At this time next Friday, I will be on my way to Hawaii. I AM A LITTLE EXCITED. I've already started packing, and I have a book with many things highlighted in it, and I've been obsessively checking the extended weather forecast for Kauai for...well, an embarrassingly long time, but finally days are showing up on it when I will actually be there and I kind of stare at it in fascination and want to die of joy.

Pepe Le Pew sent me a Target gift card (I guess he forgot to leave the money on the dresser) and I used it to get important things for my trip, like blister band-aids and nausea medication, and also a book! I bought The Hunger Games, and, fandom, if we have another Big Bang Theory situation on our hands here, I will cut you. Actually, I will maybe finally stop listening to your opinions on television shows and books, but I'll thinking about knives while I ignore you. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED, fandom. That book better be awesome!

LET'S SEE IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE I CAN LINK TO.

It is Friday, which is awesome, and Sunday is Halloween, which is even more awesome! I actually kind of miss the days when I used to change my journal layout for Halloween. (And St. Patrick's Day, and Shark Week, and anything else that came to mind. I clearly had much more time on my hands back then.)

We are going to a haunted house or maybe a haunted woods, or maybe both, tonight or tomorrow and there is a dinner also at some point this weekend, and then on Sunday we are having a Halloween party at the barn and I am making a disgusting bloodshot eyeball cake (motivated by RECENT TRAUMATIZING EVENTS), which will actually be a red velvet bundt cake with cream cheese frosting and red icing squiggles. My mom is dressing Logan up as a Chippendales dancer, so I guess my costume is going to be "horse owner dying of shame." >_< Then later on Sunday is the Walking Dead on the big screen thing.

Is anyone going to anything? Dressing up? Going to TP old lady Kratchovil's house? (If you're looking for costume ideas, I've got some Chippendales dancer stuff you can have. May need to be adjusted for fit.)

Lastly, thank you to Anonymous, who sent me a shiny red toy car for my LJ profile. <3 <3

Count von Count would like you to know that over at Dreamwidth this post has comments! Ah ha ha ha ha!

I am back! So. On top of everything else that was screwing with my internet access, my laptop died. It was all very traumatic, but luckily I did not really lose anything because I never trusted it to begin with, and thus had nothing stored on it.

I did end up getting, with help from my mom and my aunt, a cheap new laptop. Because it is a million years newer than my old laptop, it is blazing fast and amazing, despite being what passes for low-end these days.

And I've now also finally solved the home internet access issue, and no longer need to rely on the mobile hotspot on my phone (with a 5GB monthly limit!) like I did for a while there. Connecting to the hotspot involved repeated attempts to make the laptop and phone play nice before I could get online, followed by paranoia about going over my limit, which meant I was basically living in 1998 for a while there.

But, anyway, back for now, and I figure in about a year or two I'll be caught up on my email. >_<

• My new laptop has Windows 7 and I guess I am an idiot, because you guys would not believe how long it took me to figure out how to CLOSE A DOCUMENT in Word. They've got every other damn command cluttering up the toolbar, but apparently "Close" is top secret command that you can get to only if you really, really want to find it.
  
  
• My mom and I have been out of town a lot, and the trainer who rides Logan in our absence has been away at horse shows, and then he got a cut on his leg and took a few days off, and then it was rainy so he was in his stall a lot instead of out in the pasture, and also there is a mare in heat in the barn and even though he is gelded sometimes a mare will just trip his trigger out of nowhere and he goes nuts, so he is FRESH and FULL OF HIMSELF, which means my mom and I are playing the "no, you get on him first" game because it'll be an exciting ride, for sure.
  
  
• I made this recipe (for dinner) and it was AMAZING. I substituted fresh thyme for the chives, and it was so so good. I've had it twice already this week and don't intend to stop anytime soon. Since I did not have access to brioche, I used English muffin bread, which was a great texture for this, as it absorbed the creamy sauce and got slightly soft but did not fall apart or get mushy. A+++ would eat again. (Tonight, actually.) Creamed Mushrooms on Chive Butter Toast
  
  
• You know, we talk a lot about how insane storyfinders requests often are, and how they make awesome stories sound completely weird and horrible, but the other side of the coin is that they sometimes make horrible stories sound like they might be worth reading, which isn't quite as amusing when they turn out to not be readable at all. The scene described in the request may be kind of cute and sound perfectly normal but then when you hover over the link it goes the some badfic writer's LJ (or worse, Wraithbait) and that brief little hope you had that you found a good story you somehow missed the first time around is snuffed out with extreme prejudice.
  
  
• I have an update on my previous post where I talked about how much I liked Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, which I since verified is the color "Shell We Dance." I'm happy to report I'm even more pleased with it. I've been going 10 to 12 days between polish changes, and even then I'm only finally doing it because of the gap that begins to show between my cuticles and where the polish starts, due to nail growth. THIS SHIT IS AMAZING. Which means it will likely be discontinued soon, so if you're thinking of trying it, hop to it.
  
  
• I adored this Critical Analysis of Couch Forts, despite the misuse of taught/taut.

Happy birthday to the June babies!

perch, redconverse, skalja, morganmuffle, ladycat777, droolfangrrl, redfenix, eee1313, groovekittie, eveningblue, artemis2050, arsinoee, big_wired, justbreathe80, rasterweb, eternallycait, mojober, scribblinlenore, sharonhaze, nakedwesley, abbylee, cathalin, and kanata!

Count von Count would like you to know that over at Dreamwidth this post has comments! Ah ha ha ha ha!

According to Bramlage, [Eight Belles] suffered condylar fractures in both forelegs. The left was dislocated and opened the skin, contaminating the injury. She fractured "at least one sesamoid" in her right leg, Bramlage said.

Every year, I watch the Triple Crown races, and every year I feel guilty about it. I love to see strong, beautiful horses do what they do best, but the racing industry has a very ugly side (just like every discipline has an ugly side). What happened to Eight Belles is part of the reason it makes me feel dirty to watch the races, but in a way, Eight Belles was lucky. Her life was short, her pain was brief, and her end was quick.

My horse, Logan, is a former racehorse. His career on the track was unspectacular and ended with an injury. He was one of the lucky ones who didn't end up broken down and unwanted, on a truck to the slaughterhouse: two days with no food or water, trying to stand on three legs in a trailer meant for cows, with a ceiling so low the horses can't even lift their heads.

In most countries where horses are slaughtered for food, they are processed in a similar fashion to cattle, in large-scale factory slaughter houses where they are stunned with a captive bolt gun and bled to death.

Logan is now in perfect health. He is sound; he is rideable; he is, in fact, a handful.

"He's a pretty boy," Shelly said about him, the last time we rode in one of her clinics. "That's probably what saved him."

Someone snatched him up at an auction, put some time into rehabbing and retraining him, and he eventually ended up with us.

A lot of horses, pretty and not so pretty, don't get saved.

Ex-racehorses, riding horses, and other horses sold at auction may also enter the food chain; sometimes these animals have been stolen or purchased under false pretenses.

Kill buyers, as they are known, purchase horses at auctions, and then turn around and sell them to the slaughterhouses for a profit. Sometimes, they respond to "free to a good home" ads, or ads for very cheap horses, and misrepresent themselves as just plain ol' folks looking for a nice horse to love.

But they are not the problem--they wouldn't even exist if there weren't so many unwanted horses out there. If they couldn't make money doing it, they wouldn't bother.

I mop up. I clean up the mess left by morons who just have to breed their mare. Every spring I send dozens of mares and new foals to the meat plant. And every spring there are idiots breeding more babies. (kill buyer Manny Phelps; April 10 entry)

Joe and Cathy Shelton run one of the many Thoroughbred rescues out there, working to provide a temporary home, and in some cases a permanent home, for the racing industry's discards. He's saved hundreds of horses from the kill buyers.

Key Maker is 6, and he broke down badly at the race track. We call him Key, and he would make a wonderful companion to another horse.

Six years old, and can never be ridden again.

Horses live into their twenties, their thirties. They start racing at two years of age, when they are still babies, before they are done growing, and some of them are dead or irreparably damaged by age three. The horses you see run in the Kentucky Derby are three years old. Barbaro was three years old. Eight Belles was three years old.

What happened to Eight Belles isn't that rare. By some accounts, a horse breaks down on the racetrack somewhere in this country every day. Hundreds of Barbaros every year, running on shattered legs.

My daughter is 12 and all she talks about is horses. We went to Bay Meadows Race Track so my daughter could see close up the beautiful thoroughbreds. During a race, as the horses approached the finish line, a horse broke his leg and right in front of us his leg was dangling. (letter to Joe; May 6th entry)

It takes a death on national television to piss off America. But every morning during workouts horses die. Every afternoon when they race they die. I get to see how they suffer. I am an exercise rider...I cannot tell you how many times I have gone home from work and thrown up. (letter to Joe; May 6th entry)

If they get hurt, they are tossed aside like trash. The Sheltons have over 100 horses on their property at any given time, an incredible number. But only a drop in the bucket compared to the 13,000 Thoroughbreds born every year.

Gone Cattin. He raced a long time, made decent money, and then came to us with a badly broken knee.

Salvino raced a long time. He is missing his right eye.

Even if they survive an injury, they may not be able to carry a rider ever again. Their futures are bleak, because few people want a horse they can't ride.

Affairs Over. He broke down at the race track and should never be ridden. Affairs Over would make a great best friend to another horse. He is 6 years old.

These horses are bred to entertain humans, and--let's not forget this part--make money. When they don't make money, they are discarded. People in the industry love to talk up the "pampering" race horses get, but this is only the high-end racehorses (you think those horses racing at the county fairs get massages and top-quality feed?), and it's only as long as they are worth the expense.

Here is a documented fact: Storm Cat has a stud fee of three hundred thousand dollars. Since 2001 we have rescued 14 of his sons and daughters for an average price of 35 cents a pound. (March 2nd entry.)

Sometimes being a huge moneymaker doesn't save them, either.

The 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand is believed to have been slaughtered in Japan, probably for pet food.

Logan lives in a heated barn. He is turned out every day, weather permitting, and eats a wonderfully balanced diet. He gets treats and praise and love, and he works--easy work--about six whole hours a week.

His end won't come on a track, bleeding into the dirt, or as a respite from a painful, hungry life spent shuffling from one neglectful owner to another, until he finds his way to the slaughterhouse.

Pinned to the bulletin board in my step-dad's office is a drawing, plans for the pole barn my parents are going to build on their property. In the back there will be two stalls--one for Logan, and one for a friend. This is where he will live when he retires and we no longer ride him. We will bring him home, and love him until his last day.

Every horse deserves to be loved until their last day.

On Saturday horse killer Manny Phelps phones to say I better take a filly. She is tiny, and starving. For just $250.00 the filly could be mine.

I want to tell you about Jag. A former lesson horse, Jag came to us last year when he was no longer wanted. Jag is a thoroughbred, and he worries. All the time I hear how stupid Thoroughbreds are. Inbred, with little common sense. But you should meet Jag. Smarter than any horse I have been with. The world he carries on his shoulders.

And in monster winds with sideways rain comes this tiny starving filly from horse killer Manny Phelps. Her gums are white, and she is dying. He greets the tiny starving filly, and refuses to leave her side. Once again, the world on his shoulders. (February 28th entry.)

Donations always welcome:

TB Friends
15891 County Road 92C
Woodland CA 95695-9217

It was already full dark when I got to the barn tonight, and Logan wasn't in his stall, so I had to go out to the pasture and try to find him. When I walked through the gate I saw a head come up down at the east end, the flash of a white face in the dark. I said his name and he burst into a gallop and came tearing across the field. The rest of the herd started to run, too, because he was running and horses are like that.

He headed straight for me, then slowed up and came to a stop in front of me as all the other horses kept going, and I stood there in the dark and he put his nose on my face as the herd rushed by all around us.

I just wanted to put that here in my journal, so years from now I can come back and read about it, because I think that moment was the happiest I've ever been in my whole life.

More presents! Whee! I got a package from girlinthetrilby this weekend and it had lots of cool stuff in it, including a Pigwidgeon, a Hello Kitty basket, candles, jewelry (pink! and orange!) and a CD and ... I know I must be forgetting something. That's because I'm so excited about one other thing that was in there: Season two of Deadwood!!! Whoohoo! Two beautiful, precious videotapes, and I watched all twelve eps this weekend.

So now I am all officially caught up and don't have to worry about being spoiled. *loves*

( cut for horse storyCollapse )

Links!

• Batman CD-R Discs
  
  
• I've linked this here before, but it's making the rounds again, and I saw some pics this time I didn't see last time, so I'll put it up again: Superhero day jobs. Wolverine can be found here and here. One of my faves is Spidey and the Batmobile.
  
  
• Dogs rule. 'Specially ones that save kids from other dogs.
  
  
• It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown Six-foot statue of Charlie Brown stolen.</>
  
  
• Empire claims to have an "exclusive" Mr. & Mrs. Smith clip, if you're interested.
  
  
• Katie Holmes rumored to be up for Wonder Woman role. It continues, "Granted, Holmes is merely one of a bevy of beauties rumoured for the "Wonder Woman" gig - also said to be in the running are Jessica Biel, Kim Basinger, Mischa Barton and busty "Angel" player Charisma Carpenter." Kim Basinger?!?!
  
  
• Christian Bale might not do anything for my girlparts, but we agree on our Batman comics. He says he particularly liked "the Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale stories."
  
  
• Sort of a Lost casting spoiler here that means nothing to me, because I honestly can't recall her "brief appearance." I assume because it involved Jack. *snerk*
  
  
• Being upset about that Times Online comics piece is so last week. Now we can all get in an uproar that the Toronto Sex Crimes Unit maintaines that most offenders collared by his department had "at least a passing interest in 'Star Trek,' if not a strong interest."
  
  
• Restaurant serves food in toilet bowls. I'll pass, thanks. I'm gagging just thinking about it.
  
  
• No wonder plagiarism is so rampant in fandom--they're teaching it in schools. For her graduation speech, Springstead High School principal Susan Duval read almost word for word from Mary Schmich's infamous June 1997 Chicago Tribune "Wear Sunscreen" column -- without giving credit. And she's pretty unapologetic about it, too. "Was I turning this in for a grade? No," she said.
  
  
• Tony awards coverage can be found here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here! Whew.
  
  
• This one is worth it's own bullet point. From a pre-Tonys interview with Hugh Jackman.
  
  "Now, did I think I was going to be on Broadway playing Peter Allen, while at the same time releasing 'Van Helsing,' and then getting ready to do 'X-Men 3.' No. It's kind of beyond my wildest dreams. A few people came to see 'The Boy From Oz' who were expecting Wolverine, and I think were quite angry at me."
  
  When Cagle kidded that, "They were in shock," Jackman quipped: "They're in therapy."
  
  Hee! How many times have I seen Wolverine fans say pretty much exactly that?
  
  More: What's next for Jackman?
  
  "I did a movie called 'The Fountain,' which Darren Aronofsky wrote and directed, which I'm very, very proud of, very excited about. That will come out at the end of the year.
  
  "It's nothing you've seen before. It's about life and death. The meaning of life, love. It's a love story. It is the most challenging role I've ever had…but then, 'X-Men 3' is going to happen: In August, we start filming. So I'll be jacking up and putting on the mutton chops."
  
  "And the razor claws," Cagle remarked.
  
  "They're always there," Jackman chuckled, "so don't make me angry."
  
  Hee.
  
  
• Two Fountain screencaps here.
  
  
• Peter David says: Hugh Jackman and Aretha Franklin in a duet: Can't ask for better than that. However, I am tempted to put a sequence in "Spider-Man" wherein Wolverine wanders by Aunt May watching TV, and he asks her what she's watching. She tells him it's the Tonys. "Who's the guy singing and dancing around?" "That's Hugh Jackman." And Wolverine snorts and says, "Wouldn't catch ME doing high kicks." Yeah, you and several dozen fan fiction writers, buddy. *g* (And also Chris Claremont. Urk.)

Some Hellboy bits from WW Philly. ( Cut for lengthCollapse )

Oh my God, I'm seeing total Hellboy/Wolverine crossover here. Meeting on the fight circuit, having some beers together.

So. Awesome.

I'm gonna put the Marvel/DC WW news in its own post.

Lastly, ( AICN bit about X3. Mentions spoilers posted here previously.Collapse )

Logan has a girlfriend! And it's an older woman! Her name is Valery and she's a chestnut mare. They're so cute. They call to each other when I bring him back to the pasture, and then they go off alone together away from the herd. Horse smoochies! So cute!

• Conservative scholars and public policy leaders compile a list of the Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries. It's about what you'd expect, and would be kind of funny if it weren't so scary.
  
  
• A new blog with news, information and commentary pertaining to the black comic book community.
  
  
• Manipped transgender comic covers.
  
  
• Wolverine editor Jenny Lee leaves Marvel.
  
  
• Neil Gaiman says he visited the X3 offices. I heard people there muttering about the fact they'd got a movie coming out in May 2006 and they didn't seem to have the budget to make the film they were planning, and how they'd probably be reduced to a pulse-pounding tiddlywinks battle between Magneto and Wolverine in the final sequence -- but they all seemed very committed to the project, while hoping that their budget and time issues could be worked out with the powers that be. That's encouraging.
  
  
• One of my favorite SNL commercials ever. The Mercury Mistress. As far as I know, this only ran once, because when I watched that specific show again when they reran it, they showed a different fake commercial.
  
  
• Pirates are the new ninjas! Which is fine with me. Damn ninjas.
  
  
• Piece about the Serenity comic.
  
  
• Pilots that didn't make it. Lots of ex-Jossverse people showing up there.
  
  
• CrossGen limps toward the end.
  
  
• Quesada: "Well, when I said 'dead is dead' I didn't *really* mean dead is dead..." Read his lame-ass back-pedaling here.
  
  
• Why smart people defend bad ideas. AKA "Fandom in a nutshell."
  
  
• This fish is creepy.
  
  
• I think I did this already, because when I saw the answer I was like, "Oh, I knew that." Anyway. What song was #1 the day you were born? Mine is "Joy To the World" by Three Dog Night in the US and "Knock Three Times" by Dawn in the UK.
  
  
• Fanboys compile lists of top ten comic book catchphrases.
  
  
• Oliver Stone arrested for drink driving, drugs.
  
  
• George Lucas has okayed the Indiana Jones IV script. What that says about it, I'll leave up to you.
  
  
• You've heard of cutting off your nose to spite your face. How about burning down your house to get rid of the crackheads?
  
  
• One of our local crazies. I'll take the money if he doesn't want it.
  
  
• Jackman pics here and here and here and here.
  
  
• The attempt to get BFO made into a film made Newsweek magazine. I understand there was some type of fwankage about this, but I'm not clear on what it is.
  
  
• Patrick Stewart rushed to hospital with chest pains. James Marsden stands at bedside, vowing to "take care of them."

Lastly, I saw Star Wars this weekend.

( Star Wars: Revenge of the SitzloreCollapse )