Warning! Please read fine print...

Anybody have some sort of fluorescent lighting in their house? Bathroom, kitchen, etc... Does anybody actually know just how much pressure those bulbs are under? Well, I just found out the hard way. And no, I wasn't actually stupid enough to break one; on purpose.

Know how strange things people only hear about always seem to happen to me? I have a new one, and this may actually beat out the current champ holder...The Beaver Incident.

This I am going to title: The Fluorescent Light Company is Going to be Sued Incident Because There was NO Fine Print. A bit long? I'm tired and will come up with something shorter eventually. First off, I'm just going to suggest that a warning is put on fluorescent lights explaining they are under extreme pressure and are, in short, little bombs. Let me explain:

I'm tired. Was up late last night, was woken up by coyotes, and pretty much was getting no sleep. I actually may have been almost asleep when this most recent event occurred, because I was very confused but remember what I heard in detail. A few months ago my bathroom light began to flicker and I bought a replacement at Walmart. These are those super long, skinny bulbs - not regular bulbs. I couldn't just buy one, two came in the package. Seeing as I am a disaster area, I decided this extra bulb needed to be put someplace safe and out of the way to avoid breakage. I placed it behind my bedroom door against the wall. I figured this was a safe enough place as it is kind of a nook and completely out of the way. And it's been fine there for weeks now.

Last night, about 4:45 am, I hear this 'POP' like a small caliber gun going off, a crunching glass noise, what sounded like a bunch of rocks thrown at my ceiling and then a bunch of tinkling...in that order. My first thought was that somebody just shot through my window and I reached for my phone. But then I realized the dogs weren't doing anything and there wasn't any cold air coming into the room, so I turned on the light...which reflected off millions of pieces of glass covering the room. I got the dogs out and looked closer at the situation.

The bedroom door was part way closed, and somehow the bulb had fallen over and hit a doorstop I have. On impact it had exploded, bouncing pieces of glass off my ceiling where they shattered and spread across my room. If you ask me that's some serious pressure.

It doesn't stop there. Now I have to try and get this picked up, so I pulled out the vacuum and pretty much vacuumed everything in the room. The curtains, the laundry, the bed, inside my shoes, etc...and sucked up a sock. This is so typical isn't it? I fight getting the hose off forever, manage not to break anything too bad, but did bend a butter knife up (don't ask) and retrieved my sock so I could continue vacuuming without starting a fire.

But it still doesn't stop there. Dixie is in the bathroom, Sedona outside, Mav's in the kitchen. I figure it's a safe enough place for him and I've given him a bone to occupy his time as well. Seems that wasn't good enough, and as I am trying to put my vacuum back together I hear a huge crash from the kitchen. Mav is standing ON the counter, a plate of Christmas cookies are gone and he has knocked another onto the floor, sending broken glass and crumbled cookies EVERYWHERE.

My bedroom and kitchen floors are spotless. I think I may be finding microscopic shards of glass for the next few years though.

The Nutcracker

Yeah it's my weekend! Unfortunetly it's a seriously crazy one, but it's all good. A run down of the next three days:

Tonight:
Drive to Alamosa and rehearse for The Nutcracker
Friday:
Be at school to drive up to Monarch at 7:45 am.
Drive home at 2:30pm
Be in Alamosa for opening night of The Nutcracker at 6:00pm

Saturday:
Have a horse saddled and loaded by 8:00am to move cattle
Be in Almosa to perform by 6:00
Try and stop in at the School Christmas Party after the ballet
Sunday:
Be in Alamosa by 1:30pm for the final performance

Drinks at the studio owner's house afterwards
Be in Hooper for a surprise party by 6:00pm

Hello? Is mylife even my own anymore? But just think, in a week I'll be packing to head for Michigan!

I have always loved The Nutcracker and have seen it performed by dozens of different companies, including The Rockette's at The Fox. This is the first time 've ever had the chance to perform in it...so I'm pretty excited, albiet exhausted from the schedule I've kept this week. I'll try and get pictures, but since I don't have anybody to come watch me here I have to put some effort into that. Stay posted!

"I am so smart...SMRT..."

For those of you who don't know...the above is quoted by Homer, Homer Simpson that is...

Anywho - obviously, I figured out how to fix my 'migrating' page info. Found a very helpful blogsite.

Yeah for being proactive!

Crazy...

I seriously am losing my mind. I'm actually so tired I can't sleep. That ever happen to anyone else? Between coaching at 6:30 am, Fire dept. meetings, and performing in The Nutcracker, (never mind chores, hay, grading papers, etc...) I believe I have actually lost track of what day it is. I cannot wait until break! Than I can run around like a crazy person in Michigan instead of Colorado. Fun! Seems I may actually have something to do over New Year's too! Was invited to a roping in Las Vegas, NM with some friend's I haven't seen in forever. Should be way fun!

Excuse my mini-rambling episode. Trying to get sleepy.

Oh yeah - anybody know why all my profile stuff is down at the bottom of the page? It's happened before and usually I just change some settings and I thought stuff was too wide this time, but nothing I do fixes it. Help!

Fun Stuff

I can't believe how motivated I've been this week! I got school Chritmas cards out, my cards to send out almost finished, a scrpbook as a gift done, pictures of Kelly's babies dressed up for Christmas taken and printed out, senior papers graded, a graduate paper I've been trying to start started, and cheer practice for out tourny this weekend every evening! Yeah me!

I thought I'd share some pictures of the foals all dressed up and of me and Dixie trying to have our picture taken for Chritmas cards. A friend came over last night and attempted to help me organize my dogs for a picture. Maverick kept try to eat Sedona's santa hat, Sedona kept attacking Mav's reindeer antlers, and Dixie kept jumping on the both of them...so I gave up. Could have been cute, but no. So we decided to get a picture of me and Dixie for the cards instead. Dixie was a bit uncooperative, as you can see from the following set of 'bloopers'...but we DID get a good pic that will be sent out on the cards I am mailing early next week! Check out Dixie's facial expressions through the whole ordeal...

Ahhhhhh! Ha, ha, ha....

Admit it, you are ALL laughing at this!

Sick, I know. Just thought I'd share a little cowboy humor. I just recently saw 'Brokeback' for the first time...I had to work up to it. I'll never be able to hear one of these phrases without laughing again...

Feel the Burn!

Burning thighs, windchapped skin, dehydration headache, lack of oxygen...not to mention fresh, boot deep powder and backcountry, empty runs...Yup! Couldn't love it more...My ski season has officially started! I know I'm a bit late for Colorado, but seeing as I haven't been home and really busy otherwise, this isn't too bad. Monarch was open less than I week before I managed to get there! It doesn't have snow-machines, so they have to wait until something piles up! The day was perfect, but overcast and snowy, which only called for more powder! It actually was perfect, because where it had been groomed was a hard snowpack, and where it hadn't, deep powder. It was like skiing back at Ripley...good choices and a good challenge! The pictures don't do the hill justice. It is an UNBELIEVABLE view from up there! Seeing as that I have a season pass, I'll be back and get some pics to show you all what I mean! Here is just a preview looking down the hill. I'm about 3/4 of the way down this run. That's the parking lot waaayyyy down at the bottom.

Today was a bit of a chore...literally. I have a ton of Forestry work I'm supposed to be getting done, but decided I really need to move some hay today first, and good thing I did! A storm rolled in about 3:00, just as I was unloading the last bit of hay. Not much snow, but I'm sure the hills got hammered once again! I may say to hell with work tomorrow and go skiing instead! I also had the fun chore of trying to de-freeze the stock tanks. Despite having heaters, one continues to freeze. I put a new heater in it today, so we'll see how it goes. Normally the sun warms things enough during the day to thaw everything out, but we had a REAL cold spell a few nights ago and one pump froze solid. I got it thawed out with a blowtourch, brought the float into the house to thaw, and now have water again. Keep your fingers crossed for me I'm not repeating this procedure everyday.

I am exhausted though. Screw this "I am woman, hear me roar" feminist bullcrap. I have the calluses to prove it, I CAN do it by myself. Do I want to? No way in hell. This sucks. Somebody send me a man with muscles I can appreciate. Please?


Some of you asked how I stay in shape... I loaded that pickup and trailer on my own. Thank you very much! That's a little over three tons there (6000+ lbs) that I loaded and then UNLOADED by myself. That's 12,000+ lbs altogether. Oh, each bale is about 70 lbs each as well. About 30 bales to a ton, well, you do the math. Lots of lifts, squats and swearing....I'd much rather go for a run if somebody would help me! Any takers? *REALLY big sigh* Oh well. Did I mention I hurt? LOL