Miss Anthropology

The Story of Tony, Pt. II

Miss Anthropology — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:17:39 +0000

Recently, I found out that a picture of me and my horse Tony (aka Mister Finesse) is being featured on a bag of feed concentrate produced by Buckeye Nutrition. In light of this news, I have decided to share with all of you the story of my horse Tony. It’s a bit long, so I’ll be splitting it up into two separate posts. This is the second of two, click here to read the first half.
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Another year of waiting brought us to 2008. I had been told that with ringbone, you have to wait for the exostosis (the growth of bone) to finish before you can really tell how much damage had been done. I flew out to Arizona a few times that year to continue training with my Half-Arab (Pink), and everytime I was able to ride Tony a little longer than before. He would start out limping, but in time would warm up enough to where he would actually support himself. Crystal and I joked that Tony was a bit of a wimp when it came to being injured and that he liked the self-pity that came along with it.

By 2009, I was able to ride Tony for a full 30 minutes including loping, and running and stopping. His lead changes, which were never his strong suit, were still not quite there. But he was really trying and that’s what I liked to see. He hadn’t lost the hope of competing again, nor had I. Like Bazy says, “All horses need a job”. I like to think that since he is an Al-Marah horse, a certain drive to get back to his job has been bred into him.

A full four years after his injury, Tony is back. No longer does he limp or require bute after every exercise. Sliding, spinning, changing leads: he can do it all without a problem. Tony and I started competing again, and while we aren’t at the top of the placings I’m just glad to be back int he ring.

But never will we be going back to Tucson. I’m just superstitious like that.

Wow.

Miss Anthropology — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:57:03 +0000

How come I never knew about these? I thought it was a joke at first…but no…

Harlequin NASCAR Romance Novels

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Kampsville

Miss Anthropology — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:18:14 +0000

On my way to an archaeological field school in Kampsville, IL! I’ll try to update when I can, but don’t expect anything very detailed. Maybe a few pictures here and there…

See you in August!

UPDATE: Visit my Flickr to see pictures!

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Sunday at Thornwood

Miss Anthropology — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:35:13 +0000

A few photos from my Sunday at Thornwood.

The Fair/100th Post

The Story of Tony, Pt. I

Miss Anthropology — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:34:21 +0000

Recently, I found out that a picture of me and my horse Tony (aka Mister Finesse) is being featured on a bag of feed concentrate produced by Buckeye Nutrition. In light of this news, I have decided to share with all of you the story of my horse Tony. It’s a bit long, so I’ll be splitting it up into two separate posts.
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A couple of years ago I was approached by equine photographer Cristy Cumberworth to ask my permission for the use of a photo. The photo in question was of me and my purebred Arabian reining horse Tony competing at the January 2006 show held in Tucson, AZ by the Southern Arizona Arabian Horse Association. I remember the show well because that was the last time I showed Tony. Moments after Cristy had taken my picture, Tony took a wobbly step during our last set of spins. It didn’t feel right and I knew something wrong. It wasn’t until I asked Tony to walk out of the arena that I knew how bad it really was. My trainer, Crystal, had me jump off and slowly hand walk him around the in-gate. He limped at every step and would not put any weight down on his front right leg. Just then the announcer gave the placings of the class. I had won, but with the threat of a severe injury taking shape it really didn’t matter. I walked Tony back to the stalls, wrapped his leg and waited to hear from the vet.

It wasn’t until Tony was home in Scottsdale that we knew exactly what had happened. Crystal called with the news of a torn suspensory. The suspensory ligament and associated apparatus is what keeps a horse’s fetlock from dropping to the ground. It basically acts like a sling to support the joint. While it isn’t the worst injury a horse can sustain, it is serious and takes around a year to heal.

So we put Tony on stall rest and eventually light hand-walking until we noticed another problem: ringbone. I knew that Tony had ringbone, but it wasn’t an issue until he was put on stall rest for the suspensory tear. Since he was no longer being active, the ringbone really had a chance to develop causing arthritic symptoms. Eventually his suspensory healed, but because the ringbone was in full swing we had to keep waiting. By this time, a year had gone by and I wasn’t sure that I would ever show Tony again. It was bit disheartening to think that would be the case. Right before the injury, Tony and I had really hit our stride as a team and were consistently marking 70s and above.
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Stay tuned for Pt. II!

AT-Cure: Mid-Cure Update

Miss Anthropology — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:19:05 +0000

Well, we are officially midway through the Spring Cure! Things have gotten busy here the last week or so, and I haven’t been updating as frequently as I’d hoped. I’ve been slowly going through things and finding solutions for my most cluttered areas. I’m happy with what I’ve done so far, but this unpredictable April weather has left my place looking a bit more disheveled than usual. When it’s 80ºF one day and 55ºF the next, your closet has to be prepared for anything. Needless to say, my bins of summer clothes had to come out of their hiding place and are now taking up the spare bedroom. Before I make the big seasonal wardrobe switch, I have to be sure that the cold spells are done. I know that as soon as I start packing away my sweaters, the weather will change and I’ll be digging them out again. Week 7 of the AT Cure will bring with it the bedroom/wardrobe decluttering, so I might just hold out until then to make the big switch. Hopefully by then the weather will be staying warm for good!

Since my last update, I have found some great solutions for my clutter and general disorganization. The first solution I want to share is this awesome light switch cover. One of my biggest problems was that I didn’t have a proper “Landing Strip”. I would come home and put my keys and mail on the closest flat surface (usually the kitchen counter). When it came time to cook dinner, I would move my keys to the kitchen table and when it came time to eat they would be exiled to the coffee table. Eventually, I would lose track of where I put them and well you know the rest…

Enter the Key Switch by Paul Koh. I installed it on the light switch right next to my front door and it has saved me from having to hunt down my keys in the morning. It’s also great for holding my mail (both outgoing and incoming) and my reusable shopping bag. It simply screws over your existing switch plate, so it couldn’t be any easier to install. I also took this opportunity to clean off my light switch. It was really gross looking. All in all, it was worth the money.

My next solution concerns my vanity. It was a big mess and I could never easily find what I was looking for. Luckily, the Container Store was having a sale and I picked up some great acrylic jewelry racks. Placing it all on a bright white lacquer sushi tray makes my vanity feel a little more pulled together. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m happy with the direction it’s taking.

Oh and I had to include a picture of my hyacinths. They make my whole apartment smell so good!

JigGsaw 3/13/10

Miss Anthropology — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:05:34 +0000

I finally uploaded the pictures from JigGsaw’s March 13th show at Cowboy Monkey.

Click over here to my Flickr for the rest of the set.

If you like what you see, come check out JigGsaw for yourself at these upcoming shows:

When: Apr 10 2010 @ 9:00P

Who: JigGsaw with Community College, The Fresh Kills, & Take Care

Where: The Bunny Ranch | 814 W Stoughton St | Urbana, IL

Details: House show, No cover, Donations accepted and appreciated!

And…

When: Apr 30 2010 @ 8:00P, Doors @ 6:00P

Who: JigGsaw with Jet W. Lee, FiveohFirst and Ben and Zach

Where: Canopy Club | 708 S Goodwin Ave | Urbana, IL

Details: Teach for America Benefit Concert, $7 cover, 18+ to enter

Peanut Butter Cookies

Miss Anthropology — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:27:23 +0000

I was in the mood for something sweet and chewy…

My go-to peanut butter cookie recipe adapted from Baking Blonde:

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. peanut butter

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp. milk

1 1/3 cups AP flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup sugar (for covering dough balls before baking)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Using a large mixing bowl, cream the peanut butter and butter together until smooth.

3. Add both the sugars and mix until combined.

4. Add the egg and milk.

5. In a seperate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.

6. Add to peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Mix until just combined.

7. Chill dough for at least 15 minutes. This will prevent spreading and flat cookies.

8. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball with your hands.

9. Roll the dough balls in the white sugar until covered and place on baking sheet.

10. Carefully press each ball with a fork to make the characteristic crosshatch design.

11. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly browned and puffed.

12. Remove cookies from the oven and cool on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes.

Forecast

Miss Anthropology — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:26:57 +0000

Something to look forward to…an agreeable forecast!

Other things I’m looking forward to in the coming weeks:

My birthday

Grilling out

Going to AZ to see my horses

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AT Cure: Week 3

Miss Anthropology — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:31:48 +0000

Week 3…the week I usually loose steam. Hope everyone can stay motivated with me and see this through till the end!

Week 3 To-Do List:

1. Vacuum, dust and mop throughout your home.
2. Clean your entrance and any related closets.
3. Arrange to have all repairs taken care of in the next 3 weeks.
4. Declutter your entrance
5. Move old mail, catalogs, and magazines to the Outbox.
~~6. Look into what you would need to create a Landing Strip.~~
7. Cancel any unused subscriptions.
8. Identify cool rooms and warm rooms.
9. Apply the 80/20 color rule.
10. Cook 2 meals at home this week.
11. Design an invitation for your party.

Since I don’t receive many unwanted catalogs or magazines, I am going to use this week to go through and unsubscribe from the many mailing lists that clutter my inbox.

I’m looking forward to designing the invitation…that’s always fun!