Alright, you’ve got that big show coming up and you’re prepared in just about every way possible to go for the gold, but there’s one problem: you haven’t cleaned your tack.
Any equestrian will tell you that you don’t have a chance of placing in competition if your tack doesn’t have that certain shine the judges are looking for. Not sure how to get it? Well don’t you fret my friend; I have a simple guide of how to quickly achieve that sparkle that’ll bring you home the gold.
1.First, gather all of your supplies. The last thing you need to do is be covered in soap or oil and have to go stumbling through the stable looking for things. The essentials include: Two small buckets filled with warm water, a rag, a sponge, some form of mouthwash (I suggest Listerine, the horses seem to like that the best), glycerin soap, oils for the leather and polish.
2.After you’ve gathered everything you need it’s time to lay out your tack. Keep your saddle on a saddle rack and be sure to take off your leathers and irons. At this point you can through your irons in one of the buckets of water to begin soaking. Hang your leathers off the side of the saddle rack.
3.Next, you want to prepare your bridle for cleaning by taking it apart as well and hanging it from the saddle rack.
4.Pour mouthwash into the opposite bucket that your irons are soaking in and place your bits in to soak.
5.Pour some soap in with your irons, dampen a sponge and begin cleaning them. Be sure to remove the rubber pads and clean under those as well; You know judges are crazy and will look anywhere they can for the slightest sign of dirt.
6.Once finished with your irons hang them out to dry and begin the process of wiping down your saddle.
7.After scrubbing down your saddle, proceed to do the same to all of the pieces of your bridle. Be sure to pay special attention to cheek pieces and the browband as these are the areas that accumulate the most sweat and dirt.
8.After scrubbing everything down, pour some leather oil on your rag and begin working it into the leather of the bridle and saddle
9.After allowing some time for the oil to soak in, add a leather polish to your saddle and bridle.
10.Allow ample drying time for the polish to dry and proceed to put everything back together.
Helpful tips:
Never use soap on a bit. Your horse will refuse to take it and it is also dangerous because you never know if you got all of the soap off.
Toothbrushes work great in areas you’re really having trouble getting dirt and grime off.
If you’re having a really hard time making your bit and irons shine, put them in the dishwasher. Yes, I’m aware that it sounds ridiculous, but trust me nothing works better! Just be sure to soak your bits in mouthwash after you wash them.
*Posted for credit for JRN212
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Lovely Bones
So it would seem that the tragic comedy known as my life has kept me from updating my ever so lonesome blog. However, all of that is about to change because classes have started up again and you know what that means- mandatory blogging. I suppose that isn’t such a bad thing, after all I do need SOMETHING to get my butt in gear in keeping up with this thing. I was doing quite well until my trip to Florida; things seemed to tumble downhill from there. Anyhow, I do believe I have a specific topic I should be blogging about, is that not correct? Ah, yes, a literary classic.
The previous “literary classic” I wrote of was not in fact any sort of literary classic at all and that is indeed going to be the same with this post. It’s a new book that I have been absolutely enthralled with, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.
Sebold takes such an interesting point of view while telling this tragic tale of a 14-year-old girl, Susie, who was raped and murdered by a man in her neighborhood. The book opens up with Susie in her own personal heaven. Her heaven is different from other people’s heaven, but they all seem to intertwine flawlessly. Susie is telling her story and watching as her family is trying desperately to unravel the mystery of what happened to her. This is both saddening and frustrating for Susie to watch due to the fact that her family begins to make some interesting choices while uncovering the truth of her death.
I love the fact that the author chooses to use the narrative voice throughout the entire book, not many authors choose to do so nowadays. It flows perfectly with the story and really lets you into the mind of the victim. You see the grief, confusion and constant struggle of dealing with what happened. The question of “Why?” comes up time after time, which had the result of me asking myself that very same question. If I were in that situation would I have been naïve enough to make the choices that Susie had made? I like the fact that the author gets you thinking and keeps your brain working throughout the story while also keeping you very connected with the characters.
This book has also caused quite a bit controversy, however. The fact that it deals with the afterlife and Susie having her own personal heaven has caused quite a stir in the religious community. “To me, the idea of heaven would give you certain pleasures, certain joys - but it's very important to have an intellectual understanding of why you want those things,” Sebold explains. “It's also about discovery, and being able to come to the conclusions that elude you in life. So it's from the most simplistic things - Susie wants a duplex - to larger things, like being able to understand why her mother was always slightly distant from her.” Sebold has also stated that the book is not intended to be religious, "but if people want to take things and interpret them, then I can't do anything about that. It is a book that has faith and hope and giant universal themes in it, but it's not meant to be, 'This is the way you should look at the afterlife'” [1]
After reading the book Peter Jackson fell in love with the story as well as the characters and has transformed this “literary classic” into a movie that will be released in the near future.
___________________________________________________
1 (Viner, Katharine; August 24, 2002; "Above and Beyond: Interview with Alice Sebold"; The Guardian; retrieved April 4, 2007)
*Posted for credit for JRN 212
The previous “literary classic” I wrote of was not in fact any sort of literary classic at all and that is indeed going to be the same with this post. It’s a new book that I have been absolutely enthralled with, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.
Sebold takes such an interesting point of view while telling this tragic tale of a 14-year-old girl, Susie, who was raped and murdered by a man in her neighborhood. The book opens up with Susie in her own personal heaven. Her heaven is different from other people’s heaven, but they all seem to intertwine flawlessly. Susie is telling her story and watching as her family is trying desperately to unravel the mystery of what happened to her. This is both saddening and frustrating for Susie to watch due to the fact that her family begins to make some interesting choices while uncovering the truth of her death.
I love the fact that the author chooses to use the narrative voice throughout the entire book, not many authors choose to do so nowadays. It flows perfectly with the story and really lets you into the mind of the victim. You see the grief, confusion and constant struggle of dealing with what happened. The question of “Why?” comes up time after time, which had the result of me asking myself that very same question. If I were in that situation would I have been naïve enough to make the choices that Susie had made? I like the fact that the author gets you thinking and keeps your brain working throughout the story while also keeping you very connected with the characters.
This book has also caused quite a bit controversy, however. The fact that it deals with the afterlife and Susie having her own personal heaven has caused quite a stir in the religious community. “To me, the idea of heaven would give you certain pleasures, certain joys - but it's very important to have an intellectual understanding of why you want those things,” Sebold explains. “It's also about discovery, and being able to come to the conclusions that elude you in life. So it's from the most simplistic things - Susie wants a duplex - to larger things, like being able to understand why her mother was always slightly distant from her.” Sebold has also stated that the book is not intended to be religious, "but if people want to take things and interpret them, then I can't do anything about that. It is a book that has faith and hope and giant universal themes in it, but it's not meant to be, 'This is the way you should look at the afterlife'” [1]
After reading the book Peter Jackson fell in love with the story as well as the characters and has transformed this “literary classic” into a movie that will be released in the near future.
___________________________________________________
1 (Viner, Katharine; August 24, 2002; "Above and Beyond: Interview with Alice Sebold"; The Guardian; retrieved April 4, 2007)
*Posted for credit for JRN 212
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Simplicity in a complicated world
Karl Barth, who has gained a reputation as being a great theologian and who wrote a study on the book of Romans which revolutionized theology only a few decades ago, was once asked, “What is the greatest theological thought that has ever crossed your mind?” One would expect a very long, in depth, complicated answer, but his was this: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” That is the simplicity that is in Christ.
It is easy to lose that in the midst of Christian activity or bible studies. One can become so involved in the captivating aspects of Scripture and give themselves over to a lifetime of Bible study only to end up losing the simplicity they have in Christ. So many great theologians have lost this concept and that of Christ is with you and that is enough.
“This is the beautiful, ‘simplicity that is in Jesus,’” Barth continued. “In Corinth they were assaulted with these teachers who were exposing them to things that caught their attention, but they were drifting from that central point. They were involved with fascinating philosophies based on the Word of God, but which went off on side tracks and rabbit paths of thought. They were being challenged with certain ego-appealing experiences, which if they could just grasp would make them feel so great, so wonderful, so God-possessed -- just like people today who are invited to explore strange and wonderful mysteries all involved with Christian faith -- but which tend to move them away from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
Now, before you go filling my inbox with complaints, know this: I am by no means suggesting that Christ is simple- He is far from it. What I am saying though is that there is a certain simplicity that we have in Him that so many people seem to be losing sight of today. I think Barth put it well. Oh look at that, I threw my opinion in there. I guess the whole blog is ruined,huh? Oh well, such is my life...
It is easy to lose that in the midst of Christian activity or bible studies. One can become so involved in the captivating aspects of Scripture and give themselves over to a lifetime of Bible study only to end up losing the simplicity they have in Christ. So many great theologians have lost this concept and that of Christ is with you and that is enough.
“This is the beautiful, ‘simplicity that is in Jesus,’” Barth continued. “In Corinth they were assaulted with these teachers who were exposing them to things that caught their attention, but they were drifting from that central point. They were involved with fascinating philosophies based on the Word of God, but which went off on side tracks and rabbit paths of thought. They were being challenged with certain ego-appealing experiences, which if they could just grasp would make them feel so great, so wonderful, so God-possessed -- just like people today who are invited to explore strange and wonderful mysteries all involved with Christian faith -- but which tend to move them away from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
Now, before you go filling my inbox with complaints, know this: I am by no means suggesting that Christ is simple- He is far from it. What I am saying though is that there is a certain simplicity that we have in Him that so many people seem to be losing sight of today. I think Barth put it well. Oh look at that, I threw my opinion in there. I guess the whole blog is ruined,huh? Oh well, such is my life...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The doctor is in...
Recently I had one of my usual therapy sessions with my good friend, Twitty. I so look forward to these talks. We rant, we rave, we plot revenge against those who annoy us, we share things on our minds that we would not necessarily ever admit were there to others and enjoy one another’s friendship for a time. I myself was long over due for one of our little sessions and he expressed he was as well, so I hopped into his suburban, popped open my can of Arizona Raspberry Iced Tea (his treat of course), he his bottle of Dr. Pepper and we set off for what was indeed going to be a enticing ride to visit another long lost friend whom we had not seen in a year.
We began with the typical surface level conversation of “How do you do?” and our usual rant about how it’d been far too long since our previous session with one another. After spilling the latest drama in my life and he of his and rocking out to a few Taylor Swift songs we of course meandered onto the topic of our ever so excitingly dull dating lives. Neither of us has dated much; I have had one horrendous excuse for a relationship and he has endeavored on a few nightmares of his own. We spoke of our troubles, our lessons learned and discovered once again we have so much in common when it comes to what we are looking for at this point of our lives. He called me out on issues I was facing and I so kindly returned the favor.
*Side note- I tell ya, friendships where you can truly call one another out like that are hard to find, so when you’re lucky enough to come across one, take advantage of it and enjoy it for all it’s worth.
After what would seem like endless complaining and whining, on both our parts, we came to the conclusion that we are happy with where we are currently stationed in our lives. However, things always seem to be getting rushed by those around us who attempt to push us towards what they feel is right and what is considered to be the “norm” for our individual situations. Although, I suppose we cannot blame others for our predicaments, though we sure like to try and have become rather skilled at doing so. Sometimes though, however much we hate to admit it, we were just bored and ended up getting ourselves in a little deeper than we originally anticipated. Well, we both agreed that this pattern is coming to an abrupt end. We listened intently to one another’s stories, made fun of each other where needed and gave some level-headed, heart-felt advice on our specific situations. He set my head straight after knocking me on my butt and intends to make sure it stays that way. I’d like to say that our little heart-to-heart went deeper and we truly grew in who we are, our friendship began to blossom and yada yada yada, but Crazy Frog’s “I Like To Move It” came on and well- we like to move it! *Cue rock out dance party session*
We began with the typical surface level conversation of “How do you do?” and our usual rant about how it’d been far too long since our previous session with one another. After spilling the latest drama in my life and he of his and rocking out to a few Taylor Swift songs we of course meandered onto the topic of our ever so excitingly dull dating lives. Neither of us has dated much; I have had one horrendous excuse for a relationship and he has endeavored on a few nightmares of his own. We spoke of our troubles, our lessons learned and discovered once again we have so much in common when it comes to what we are looking for at this point of our lives. He called me out on issues I was facing and I so kindly returned the favor.
*Side note- I tell ya, friendships where you can truly call one another out like that are hard to find, so when you’re lucky enough to come across one, take advantage of it and enjoy it for all it’s worth.
After what would seem like endless complaining and whining, on both our parts, we came to the conclusion that we are happy with where we are currently stationed in our lives. However, things always seem to be getting rushed by those around us who attempt to push us towards what they feel is right and what is considered to be the “norm” for our individual situations. Although, I suppose we cannot blame others for our predicaments, though we sure like to try and have become rather skilled at doing so. Sometimes though, however much we hate to admit it, we were just bored and ended up getting ourselves in a little deeper than we originally anticipated. Well, we both agreed that this pattern is coming to an abrupt end. We listened intently to one another’s stories, made fun of each other where needed and gave some level-headed, heart-felt advice on our specific situations. He set my head straight after knocking me on my butt and intends to make sure it stays that way. I’d like to say that our little heart-to-heart went deeper and we truly grew in who we are, our friendship began to blossom and yada yada yada, but Crazy Frog’s “I Like To Move It” came on and well- we like to move it! *Cue rock out dance party session*
Friday, July 31, 2009
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
Hello,
My name is Katie and I fail at blogging.
At the beginning of the summer I decided I was going to be a good blog owner for once in my life and actually get this thing up and running. I set goals to post once a week, to get Andrew to help me out with some design work on it and to really get serious about keeping up with it. As you can see, those goals crashed and burned. Well, maybe not, seeing as how they would have to be put in motion in order to crash and the poor things never even got off the ground.
I’ve always struggled with the idea of blogging. I’m a very open person when it comes to conversing with friends, coworkers, classmates and so on, but when it comes to writing out my thoughts and prayers I am very private about all of it. Putting my thoughts out there for everyone to read has just never been a comforting feeling. Although, perhaps sometimes I’m just plain lazy and don’t feel like taking ten minutes out of my daily time spent on Facebook to type up a short blurb of what’s been on my mind. I suppose that’s a gift I simply wasn’t born with, but one in which I mostly certainly should strive to obtain.
So, here it goes, I am publicly setting my goal right now. I am going to blog at least once a week from here on out.
Now if I fail everyone will get to know about it- such is my life, I suppose.
My name is Katie and I fail at blogging.
At the beginning of the summer I decided I was going to be a good blog owner for once in my life and actually get this thing up and running. I set goals to post once a week, to get Andrew to help me out with some design work on it and to really get serious about keeping up with it. As you can see, those goals crashed and burned. Well, maybe not, seeing as how they would have to be put in motion in order to crash and the poor things never even got off the ground.
I’ve always struggled with the idea of blogging. I’m a very open person when it comes to conversing with friends, coworkers, classmates and so on, but when it comes to writing out my thoughts and prayers I am very private about all of it. Putting my thoughts out there for everyone to read has just never been a comforting feeling. Although, perhaps sometimes I’m just plain lazy and don’t feel like taking ten minutes out of my daily time spent on Facebook to type up a short blurb of what’s been on my mind. I suppose that’s a gift I simply wasn’t born with, but one in which I mostly certainly should strive to obtain.
So, here it goes, I am publicly setting my goal right now. I am going to blog at least once a week from here on out.
Now if I fail everyone will get to know about it- such is my life, I suppose.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
F.I.N.A.L.S.
Oh the joys of writing my final blog and closing out my first year of writing with the Angelos team. It’s been fun working with all of you! Thank you for all of the awesome memories and tremendous growth.
I suppose I should get to talking about that “literary classic” now, shouldn’t I? Now most people would not consider this book to be a literary classic. It is not on the same level as Pride and Predigest or The Scarlet Letter, but it is however the book that initially got me interested in writing. I chose to write about a recent book I have read. That book would of course be one of my all-time favorites- Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. This book absolutely grabs the reader’s attention like none other. The book takes you back in time to a “simpler time”, but leaves you with the realization that this could very well happen in today’s world as well, in fact there’s a new TV series that kinda plays off of this story line, Haper’s Island.
The author does an amazing job of flawlessly leading you down paths and kills off the murderer within the first few chapters of the book, which indeed throws the story line into a new playing field. It teases your brain and keeps it involved.
I personally have always been a fan of the background given on all of the characters and how in depth they go. The author really makes you feel for these people. It’s also kind of twisted at some points like how the murder recreates a scene from a girl’s past and she ends up hanging herself because of it, thus he did not “murder” her.
The book starts off fairly light-heartedly though, before the deaths start occurring. One by one each character “pays for their sins” with their lives, each in according to their own “sin”. At the end of the book a note is found by police explaining why all of the deaths occurred and what had become of the murderer. The reason behind the deaths is absolutely enticing. It makes you realize that you have a lot of power as a person and that it could very easily be abused.
I very much admire Christie’s writing skills and how she keeps such flawless track of the story line. I would very much recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery. I read mysteries all the time and have often been able to figure out plot lines because of how many I have read, but this book changed all of that. It was the first time the author was able to confuse me, yet keep me interested at the same time. Once you pick this book up I guarantee you will not be able to put it down.
*Posted for credit for JRN 412
I suppose I should get to talking about that “literary classic” now, shouldn’t I? Now most people would not consider this book to be a literary classic. It is not on the same level as Pride and Predigest or The Scarlet Letter, but it is however the book that initially got me interested in writing. I chose to write about a recent book I have read. That book would of course be one of my all-time favorites- Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. This book absolutely grabs the reader’s attention like none other. The book takes you back in time to a “simpler time”, but leaves you with the realization that this could very well happen in today’s world as well, in fact there’s a new TV series that kinda plays off of this story line, Haper’s Island.
The author does an amazing job of flawlessly leading you down paths and kills off the murderer within the first few chapters of the book, which indeed throws the story line into a new playing field. It teases your brain and keeps it involved.
I personally have always been a fan of the background given on all of the characters and how in depth they go. The author really makes you feel for these people. It’s also kind of twisted at some points like how the murder recreates a scene from a girl’s past and she ends up hanging herself because of it, thus he did not “murder” her.
The book starts off fairly light-heartedly though, before the deaths start occurring. One by one each character “pays for their sins” with their lives, each in according to their own “sin”. At the end of the book a note is found by police explaining why all of the deaths occurred and what had become of the murderer. The reason behind the deaths is absolutely enticing. It makes you realize that you have a lot of power as a person and that it could very easily be abused.
I very much admire Christie’s writing skills and how she keeps such flawless track of the story line. I would very much recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery. I read mysteries all the time and have often been able to figure out plot lines because of how many I have read, but this book changed all of that. It was the first time the author was able to confuse me, yet keep me interested at the same time. Once you pick this book up I guarantee you will not be able to put it down.
*Posted for credit for JRN 412
Sunday, March 1, 2009
How to...
Straight hair is in. There’s only one problem, you were cursed (or blessed depending on what type of curls you have) with curly or wavy hair. I'm tempted to give you the lecture on accepting yourself just as you are, but I'll bite my tongue for now and give you a step by step guide on how to straighten your hair instead:
1. Wash and condition your hair as usual. Conditioning is very important- it helps protect your hair against the heat.
2. Towel dry your hair by gently blotting hair with the towel. Remember that wet hair is more vulnerable to damage so be gentle with your hair when it is wet.
3. Put a protective product on your hair, such as Biosilk hair straightening gel or Pantene frizz control with added conditioner, before you blow dry your hair. Make sure you dry the heck out of your locks!
4. If you use a straightening product, which I suggest you do, put it on your hair now and distribute evenly.
5. Now here comes the fun part. Plug in your trusty flat iron and while it heats up brush out your hair and separate it into layers and sections.
6. Using a brush or comb, select a small segment of hair from the bottom section that you did not put up. Hold it out straight and run the flat iron over the section starting at you scalp and working down. If you have thicker curls it is best to go slow or repeat the process several times.
7. Never spend too much time in one spot. You could fry your hair and who wants to deal with split ends anyway?
8. When you are finished with one layer repeat the process until you have finished all of your hair.
9. When you are finished straightening, style your hair until you get that hot chic look you’ve been wishing you were born with.
10. Spray in some volumizing hair spray and show your new luscious locks off to the world!
*Posted for credit for JRN 412
1. Wash and condition your hair as usual. Conditioning is very important- it helps protect your hair against the heat.
2. Towel dry your hair by gently blotting hair with the towel. Remember that wet hair is more vulnerable to damage so be gentle with your hair when it is wet.
3. Put a protective product on your hair, such as Biosilk hair straightening gel or Pantene frizz control with added conditioner, before you blow dry your hair. Make sure you dry the heck out of your locks!
4. If you use a straightening product, which I suggest you do, put it on your hair now and distribute evenly.
5. Now here comes the fun part. Plug in your trusty flat iron and while it heats up brush out your hair and separate it into layers and sections.
6. Using a brush or comb, select a small segment of hair from the bottom section that you did not put up. Hold it out straight and run the flat iron over the section starting at you scalp and working down. If you have thicker curls it is best to go slow or repeat the process several times.
7. Never spend too much time in one spot. You could fry your hair and who wants to deal with split ends anyway?
8. When you are finished with one layer repeat the process until you have finished all of your hair.
9. When you are finished straightening, style your hair until you get that hot chic look you’ve been wishing you were born with.
10. Spray in some volumizing hair spray and show your new luscious locks off to the world!
*Posted for credit for JRN 412
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