I'm sick (coughing really horribly and stuff) and feeling just plain bad, so I don't feel like finishing my handicapping efforts. Besides, it's not like anybody reads this besides me. But to paraphrase the movie "Sydney White" a bit, "It's not about the reading, it's about the writing."
1: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says.
"leftover metals and send them off to be recycled - meaning"
(the book is my "mental_floss" "Scatterbrained" trivia book)
2: Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?
Papers with songs I mean to get as MP3s
3: What is the last thing you watched on TV?
TV? What's that?
It would be "Doctor Who" last Friday (I know there are some people who would find it unbelievable that I haven't watched TV since Friday, but...what can I say? I'm a college student)
4: Without looking, guess what the time is.
10:18 pm
5: Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
10:16. However, I think my clock is behind. *runs to check time.gov* *awed* DANG I'm good. *fixes clock*
6: With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The refrigerator. And myself breathing.
7: When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Um, about twenty minutes ago, when I came back to the dorm from Coffee House.
8: Before you came to this website, what did you look at?
The website I got this from.
9: What are you wearing?
The Kentucky Derby shirt Lindsey gave me last night (bless her!) and my favorite pair of jeans. And my tennis shoes, the white and blue ones. And socks. And underwear. And a hairtie. And contacts.
10: Did you dream last night? What about?
Since the human brain dreams every night, yes. I don't know what it was about, but I do remember something about trying to get an old friend of mine to recognize me.
11: When did you last laugh?
Not very long ago. I laugh a lot.
12: What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Um, well, since it's my room...
- Picture of me and Smokey
- Patches from England of Scottish and Welsh flags
- Pictures of Ruffian and Barbaro
- Calendar of April that I never really got around to writing my stuff in on
- Piece of paper with next semester's schedule scribbled out
That's just in the immediate vicinity. I could list it all, but I would like to go to bed tonight.
13: Seen anything weird lately?
Does Bryan Oetting count? (one of my professors...hehe.)
Umm...not too recently. Unless you count what I've been coughing up...
14: What is the last film you saw?
You know, I watch a lot more movies than I do TV, but I'm not sure I can answer this. Probably "Sydney White"
15: If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?
A farm in Kentucky.
16: Tell us something about you that we don't know.
Ummm...ummm...I would really, really love to collect old books. Right now I only have three; a copy of "Black Beauty" from 1895, a copy of "Pollyanna" (in BEAUTIFUL condition) from 1913, and a copy of "Diseases of the Horse" from 1938 (let me tell you, that's good for a laugh!)
17: Do you like to dance?
I love to dance. I blame it on the fact that I took ballet for like, six years straight. I took tap too, but I always liked ballet better. But I'll do any kind of dancing - swing, contra, ballroom, I'm game for it all.
18: Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
I'm the typical girl, I've been debating this for ages. "Elizabeth" and "Emma" are both high up on my list. But honestly, I'm just not sure. I think I'm going to have to wait until I actually know she's coming before I figure out a name, partially because I want my husband to have some input (it'll be his too!)
19: Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Well, "Jacob" and "Benjamin" have both been high on my list, but I'm not sure. I think this is another one of those "it'd have to be when I'm already pregnant and with my husband's input" things too. (I feel like it's such a cop-out!)
20: Would you ever consider living abroad?
You know, I actually have considered it. And still am, somewhat, because it's looking more and more likely that I can't get my Masters in what I want anywhere in the States. But honestly? I probably won't, because the place I want to go to wants you to have two years working experience after you have a bachelors, and since I'm going to be in Kentucky, I don't think I'm really going to want to leave (although it's a beautiful place in England) (but my primary reason is because once I get to Kentucky, the hunt for a suitable man is on full blast)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Three days
In approximately three days, three hours, and twenty-five minutes, twenty horses will be rushing out of the starting gate for my favorite horse race of the year; the Kentucky Derby.
As always, I attempt to handicap it. I'm generally not successful. But, here is my attempt.
Big Brown, who's looking to be the favorite, will get in an early speed duel with Monba and Gayego before taking the lead at the half, and fizzling out in the stretch to finish just off the board.
Visionaire, who is my sentimental favorite for being a Michael Matz trainee, is one who I think may be a wildcard. In six starts, he's won three and only been off the board once. He's never made it a full ten furlongs though, only nine, and that was when he finished fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes. While he showed a nice performance in the Gotham, I think he's just not quite cut out to compete at this level. I think he'll be mid-pack pretty much the entire race, finishing somewhere between tenth and twelfth.
Big Truck has shown some promise, but I just don't think he's cut out to go the distance. This has nothing to do with his last-place Blue Grass finish; that was on Polytrack. I just don't think he's going to be able to make it that far. His sire is a sprinter, and even though his dam is a Go For Gin daughter, I don't think that's going to help.
Colonel John seems to run whatever you want him too. I think he could be a real contender, and if I had a way to legally bet on him (without driving three hours) I'd at least bet him to show. My main concern is that he's really only raced on Western tracks. He's also from a pedigree that tends to be late maturing. Even if he doesn't win the Derby, though, I can certainly see Colonel John becoming the Lawyer Ron of 2009.
Z Fortune strikes me as one with potential. I think if he gets a clean break, he'll be right up in there during the stretch run. But it may well depend on what kind of day he's having; his fifth in the Rebel Stakes doesn't seem to have any good explanation as to why it happened.
Pyro may have only won his maiden as a two-year-old, but his record as a juvenile should certainly not be dismissed; he took second in the Champagne and the Juvenile, both to War Pass, who's not runnning due to injury. If War Pass was still in this, I'd go ahead and call it War Pass - Pyro - possibly Z Humor, the same as in the Champagne. Yes, Pyro had a horrible race in the Blue Grass, finishing tenth; but that was also the first time he'd raced on Polytrack (I love Polytrack for the safety factor, but I hate how it screws up a horse's running style!). I think Pyro will be a big contender. He likes to run from behind, but don't be fooled if Pyro is at the back of the pack in the first 3/4 mile. He'll make his move. He did it the same way in the Champagne, Juvenile, and Risen Star.
Eight Belles is a nice filly, but she should be in the Oaks. I just don't think she's going to be able to keep up with the boys and while she's certainly going to try, she's going to finish a well-beaten thirteenth or fourteenth.
I have to go now, Dr. Russell's wanting me to actually do some work, so I suppose I should. I'll continue this later, it's fun.
As always, I attempt to handicap it. I'm generally not successful. But, here is my attempt.
Big Brown, who's looking to be the favorite, will get in an early speed duel with Monba and Gayego before taking the lead at the half, and fizzling out in the stretch to finish just off the board.
Visionaire, who is my sentimental favorite for being a Michael Matz trainee, is one who I think may be a wildcard. In six starts, he's won three and only been off the board once. He's never made it a full ten furlongs though, only nine, and that was when he finished fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes. While he showed a nice performance in the Gotham, I think he's just not quite cut out to compete at this level. I think he'll be mid-pack pretty much the entire race, finishing somewhere between tenth and twelfth.
Big Truck has shown some promise, but I just don't think he's cut out to go the distance. This has nothing to do with his last-place Blue Grass finish; that was on Polytrack. I just don't think he's going to be able to make it that far. His sire is a sprinter, and even though his dam is a Go For Gin daughter, I don't think that's going to help.
Colonel John seems to run whatever you want him too. I think he could be a real contender, and if I had a way to legally bet on him (without driving three hours) I'd at least bet him to show. My main concern is that he's really only raced on Western tracks. He's also from a pedigree that tends to be late maturing. Even if he doesn't win the Derby, though, I can certainly see Colonel John becoming the Lawyer Ron of 2009.
Z Fortune strikes me as one with potential. I think if he gets a clean break, he'll be right up in there during the stretch run. But it may well depend on what kind of day he's having; his fifth in the Rebel Stakes doesn't seem to have any good explanation as to why it happened.
Pyro may have only won his maiden as a two-year-old, but his record as a juvenile should certainly not be dismissed; he took second in the Champagne and the Juvenile, both to War Pass, who's not runnning due to injury. If War Pass was still in this, I'd go ahead and call it War Pass - Pyro - possibly Z Humor, the same as in the Champagne. Yes, Pyro had a horrible race in the Blue Grass, finishing tenth; but that was also the first time he'd raced on Polytrack (I love Polytrack for the safety factor, but I hate how it screws up a horse's running style!). I think Pyro will be a big contender. He likes to run from behind, but don't be fooled if Pyro is at the back of the pack in the first 3/4 mile. He'll make his move. He did it the same way in the Champagne, Juvenile, and Risen Star.
Eight Belles is a nice filly, but she should be in the Oaks. I just don't think she's going to be able to keep up with the boys and while she's certainly going to try, she's going to finish a well-beaten thirteenth or fourteenth.
I have to go now, Dr. Russell's wanting me to actually do some work, so I suppose I should. I'll continue this later, it's fun.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Quizzes!
What can I say? I'm addicted to these things!
74% Geek
(well, that just confirms what my sisters have known for years...)
(it's past 11:00 and I've had a long day!)
(I think it was the "Little Mermaid" questions that got me)
294 WATTS
(apparently, this is enough to run an Xbox 360)
2,876,160
(apparently, it's equivalent to the germs on 575 toilet seats...eww...)
$4005.00
(that's kind of depressing...)
52%
(thankfully, I'm fairly positive I've got a 100% chance of not needing to survive a zombie apocalypse)
(most of it was pretty easy though)
26
(however, this is only taking into account the down and dirty type of fighting. You can take on an almost infinite number, you just have to know the right time to yell, "LOOK! FREE CANDY!" and then run away really really fast)
51%
(luckily, I think the odds aren't high on this either, although perhaps somewhat higher than a zombie apocalypse)
90%
(honestly? Took me several tries. And it's based on the premise that you'd be able to utilize some of those things. How are you supposed to use water, food, a first aid kit, when you're trapped in a spacesuit?)
74% Geek
(well, that just confirms what my sisters have known for years...)
(it's past 11:00 and I've had a long day!)
(I think it was the "Little Mermaid" questions that got me)
294 WATTS
(apparently, this is enough to run an Xbox 360)
2,876,160
(apparently, it's equivalent to the germs on 575 toilet seats...eww...)
$4005.00
(that's kind of depressing...)
52%
(thankfully, I'm fairly positive I've got a 100% chance of not needing to survive a zombie apocalypse)
(most of it was pretty easy though)
26
(however, this is only taking into account the down and dirty type of fighting. You can take on an almost infinite number, you just have to know the right time to yell, "LOOK! FREE CANDY!" and then run away really really fast)
51%
(luckily, I think the odds aren't high on this either, although perhaps somewhat higher than a zombie apocalypse)
90%
(honestly? Took me several tries. And it's based on the premise that you'd be able to utilize some of those things. How are you supposed to use water, food, a first aid kit, when you're trapped in a spacesuit?)
Yeah, this is going well...
So much for my "oh, I'm going to update my blog every day" resolution.
Not that much has happened. I guess I should probably tell the story of my experience as a goat doctor, though.
I was at work on Tuesday, April 1, and I was listening to our voicemail. There was a message on there from some people about a sick goat, and they wanted to know if we could help. Being inclined to help animals, I gave them a call and got the details. Turned out the goat had gotten her leg stuck or something, injured it in some way, and her owners were very upset, because it had happened a couple weeks before but they couldn't get a vet to come look at it. Like, no vet would come, because they'd definitely tried. There was also the complication that she was due to kid at any time.
So I hauled Rachael along and we went to go look at it. The owners were extremely grateful; it was sort of funny really. They were talking over each other, telling us about the goat, who was actually their grandchildrens who lived next door. I looked at the knee, and it was definitely hot and swollen. There was a lot of fluid, but she didn't seem to be in a lot of discomfort. A quick call to Mom confirmed what I thought, she needed her knee drained of all the fluid that had accumulated, so I had to tell them that the only option was for them to find a vet to drain it, and put hot compresses on it. They were very nice people, and insisted on paying me - "for gas" they said. The lady wrote me a check for $35, which was much more than I'd expected.
Otherwise, not much going on. I've spent the last two nights up late trying to get projects done. It stinks. I'm going to be here all weekend though and I plan on devoting Saturday to homework, cleaning, and necessary errands (and maybe unnecessary errands...I got a $25 tanning giftcard at the ag dept Christmas party that I still need to use. I've never been tanning before...)
It's been raining like crazy. I love listening to the rain, but I hate the fact that there's a dip in the sidewalk in front of the dorm, and it'll fill up with water six feet across. And it's deep, too, so you can't splash through. You have to find a way to get around it, which is incredibly annoying.
New season of "Doctor Who" premiered last Saturday. I really like it so far, there's another new(ish) companion; Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate (who is hilarious!), who was also in the 2006 Christmas special. Of course, she's really funny, and the interactions between Donna and the Doctor are great. The best part, though, was about two minutes and forty-five seconds from the end, when Donna is about to leave to travel with the Doctor. She chucks the keys to her mother's car in a bin (trash can) and tells a blond woman to tell her mother it's "that bin there." Yeah, I know, it sounds lame, but then the blond woman turns around, and it's Rose! She was the first companion in this series, and she and the Doctor were totally in love but weren't admitting it to each other, and then she was trapped in a parallel universe, and there was supposed to be no way for her to ever get back, but she is, and nobody knows how, except that she turned and walked away and when she did she faded, and there've been clips someone took of them filming a scene where there was a bright light and then she ran out. But, she was my favorite character, and she's back, which is what matters!
And I'm bored with this, so I'm probably going to go find some episodes of TV shows I like that I haven't seen yet and clean my room.
Not that much has happened. I guess I should probably tell the story of my experience as a goat doctor, though.
I was at work on Tuesday, April 1, and I was listening to our voicemail. There was a message on there from some people about a sick goat, and they wanted to know if we could help. Being inclined to help animals, I gave them a call and got the details. Turned out the goat had gotten her leg stuck or something, injured it in some way, and her owners were very upset, because it had happened a couple weeks before but they couldn't get a vet to come look at it. Like, no vet would come, because they'd definitely tried. There was also the complication that she was due to kid at any time.
So I hauled Rachael along and we went to go look at it. The owners were extremely grateful; it was sort of funny really. They were talking over each other, telling us about the goat, who was actually their grandchildrens who lived next door. I looked at the knee, and it was definitely hot and swollen. There was a lot of fluid, but she didn't seem to be in a lot of discomfort. A quick call to Mom confirmed what I thought, she needed her knee drained of all the fluid that had accumulated, so I had to tell them that the only option was for them to find a vet to drain it, and put hot compresses on it. They were very nice people, and insisted on paying me - "for gas" they said. The lady wrote me a check for $35, which was much more than I'd expected.
Otherwise, not much going on. I've spent the last two nights up late trying to get projects done. It stinks. I'm going to be here all weekend though and I plan on devoting Saturday to homework, cleaning, and necessary errands (and maybe unnecessary errands...I got a $25 tanning giftcard at the ag dept Christmas party that I still need to use. I've never been tanning before...)
It's been raining like crazy. I love listening to the rain, but I hate the fact that there's a dip in the sidewalk in front of the dorm, and it'll fill up with water six feet across. And it's deep, too, so you can't splash through. You have to find a way to get around it, which is incredibly annoying.
New season of "Doctor Who" premiered last Saturday. I really like it so far, there's another new(ish) companion; Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate (who is hilarious!), who was also in the 2006 Christmas special. Of course, she's really funny, and the interactions between Donna and the Doctor are great. The best part, though, was about two minutes and forty-five seconds from the end, when Donna is about to leave to travel with the Doctor. She chucks the keys to her mother's car in a bin (trash can) and tells a blond woman to tell her mother it's "that bin there." Yeah, I know, it sounds lame, but then the blond woman turns around, and it's Rose! She was the first companion in this series, and she and the Doctor were totally in love but weren't admitting it to each other, and then she was trapped in a parallel universe, and there was supposed to be no way for her to ever get back, but she is, and nobody knows how, except that she turned and walked away and when she did she faded, and there've been clips someone took of them filming a scene where there was a bright light and then she ran out. But, she was my favorite character, and she's back, which is what matters!
And I'm bored with this, so I'm probably going to go find some episodes of TV shows I like that I haven't seen yet and clean my room.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Pictures, Part 1
The long-promised pictures, before I run off to class.
Big Ben, as seen from the window of the coach as we drove by (we didn't get the chance to get any really good pictures of it, which was disappointing...)
Not the greatest of pictures, but there's the London Eye, with Big Ben in the background
Buckingham Palace, as seen over the heads of the huge crowd of people waiting for the changing of the guard (which was canceled).
I thought this was hilarious. All the doors have signs saying "This door is alarmed." What I want to know is, what's the door alarmed about? LOL
While my family is scratching their heads trying to figure it out, the "Doctor Who" fans will recognize this very familiar building...yes indeed, it is none other than the secret home of Torchwood! Our hotel was very close to Canary Wharf and nobody understood why I thought that was so cool...
(when we went by at night, I looked in the windows as much as I could trying to find the room where the main events in "Doomsday" happened, but alas, they all looked like perfectly normal offices. A very clever disguise by Torchwood, I'm sure...LOL)
While the rest of our group wandered off down the sidewalk, one of the guys and I stopped to get quick pictures with the traditional red phone booths. They're everywhere in London. How could we resist a picture? Obviously, we couldn't.
(I kept looking for a blue police box, but no such luck...)
Is that a five thousand plus years old giant circle of stones I see? Yes, it is!
Somebody (I forget who) advised me that whenever I go to see something like Stonehenge, always get a picture with me in front of it, because otherwise, it just winds up looking like a postcard. Of course, nowadays, you can make it look like you were on the moon if you've got any talent with Photoshop. But, anyway, there am I, in front of Stonehenge.
I'm skipping ahead a few days to put one of my favorite pictures on. This is one of the many statues at Coolmore Stud, and there's actually a guy leading the horse. Daniel was pretty good though at blocking out pretty much all of the guy, so it looks like I'm leading the horse. Give me a few years, then we'll get a picture of me leading a real racehorse...preferably into the winner's circle.
I'm going to be late for class (well, more than likely) so I'm going to leave this here. I should have an interesting adventure to mention tonight...let's just say, it involves a fairly unusual phone call the agriculture department received, and the fact that I'm very sympathetic towards hurt and injured animals.
Big Ben, as seen from the window of the coach as we drove by (we didn't get the chance to get any really good pictures of it, which was disappointing...)
Not the greatest of pictures, but there's the London Eye, with Big Ben in the background
Buckingham Palace, as seen over the heads of the huge crowd of people waiting for the changing of the guard (which was canceled).
I thought this was hilarious. All the doors have signs saying "This door is alarmed." What I want to know is, what's the door alarmed about? LOL
While my family is scratching their heads trying to figure it out, the "Doctor Who" fans will recognize this very familiar building...yes indeed, it is none other than the secret home of Torchwood! Our hotel was very close to Canary Wharf and nobody understood why I thought that was so cool...
(when we went by at night, I looked in the windows as much as I could trying to find the room where the main events in "Doomsday" happened, but alas, they all looked like perfectly normal offices. A very clever disguise by Torchwood, I'm sure...LOL)
While the rest of our group wandered off down the sidewalk, one of the guys and I stopped to get quick pictures with the traditional red phone booths. They're everywhere in London. How could we resist a picture? Obviously, we couldn't.
(I kept looking for a blue police box, but no such luck...)
Is that a five thousand plus years old giant circle of stones I see? Yes, it is!
Somebody (I forget who) advised me that whenever I go to see something like Stonehenge, always get a picture with me in front of it, because otherwise, it just winds up looking like a postcard. Of course, nowadays, you can make it look like you were on the moon if you've got any talent with Photoshop. But, anyway, there am I, in front of Stonehenge.
I'm skipping ahead a few days to put one of my favorite pictures on. This is one of the many statues at Coolmore Stud, and there's actually a guy leading the horse. Daniel was pretty good though at blocking out pretty much all of the guy, so it looks like I'm leading the horse. Give me a few years, then we'll get a picture of me leading a real racehorse...preferably into the winner's circle.
I'm going to be late for class (well, more than likely) so I'm going to leave this here. I should have an interesting adventure to mention tonight...let's just say, it involves a fairly unusual phone call the agriculture department received, and the fact that I'm very sympathetic towards hurt and injured animals.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
A brief update
Huh. Who knew that Europe doesn't have free wireless Internet in hotels? Or even wired Internet?
Anyway. I'm back. I had an awesome time. Coolmore Stud was one of the neatest experiences of my life. We got to see a ton of their stallions, and I got to pet Dylan Thomas! He was one of the top European racehorses last year, and worth millions. His stud fee alone (INTRODUCTORY stud fee, mind you) is 50,000 euros. You can check out their stallions here. http://www.coolmore.com/stallions/ireland/roster/ We got to see a bunch of them and they were all absolutely gorgeous. They looked happy and the insanity was at a minimum. They take awesome care of their horses.
I'll be posting pictures later, I haven't had a chance to rescue them from the ag department laptop yet. My day so far has been sleeping, trying to catch up on my e-mail and such, shower, class, lunch (there was a cheesy eggplant bake...who knew eggplant could be so good?!), more sleep, work. But when I talked to Mom earlier she wanted to know when I'd update this, so I figured I'd type one up to say I'll be updating it more later.
Anyway. I'm back. I had an awesome time. Coolmore Stud was one of the neatest experiences of my life. We got to see a ton of their stallions, and I got to pet Dylan Thomas! He was one of the top European racehorses last year, and worth millions. His stud fee alone (INTRODUCTORY stud fee, mind you) is 50,000 euros. You can check out their stallions here. http://www.coolmore.com/stallions/ireland/roster/ We got to see a bunch of them and they were all absolutely gorgeous. They looked happy and the insanity was at a minimum. They take awesome care of their horses.
I'll be posting pictures later, I haven't had a chance to rescue them from the ag department laptop yet. My day so far has been sleeping, trying to catch up on my e-mail and such, shower, class, lunch (there was a cheesy eggplant bake...who knew eggplant could be so good?!), more sleep, work. But when I talked to Mom earlier she wanted to know when I'd update this, so I figured I'd type one up to say I'll be updating it more later.
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