It's Rai-ining, on Pro-om Night

Hurrah, it's finally raining! It's been freezing* for the past week, and it started raining last night with expectations that it will last through Sunday. I'm kind of excited about a weekend of rain, even though it means that I won't be able to do anything with Scout (all our facilities are outside).

As I mentioned, it's been really cold here lately. Last week, I went out to my car at 7:30am** to find it coated with a layer of ICY FROST from the night before. I have never, ever seen that before. I was a little perturbed, as I needed to get to work and all of my windows were suddenly opaque. I did everything I could think of to get rid of the ice. First I kind of stood, dumbfounded. Then I swiped at it with a plastic bag I'd rooted out from under one of my car seats. Then I tried to scratch it off with my fingernails. Despite my best efforts, the result was still nothing - the ice stayed put. I wound up running into the house where my roommate was already awake, crying "OH MY GOD THERE'S ICE ON MY CAR WHAT DO I DOOOOOO?!?"

She's from Chicago, where they have actual weather, so she's dealt with this before. She told me to turn the heater on and just wait.

Oh. Ok.

So that's what I did, and 10 minutes later the car was unfrozen and I could get to work. Woohoo.

I guess that story had a really anti-climactic ending, but Ithink it's funny that no one in Southern California (including me, obviously) knows how to handle inclement weather. The temperature drops to 60 degrees and we start complaining about how cold winter is.

Rain!!

*as I live in southern California, please note that "freezing" means "time to think about putting on a sweater". We are wusses.

**Ok, fine, it was more like 7:56am. To get to work at 8am. Fail.

STOP! It's Grammar Time

Two completely legit and grammatically correct sentences:

~"Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo."

~"James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher"

Note: The word "buffalo" has lost all meaning.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Let's try to have these sentences make sense, shall we? The first would be:

~"Buffalo buffalo [who] Buffalo buffalo buffalo[, also] buffalo Buffalo buffalo."

or:

"Buffalo from Buffalo, NY, who tend to be buffaloed by other buffalo from Buffalo, NY, themselves tend to buffalo other buffalo from Buffalo, NY."

Next:

~"James, while John had had "had", had had "had had"; "had had" had had a better effect on the teacher."

or:

~"John had written "had" on his grammar quiz while James had written "had had". The teacher preferred James' answer."

That reminds me...

While we're on the subject, I should also write about:

~road-trippin' to Hana with Audrey and how we: (1) illegally slept on a beach, thanks to the police; (2) "locked" the car keys in the car, (3) slept in gypsy rags with wild cows ranging around us (4) saw the coldest, funniest sunrise ever.

~my stalker! I totally got stalked, y'all. It was a scary, yet proud, moment.

Comment Moderation

When writing a new post, there are three options just above the post box: "new post", "edit posts", and "comment moderation". I read "comment moderation" and the first thing I thought of was "everything in moderation." Weird. I don't really understand how my brain works.

I've definitely been pretty moderate on this blog, haven't I? Yes. Here are stories I should tell in the future:

~the time we hit a deer in Maryland

~the time I punched through a window (accident!)

~the scar on my back

So really, my stories are all about my being injured. Awesome.

I want, however, to tell about my house! I'm pretty excited about my house. It's in Sherman Oaks, it's cute as a button, and my roommates are not crazy. Oh, that reminds me of another thing I should write about:

~Randall, the roommate with something that's currently undiagnosed

But I'm finally out of there, and as long as I can afford it, I love it. This is a great house. I'm living with my friend Tori from the ranch, and a girl (Andrea) who she works with, who is a lot of fun. We have a pool and a fireplace and a garage and lots of trees covered with purple flowers -- the purplest house on the block.

And the kitchen! This week I went domestic on that kitchen's ass -- all "what's up, kitchen? I'm going to BAKE the SHIT out of you!" And so I did. Made cookies for a gift-wrapping party I went to, then that night John came over and we made cornbread and spaghetti and sauce, and I put veggies and chicken and whatnot in the sauce. Yum. Call me Julia Child.

Also, I finished a necklace for Christmas for someone. I swear, every time Andrea came home this weekend she found me on the couch, beading. At least I know that if the "crazy horse girl" persona falls through, I've got "weird craft lady" to fall back on.

Speaking of Crazy Horse -- he's good. Very, very fat, due to two of the above topics and the following:

~moving

I haven't worked with him for like a month and a half, or ridden him, or anything. He's been sitting around in his stall getting fat, and then I take him out and let him run around in the arena with the other horses like it's a dog park. Today I plan to lunge him for the first time in over a month! Please pray for me.

Ok then!

He's getting so much better on the ground.  I can hug his head, now, and kiss his forehead whenever I want.  He doesn't flinch so much when I reach for or rub his ears, and even when he's afraid, he doesn't react so badly.  He pulls back a bit but he stops when I stop and he's not SO quick to spook or jump.  I'm working on touching his mouth.

He lunges really very well on the longer line.  Going to the left, he will walk and trot when I say, and he will canter....for several loops....without stopping.  I could NOT get him to do this on the shorter line, but on the longer line, he's cantering like it's not a big deal.  I can stand almost in one spot now...very little moving.  He does like to start cantering with a leap or a buck.  I'm working on stopping him when he bucks like that, to teach him that it's not ok.

Going to the right, it's still hard to keep him in a canter for even one complete circle.  He was defiant and difficult and I kept him moving, but I had to move quite a bit, chasing him.  I have to work on keeping him in a canter for longer.

Riding him -- he really, really needs to be ridden.  A lot.  I think.  He needs to be challenged, to go on new trails and up new hills and really explore Griffith Park.  He will walk a bit slower, but he's still very bouncy and unsteady at the trot, and the canter...forget it.  However, he will canter up that big hill.  I think I will start trying to canter him up the hill, then keep him in a canter as we start to go flat.  Next time, I will take him in a canter the whole way up the hill.  

He's amazing.  It really sucks to have limitations with him -- when I'm on him, people cannot stand on his right side and touch him or he starts throwing little nervous bucks.  That's when I decided I had to lunge him.  He's jumpy at the rail.  If the yard is really busy and he gets nervous he won't leave the yard without throwing a few bucks.  

But I still marvel at his capacity to grow, to learn, to calm himself and to come out of his shell.  To be happy again, to be vulnerable and ok with it.  He's teaching me so much more than I'm teaching him -- things about riding, about myself, about horses and people.  About my own capacity to grow and learn, and to improve.  I have improved in so many things since I've had him.  He always challenges me.

I love my horse.

The best way to start something is to actually start it, isn't it?  To finally put down the glass of wine and close that Bloglines browser (oh, so addicting!), and make yourself take the time to do something you've been wanting to do? That's what I'm doing here.    

Here it is, Blogger:  The Scout Report.  I figured it was a pun on my horse's name, or something, since his name is Scout and scouts report on thigs and this is a report that I am writing, sometimes about myself and sometimes about shoes and sometimes about Scout.  See how it all comes full circle?

The general idea behind this blog was to document the progress I have been having/will have with my horse.  When I bought him, he was a terrified, crazy-eyed, 11-year old gelding who had obviously been beaten pretty severely in the past.  I have since spent the past few months working with him to see what he can become with a little kindness and patience from someone who believes in him.  He's been coming along so well  (albeit with some setbacks....damn horse reached over and bit me one day), and I want to ensure that any future milestones are documented.  The idea of having this blog has been gestating in my mind for quite a long time, and finally, now, it's on (virtual) paper.

Plus, I want a place where I can gush about how great the new Star Trek movie is.

I might be a little drunk.  That's probably the best way to introduce your new blog to the world.  

Hello, world!