Dream Reality?

So I just did the craziest thing I've ever done in my life.

First, storytime.

The last Sunday of spring break, I decided to ditch studying and go play with the horses at Connie's barn, where I used to teach. I normally ride just a few lesson horses and call it a day. After getting off ol' Jack, Connie told me about a couple of jumpers for sale. I remembered having the opportunity to ride one of them the last time I was out there and regretted not taking advantage. So I piped up and we got to saddling up Escaret, a nice-looking thoroughbred, with the owner standing by.

I appreciated the ride, and had a great time taking him over a few jumps. He was quite the jumper, using his neck dramatically to power over the osbtacles.

After hopping off Escaret I got an invite from the owner to come over to his barn to watch him school a few lesson horses and his schoolmaster, Jabula Jahomba (say it aloud, and with vigor!).

Horse and rider were going round the course, and my jaw dropped at the athleticism and charisma of this horse. He snapped his knees up over each obstacle and cantered elastically on to the next to repeat with fluidity.

The trainer on site offered me a ride on the horse. Yes! Yessss!!! I took him over a few jumps and a gymnastic line of jumps and was quite wowed.

I left after watching a few other horses worked, and called up Connie to thank her for allowing me to come out and ride. I also told about my ride with Jabula and how impressed I was with him. She seemed surprised, as he is a bit on the high-strung side, but was glad that I had a fun ride. Out of curiosity, I asked what his selling price was. (With zero intention, mind you.) She quoted a very accessible price, and in my excitement I blurted "Oh, I think I can do that!"

My (strong and persuasive) rational side screaming in protest all the while.

It has all been a steady series of events since then. And everything has been going surprisingly swimmingly. I rode him once more to be sure, had a vet check arranged, got my finances and horse board in order, and I am now officially a new horse owner. As of March 30, 2008. Indeed I will mark that day on the calendar as the most memorable holiday of all my years. Seventeen years in waiting!

And now, the dust is settling, and I'm to put my game plan into play. The day to day maintenance required for horses I have been familiar with through books and actual horse owners is something I am now able to do. My class schedule allows for early morning rides and visits on alternating days. Early, so that I will have my days for school. And everything, so far, is working well.

Though my mind at times is calling me the craziest person alive, I always come to the realization that this is probably one of the best things I've ever done for myself. The feeling I get from just being around horses is such a deep sense of satisfaction, and to have my own horse to care for and work with as a team is already becoming one of the most gratifying experiences I've ever had. I feel incredibly fortunate and grateful to have this opportunity and the guts to carry it out. I am looking forward to the coming years with JB.

This post definitely wouldn't be complete without pictures. Tell me what you think!

Funny Stuff

I made several attempts over the weekend to post, but my writing ability has temporarily broken down. While under repair, here's something for a few laughs that I got in my email today.

This is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are the winners:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an Indefinite period of time.

2. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

3. Intaxication : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The Bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high

8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

11. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

12. Karmageddon : It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

13. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you

14. Glibido : All talk and no action.

15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

17. Beelzebug (n.) : Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

18. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

Enjoy!

Slow down!

So far, the last few weeks have been crazy. School, and more school. I forgot how busy I was back when I was an undergraduate student. It never seems to stop, either. Going from classes, to study time, to exercise, to time spent with friends. Penciling in some relaxation time is the only way to get it. Ten minutes to close your eyes here, fifteen to sit outside and have a cup of tea. But then as soon as things get crazier than they already had been, those few minutes are used for more productive activities.

Those few minutes, however, are often the most important of the day. If I even spend a couple of minutes to sit and give myself a momentary perspective check, I'm so much more level-headed and productive. How often I forget this, I can't believe. And every time I go for too fast for too long, it's apparent in everything. My relationships are strained, I teeter on the edge of overworking myself, and life just gets muddy-looking.

Thankfully I've learned to recognize it and do something about it. It's so important to put things into perspective and to remember why I am here. But every time tests come up or a string of assignments are due, it's an extra challenge to get myself to slow down and remember to enjoy the ride. If only I do, things will go so much more smoothly.

Creativity

I've spent all of thirty minutes packing for my big move (yeah, I'm a slackerrrr). Going through my book shelf, I found an old project from school. Paging through the various entries that were required, I was quite surprised by the way I wrote back then. It wasn't really something that anyone would really want to read. Sort of pretentious, and even stiff in my attempts to maintain the image I was so wrapped up in back then.

Nowadays, at least in comparison, I am much more relaxed about everything I do and have felt comfortable releasing that old image. And with that comes a natural and vibrant creativity. Thats with work, writing, riding horses and even in interpersonal relationships. Creativity meaning creating positive things (what I want), and having the flexibility and presence of mind to deal with unusual situations to create even more positive things.

Creativity, I have found, is something that does not come when there is an image to maintain. For many years I believed that if I just built up a strong enough image, defense, whatever you want to call it, that I would be invincible and I would never be hurt ever again. All those years I spent fortifying this image and confining who I was to its boundaries. And all those years I continued to be hurt, and worse, because I was hurting myself.

Only recently have I been actively tearing down the walls of my image. It took some difficult lessons and a year and a half alone here in the city of Houston. And now, I'm left with a very real knowledge of who I am, and who I want to be. I'm proud to say that this knowledge is my own, and unaffected by the thoughts and opinions of others. I am me....Roberta, and no one else.

Knowing myself, I am feeling more creative than ever. Traditionally, and in the sense of creating the ultimate masterpiece: the masterpiece of my life.

New Culinary Adventures

Mexican food has been my favorite since I was very young. What can I say? I'm from Texas. There's no shortage of delicious Tex-Mex anywhere you go - who can resist chili con queso, guacamole and cheese enchiladas??

But when I moved to Houston, I discovered Mediterranean food. Wow. I had always loved Greek salads and gyros, but I hadn't even scratched the surface. Gradually my friends at work clued me in to the great Mediterranean places close to work. Demassi's, a buffet-style place with a huge selection of foods - fresh vegetable and herb dishes, rice dishes, pita bread that literally melts in your mouth, and the best hummus in town hands down. Then there's also Hungry's Cafe, which is modern fusion Mediterranean, Murphy's Deli, with a good selection of sandwiches and salads and finally Shish-kabob, with its more traditional Mediterranean fare.

So I was inspired to seek out a Greek cook book. I found a safe experimentation platform - a collection of modern recipes.

About 5 miles from work, there is a specialty Greek grocery store. After my new acquisition, I went wild. Traditional cheeses, olives, pita bread, Greek yogurt, tahini, various fresh produce, and of course I couldn't leave without some sesame candy.

Since then I've been cooking up a storm, and my eyes have really been opened to alternative ways of preparing food. Using a mortar and pestle (which can be improvised with a cutting board), using a sieve, and boiling among other things. I've also been open to cooking foods in ways I ordinarily would not prefer - frying (though not deep-frying), and more importantly, stewing. I've tried a stewed vegetable dish that is to-die for.

There are also some unusual flavor combinations that I have found very appealing. The most remarkable was a warm potato-red onion-caper-parsley-lemon juice-olive oil combination. I never would have thought to combine those ingredients, but it was the most delicious salad I have ever eaten. I've also learned that lemon juice, olive oil and salt is like the season-all for Greek food. And can make the most simple dishes spectacular. Just try Halloumi cheese fried in olive oil served with fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Or boiled spinach drizzled with the same.

My favorite part of this whole adventure is perfecting the making of hummus. The recipe is very simple, but you've got to tweak the ingredients to make for that wow-effect. Still working on that one, but with some reading I'm making some progress. Hummus is something worth taking seriously!!

All in all, this has got me going with all sorts of new ideas for cooking. And having the opportunity to say "OMG this is so delicious!" every night has been a very gratifying experience for the taste buds.

Anyone want to come over for dinner?

Forlorn Winter Day

Forlorn winter days are such a pleasant experience under the right circumstances. Though today wasn't particularly cold, old man winter still made his presence known.

Most Fridays at work are extremely busy because of our flex schedule - the staff rotates having Fridays off. Today there thankfully were not any emergency calls nor pressing items to get out the door. And so today I was left to work on some of my ongoing projects at a relaxed pace. I had the opportunity to occasionally look out the window and take in the winter weather.

All day it rained on and off (Houston's version of snow??), with layers fog and clouds hanging in the sky throughout. My mood mirrored the subdued weather - I felt my energy lower and with it my level of tension. I was left feeling somewhat forlorn, but it was oddly comforting. Maybe it was the steady stream of hot tea, or the fact that everyone's mood matched my own. But it was nice.

When I left work I drove downtown to the YMCA closest to my apartment to go for a swim. Driving past downtown was a sight - fog sinking between the sky scrapers, and black birds circling around the tops. Images of Gotham City spun in my head.

If the temperature isn't going to correspond with the time of year, then by golly it will look like winter!

I swam, then headed home, and snuggled up in bed with the cats and a good book. Happy for one forlorn day, and with it the opportunity to slow down.