Extreme Makeover: Brain Edition

I've come up with a new concept for self-improvement - a brain makeover. I need one real bad! Operation Suck Less at Life was successful for about two days. All the days after that weren't much to write home about. You were all so nice though to say you love me just the way I am and that I don't suck at life, etc., but the fact is, is that none of you must live with the debris I leave in my fun wake - the unfolded laundry, the clutter on the kitchen counter waiting to be put away, the forgotten appointments, or only remembered at the last minute appointments, the oh yeah I'm supposed to cook dinner for my family moments, the garage, and the list goes on and on.

So, I'm going to do a brain makeover.

My brain is a horrible liar - or should I say instead, an excellent liar. It lies to me constantly and with impunity. I let it get away with just about everything. It tells lies as easily as often as it is distracted by bright, shiny and exciting non-productive extracurricular activities. It tells me everyday that if I put something important off to do something less important, that I will actually accomplish the important stuff later, and in a timely manner. It tells me that it's okay to go to Doughboy's Donuts again, because it will really, definitely, for sure be the last time this time. Three weeks after giving up Diet Coke, and after I had declared victory over DC on this blog, my brain told me that I could just have one - one little Diet Coke, and I would be able to stop. My brain tells me every night at bedtime that I should stay up late again after everyone's gone to bed - that I won't be tired in the morning, and every night I believe it. So, do you see now what a liar my brain is? I won't stand for it any longer!!! My brain needs an extreme makeover so my mind can be at ease.

Remember this old anti-drug public service announcement:

Well that is my brain when my mind tries to not let my brain be itself. This is going to be hard people... it's gonna really hurt my brain to do this. But as I was pondering the possibilities a few nights ago, what I'm capable of, my potential, something from and old ABC After School Special popped into my mind, which was, "you can do it Duffy Moon, you can do it".

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On a different note, I have some extraordinary news about the little wild pony Kailee, whose drama I wrote about a few weeks ago here. Last week I took a drive back where the horses hang out to look at the new ones - there are quite a few that are VERY new :) While I was out there, I spotted the two ladies seen in my pictures, whose names are Debbie and Mona. They informed me that Debbie (with the darker hair in my pics) had since adopted Kailee through the wild horse adoption program, and that Kailee is now being boarded over near Windy Hill, and has a new BFF named Smokey. Debbie e-mailed me this pic.

Kailee and Smokey just chillin'

Debbie has invited me to visit Kailee, and I think I will very soon :)

Debbie and Mona also filled me in on some details of the day Kailee was snatched from the jaws of death (remember, I had to leave the scene early on. They were there until 5 pm - I left at about noon). Apparently it wasn't really the government person who saved Kailee like I thought. It was actually Mona's idea to try an enema. They didn't have one handy, so she ran down to Long's Drugs and purchased two. Poor Kailee was so far gone at that point that she didn't even flinch through either - they gave her both. Within a half an hour, she was on her feet again, and shortly after that, she was nursing. Wow! I just love that story!!! I think Mona and Debbie truly are horse whisperers.

Congrats to Debbie on owning her very first horse!

Okay, now that I'm finally done with this post - it always takes me much longer to blog than I think it will (stupid brain), I'm going to start my brain makeover and stop believing my brain's lies starting........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ now.

National Geographic Heart-breaker and Feral Equine Vampires

Anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows that when I posted my wild horse pictorial, which can be seen here, I was certain it would lead to a featured spread in National Geographic, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in new camera equipment. I wrote this:

I've watermarked these pictures. Mostly it makes me feel kind of important, but also because I want to make some money if National Geographic tries to use them. In fact, I'm pretty sure National Geographic will be contacting me soon, providing me with hundreds of thousands of dollars in new equipment, and offering me a featured $pread in their magazine. I'm sure you will agree ;-)

So just try to imagine what a crushing blow it was form me to see this in the February 2009 edition of NG.

In case the blurb is too blurry to read, that's Melissa Farlow on assignment with MY photog equipment covering MY wild horse story. I feel so used and betrayed. I've loved NG my entire life! I even almost shed a tear when I had to narrow down my grandparent's enormous collection of National Geographic magazines to only one box, in the interest of saving space, and not having Matt upset with me for bringing home a truck load. I chose only the ones I had loved the most, were historically significant, and whose covers I remembered best. They have been collecting dust in the garage ever since, as would be expected for such beloved treasures.

I realize now that I should have promoted myself more. Why did I think it was enough to just post my photo essay on my blog? I should have been burning up comment boxes around the blogospere with links and joining blog groups. If I had done so, that Hubble Telescope cam would have been mine! ALL MINE! If I had been on assignment, I would have been able to stay all day when that little filly Kylie had a near death experience, but was snatched from the jaws of death by that horse whisperer who whispered her two enemas. On second thought though, maybe it's a good thing I needed to run errands and missed that part. It would probably be visual TMI, even for a NG story. But I could have captured the very moment she stopped seeing the light, and was later reunited with her good for nothing mother. And if NG would send me some infrared night vision equipment, I could capture how wild mustangs sneak out onto Steamboat and Rio Wrangler Drive to party and trash everything up while we're sleeping. I could also include a hard hitting expose about how prisoners in stripes must humiliatingly clean up after said mustang party aftermath. Maybe I should indeed start burning up the blogospere. Maybe they'll let me do 'Part 2, The Secret Nightlife of Reno's Mustangs'. Probably that title would lure in a lot of new readers too ;-)

Mustang Vampire Love

I want to dedicate this pic to Sariah Free. She's got it real bad for that creepy vampire, Edward Cullen, and has probably already burned a hole her Twilight DVD from constant spinning, but I still like her. Which is extremely magnanimous of me, by the way, after she insulted El Pollo Loco straight to my face recently. But she won me over again Friday night when she repeatedly insulted Utah as she hosted Family Feud at our Relief Society dinner - was awesome! So I've forgiven her about the El Pollo Loco comment, because I'm so righteous like that.

Anywho, she's got it so bad for Edward, that she actually made out with him the other day. Okay, not the real Edward, or even the actor who played him, but rather a poster of Edward that a friend had taped to her sliding glass window. I think it was pretty cold out that day, so it was probably just how she always imagined it would be - cold and intoxicatingly marble like. Okay, maybe 'made out' is too strong a phrase, but she was lovin' her some Edward poster.

I bet she didn't know we have vampire mustangs in Reno (which gives me a great idea for yet another NG story).

Wild Horse DRAMA!

Here's how it unfolded...

On Thursday, I went up in the hills to take a brisk walk and try out my newly repaired camera - the one that pooped out before Christmas

But mostly to try out my newly repaired camera

After a while, I noticed some of the horses were concerned about something, and had started to move in the direction of their curiosity, but I didn't see anything, and couldn't figure out what was bothering them.

Then, from the opposite direction, a truck full of hay arrived and they were distracted.

But still concerned

Eventually however, their stomachs won them over

But not without hesitating a few times first

I wouldn't mess with my favorite if I were you

They all gathered around the truck and patiently waited while the hay was unloaded. They seem to be very calm and non-violent when they're around the hay truck

A member of The Hidden Vally Horse Association gets friendly while feeding the horses

On their way out, going the opposite direction of the way they came in, the people from the HVWHA spotted what the horses were so concerned about - a horse was down. I went to investigate, thinking maybe it was giving birth

But it wasn't. It was a sick and dying pony, the one I wanted to take home to give a hot bath and cuddle up with back in this post

The two ladies knew all about her and had named her Kylie. She was born in September and has been suffering with an eye infection all winter, and her stomach was extremely bloated.

Kylie seemed to be dying a slow death, but would somehow muster the strength to stand up and walk a few feet at a time before collapsing again

She would collapse wherever she was - even right on top of the brush

But then she would rally and find the strength get up on her feet again

Only to collapse a few yards away, where she would be comforted

These nice horse loving ladies (and there was a gentleman with them too) began directing her toward the herd, in hopes of finding her mother who could nurse her.

But her mother wasn't around - the ladies knew exactly which horse to look for.

In the meantime, between all the stopping and starting, lots of phone calls were made to different veterinarians and government agencies. Taking care of sick wild horses is a convoluted process because they are federally protected. Not just any vet can help out, or even legally put one down. The fear was that she would be eaten alive by coyotes before the right person arrived.

And this was how things stood when I left the scene - thinking she would be coyote dinner, whether she was put down or not, because legally, when one dies, it must be left out for food.

BUT, a miracle happened, in form of a government horse whisperer, who whispered her two enemas and various other miraculous whispers, which snatched her right out of the jaws of death (and coyotes). Also, her good for nothing CPS mother came back (they say her mother is not a very good mother), bearing mother's milk, and according to Bill, from The Hidden Valley Wild Horse Association whose number I took down before I left, she's on the mend and seems to be doing well!

The end :)

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p.s. Ella made her school's volleyball team and the Sacajawea video she and her friends made for their history project has been selected to go to state finals! Yay Ella :)

Winter Coats

Eva's been home sick for the last couple days, so I took her out for a drive to get out of the house. We drove up to see the wild horses, and you know what? She was bored right out of her mind! Can you believe that? Oh well. I had a good time :)

The horses are all decked out in their thick winter coats now. They look very different than they do during the summertime.

Slide Mountain in the background

Don't you just want to take it home, give it a nice hot bath, and then cuddle up with it?

There is a spot up on a certain hill where someone (possibly a government agency worker?) brings them hay during the winter. If you go up there, they walk right up to your car and are very friendly. This brown one tried to eat my jacket through the window. Parking there has kind of a Pavlovian affect on them I think. It's the Pavlovian parking spot.

And do you know what else I saw today? Prisoners in black and white stripes cleaning up horse stuff on Steamboat :D I didn't know they still wore stripes! Crime really doesn't pay!!!

I've never actually seen the horses on Steamboat, but they made a huge mess on it over the last few weeks! I kind of imagine it happening like a Far Side cartoon - they sneak over in the middle of the night, mess the place up, and then laugh their heads off at the prisoners cleaning up after them. You just have to love that they do whatever they want, wherever they want, and whenever they want!

A Re-post, South East Reno's Wild Horses - My Pictorial

This is a re-post, my first. Every blogger does a re-post at some point, right? It's kind of an unwritten rule of blogging. It took me a long time to figure out how some people are able to publish their pictures much larger and clearer than the pictures the up-loader on blogger publishes - photobucket.com people! I'm kind of slow, I know, especially for a person who loves to post pictures. So I've redone these to look much better. You know, I feel like an artist when I look at them...maybe I am. I'm a little too proud of my work I think. I may re-size a few even larger. But now I have to finish putting Christmas away, visit my mother and fold a gigantic pile of laundry - a pile so large and vast, it strikes fear in my very soul just thinking about it.

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No one would really know it by this blog, but I'm not really a horse lover - per se. I never dreamed of having a pony as a little girl. I never collected horse figurines or had horse posters on my bedroom walls. I even horrified Ella by laughing during the movie Flicka, when Tim McGraw (easy on the eyes and ears, but a terrible actor) was going to shoot Flicka, and his daughter, dramatically strewn across the horse says, "it's okay, you can shoot us." That just killed me and I had to laugh out loud. I felt pretty bad when Ella looked at me with tears streaming down her face.

So, I've never really taken an interest in horses, until we moved out to this part of town where wild horses roam the hills. They're fascinating to watch, in my opinion. They're graceful, playful, maternal, protective, violent, territorial, curious and friendly. Unfortunately, I'm the only one in the family who thinks so :D No one else shares my enthusiasm :(

I've watermarked these pictures. Mostly it makes me feel kind of important, but I also want to make some money if National Geographic tries to use them. In fact, I'm pretty sure National Geographic will be contacting me soon, providing me with hundreds of thousands of dollars in new equipment, and offering me a featured $pread in their magazine. I'm sure you will agree ;-)

The wild horses tie Reno's landscape together so well I think!

Near the Toll Brothers development

Downtown Reno in the background

Over looking the Donner Springs/Hidden Valley areas, and Sparks

Siesta time

Upon waking

A few of them need some Rogaine

Over looking the Damonte Ranch High School Mustangs football field

Above the Reynon and Bardis development, Peavine Mountain in the background

Seen better days

My grandmother always hated it when my bangs would hang in my eyes like that. This black one is a bad a** stallion, and he was staring me down. I've named him 'The Black Hand'. But don't worry, I was ready to jump in my car

Above Damonte Ranch High School

Munching on the native grasses

Mt. Rose in the background

I see you

In the wetlands

My AMAZING Wild Horse Video - Soon to be Seen on the National Geographic Channel ;-)

Back in late summer and early fall, during the height of my wild horse obsession, I was making an AWESOME video of my horse stalking excursions. It's not finished, but it's been sitting untouched for a while, and I don't feel like doing anything more with it at this point, so here it is. It has a few thrilling fights, and some 'oh how cute' moments as well. I filmed almost all of it just below the Sage Hill Gun Club.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

South East Reno's Wild Horses - My Pictorial

No one would really know it by this blog, but I'm not really a horse lover - per se. I never dreamed of having a pony as a little girl. I never collected horse figurines or had horse posters on my bedroom walls. I even horrified Ella by laughing during the movie Flicka, when Tim McGraw (easy on the eyes and ears, but a terrible actor) was going to shoot Flicka, and his daughter, dramatically strewn across the horse says, "it's okay, you can shoot us." That just killed me and I had to laugh out loud. I felt pretty bad when Ella looked at me with tears streaming down her face.

So, I've never really taken an interest in horses, until we moved out to this part of town where wild horses roam the hills. They're fascinating to watch, in my opinion. They're graceful, playful, maternal, protective, violent, territorial, curious and friendly. Unfortunately, I'm the only one in the family who thinks so :D No one else shares my enthusiasm :(

I've watermarked these pictures. Mostly it makes me feel kind of important, but I also want to make some money if National Geographic tries to use them. In fact, I'm pretty sure National Geographic will be contacting me soon, providing me with hundreds of thousands of dollars in new equipment, and offering me a featured $pread in their magazine. I'm sure you will agree ;-)

The wild horses tie Reno's landscape together so well I think!

Near the Toll Brothers development

Downtown Reno in the background

Over looking the Donner Springs/Hidden Valley areas, and Sparks

Siesta time

Upon waking

A few of them need some Rogaine

Over looking the Damonte Ranch High School Mustangs football field

Above the Reynon and Bardis development, Peavine Mountain in the background

Seen better days

My grandmother always hated it when my bangs would hang in my eyes like that. This black one is a bad a** stallion, and he was staring me down. I've named him 'The Black Hand'. But don't worry, I was ready to jump in my car

Above Damonte Ranch High School

Munching on the native grasses

Mt. Rose in the background

I see you

In the wetlands