OK, he's really a horse, but calling him a pony is fun. His name is Lamont (registered name is JS Magnum's Blu Shado, bonus point to anyone who knows why we would call him Lamont). He's turning 6 in April. He's 15.3 hands (that's 63 inches) high, and his color is called grullo (pronounced "grew-yo"). He is a half Arabian (mom was a paint, dad was Arab). I've been having so much fun with him that I haven't taken any photos, but here are some that Lee took the day we picked him up in Phoenix.
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Here's a big "Thanks" to everyone who made it to the wedding, a big "We missed you!" to those who couldn't, and a huge "Wah! It's not fair!" to all those we wanted to invite but just couldn't due to our tiny budget.
In the interest of simplicity, here are links to photos. First, the wedding photos. These were all taken by Autumn, of Autumn's Imagery, who is fabulous.
For our mini-moon we took a short trip north to Durango, ... |
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| The balloons came directly over the condos this morning. See the photos at my picasa page. (url fixed!) ... |
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We will miss you, Chairman.
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Time for updates!
The kitchen is finished, as well as the new floors. Of course ,the floor has been finished for a long time, but I've been too lazy to post about it. The kitchen took FOREVER to be 99% complete. I say 99% because we are still waiting for a replacement for the scratched valance over the sink. I'm not holding my breath. Lee has some photos of the kitchen and the bike closet on his Picasa page: Kitchen Remodel
We got a little Senegal Parrot and named her Dr. Bernice. Here she ... |
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The cabinets arrived, and they are going in over the weekend. Here's the progress so far:
Obviously, some work remains, but I think they will be able to finish the rest on Sunday. Lee, his mom and dad, and I went out today and picked out the wood-laminate floor Lee's dad will be installing, and the tile for the bathroom floor. Lee's dad is so funny, he gets so excited about projects. He keeps asking me if I want to do other stuff, like re-texture ALL the walls. ... |
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Sheetrock is in, including the ceiling; the ceiling was that ugly "popcorn" stuff, but they removed that. The sheetrock guys only cut through one wire, which the electrician fixed promptly. I'm hoping tape and texture will be done tomorrow. The right side of the photo shows the bike closet, no doors yet.
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We had some miniature horses come into our classroom for a lab last week! They were really well behaved, and were very patient with 16 students handling them. Here they are with their "mom and dad."
That photo is looking into the old "dining area" after the dividing wall was removed (that's the wall and other sundry demolition materials piled up). So far they have removed all the old cabinets, appliances, and plumbing; removed the divider wall; installed new electrical outlets to get it up to code; removed the electrical wiring that used to be in the divider wall; ... |
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Yes, that's our balcony! Festivus for the rest of us. It's been a long long while since I updated, so here's the news: Skool it out for winter! I have one more week of vacation before we start again, after a total of five weeks off. I've been doing nothing but sleeping, reading, and doing wedding-planning junk, including designing my gown, which I am sewing. And no, it's not going to look anything like my past Halloween costumes.
Skool starts on January 14, and I will have 6 weeks of clinicals at ... |
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Here's a photo of the "real" ring. This is not my actual ring, but a picture off the website. The center stone in my ring is a blue sapphire, but the side diamonds are the same color blue as this photo. Just imagine a brighter, more royal-blue center stone:
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I can't think of a witty way to introduce this, so I'll just blurt it out: Lee and I are engaged.
Yeah, I know! I can hear you all yelling, "SHUT UP!," but it's true.
We've been talking about it for a little while, and looking at rings online and stuff, and Lee has been teasing me about not being able to decide if he would buy one or not. Last night we went out to dinner, as a late birthday dinner for Lee, who turned 28 on Tuesday. After we were about finished eating, Lee ... |
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So, the Fat-Asses (namely, Chairman, Stan, and Oscar) have been relentlessly stealing Mamacat's food. They will risk their very lives (at the hands of Lee) to sidle up to her bowl and nibble her kibble. It's not enough that we keep her food in the bedroom (along with a fabulously stylish pooper-box of her very own); they come from all sides when they hear that rattle in the food bowl.
Enter THE FOOD BOX.
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The Veterinary Technology students all went to the Albuquerque Zoo this past Thursday. We got to tour the awesome clinic there, and then had the rest of the day to spend wandering the zoo. Lee took the afternoon off and met me there after our class was "set free" after the clinic tour.
Lions, tigers, and bears:
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Lee and Tom at the Jay Benson Triathlon in Albuquerque:
| Mama on the left, Oscar "the floof" on the right, wondering why she doesn't love him. ... |
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Here's me on Zipper, Lee's dad's new horse. Zipper was basically abandoned with Lee's dad, John, by her previous owner. The owner was moving and asked John to hold Zipper and a gelding, just for a while. He never came back. So, John sold the gelding and kept little Zip, the mare. I went and tried out a new saddle on her (it was a demo, I didn't buy it). My stirrups are WAY too high in the photo, so no giggling at my bad seat. Anyway, Zipper is nice little horse, and very easy-going for being only 5 years ... |
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Guess which state has three cities in the top ten of the WebMD "cleanest air" list? Dat's right! Nuevo Mexico: Cleaner than the old Mexico.
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OK, so I've been super lazy. Or busy. Or something. I have updates about December's trip to Baja, caving news, home news, and school!
MEXICO
Over Christmas, Lee and I went to see my mom in Baja California, Mexico. She has a house on the beach there, in a little town called Colonia Vicente Guerrero. We drove from Albuquerque in my new (at the time) car, a Scion xA. I decided I needed a car that seats more than 2 people and gets better gas mileage than old Whitey V (the pickup). Don't worry, I still have ... |
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It's a popular question, so here's the skinny!
Last semester I got all A's. Coolest parts of last semester: dissecting a cow's eyeball and a sheep's brain, and learning to take blood from a live dog. Worst part: being forced to volunteer, as part of our grades.
This semester, I am taking Anatomy and Physiology II, Surgical Technology, Radiography, and a really boring and inane "office skills" lab. Three hours of crap I already know how to do, pretty much. Coolest parts of the semester so far: dissecting cat muscles (you, too, can ... |
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Yes, we get snow in the high desert! Tomorrow, Lee and I are off to Baja to visit my mom, so I leave you all with this chilly photo taken from my balcony.
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We have a balcony decorating contest at my condos every x-mas, and this year I decided to participate, by using traditional New Mexican luminarias. I don't think I'm going to win.
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I hope they allow marriage between fairies soon.
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Good news for me! I have been accepted into the Veterinary Technology program at Central NM Community College. For those not in the know, Vet Techs are basically nurses for animals. I will start in September, and will be taking classes in Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Dosage Calculations, Vet Medical Terminology, Vet Office Skills (like I haven't done office work for the last freakin' 12 years), and Intro to Vet Tech; I guess that's where they point and say, "caaaaat, dooooog...good job!" So, the first semester is going to be easy. Once I'm done with the program, ... |
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I went to my first triathlon this past weekend. As a spectator, of course, because I'm lazy! I've been seeing a "nice young man" named Lee, who does triathlons with his friend Tom, and I went with them to Farmington NM to be Team Beefcake's photographer. Their friend Shane came too, and took other pics on his film camera, and provided entertainment for the other spectators by screaming "beefcake!" Here they are the day before the race; Lee is on the left and Tom is on the right. The three fingers mean they have completed three races so far. ... |
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Well, I've canceled the purchase of the 40 acres in Tajique. A couple of days ago, I got an email from Martha, telling me that the second surveyor had been hurt and went on "extended sick leave" in Oregon! OK, I made the offer in early February, and five months later, nothing has happened. I'm disappointed in how Martha has handled this. If she can't get a simple land deal done in five months, I no longer feel like letting her earn money off of me. There's lots of land available around here, so I'm going to keep ... |
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In my Biology class, we are learning about cell respiration. I needed to study it over the weekend, and I thought to myself, "Self, you need to draw this out where you can see it a lot." I thought about drawing the steps on pieces of paper and hanging them up somewhere, but they wouldn't be big enough. So I got out a lipstick I hate, and did this:
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Mark came to visit, yay! We took a couple of road trips, one even international.
Here are some more photos of El Malpais. First, views from the sandstone overlook.
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Happy mother's day, mama. I miss you! ... |
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I've joined the league of the over-equipped photographers. I bought a digital SLR. That basically means a "35 mm" camera, with exchangeable lenses, but it's digital. It's a Konica/Minolta 7D, and it's freakin' complicated. I'm RTFM, and I'm reaching brain overload. To steal a quip from someone else, it's like "taking snapshots with NASA ground control." Good news is, all my existing Minolta lenses fit, plus it came with an 18-70 mm lens. It's definitely not the best of the digital SLRs—I can't afford such—but it'll do, pig.
So here's ... |
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He's just big boned. And you're just jealous 'cuz he's all buff.
OK, really, he's not that fat! He just tends to spread when laying down. ... |
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| I got jealous of Mike's cross-country trip, so I took a little trip of my own over the weekend, to El Malpais National Monument. El Malpais means "the bad country" in Spanish, and when you see the land, you understand the name. It's covered by a huge lava bed; you can get an idea of how big it is by looking at an aerial view. I took some photos with my film camera, so as soon as I pick up the CD from the developer, I will post the best shots. Until then, ... |
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People ask me, "how expensive is Santa Fe?"
Presented for your perusal, from The New Mexico Real Estate Blog
"This wonderful Santa Fe condo is a huge 1,278 square feet (about the size of a large two car garage). Does have nice views but is only one bedroom (forget about company staying over) and a one car garage. I guess with one bedroom, who needs two cars, unless you're married. It is a steal at: $699,000
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Or, "Why I'm glad I sold my Virginia condo when I did."
This is a picture of a bench outside of a condo building in Fairfax, VA:
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If truth be told, we have a new surveyor who is "more than half done" with the survey of the Acres. If I can get off my ass tomorrow, I will drive out to see if I can at least find some flags or some other evidence of actual work being done. This guy has the same name as a man who used to be the Zoning and Planning Coordinator for Torrance County. If it's the same guy, I have no idea if that is good or bad :-) I'll try to get some info out of the current ... |
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I've had a few people ask, "what's with the Infidel stuff?" I'll skip the lengthy explanation, and provide you with some simple definitions. All three fit, but I'd say that #3 is the most accurate, especially when applied to the "gimme gimme" doctrine of our consumerist America.
- An unbeliever with respect to a particular religion, especially Christianity or Islam.
- One who has no religious beliefs.
- One who doubts or rejects a particular doctrine, system, or principle.
Discuss amongst yourselves. ... |
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| I've been bugging Martha (the R.E. agent) about when we are going to close on the acres. The hold up all along has been the surveyor. He told Martha he was working on it, but then started bugging her for more money up-front (the seller is paying for this, BTW). She refused, and then found out that he had done nothing! This is two months after I made the offer on the property. So, Martha is finding another surveyor, and hopefully we can get this done quickly. Looking on the bright side, I guess this is allowing my ... |
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Drugged pets! I volunteer at a vet clinic, which is located at an animal shelter in Albuquerque. I get to take care of the animals as they come out of surgery; I take vital signs, remove their tracheal tubes, keep them warm, and just make sure they are coming around ok. Here's what they look like:
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| A little about Torrance county, where Infidel Acres will be located. I absolutely love this. Looks like they've had enough of "city folk" moving to the country, and then complaining that it smells like cow shit. ... |
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Copyright 2005 http://BLOG.INFIDELACRES.COM. All rights reserved. |
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