FICTION OF THE NINJA KIND

Well, remember when I said that the noticeable absence from The Kentucky Derby was Barbaro's full brother? Yes well, I know who that is now he's a three year old cold named Nicanor, and today he broke his maiden. Horses who run in maiden races have never won before. This was Nicanor's fourth race and they moved him to the turf (grass) and he won by 15 lengths. An impressive victory. So that's where is. No, not Kentucky Derby material by far. However, if he continues to do this well on turf we might be hearing more of his name later this year. So I found that on my livejournal friends page today and thought I'd share.

In other horse racing news the Preakness Stakes the second leg of the Triple Crown is on Saturday. Now, I'm going to say something shocking: I don't want there to be a Triple Crown winner this year. No offense to Mine That Bird who ran a surprising Derby and all, but I want Rachel Alexandra to win the Preakness. And no, it's not just because of the name. It's because she rocks. Now, some of you may be asking how does this effect the field?

Well, Rachel Alexandra won the Kentucky Oaks by a strong 20 lengths. Also, Calvin Borel the jockey for Mine That Bird was her rider. In fact, he's contractually obligated to ride Rachel Alexandra over Mine That Bird. So, I just tried to check who is know the jockey for Mine That Bird but the official website still says Calvin Borel. I know he's impressive, but even I don't think he can ride two horses at once. So I think a lot of Mine That Bird's performance was how Calvin rode him. Plus there is the concern for him about the shorter Preakness distance. I would be a fool to count him out of the race, but I think things will challenge him.

Often times I feel like the Preakness is the weakest of the three races, but I really don't feel that this time. The first four finishers in The Kentucky Derby are at the race. Plus Friesan Fire is in the race and I think he would have been a bigger Derby contender if he hadn't stepped on himself coming out of the gate. Pioneer of the Nile did a good job during the Derby of staying near the leaders and I think that stalking style might be to his benefit.

My predictions plus the magic hat (which really screwed up the Derby this year) on Saturday morning.

In real life....human resources departments are failing all over. Mine insists that I can't have two middle names, I must have two last names. Hence why I couldn't log onto my time card because it kept asking for my last name and then rejecting me. Little did I know it's because I don't know my own last name. Okay, snarking done now. SO has also had HR problems. He went up to the park on Monday to do orientation only to find out that none of his background check cleared. Apparently there is two ways to do the math on 'list four years of previous residences'. He did the math wrong. Also his uniforms are not ready. HR insists he can't work without passing a background check (which I understand) but no one else is scheduled to work on Friday so Chris's boss would very much like them to get on that. We're still waiting for word.

Went down to LA for Mother's Day due to some unexpected time off for Chris. It was good times. Got to see Scout, and explain to Robin our hectic moving schedule. We're hoping for limited trips back and fourth between LA and Fresno. Pets complicate lives so much. Hopefully we get Scout when we move by June 19th. It's almost like a birthday present to me.

LA included SUSHI. Fresh yummy sushi. I missed it so so much. There was spicy tuna rolls, eel, CA rolls (for non fish loving SO) and edamame (not sushi). Sushi Don is a very strip mall like place near the Starbucks. A few tables and one counter. It's fresh, the guy who runs in came to America in the 1980's before sushi was trendy and spent time in CO explaining the concept to tourists. Sushi Don is affiliated with Sasabune a much more affluent and well known sushi restaurant in the LA area. Rummer has it they have a sign that says something to the effect of "We do not serve American sushi here-no CA rolls". So I have heard. We shall see.

This entry is getting long and I haven't even gotten to Dollhouse or NCIS yet. Tomorrow is another day.

Okay everyone. We knew it was coming. The post on the Kentucky Derby is bellow. For now what the hat says and what I want the order of finish to be. My actual belief concerning the finish should come later this afternoon. The favorite I Want Revenge was scratched this morning due to heat in his right front hoof. So you will be seeing a 19 horse field.

( Read more... )

Really good article about the cost of horse racing and who might suffer for some of its safetly concerns. Warning: This article is graphic. Graphic descriptions of pain and suffering by humans and animals alike.


http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=4104868

By the way on a funny note the Jenny Craig Trust has a horse in the Kentucky Derby. His name? Chocolate Candy. No lie.

AHHHHH. It happened again. My favorite character died on Sarah Connor. And it made me mad. Details under the cut.

( Read more... )

Dollhouse is good. Getting better. I shall have a drawer of inappropriate starches someday. YES. Sierra and Victor I think I love you. Echo and Ballard (not as a couple) too. And Echo's handler. Okay, I'll admit it I think this is another good cast show. Although Topher really does have his skeevy moments.

Dollhouse thoughts under the cut.

( Read more... )

Second interview yesterday did not go as well as I had hoped. My brain seems to become fearful mush. I should find out sometime in the next two to three weeks if I'm hired. I hope so very much that I am.

BSG is continuing to rock my world. Yeah, this show would be ending wouldn't it? I am going to miss the hell out of it. Ellen coming back last week and all the answers we got were particularly strong and satisfying. Ron Moore is doing an excellent job wrapping up an excellent series. When all is said and done I'm going to have to lump this show in with Buffy. Shows that made me think and shows that I will truly miss once they are gone. You don't get shows like this often and as someone who gets true fierce satisfaction out of these shows I really do miss them when they're gone. But really I have more questions. What the heck is Starbuck? I feel like that's going to be the last question they answer.

Dollhouse on the other hand is not rocking my world at all. There might even be a slightly downward wobble. I think the premise is exciting and has a lot of potential, I know Joss has a lot of potential, but the show is just not doing it for me. I mean the first episode was not good. Now there's the 'first script' that's running around the web. I read it and I liked it a lot _lot_ more. So I will give Dollhouse a chance (read the entire first season). However, I really don't think this show is going to work out. I think Fox screwed the pooch, and that Joss Whedon needs to get out of this ugly co-dependent relationship with Fox. I mean it's a miracle Firefly worked out, did Joss really think Fox wasn't going to screw with Dollhouse? Anyway, I like Echo and I think I have to give Eliza more acting credit then I have before. I like some of the ideas. We'll see. I have hope, slim slim hope.

My personal world is in disarray. Everyone is on the road to recovery one way or another but a lot of my family has been doing not so good lately. It's rough. I am now the only one in my family who can say I'm not an alcoholic and that's been a rough revelation for the entire family. I don't have the best relationship with my sister, but I'll be praying for her on this road to recovery. Also my mother in law just got out of the hospital again. Do not take good health for granted people. Do not.

Is all under the cut baby

( Read more... )

Weekend time. Time to sit back and sleep. Three day weekend. I really hope I remember Monday is a holiday.

Velcro has become public enemy number one in our home. We're not sure why, the party who decreed this is remaining tight lipped. So it remains hidden where both it and we are safe. Someday this will all make sense to you loyal readers, I swear.

I just bought Dr. Horrible from iTunes. I wished I'd thought about it though and gotten the version from Amazon. I forgot about the singing commentary. How is this possible you might ask? I have no idea. Still, I watched it and I enjoyed it very much the second time. Woot. New music (because the soundtrack was also purchased).

The new year is looking good so far. I spent some time at home in WI and got to see Chex. Which was nice. She's having a rough time of it. We've made a joint resolution to keep family members out of the hospital. Because that just sucks. We only got to visit for a few hours, but I miss my roommate. It was good times. I also got to see my family including all my grandparents. I hear the big draw was Chris and I. It was good to see them. We played lots of games and were generally lazy. It was a good visit.

Then Chris and I flew home to Fresno only to rest for two hours before driving down to LA to spend time with his family for New Years. It was a lot of fun. Took the dogs to the beach in a disaster beach trip. Scout nearly ripped my arm out and was growling at small dogs. He's never this bad off leash, but he WOULD.NOT.LISTEN. So I had to keep him on leash. Not the best beach trip ever. Totally made up for by the fact that Scout was very good at all other times this weekend. It's just frustrating that for every step forward with him we go back. And he's practically THREE. Settle down already. That said plans are being made for him to join us in June even if we're in Fresno or somewhere else. don't ask where the somewhere else is because I don't know.


Air National Guard is more up in the air (haha, sorry) then I thought it was and it appears that it's going to stay that way. They're willing to do the evaluations but Chris won't take time off school and isn't sure he wants to saddle us with a three year contract to stay in Fresno. I'm not sure either. So we'll see how that goes.

I start work again tomorrow. I'm glad to be earning money again, but ugh. Back to getting up at five thirty.

So I dislike winter. I hated winter in MN and I stand by any earlier comments I made about snow being evil.....and with that said winter in Fresno does not feel like winter. Sure, it gets chilly and the fog is thick and blinding, but for the most part not winter. I played a softball game in fog so thick you couldn't see the outfield (we thought we stood a chance) and the sweater I wear at work to combat the continuing air conditioning in my office. Subsequent to it not feeling like winter comes the feeling that it's not the holiday season. So can it start feeling like Christmas soon?

I have kinda sort joined the paramedics softball team to play in the local co-ed softball league. So far they've lost five games and I've played in two. It's fun and they've been surprisingly laid back about the whole 'I suck' thing, but that's changing. Mostly Chris is saying I seem disinterested and that I don't care what happens. Yes, I suck=I don't care. Apparently I'm supposed to be getting more frustrated with myself and apologizing. Yeah, been there, done that, guess what? It's only made everyone I play with dislike me more. No doing that. So I have to think of a graceful way out now. Unfortunately they need girls.

I have other thoughts, but I must go and get ready for an 11 to 12 hour day of dealing with people that want the county to pay their rent no questions asked and leave them alone. Some days my job makes me bitter.

Copy this sentence into your LiveJournal if you're in a heterosexual marriage, and you don't want it "protected" by the bigots who think that gay marriage hurts it somehow.

Proposition Eight infuriates me. Someone in a truck made a great big rear windshield sticker the other day and I think it sums up the situation nicely. To be very clear, because this could be interpreted differently I DO NOT SUPPORT PROPOSITION EIGHT. I believe in marriage for any two people who are in a committed relationship.

"Celebrate discrimination. Vote Yes on Prop 8"

Every single add with children in it used by the Yes on Eight people makes me ill. I don't understand this fear and hatred. I don't understand how it protects my marriage. I know I am not discrimination free, but I try. And there is no reason to assume that defining marriage as a man and woman protects that institution. I can't wait until Tuesday, because I just can't take much more this.

I spent the weekend concerned for my job. Then I found out they were hiring yet another group of people. Suddenly I'm not so concerned anymore. I really do want to figure out what I want to do for a career though. Right now this job is good enough and it is a challenge in some ways, but there is something missing. Maybe it's the feeling of being challenged by my peers which for the most part I'm not. They are great and fantastic people most of whom I like, but they're not challenging in the same way other St. Olaf students were. So I'm really trying to focus in on what I want to do next. So far the only realistic option I see is Teach For America because it both affords me a job and would forgive some of my student loans which I feel like I'm going to need.

The other option is to try and take the State Department Foreign Service Test. And to show how that is only a tiny idea that is just starting to filter into existence I say that I'm not even sure if that is what it is called. So these are two ideas I need to play more with while looking into some other options.

Sarah Connor Chronicles and NCIS info under the cut for the disinterested.

( Read more... )