this tragedy.
- Mood:
shocked
Transfer of Owners
I felt your breath
soft on my neck
myriad memories
tickling my mind like
whiskers
falling
from clippers
Luminous eyes
glazed with the day’s work
and the field is
dust
flicking through the stall
washed with bespeckled light
and the thrum of horse flies
and the stench of sweat
and the buzz of Osters
trimming, trimming...
The night is vacant now
scents of cedar and straw
drift through the barn into
my dreams--
twice-wet feet cross the stream
to another’s pasture
Your eyes--my eyes
stare through steel bars,
a stall door of my design
locked against my entry
