Today was Weird

The barn was fine, but it was SO COLD. My fingers and my toes were numb the entire time-- even when I was getting ready to leave, after moving around for 2+ hours!

Then I came home, ate, and decided to check my usual message boards. Randomly found a post on one of the ED ones from this girl I knew in high school. She's also been ED'd, longer and more so than myself, and we've ended up posting on the same message boards over the years. Anyway, I guess she reads ICA because she really, really made it sound like she was talking about me-- someone that's a little shorter than her, 10 lbs more, not very ED'd but gets encouraging comments anyway. But the kicker was she said I "drive her up the wall" and that I'm the only person that makes her feel that way! I was just like "what?" We haven't talked, not in person, not on AIM, not even on the boards for years. I've come across her posts, sure, but to be honest, she had all but fallen off my radar until this morning. Hell, I took her sn off my AIM list a *long* time ago; I guess she still has mine. So yeah, I mulled on what she said a bit and then wrote my response. Checked the message board just now and she didn't reply to any of the responses she has gotten to this point. I have no hard feelings towards her, like I said, I'm just confused why she even cares to keep following me online at this point.

Around 1 o'clock, I went to work. I walked up into the office and there's a huge note on the bulletin board-- apparently Lora is pissed at how many people have been asking for days off and/or switching their schedules/availiability around. Now she wants a MONTH notice unless there is an emergency situation. Since I've recently asked for some days off myself, I was not feeling good about this note. I've tried to give her as much notice as possible, and I've always included my reason why in my note (not emergencies, but, for instance, I told her I was required to go see a play last night for one of my classes), but nevertheless.

Right underneath her note were schedules for the next three weeks. I don't normally check the schedule since I always have the same days, but something compelled me to check them out. And good thing I did. Lora took me off Thursday afternoons and put someone else on instead. Now I *definitely* was feeling well, heh. Lora doesn't usually cut hours unless she's really, really pissed. Maybe the solidarity sign put her over the edge with me. :p

Chris and Heather were around and probably saw me looking a bit pale, cuz they asked what was going on. I told them and they were both pretty surprised since Lora normally is lenient with me and tends to treat me well. Seriously, I can't impress upon you non-Brooks people enough how not-good a sign it is to have one of your days taken away. I started to fret quite a bit, feeling like now I can't be even a little late (like when Rich and I come home from VT/NH on Sunday) and I really shouldn't ask for any more days off for awhile. See, I had originally asked for October 9th off because my parents were supposed to move into the condo that day and I was going to help. But now something needs to be fixed and we won't be moving until later in the month, which means I'd have to ask for a different day off. But now I guess I can't/shouldn't.

Much later in the day, after Lora had left (and she didn't seem angry at me or anything; normally she gives people that are on her shit list the silent treatment, but she was fairly normal with me) I decided to ask the kid she put on Thursdays instead if he had requested that day or what. Turns out that he *had.* That made me feel a little better, but still doesn't explain why she kicked me off instead of one of the other girls.

This isn't completely bad news though. Remember how I was going to ask to work fewer days at the stable? I saw Sharon just the other morning and reminded her, but it turns out she is having surgery next week and *needs* me to keep working every morning for at least the next month since she won't be able to move for most of that time. I was very reluctant and ready to put my foot down, but now I guess it will work out afterall.

So, that's the scoop.

Last night was good. I saw the one-man play Marx in Soho at school with Travis and a girl from my class who also knows Travis, haha. The show was really good, both the content and the acting. I know from experience that even short monolouges can be challenging-- I can't imagine doing an entire play by oneself! So yeah, the two of us drove over to Starbucks (I bet you never would have guessed :p) and stayed there until they were almost ready to close. Also, this creepy guy who kept glacing at Travis offered us chocolate before he left. I thought about taking some, but then I was like "wait, why am I taking food from the sketchy man?" haha Anyway, we stood around outside for a bit and talked some more, but eventually we left. It does take me about 40 minutes to drive home from there, afterall!

Okay, time for soup and maybe some We Love Katamari before bed. Matt's wedding is tomorrow! Should be a good time. :)

Underground

Lately, it seems like more people are reading my Facebook profile and, probably going along with that, have gotten my AIM screenname. Nothing wrong with all that, for sure. But the thing is, as soon as I became aware of this, I instantly removed my blog link from both profiles.

Why?

I always joke about being an "exhibitionist with my life," because it's always been true. I've never been one to be secretive with what's going on, whether it's good, bad, or disgusting. Nothing bad has ever come of this, not as far as I can tell. I've always felt that if someone can't deal with my ups and downs, well, there's the door.

But for some reason, I've started feeling uncomfortable and don't want some of these new people I've met to read the thoughts I put in here, and especially in ICA. I rarely write things in here that would surprise anyone, but still.

I have different levels of trust when it comes to people. With complete strangers, I tend to be very quiet and may not even talk. With classmates/some coworkers, I tend to make small talk, usually about general stuff, or things that pertain to the class, etc. Then there are acquaintences and my other coworkers, who maybe I'll talk about slightly more personal stuff with. Hardly anyone tends to progress past that stage with me, but you've heard that sob story before so I won't go there. Moving on, I'll talk about almost anything with those few people I consider actual friends. And then finally is whoever I'm going out with, who gets to hear pretty much everything and tends to be the only person I can truly be myself around 100% of the time.

But regardless, there are *some* thoughts that I keep totally to myself. I don't think ANYONE completely shares everything they're thinking; there's always some small, moldy patch of the mind that remains hidden, even if it's nothing bad or overly important. I think this is normal and what it is changes over time, and may not stay unspoken forever.

As I was saying before. . .

I don't know what's brought about this recent bout of secrecy. I'm sure I'll put the links back up eventually, but for now, I'm content with being hidden.

Back to Nietzsche (yeah, I know that's probably spelled wrong :p ).

235th Entry!

Just noticed that.

There will be 3 parts to this entry. The typical mundane crap, a small story about this girl from work and a long philosophy-related rambling. I'll start with that.

The Philosophy Stuff

(this mildly counts as working on my paper, since I will need to be able to write about this!)
So I'm still working with Kierkegaard. Another subject he brings up is the difference between being a "knight of infinite resignation" and a "knight of faith." The main difference is that the K of F has made "the leap of faith" into the type of involved lifestyle that I mentioned briefly in my other blog (and if you don't read that, the gist is this: the best way to live is to be so wrapped up in some subject or cause that your life is basically consumed by it and nothing else is of importance. not my idea of a good time, but apparently it was for Kierk). Now, before one leaps into faith, one is presumably living in the "ethical" and part of that is a feeling of resignation concerning one's life.

For example. . .

Person 1 really wants a Hamster Boy. He wants to throw an infant into a corral with lots and lots of hamsters and hopes that they will teach him how to live as they do. Awesome, right? (YES) Well, it doesn't take long for Person 1 to realize that this is impossible, and he feels some amount of pain over this. He doesn't doubt that he *wishes* it would happen, but he knows that it can't and he mourns that fact. That's being a Knight of Resignation and living in the ethical realm.

Person 2 also wants a Hamster Boy. He has no advantage over Person 1 though, and also realizes it is impossible. BUT. Instead of acknowledging the pain he feels and stopping there, he would think something along the lines of "I believe Hamster Boy WILL be mine someday although it is absurd; God can make it possible." And that shows the leap from being merely ethical to being faithful. Hence, he would be a Knight of Faith.

Then Kierk goes into stuff about how it's still okay even if Person 2 never gets Hamster Boy because it's a finite decision and has to be constantly made, unlike with resignation, which is infinite. Gah, that's where it gets confusing.

Kierk felt that everyone was capable of infinite resignation, but very few people were capable of this so-called great "life o' faith." His theories all make a lot of sense if you take a look at his own life. Instead of Hamster Boy, he illustrates the differences with the two knights longing for some unattainable princess. See, he had this girl Regina that he had been engaged to, but he broke it off because he was called to "follow his passion." In later years he went crawling back to her, only to find that she was already married or at least engaged to someone else cuz hell, she wasn't going to wait around. So I'm willing to bet that *he* may have longed to have her back and it's easy to see how his ideas on resignation/faith make sense in that situation.

I should use Hamster Boy in my paper, hehe.


The WTF Story

There's this new-ish girl at work that also goes to URI and I was talking to her the other day. I asked if she was taking any History classes and she said no, but asked why I was interested. I told her I'm a history major and her reaction was along the lines of "Why would anyone major in that!? I hate history!" so, naturally, I asked what *she* was majoring in.
She said she hadn't decided yet (she's a sophomore) but that it's not important to her. The only reason she even goes to URI is because, no word of a lie, she wants to meet some pharmacy majors because she plans on marrying someone who's going to be rich so she won't have to work. I swear to you I'm not kidding! I thought *she* was and I laughed when she said that, but she told me she was absolutely serious. She's in a sorority (surprise) and it sounds like all she does when she's not at work is drink, smoke pot, and go to parties or out clubbing. So yeah, she's basically in college just to have a good time and to meet someone.

I think some of my brain cells died just from *hearing* this.

Well, I haven't seen her sweet talking with any of the pharmacy techs yet, but um, good luck with that. None of the guys that work in the front store are very fond of her! ;p


Mundane Crap

I got a B+ on my first history paper! :( This is completely unacceptable. She wrote only good comments, so why couldn't she have edged it up to an A-? Grrr, this just means I have to completely rock on my first 5 page paper.

Speaking of history, I started talking to some guy in there today. We don't sit near each other, but we both tend to get there early, so we have to stand around in the hallway. Seems nice. Also a history major. He's only a junior though, so he's a few years younger, but that's all the info I know about him. I don't even know his name, otherwise I'd stalk him on Facebook V_v hehe

It's been almost a month since Rich and I broke up. I don't know when the right time is to start dating someone else. Well, you know how I feel about people making relationships complicated, so that's not my goal. I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and see what materializes. It's not even that I'm in a rush, I'm just saying.

I downloaded Oregon Trail and I've been playing it nonstop. On my last trip, I got cholera and a broken leg before dying. It sucks to be me, haha.

Well, I have a TON of reading to do for both my classes, so I'm gonna go start that.

Title:

I guess there's a lot I *could* write, but I'm just not in the mood for once. The fact that I have to go work on my Kierkegaard paper before I can go to bed may have put a damper on things. :p

Matt's bachelor party/get-together would be the biggest event of the past few days. It was fun and mostly all good-- except for the asshat who put gum underneath the table at Fire + Ice, which I got on my jeans AND on my ugly leather purse. The jeans are fine but I don't think my purse will look quite right again. :/ I couldn't get any of it off there last night, but I bought some Goo Gone at work and used it tonight-- but there are still smudges. Oi, I guess it could be worse.

I don't have my philosophy classes this week, but I'm still gonna be busy on those days. I think this week is my last week working at the barn every morning, so that'll be going on. Then Tuesday is my last chance to pack up stuff, but all that's really left are my model horses, so that shouldn't take long. Then Thursday my Mom and I need to go shopping so I'll have something to wear to Matt's wedding on Saturday. Um yeah, not last minute or anything, haha.
Friday I work as usual, but you know, I'm thinking I might have to call out. Saturday is the wedding up in NH, then Rich and I are staying at his house in VT overnight. We're driving back on Sunday, and I'm supposed to work at 1, so we're gonna have to leave pretty early. And did I mention that my philosophy paper is due that Tuesday? This is why I have to go work on it tonight, even if only for five minutes. I'm reluctant to ask for that Sunday off too, because I kinda want to ask for the *next* Sunday off so Travis and I can finally make that Boston trip. That may have to be postponed another month though; yes, I have *some* leeway at work, but asking for so many days off is kinda pushing it. I've thought about asking for Sundays off permanently because I *could* use another "free" day, but Lora likes everyone to work at least one weekend day. I could always say I NEED them off cuz hell, she knows my time there is limited at this point anyway. Bah, I don't know.

Oh, so that kid that talked to me before philosophy class the other day. . .
First of all, it's not the punk kid that originally caught my eye, nor was it the person I thought it was from Facebook. Well, on Thursday he brought me in some articles he had actually printed out that had to do with anarchism and jihad or something. I haven't gotten around to reading them yet, but one of them *does* have a picture of the McK assassination on it, so you know I need to find out what they say. I appreciate him being friendly and everything, but I dunno. He's very quiet and just a little awkward to converse with, but I can't be mean. It's not like I've never been the quiet one, but we really just don't click, even on a purely friendly level.

::yawn::
Almost sleepytime, so ending this here. Goodnight!

Soft

I got to pet a chinchilla today. I think I need to have one in the future. ^___^

Fridays are very tiring-- 2 hours of manual labor in the morning, about 4 hours of manual labor at Brooks in the afternoon, when the delivery comes in. At least the rest of the shift is easy, I get a long break, and I almost never have to ring, but by the end of the day, I'm beat.

Tomorrow I need to go home and pack up (hopefully) most of what's left. Moving has been such a pain in the ass. I can't imagine how it would have been if we *had* moved to Arizona back when I was still going to school in Tennessee. Just moving from one end of RI to the other seems to be causing enough issues!

Tomorrow night should be fun though. We're not going to Boston anymore, but Rich and I and Matt and some other people will be heading to Dave & Buster's instead, at P Place. I've only really been there once, so I'm looking forward to it (but if plans change again, I won't mind-- promise!). Maybe I'll even have something to drink, cuz I can't remember the last time I did. I wonder if they have Guiness. . .

Boston is becoming the new NYC though-- I can't seem to get back there! hehe

Well, I have plenty of reading for next week, so I'm gonna go try to finish up another chapter for history. Talk to you later or see you tomorrow. You know which one applies to you. :p

Something?

I did a lot of writing in my notebook today. Some of it is stuff I could put in here, but I'm not sure if I want to.

So for now, that's all.


******


I won't go on with the notebook related stuff, but I'll tell you what's going on with moving from NK to NS.

I went home today to get some towels and stuff and my Mom happened to be there. The people that bought our house have to leave *their* current house by next week-- so my parents need to move out by next Wednesday! The condo still isn't quite finished, so they're gonna have to live in a hotel for a few weeks, since the stay wouldn't be long term enough to warrant finding an apartment.

The auction was done at our house last weekend, and since almost all the large pieces of furtniture were sold, all the rooms are very empty. I went upstairs briefly and looking inside my room was downright eerie. The only things in there are my saddle stand and my tack trunk. The bureaus are gone, my bed is gone, my computer desk is gone. . .everything. The only time I have seen my room that vacant was back when I saw it for the very first time, when the house was still being built. It was weird; I actually felt like I was five or six years old again. Weird. It's also a little bit sad, cuz I'll only be going there one or two more times, but after that, I'll never be setting foot in that house again. It's just strange to think about, since I did essentially grow up there.

I'm kinda looking forward to moving into the condo, but chances are I won't be spending much time there anyway. I'll have to seriously start thinking about my after-graduation job within the next month or so, but right now I'm not quite ready. My parents still seem intent on helping me find an apartment though, and that's good. I'm really glad and thankful about that because it was so unexpected. I'll have to start looking into that more seriously by the end of the year too, though I'm sure I can stay at the apartment a little longer if need be, right? ;p

Well, that's enough. Maybe I'll write my more philosophical entry tomorrow if I have time. I need to start reading two different books for history already and I have a paper for my actual philosophy class that's due in a little over a week. This is the last semester though, right? Damn right.

Random Bits

Another one of these entries.

-Just found out that ASU is closing this weekend. :( It's a shame that it's such short notice, otherwise I would have tried seeing it one last time. It's really sad because business was up by 9% this past week and maybe it could have gone back into the 50% range, which still isn't great, but certainly better than the 30's. And it does make me mad that a lack of advertising/promotions had a huge hand in its downfall because it's such a good show and it SHOULD have had a much longer run. Meanwhile, dreck like Wicked routinely sells out and will probably be around til 2010. Blech.

-The manure pile was refreshingly mushroom free today! Don't know how it happened, and I don't care. Take that, you bastards! v_v

-A guy in my philosophy class randomly talked to me before class today. He asked if I was the one who was into assassinations/anarchism because, you know, I am apparently URI's well known expert on the subjects. I don't know, he seems nice enough and hell, maybe he's even reading this because he also has a profile on Facebook (hi?). I did take the blog link down from there, and most likely it won't be replaced.

-I was borderline molested at work. Well, maybe that's pushing it, but this customer was freaking weird. She always is. It's a long story though and best suited for being told in person. :p

-Saw Sharon briefly yesterday and found myself saying I was going to need Tuesdays and Thursdays off starting soon. I still haven't planned exactly when I want that to happen yet. I'll make my decision by Friday, but if anything it won't start next week but the week after. I still haven't decided if I should also start working one less day at Brooks. I guess I'll cut out the barn stuff first and see if that frees up enough time.

-The sequel to Katamari Damacy comes out tomorrow, but Rich won't be around to buy it! ;0 Guess I'll just have to keep playing the first one incessantly.

Today was actually not a great day for me, but the reasons why belong in my other blog. At least next week I'll have more free time (since I won't have my phil class on Tuesday and Thursday) and I will get to see that play, which I've read nothing but good reviews of. Oh, and whatever exactly we're doing with Matt in Boston this Saturday should be good too. I have not forgotten. ;)

I Hate Fungus!!

UGH.

This morning, I turned the horses out, cleaned/refilled the water buckets, and picked out the old manure from yesterday. When I went to dump the wheelbarrow at the manure pile, I was seriously like O_O;;;;;. Forget manure pile, it was more like a mushroom pile. . .it was SO GROSS. I mean, most of them were these weird, very small blue ones but there's one nasty mofo growing off to the side. Today it was in its penii-like phase but tomorrow it'll probably be out in all its sick, toadstool glory. God, I hate them. HATE. I don't care how badly it would mess up the ecosystem, if I could press a button and eradicate all types of fungus starting tomorrow, I would.

Moving onto topics that *don't* make me shudder. . .

Today was apparently Brooks day at URI because I saw several people I work with! I ran into Betsy at the Quinn computer lab, which is a pretty random place to find someone. Then I saw one of the new cashiers when I was walking to Bagelz. He's nice, but I'm the only girl at store who doesn't think he's cute/hot/whatever. He's just a little too frat-boyish for my liking, what can I say? :p I also saw one of the pharmacy students in the library, but neither one of us said hi or anything. The pharmacy and the front store are usually very separate, and it's rare for us to know one another (let's just forget the whole Damian fiasco for a second, eh? hehe).

I actually hung around school for awhile today, for no real reason. I managed to write a page of my history paper though, and I got another book to read from the library. I had never noticed this book before because it's very thin and the cover is completely blank, but it's a booklet Lucy Parsons put together containing the speeches each anarchist (including her husband, Albert Parsons) made during the Haymarket trial. Haven't gotten past the intro yet, but I'll definitely read more tonight since I have no other homework.

Oh, speaking of anarchy, I ran into Dr. Sterne very briefly today. She just asked what I was taking and if this was actually my last semester since she knows all about the trouble I've had with graduation. I'll probably stop by her office later in the semester once I know a little more clearly what my plans are for next year. I'm bad about keeping in touch with professors, but since I'm probably gonna go to grad school someday, I want to get decent letters of recommendation. I know RIC required Jen to have 3, I bet most schools ask for the same. I'm pretty sure I know who I'd ask, but I won't worry about that overmuch until the time comes.

All for now. I hope Rich gets home from Kenpo soon cuz I want ice cream. :p

Bwah, I'm Evil

I slept until 9am this morning, and that was *nice.*

Yeah, I worked today and it was nothing special.

I wrote Jen an email last night and she replied today. She's currently in grad school for History/Education and I guess the classes she's taking are a lot tougher than any undergrad courses she took at URI were. Then again, she was always one of those people who could get A's on everything without even studying much or putting a whole lot of effort in, so I have to wonder if the courses *are* tougher or if she finally just has to do as much work as everyone else!

Rich and I are heading to Boston on Saturday for Matt's shindig. . .whatever exactly we'll be doing! And hey, if we take a slightly early train, the Lucy Parsons Center is not too far from where we're going. >: ) Speaking of, there's someone speaking there this Thursday on the state of the current anarchist movement, but there's absolutely no way I can go-- especially since I need to take *next* Thursday off to see Marx in Soho! I should definitely drop that note off on Tuesday, especially since Lora hasn't been in the best mood lately. Hmm. :/

Salad Fingers 6 came out recently! I watched it the other day, and it's definitely as weird as the others. Salad Fingers gets an Appaloosa! haha The new-ish b&w movie "about berries" or whatever it says is also very, very strange.

Some day I'll write an interesting entry in here again.

I Need To Stop Reading

other people's blogs. I never, ever fail to find doing so depressing cuz I always feel like I don't measure up. Today has basically been fine. The past week or so has been fine. There's just one tiny sore spot in my life right now though, and of course, what I read managed to jab that Achille's tendon. :/

Well, at least I go to work tomorrow. Chris will be there and so will a few other people I like having around. The other day was awesome cuz his history class had just spent the day on labor history, so he and I seriously must have spent a solid hour talking about it. Also, my infamy continues because he was like "As soon as my professor said 'we're going to talk about unions today,' I was thinking, 'my god, I need to call Erica and tell her to come to RIC right now!'" hehe I wish I could push Chris just a little more so that he'd actually be interested in getting involved, etc., but no such luck. He's definitely my closest ally there; probably everyone there has heard me talking about unions/globalization/various radical things at some point or another, but he seems to be the only one who doesn't think I'm just being amusing/crazy. :p

Oi, anyway. I still feel kinda hurt. I'm gonna write a quick email to Jen and then go read or something.

I Could Write But

I have too many other things to do tonight.

Nevermind the last entry. My mood has been all over the place for the past few days, but what else is new?

I'm thinking my current stable/school/work schedule WILL have to change. Right now, I kinda have NO free days. Saturdays technically are, yes, but I usually have something going on. Sooooo. . .I have to think about it.

Well, time to start my history paper. Yay.

Discouraged

Pointless wishing is all it is.

"

I should only be allowed on this site between certain hours of the day cuz I write waaaaay too often, hehe.

Cheesecake Factory on Saturday? Please? If they have the Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake I might just die from ecstacy. And even if they don't, it's not like anything we get there *isn't* going to be awesome. ^_____^

And I will pay for my slice. ::sigh::

Rich, must preorder We Love Katamari!

URI should be putting on some good shows-- Urinetown is this year's musical (um yeah, it's about a town where you have to pay for the privlege to pee. not only is it my worst nightmare, but it's supposed to be a very funny show) and hell yes, Angels in America - Part One in the spring. Blithe Spirit, heard the name, not sure what it's about. Romeo and Juliet, meh. I already have to see one play, Marx in Soho in a few weeks for my philosophy class. That's cool though cuz I was probably gonna go anyway. I haven't seen any kind of live theatre in such a long time, it's atrocious.

Speaking of philosophy, the guy in question and I did not end up sitting near each other again, but I found out he's taken anyway. Not that it was going to be "like that" but trying to befriend a taken guy could be construed as sketchy. Oh, well. Some of the other people in class seem friendly, even if I'm a bit of an outsider since I'm a history major. :p

And I must redye the streaks. Right now they are practically a non-color. It's very disturbing. I have just enough of the blue to do them one more time, or I can go back to the purple/red from before. They have hot pink dye at Newbury, but I'm not sure how it would come out. Decisions, decisions. Personally, I'm leaning towards the purple/red since I'm tired of the blue/green.

Too Much Excitement

Oh yeah, today was fun.

Starting yesterday, and for the rest of the week, trees are being cut down in the farm's big pasture, so the horses are turned out in several smaller paddocks instead.

Yesterday, there were no real problems. I turned Spirit out first, thinking I would put him in the back pasture since it *is* the biggest of the three and I know he likes running around. To get to this paddock, you have to walk through the other two, as its gate opens into the second one. I'd attempt making a "drawing" of it on here, but I don't think it would come out too well. :p Anyway, I walked him into the pasture and took his halter off, expecting him to trot away a few steps like he normally does. Nope-- this time he trotted past me, back through the gate and into the second pasture. Well, no big deal. I threw him a flake of hay to make sure he'd stay there and then went to get the other horses. They went into their respective turn-outs without any problems.

Oh, but today.

I thought I had it all figured out. Since Spirit showed a preference for the middle pasture, I decided I'd just put him in there and a different horse in the third one. And I did, I put the Mustang in there easily enough. I went back to the barn for Spirit, ground-tied him, fly-sprayed him and then led him to the pasture. I didn't bother closing the main gate because, at least when I turn them out in the big pasture, I never do. Once they realize they're outside, they don't even give the barn a second look. So I didn't close the first gate, and took Spirit's halter off in the second one, thinking he'd just trot to the other end of the turn-out like he usually does.

Instead, he ran straight out the main gate.

If he'd let me walk up to him, put the halter back on his head and bring him back to the paddock, there would be no problems. But, seeing as he started trotting through their backyard when he saw me just walking in his direction, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be that simple.

Sharon had told me before that when she brings the horses in for the night, she only actually leads the older horse, Jerrold, in and the other two just follow along behind and automatically walk into the correct stalls. So I figured that maybe if I could get him to go into the barn, perhaps he would go into his stall and, again, that would increase my chances of being able to get the halter back on him. I didn't want him wandering around in the backyard, not only cuz I didn't want him getting hurt or ruining something, but because I also feared he might try running past the house and down their driveway. The *last* thing I wanted was him to be near the road. O_o;;

Anyway, I tried "herding" him with my body language towards the barn, and it worked-- except instead of heading into his stall, he ran straight through the front entrance, through the main aisle, and out the back entrance into the grassy area between the back of the barn and the main pasture. Not what I had been hoping for, but this was better than before. The big pasture's gate was shut, and I closed the back door of the barn so there was nowhere else he could run. I tried getting the halter on him a few more times, but he would have none of it. I didn't want to give up, but I didnt' want to annoy him either, which would *not* improve my chances. I decided to let the last horse out, try catching Spirit again, and if worse came to worse, I'd call Sharon and tell her what was up.

Jerrold is the old, cranky horse, but he's usually very well behaved. I brought him to *his* pasture, but again, I left the gate open cuz normally this is not a problem. So imagine my dismay when he, too, went running past me and into the back yard! Bloody hell! v_v Luckily, he wasn't hard to catch and this time I *closed* the gate before I let him go, so everything was well. But there was still the matter of Spirit. I tried catching him one last time, and almost managed to get the halter on, but not quite. So I called Sharon and was like "Yeah, I think I need your help cuz Spirit's not letting me catch him."

So she and her daughter both came out of the house just in case this was going to have to be a group effort. She wasn't upset, I guess this he used to escape from his paddock frequently and sometimes she'd just have him stay in exactly the area where I currently had him grazing. Nevertheless, Sharon walked right up to him, slid the halter on, and led him back to the second pasture. Oh well, she *is* his owner.

So tomorrow, assuming it's not raining heavily like I've heard it's supposed to, I've got to plan how I'm going to do this. I might try putting Spirit in the third pasture again, maybe putting a flake of hay in there first to pique his interest, and DEFINITELY shutting the gate behind us before I let him go. I'm also going to shut the first gate too, so even if he jumps the fence between the second and third ones, he'll still be confined (unless he jumps the main fence too, but I don't want to think about that right now, haha). Auragon and Jerrold probably won't give me any problems, but I'll have hay ready and gates shut for them too, just in case.

Otherwise, turning the horses out in the smaller paddocks take about twice as long as turning them out in the big pasture since I have to clean and fill all three waterbuckets *and* take out the manure from the day before. Yesterday I managed to leave the barn on time though, and today I was just a few minutes later than usual and probably would have been *early* if it hadn't been for the small fiasco. So hopefully once the horses start going into the main pasture again, I'll be able to finish my usual chores in under two hours.

As I always say, there are two places you're guaranteed to hear me swear more than anywhere else-- in my car and at the barn. And today this certainly held true, hehe.

ASU Is Finished

All Shook Up's weekly attendance average and gross have PLUMMETED over the past month or so. When the show first opened and for several months following, they were filling about 70-low 80% of the seats at every performance, which isn't bad considering that the Palace theatre is the biggest one on Broadway. Know what percentage of seats were sold last week?

36%

Thirty-six! I don't think I've seen a show dip that low that was either not already destined to close or did not turn in a closing notice within the following week.

Someone on the Bway board went to see the show last week and took a picture of what the balcony looked like. There were about 20 people sitting up there, the rest of the place was EMPTY. They said that the orchestra section was also mostly empty, and that's just depressing.

Why is ASU failing? Almost everyone who has seen it agrees that it's a fun show and a much better time at the theatre than some of the other, more popular shows currently running. I think there are two big reasons why they haven't been able to sell tickets. First of all, after the show had been running for a few weeks, they *completely* stopped advertising. I read through the New York Times' arts section almost every time I work, and definitely every Sunday. They went from running bright, interesting full page ads to absolutely nothing. Hell, they don't even advertise in the pop-ups and margin ads on any Bway websites. They tried drawing more people in by changing the show's sign and replacing the cartoon guy/girl on a motorcycle to a body shot of Cheyenne Jackson, the guy who plays the main role (and happens to be easy on the eyes, hehe). But apparently sex appeal has not amounted to much. It gives you no sense of what the show is *about.*

Secondly, there are no cheap tickets anymore. One of the best marketing ploys they had from the beginning was making all balcony seats $19.55, the year the show takes place. It was clever and it *worked.* People from the Bway boards who live in the City would snatch up those tickets all the time because hey, why not? But for some weird reason, they abruptly stopped the offer and raised the balcony price to $39.99; clearly, a lot less affordable for most people to just spend on a whim. Although discounts do exist online, they don't offer any student tickets or have any other way for people to see the show *without* paying full price. Seriously. As soon as they raised the balcony prices, attendance went from the 70's to the 40's (where it hovered for awhile) in no time. BAD MOVE.

So. . .I had been hoping to see ASU again, but since I have no current plans to return to NYC in the near future, I guess that won't be happening. Closing notices usually are announced on Tuesdays, and if there isn't one for this show next week, I will be very surprised. :/

So It's Been

a little over a week since Rich and I split. As I've said, nothing much has changed, not in a big way. I actually think living together is making it a little easier, which is funny because when most people find that out, the usual response is something like "how does THAT work?!" We actually don't see each other that much. . .our schedules are pretty opposite, so that when I'm home in the evening, he's not and vice versa. But we do get to see each other at night and in the morning before we head out and there are always Saturdays, which we both have free. Even if we were together more often, there's no reason why there would be problems since, as you know, we didn't break up over some awful catastrophe.

It's only going to get weird if or when one of us starts seeing someone again. Even though I've already stated that he can do whatever he wants dating-wise since I technically don't have a say anymore, I already know I'd feel big pangs of jealousy. I know I'd have to deal, but they *would* be there, that's just how I am. :/ Rich has already said it'll be impossible for him to date anyone while we're still sleeping in the same bed, and maybe he has a point, haha. Well, I'm not going to stress over it unless the situation arises.

Since it IS only about a week later, I'm definitely not "looking" for anyone, but you could say I have my eyes open. There is this one punk kid in my philosophy class that I might try striking up a conversation with. We had to introduce ourselves to the class last time and as always, we had to share something interesting we had done or were into. You already know what I said. :p But this kid was sitting right next to me and was like "Yeah, I'm actually going down to the big anti-war rally in Washington DC [whenever it is], so I just hope I don't get beat down or arrested or anything." Awesome, hehe. So yeah, maybe I'll try talking to him, find out what other types of issues he's interested in and all that. Hell, I can always use another friend, especially someone else who may be interested in activist type stuff. I know I'm generalizing in a big way, but I've found that "punks" can be real assholes (ie. that kid in my Spanish class in TN. . .if you know what I'm referring to, this needs no clarification), but I guess I'll never know unless I say hi. And I wasn't really getting that negative vibe, so we'll see.

Even once some time *does* go by, it may be harder for me to find someone this time around. First of all, I'm so used to shooting guys down *immediately* if I think they're being too friendly just cuz I'm so used to being with someone already. It's not always in a mean way, but. . .
Chris is a good example of this. The last time I returned to Brooks, about a year and a half ago, he had just transferred to our store. We worked together fairly often and it became obvious that he was flirting with me, so I wasn't rude, but I did act a little reserved towards him and I made it well known that I was with Rich. Eventually he cooled things down and as time went by we simply became good coworkers/friends. There's been other people at work that he's been more "clingy" with, but he's admitted recently that I'm the only person there he'll actually tell the more serious, secret stuff to because he knows I'm well outside the drama that carries on there. Nevertheless, aside from us *verbally stating* "yes, we are strictly just friends and are going to stay that way," it's very clear. And that's cool. But I usually don't end up becoming friends with the person in question, though that has happened on a few other occasions too.

Right, back to what I was saying.

Secondly, and it does tie in with the first thing, I'm notoriously picky. After going out with Kevin, I learned that there were some things I was simply NOT going to tolerate in a boyfriend ever, ever again. Rich, however, passed with flying colors. ^__^ But it's another reason why, even now that I'm single, I'll still shoot people down. There are some things I'm willing to bend on, but other, important things, no way.

So, to sum it up, I might as well go buy about 60 cats now cuz they're probably going to be my only companions for the rest of my life, haha.

Today was a pretty good day. There was an adorable little frog near the big water bucket that I wasted about ten minutes trying to catch and/or take a picture of, hehe. Unfortunately he got away from me and somehow buried himself within the grass so I couldn't even see him anymore. He'll be back though, it's not the first time I've seen them around. And the deer. . .! There weren't a bunch today, just a doe and two fawns that I seriously wanted to kidnap and bring back to the apartment cuz they were also so cute it should be illegal. What can I say, I love animals. :p I planned on getting a good picture *after* I turned the horses out, but just my luck, Jerrold started galloping around and bucking when I let him go, which immediately startled the deer. All three of them disappeared into the woods within seconds and didn't bother to come back. Blimey.

I went to Goddard Park later in the day and just layed down in the shade for awhile and wrote some in my journal. It was the perfect day to be outside and I would have stayed longer but I needed to go back to the apartment before class so I could change into some shorts (yeah, I had been wearing jeans but it was a *tad* too warm for them today). While I was on the grass I saw a *very* strange black bug that I tried getting a picture of. What's with the plethora of strange insects lately? At least we haven't found any more huge, scary ones in the apartment again. Just the smudge on the wall from where Rich crushed the other one is a LOT bigger than any insect should leave! O_o;;;

Class was pretty unexciting today, but I'll probably be able to bring up anarchists next time, so that should be fun, hehe.

Anyway, it's just about dinner time so I'll go whip up a salad or something and then read through Kierkegaard again.

This Weekend

was entirely different than expected.

Yesterday, my Mom and I had been planning to go look for a skirt or something I can wear to Matt's wedding. I had seen her just the day before (I think) and made sure she was still planning to go with me. Didn't seem to be any problems.

Well, I went home yesterday morning and even though my Mom's car was in the garage, she wasn't there. There also wasn't a note. I like going up to P Place early, and my Mom knows that, but I decided I'd wait until 11 in case she showed up, but after that I was leaving no matter what.

She never showed. I left her a note saying that I had been there and waited around awhile and that I was maybe still going to Boston tomorrow and she could call me if she needed to. Haven't heard from her.

I still went to the mall by myself and bought another pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I rarely go to weddings, so I'm not sure what I should wear to one and figured she could help me with that. Hopefully we can find time to go this weekend, or next week at the latest since my philosophy class won't be meeting and I'll have some free days.

Yesterday was otherwise boring. Rich and Matt went to Six Flags literally all day, so I was alone the whole time, too. I got a sandwich at Jim's Deli for lunch and cleaned up /finished unpacking back at the apartment. I also managed to get some reading done for philosophy and then I went to Barnes and Noble at night to read through my usual pile of magazines. And of course I played lots of Katamari Damacy because I love it too much. :p

Then today, Travis and I had been planning to go to Boston but for various reasons we decided not to. We still hung out, however; we watched some movies and drove to a nearby beach and talked about various things. It was a very low key day, but we can't be subversive all the time, hehe.

So, this weekend didn't go as expected, but it was still pretty good. I kinda forgot today was Sunday though and that means I have to get up early tomorrow to go to the barn. Blah.

In Other News

I got a raise!

Completely unexpected.

Yes, I do mean at Brooks.

I also snagged a "rule and regulation" type booklet from there today. Part of it is meant for managers and part is for the employees (I guess it's what new ones receive now) but I took the whole damn thing. Should be an interesting read.

Rich still isn't back from wherever he went, but I'm tired and going to bed. Goodnight!

Usual Update on Everything

Cuz you care. :p

Everything has been fine at the barn. The stalls are still kinda messy no matter what I do, so I've stopped stressing and just clean them as best I can. Now that I've gotten into a routine, I really don't mind doing the chores at all. And the horses are such characters-- I think they've gotten used to me now and I've certainly learned *their* individual quirks and personalities. The deer have been out in the pasture every morning, but I don't think I've been able to get close enough for any of my pictures to be really good. Well, photos or not, it's still cool to have them around.

School's been alright so far. My history class should be easy. I've had the professor before (and didn't get anything below an A with her. . .in fact my first paper got an A+, which she said she rarely gives. . .but I'll stop bragging now, hehe) and the people in my class seem like a quiet bunch, which usually encourages me to speak more. My philosophy class, on the other hand, could be. . . interesting. Almost *everyone* is a philosophy major and they all seem to know each other. And they're all very outspoken. Just today, the professor was going over one concept from the first philosopher we're covering and some of the students immediately brought up all these crazy comparisons to other philosopher's theories, etc. etc. Uh, I just took a lot of notes, heh. But there doesn't seem to be a ton of work for the class, just 3 2-3 page papers and a final essay exam. Nothing a history major can't handle. :p

Saturday I guess Rich and Matt are going to Six Flags, but I planned to pack stuff for the condo and go shopping for clothes anyway. Then Sunday Travis and I are heading back to Boston for more radical activities, so that's bound to be interesting. It feels a bit weird with Rich and I going our separate directions this weekend, but that's one of the things we need to get used to. We *will* still hang out, but. . .

There's like a billion and one other subjects I've been hoping to write about, so maybe I will tomorrow sometime. It seems like every time I've sat down in front of the computer to write lately, everything I've been wanting to say leaves my mind and then I sit and write entries like this one. It's been happening when I go to write in the notebook too. So many ideas and then nothing comes to mind.

Well, it's about midnight so that means time for bed. Goodnight, everyone.

I Completely Changed This Entry

Gah, I think I am FINALLY unpacked.

Strange that it should take me so long cuz I didn't actually bring that much stuff. Clothes and books were the bulk of what I brought. I bought a few trinkets and posters, but not many since Rich's place is already pretty full of stuff. And of course I brought makeup and shampoo and all that stuff, but I don't have a lot of "extra" products, just the basics.

Nevertheless, Rich and I were watching some news station last night that was talking about the situation in New Orleans and it got me thinking. I don't consider myself a very materialistic person, but I cannot imagine being left with literally nothing, as so many people there were. I wouldn't be sad about losing clothes or even my books and CDs, cuz all that stuff could be replaced over time. But losing my journals, all the stories I've written, all the photos I've taken over the years would be devastating. I could have left my journals, stories, and photos home, could pack them up to live in a box in our new condo's basement, but I decided to bring them with me instead. I like having those items close since, unlike the things I mentioned before, they can't ever be replaced. Sure, I'll always remember the events and people I've written about or taken pictures of, and my story is something I'll *always* know, but it just wouldn't be the same. Hell, I've had several online journals over the past 7 years or so, all of which have been abandoned and in most cases, have long since been deleted. Maybe I'm some weird kind of narcissist, but I regret never having saved or printed out those old diaries. Of course I know what happened to me during those years, but reading the actual thoughts I had around the time events actually occurred is a totally different thing.

I'm not trying to make any incredible point with this, it's just something I was thinking about. Cleaning out stalls in the morning gives me a lot of time to just think. :p If I sat down at a computer directly afterwards, I'm sure my entries would be a lot more interesting!

I guess I've just been feeling blah today. I didn't eat very well, so I'm not feeling physically stellar, and I'm still a bit sad about Rich and I. I do think our living together is going to be okay. It's true that not much has changed between us but I can't help feeling that *something* is different and that slight emptiness is what hurts.

Anyway, speaking of pictures, I bought a new camera and I'm taking it to the barn tomorrow. Today the deer were very close and there were about five or six of them! They didn't even run away when I went in the pasture to clean/fill the big waterbucket. Hopefully they will be there tomorrow or later in the week, cuz I'd love to get some pictures of them. I just love how they don't mind the horses being there and vice versa-- that's not usually the case, horses and deer are usually afraid of each other!

That's all for now. Happy first day of classes tomorrow to those of you from URI. This better be the last "first day of classes" I ever have to experience at that freaking school. :p

Moved!

Yep, I moved into Rich's apartment today.

Before that, we both went to the barn this morning for the usual tasks. I let the horses out and cleaned the stalls and waterers while Rich was awesome enough to muck out some of the pasture and fix/use the vacuum. He also threw some hay bales down from the loft and brought them to the feed stall. Guess I was feeling lazy today. ;)

We were there almost three hours today though I'm still not sure what took so long. The stalls were bad, but I didn't think they were that horrible. Maybe it took me longer to get the horses outside because I brushed and fly-sprayed them first-- normally I just lead them right outside. Well, I'm not worried.

Then we went back to his apartment so he could shower, went back to my house so *I* could shower and change, and then we went to 7 Moons for some lunchtime goodness. We both got some sushi rolls and split the usual crab rangoons and fried rice. It was good as always and yes, the sushi boat IS in our future. ^___^

The rest of the day was taken up by packing, cleaning, and the actual moving. I didn't bring a *ton* of stuff, but we ran to Target earlier tonight to get some plastic storage containers so my stuff would actually have a place. I'm just about unpacked except for a few little things, but I also need to stop by my house again tomorrow and pick up some last minute items-- mostly decorative stuff and my food.

Guess that wraps it up for now. The guys are watching a movie I'm not at all interested in, so I'll be nearby, reading, until it's over. Then I'm gonna try and fit in a round of Katamari before bed. I love that game too much, hehe.

Mmmm, Concert

I'm going to try and *not* make this long and drawn out. You already know I can, hehe.

So Rich and I went to Gillette Stadium yesterday to see Green Day-- my third time seeing them, his first.The show was supposed to start at 7pm and we got there at 6pm, but I wasn't too worried. Both Against Me and Jimmy Eat World were opening, so it's not like we even *had* to be there that early. Besides, we had general admission tickets, but I assumed that seating would be handled as it was when I saw the band in a big arena in TN-- everyone went in and sat/stood wherever the hell they wanted to. That wasn't exactly the case this time; I had almost been hoping to get seats in the stands just cuz it was bound to be a long night, but general admission meant we *had* to stand out in the field. Oh, well. It *would* be closer. Even though we weren't that early, we got to stand close enough to the stage. There was a "special section" for the first 4,000 or so people who had arrived, but we were in the first row directly behind the gate to that section.

Against Me played first and they were really good. I had only heard of them from some punk boards I used to frequent but I liked what I heard. I guess they have a song or two out on the radio, but seeing as I hardly listen anymore. . . Jimmy Eat World came on next and also played for a half an hour. I only know their radio singles, all of which they played, but maybe I'll have to check out some more of their stuff. I think this is the first concert I've been to where both opening bands were good! (Unlike Ben Folds, who had freaking Duncan Sheik open that time. What was he thinking?!)

Like I said, no nauseating details! BUT, Green Day was really, really awesome. I don't know *how* Billie Joe doesn't pass out halfway through the show with the way he's constantly running and jumping all over the place. The only thing that could have made the show better would have been if they played some of their earlier, not as well known songs. But I digress. Here's what they *did* play (not in order):
-American Idiot
-Jesus of Suburbia
-Holiday
-Boulevard of Broken Dreams
-Are We the Waiting
-St. Jimmy
-Wake Me Up When September Ends
-Longview
-Basketcase
-She
-Hitchin' a Ride
-King For a Day
-Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
-Minority
-Brain Stew
-Jaded
-Maria
-Shout (cover, NOT the Depeche Mode song, the other one)
-We Are the Champions (dur, cover)
-Knowledge (kinda a cover)

Don't think I'm forgetting anything. They did the usual "Hey Oh"s with the crowd and pulled people on stage to play and stuff. Maybe they'll mix it up a bit more on their next tour. :p I enjoyed myself though. Concerts are my official "go crazy" time; I sing, I jump around, I get all into it, hehe. Being right against the gate kinda hampered my abilities, but I still managed to rock out. Most of the people around me generally were though, so it worked. Also, except for one instance of someone pushing forward, there was no moshing on our side of the fence. This one kid started to crowd surf and security was all over him *immediately.* I guess they were more lenient closer to the stage cuz people were getting tossed around for awhile. Well, I don't mind. I've been in my fair share of mosh pits and it's not always fun. x_x

As expected, leaving was a nightmare, but Rich and I sat in his car for awhile instead of trying to get out immediately. We still had to wait in some traffic, but by the time we joined the line, it wasn't too bad. We stopped at a gas station cuz we were both hungry/thirsty but other than that, we went straight back to the apartment since it *was* about 1am.

And that's about it. Many thanks to Rich for getting us tickets. . .it had been a surprise because when they first went on sale there was some reason why we didn't think we could afford them. But one day Rich was like "you know, I got us Green Day tickets" and at first I didn't believe him, but when the tickets showed up at the apartment I kinda had no choice, haha. He ended up buying them a few weeks (days?) after they went on sale, and apparently it worked out okay. So yes, I enjoyed the first installment of my birthday gift. ;)

Rich and I have a busy day tomorrow. He's coming with me to the barn and has agreed to much out the pasture while I work on the stalls. That's one of the "extra" things Sharon said she'd appreciate me doing, but unless I spent like five hours there some day, there's no way I'd have time. So I'm very glad that Rich is cool with taking up the task and hey, he's not even obligated to anymore! haha Afterwards we're possibly going to go out for breakfast, but I guess it will depend how tired/dirty we are. Then I'm finally going to be moving into the apartment, so we'll be trucking stuff over from my house and going to get a key made for me, etc. It's gonna seem weird not living at home, but I'll have to start getting used to it. My family's officially moving out of our NK house during the second weekend of October. Once *that* happens, then going home is REALLY going to be weird-- I don't even know how to *get* to the condo yet! O_o

All for now. Rich made some Mexican cornmeal cake things, so I'm gonna go have some and maybe play Katamari before bed.

GREEN DAY!

Oh my god, GREAT concert.

But I will write my long entry about it tonight.

It didn't top the Lupo's concert from their Nimrod tour, when I was bruised, in pain, hoarse, deaf, and slightly high from all the second hand smoke afterwards and well into the next day, but so much better than the Warning tour when it came to Knoxville several years ago.

That's all I'm saying for now though.

Later!

Meh

But life continues. . .

Barn work was fine today, in fact the stalls weren't that bad! Sharon stopped in for a minute or two, so I asked if things were looking okay. There were just two minor things she wanted done a little differently in the stalls, but otherwise she thought they've been fine-- amount of bedding and all. I didn't have time to mention that I might need to work fewer days, but I can't decide about that anyway til school starts.

Work was good, but the registers were busy all day, so none of us finished putting away our aisles. Chris and I spent some time chatting as usual, more about his own situation than mine. Apparently he is getting the chance to spend the night in NH, in a hotel room, with a girl he really, really likes. It's one of those things where they're friends, but he likes her as more and doesn't know how she feels. So, his plan is for them both to get liquored up and see what happens from there. I told him that probably wasn't the best way to handle the situation but he claims she wants to get drunk anyway, so he might as well oblige and that it can only help. I'm a little surprised at Chris cuz he doesn't seem like the type to pull off this type of plan, but who am I to say he shouldn't?

Green Day is tomorrow night! I've had so many other things on my mind lately that I'm not as excited about it as I normally would be, but I'm sure that will change once we're there. Rich and I are probably gonna get lunch or something earlier in the day, but it's one of those things that's suddenly a different scenario than before. Do I pay for my own food now if/when we go out to eat? If so, looks like we won't be going out together very often but at the same time, it's not right for him to keep paying for me if we're not a couple anymore. Tricky.

You see that's kinda how it all went down last night. We were talking about how things were going to be different and then it was like "okay, so when does this start happening?" We both just came to the conclusion that putting it off was not going to do us any favors, so. . .yeah. Neither of us are thrilled about it, but we probably made the right decision. :/

That's all I'm writing in this blog tonight. Onto the next one. . . :p

It's Over

Rich and I have broken up.

:*(

I Knew This Would Happen

I guess some things don't change, but there's little I can do about it.
edited to add: I was wrong.


Anyway, today was a decent day at the barn. I was still there for a little over 2 hours, but I guess that's just how it's going to be. I took a little extra time to brush each horse before I took them out to the pasture just cuz I feel like I don't know them very well. Afterall, 99% of my morning is spent not interacting with them. So that was good. Spirit, who's not very trusting of people, didn't even run away from me after I took his halter off. Normally, the second you pull the strap over his ears he turns and gallops away; today he didn't even move away at first, and when he did, he just trotted for a few steps.

I also took my radio/CD player into the barn while I cleaned the stalls. Music made the time much more enjoyable.

Another cool thing was that, when I was walking back to the barn after dumping out the first wheelbarrow, I saw 2 deer happily grazing side by side with the horses. They were fairly close to the fence, but they didn't even lift their heads when I walked over. I couldn't linger for too long, but it was a small moment that helped make the morning a good one.

I went to school to buy my books for the semester and-- just as I thought-- I have a total of *10* books between my two classes. Six for the history class, four for the philosophy. They all look interesting though, in fact I kinda wish I could start reading them now! But I'll have to suppress my inner nerd for a little while longer. Besides, I haven't even gotten past the intro of Looking Backward, which I had been hoping to finish *before* school starts. Maybe I will. It's a short enough book, hehe.

Nevertheless, I really think I'm gonna have to cut back hours somewhere, either at work or at the stable. I won't make any major decisions until I see what my work load is going to be like in each class, but I can't quite see myself happily juggling the schedule I currently have planned. It's not a huge deal, but you know how I like planning far ahead. :p

Well, that's it for now. I probably won't write another entry in this particular blog tonight. Tomorrow I'm working, both at the barn and 1-9 at Brooks, Saturday Rich and I have the Green Day concert, Sunday I'm just working at Brooks, and Monday I have to work at the barn *and* move into the apartment! Busy days up ahead. . .gah.