Lost and Found

I'd imagine it would be hard to lose an Emu, but I'm glad that "Buddiemu" is back home!

Highlights Part II

Another memorable event in 2008!

Highlights Part I

For a year that has been filled with eventing heartbreak, here is a video to commemorate some high points to take with us into 2009.

Really?

I can't decide if this is right or just plain wrong.

Poor Joe!

When I lived in Vail, I had THE BIGGEST crush on the Colorado Avalanche's Joe Sakic. Very cute (for a hockey player)! I used to always look for him in town since sometimes he'd come over from Denver, but alas, I never saw him. This little news item just brought back all those memories of my former Sakic adoration. I think it's great that he's almost 40 and is still going strong! But, to lose ice time because of a snow blower injury? Oh well, nobody said that hockey players have to be geniuses. :-)

Sounds fishy!

I'm not sure what I would do if I found $97,ooo in cash in a Cracker Barrel bathroom. Keep it? Give it back? Walk away? I guess this Murfreesboro lady who returned the money and declined the $1000 reward doesn't have a running vet bill at UT Veterinary Hospital. I may not have kept the $97k, but I really wouldn't have turned down the $1000 reward.

But, the real quandry here isn't "what would I do if I found it?" but, rather, where on earth did that money come from? Obviously, there was something afoot. A tapestry bag hanging on a door with $97k in cash rolled up in it? Yeah, there's something going on there. But, if you have DONE SOMETHING (robbed a bank?) in order to acquire that amount of money (in $1000 bills) and hidden it away, then wouldn't you be concentrated enough on THAT ISSUE where you wouldn't just accidentally leave it in a Cracker Barrel bathroom? This is an interesting story, to say the least...

Decorate, y'all!

Yesterday, I had a meeting in Sevierville, TN, so I decided to stop by The Christmas Place while I was there to pick up a few decorations. I'm very excited about my "cardinal" tree I'm going to do for the potted evergreen tree on my front porch. Very natural and outdoorsy. The purple, pink, and glitter tree will obviously be my indoor tree, and is not "natural" and "outdoorsy." Sort of like me...natural and outdoorsy in one respect, but also very purple/pink and glittery in other respects. :-)

Welcome!

To quote Lucy Bobby in Talladega Nights, "It's the beginning of a new age."

Jason Mraz

My sister and I saw Jason play at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Sunday night. He was a really great entertainer and he has such a fun show. I found this video on YouTube from the other night and thought I'd share it here. Enjoy!

Admit it...

Don't tell me you've never driven by a campground and NOT wanted to try this yourself. ;-)

Mani/Pedi

Last week, my pot-bellied pig, Orson, got his routine mani/pedi. I know he looks horrible and macabre in these pictures, but believe me, he is so much happier after a hoof and tooth trim. Plus, the vets are much happier to give him a hoof and tooth trim when he is knocked out. Knocked WAY out! It took him several hours to come around from his sedative, but it is worth it to know he is healthy and well-maintained. Next time they're out to my place, I may just ask them to paint his hooves pink for me. He needs some bling to brighten his world a little!

Hope

Congratulations to the new President Elect! I am hopeful that he is intelligent, ready, and radical enough to change our lives in a positive and productive way. I think the entire world is waiting for him to turn it all around. What a daunting task this will be, but I believe he is the best candidate to try.

The End

After our terrible effort in Columbia this past weekend, this is really the only answer. Let's just start over.

Fall

What a great idea, Martha! I think I may do this in my window boxes, now that it's winter and I don't feel like replanting with fall items. I've winterized all my plants. I'm done gardening, for the year. :)

It's Here!

The new Snow Patrol album is out today. GO BUY IT!!!!!

Sucktacular

This is just the way it is right now. This is the reality of it, folks. No surprises here...at all.

Yummy.

Dear Fat Phil...

Take note. Respect the trend. Get the hint. Follow suit. Do the right thing. It's time to move on...

Peyton's pissed!

And, I'm sure he'll be even more disgusted after the Vols' little trip down to Athens this weekend. Peyton, please, please, please come back to Tennessee and help these poor kids!!! We need a coach. We need a team. We need a miracle.

Me acktuly smartt

Sometimes, I forget I have a Master's degree in English. I was reading this yesterday, which caused me to remember that I am not just a word processor, but a writer.

Debbie Atkinson ( - 2008)

Sadly, Debbie passed away this week at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. I know all of my Tennessee friends who worked with, trained with, or just had the pleasure to be around Debbie will be heartbroken by this news. According to her web site, " her ashes will be spread with those of her beloved Pantera on her Kentucky farm." We can be comforted to know that Debbie and Pantera are both together again now, and in a happier place.

Mo Money

My sister will find this news item pretty interesting, since she went to C of C. I hope they do something amazing with that money and don't do something stupid...like, start a football team. That's just what South Carolina needs: another sucky college football team.

Addiction

Not only am I addicted to Cake Wrecks (thanks, Melissa Webb!!!!), but I am in fact addicted to cake. I'm not so keen on the high-maintenance, gourmet, white-chocolate-raspberry-with-lady-fingers-and-mascarpone berries-drizzeled-with- warm Godiva White Chocolate Liquor (although that sounds delicious). I am really just into the plain old sugary, icing-laden, white sheetcake variety that you get at the local supermarket. Divine. I only partake of this wonderfulness maybe 2 or 3 times a year, and I didn't even have any on my own birthday a few weeks ago. But, when I get to heaven - where fat and calories don't count - I will have one of these amazing confections for every meal, every day. The mounds of icing roses and the whippy-ness of the little edging tufts are a thing of beauty. It calls to me like the Sirens beckoning to Ulysses and his crew. I'm getting a sugar high right now just looking at that picture!

Cake Wrecks (part II)

This lovely cake was created for my friend Lauren to celebrate her 24th birthday a few weeks ago. I don't know exactly who is responsible for this...work of art...but it's just beyond words. Really. I can't figure out whether it is truly funny, or in light of the honestly dangerous nature of our sport, it should perhaps be seen as sad and too-too-realistic. I tend to see the hilarity in it, as Lauren so aptly commented that the colors of the horses even accurately matched her own 2 horses, and that "appropriately enough, Ari has thrown me off in my show jumping attire!" (Lauren has had a bad run of luck in the show jumping phase of a few events recently). :)

At any rate, it was such a creative effort, I had to post it here. The genius behind it (the accuracy of the construction of the cross-country jumps and the praying groom) is just eerie, but humorous all the same. Good luck at the Middle Tennessee Pony Club Horse Trials next week, Lauren!!!

T is for "Terrible"

I hope nobody actually watched that game on Saturday. Fortunately, I was at a horse show, sheltered from any, ANY wayward desire to turn on the tube and watch. What a train wreck. We've only played 4 games now, but I'm DONE.

Ya think so?

Wow. Yeah...like NOBODY saw this coming.

Sweet! (grass)

For any of you who know of the sweetgrass basketweavers in Charleston and the surrounding areas, this will make you smile.

Overdue

Congrats to the U.S. Ryder Cup team!

Oink, oink

It's a good thing my pig is tame and in-check!!! And, he's also kept up in my barn so he can't get out, get into trouble, or get attacked by crazy hog hunters. He doesn't cause any trouble. How much trouble could wild hogs get into living out in the woods?

Outrageous!

Knoxville gas controversy. (Personally, I think local gas stations used the "shortage" as an excuse to jack-up prices on the home-opener football weekend. They made a killing.) Illegal!!!

Dear South Carolina...

How do I put this delicately? Ummm...eek.

Shine on

I love lighthouses. And, what I love more than just lighthouses are lighthouses in places that I really love. To me, that concept makes perfect sense. Here are some interesting trivia items about the historic Charleston Light (Sullivan's Island lighthouse). And, seriously, no comments on the obvious Austin Powers-esque, pornographic nature of this photo. You can thank Mic Smith at The Post and Courier for this masterpiece. Really...people, we are all adults here (that means you too, Kelsey). :)

Cake Wreck!

Isn't it amazing how, when something becomes an obsession, it almost seamlessly permeates your life at very unexpected moments...quite constantly? I have been all about this since I found it a few weeks ago (thanks, Melissa W.!!!). Imagine my surprise, while wandering through the FFA and 4-H exhibits yesterday at the Tennessee Valley Fair, when I happened upon the "Cake Decorating" exhibit. There were only 2 cakes entered. This cake received 2nd place. 2nd out of 2. Not bad. But, I just could not pass up the opportunity to snap a photo. It is classic "Cake Wrecks" material. It was a basic chocolate sheet cake, with white icing. No biggie, until the "decorating" aspect of the cake decorating happened. It is, I gather, a construction-themed cake...complete with Tonka trucks, construction worker figures, and mounds of what I really hope is brownie mix. At first, I thought that someone had cut out pieces of the chocolate cake and taken off the icing and left them just discarded on other portions of the cake (for, whatever reason, I wouldn't know). But on closer inspection, I realized the brown mounds were part of the decoration and - I hoped - were made out of something chocolatey...and edible. I believe they are to represent dirt. As in, "wow, that bulldozer sure moved a lot of dirt right there. Right there...on top of that cake." Mmmmm...

Dear Tennessee...

We struggle.

Bummer.

My football teams are just not off to a good start this year! Am I going to have to do something drastic, like start watching hockey? Is that what I'm reduced to???

Laugh

This is one of the funniest blogs I've ever seen. I found this linked to my friend Melissa Webb's blog yesterday. Cake designs or decorations don't really seem that funny, until you've seen just how funny they can be (cue the clip from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" where the children are permanently traumatized by a pornographic cake). I'm in Charlotte until Tuesday, so this post will have to last everyone until next week. But, with this blog entry, I think there is more than enough to tide you over. :) Enjoy!

Don't Cry...

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. You're crying now, aren't you???

Dramz!

Wow. This is getting good! Just who is Levi? What does he look like? What kind of kid is he? How much are they paying him??? This might make things so much more interesting as November approaches!

Depressing

This was just shameful. We practiced all summer for this kind of display of nerves, jitters, downright embarrassing mistakes, and overall incompetence? Come on, people! This is the SEC.

It's always a holiday with Scott

"Amtrack Crescent

Finally...more Scott

"Dear Sarah"

And...yes...more Scott

"Made a Mess of This Town"

And, more Scott...

"Redball Express"

More Scott...

To keep with my current topic of everything Scott Miller, for the rest of this week (mainly because it's a short workweek for me and I'm being lazy about the blog) I will just post a video each day from Scott's show at The Evening Muse last November in Charlotte, NC. These are a few of my favorite songs which I think represent the best of Mr. Miller. Enjoy!

"Ciderville Saturday Night"

Happy Birthday, Melissa!

I had intended to get you this for your birthday (in addition to the tickets to the show), but as you can see from the announcement, they sold out last week in one hour. I'll get it for you when they release a new batch, as long as you promise to abide by the "Burn and Die Acknowledgment for Appalachian Refugee" given at the bottom of this page. Unless, of course, you plan to burn the disc for ME. Come on, Scott...is that so wrong???

UPDATE: I wrote this entry on Friday, before my sister got here. At Saturday night's show, Scott had some of these on sale and we BOTH got a copy, so my good intentions didn't go by the wayside. Scott has some good new stuff. Can't wait for the full album in October!!!

Love him!!!!

And, yes, we all know just HOW MUCH I heart me some Scott Miller. He's playing a solo show this weekend at The Bijou Theater in downtown Knoxville and I bought tickets for me and my sister to go see him for her birthday celebration. Aren't I an awesome sister? I mean, just because I get to use one of the two tickets doesn't devalue the really special thought and care that went into this "birthday present for Melissa." I can't wait till tomorrow night!!!

Going South

Poor Jessica. Since the moment she bade dear Nick "goodbye" she's just gone way downhill. I mean, dating Tony Romo isn't bad, but as far as her career or her celebrity...it's just not really working out for her anymore, is it? So sad.

Fixing the world, one cluster at a time

More Wilbur wonderfulness in South Carolina.

History: get into it

I am thinking about going to see this exhibit soon. We have some nice historical sites and venues here in Knoxville, and I never go check anything out. I used to go to the Knoxville Museum of Art all the time, but not anymore. It seems I'm either working or driving, working or driving, working or driving. Never taking time to stop and smell the roses!

Busted!

Ok, at first, I thought "Hahaha! That is totally what the drunk idiot deserves for getting trashed and passing out in his mom's yard," but when I read the article and saw the reason he had been drinking to excess, I kind of felt bad for him. :( Maybe I'm just too sympathetic.

Wow.

He did it!

SEVEN

SIX

The guy is just amazing. I find his accomplishments to be so fascinating, but I really just like that he keeps winning so that I continue to have a reason to put his picture on my blog. :)

Go Wilbur

I actually found out about this from Charleston.net. Didn't even hear about it from MY OWN COMPANY.

Oops...he did it again...

...and again!

Olympic bling

Gina Miles and her wonderful horse, McKinlaigh, won the individual silver medal yesterday in the eventing competition at the Olympics (Gina is on the far left, in the red U.S. team jacket). Congratulations to Gina, who was the bright and shining star on an otherwise very troubled, unlucky, and almost disreputable U.S. team. Oh well. We better get our acts together before the WEG 2010, right here on our home turf!

MP is in da house!

Gold medal #3! He's on a roll. Here's some morning eye candy. And, I'm not going to say this is wrong, because the boy is just hot. Totally hot.

*Big sigh of relief*

The cross-country portion of the Olympic eventing competition was held this morning (or, rather, last night Eastern Time). I watched almost every second online (THANK YOU BOB HUGHES and NBC!!!) and I was thrilled that there were some really challenging jumps, tricky situations, and exciting moments on course, but that everyone either finished fine or called it a day before anybody got hurt. Good for our sport and good for everyone that was there! Sorry for Amy Tryon (who fell), Andrew Nicholson (who fell), Becky Holder (one runout, one technical refusal), and Karen O'Connor (who had 2 runouts). The U.S. team took a beating, other than Gina Miles and Phillip Dutton who both finished in fine style and gave us at least something to smile about. Gina actually has a good shot at an individual medal going into the show jumping. Best of luck to everyone tomorrow night (or, rather, early tomorrow morning Eastern Time!).