GO SEE IT!!! NOOWWW!!!! That's all :)
Oh, they're talking about cutting down the language to lower the 'R' rating so youngins can see it. Totally going to ruin the funny parts!! See it quickly! By far the best movie I've seen in a while.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Job & Aiken Adventures
My last update was December 2nd, and boy has a lot gone on since then!
The holidays went without a glitch, and I was lucky to be able to spend Christmas with my family at Millwood this year. Last year I was working in PA, and had to work that morning so I wasn't able to make it in time for the Judy family Christmas.
New Years was by far the best I've ever had. It seems to get talked up so much every year that I end up spending it alone at my house with my own bottle of champagne! (Of course, I usually fall asleep by midnight). This year I was prepared.. with a date! I went ahead and made reservations through OpenTable.com for a place in Arlington called Extra Virgin. We wanted to keep it a pretty low key night since it does seem to get over-hyped, so the plan was to have dinner and return to his apartment to watch the ball drop in NYC. After our AMAZING 4-course meal at Extra Virgin, we decided to stick around the area and ended up hitting a few of the restaurant/bars nearby. Since we were still there by midnight, we ended up at a dive of a place dancing to some goofy music and ordering champagne from a bar to cheers. It ended up being one of those insanely random nights, and we were both exhausted by the end of it!
Post-holidays, I had a few interviews after being recommended to them by my internship job. My first was for an Executive Assistant position at a PAC, and the other was for a Press Assistant position for a House Rep. Unfortunately, I received a callback from the PAC saying they LOVED me, but thought I would hate that job. The House office never called. So, I kept on trucking :)
In January I volunteered at the Republican National Committee Annual Meeting at National Harbor, MD, as a WHIP-runner for (then) Chairman Michael Steele. He was running for re-election, and I thought it would be a great way to get involved in the whole process. It turned out to be SUPER educational, and it was amazing to see how sheisty it can get in politics! It was more interesting because it reminded me of high school elections. Almost a popularity contest at the end of it all. Anyway, Steele didn't win (as you know), Reince Priebus did- my least favorite candidate! Oh well. I was definitely bummed, but it didn't impact me as much as the rest of his team. They were pretty devastated to lose their jobs! Overall, I probably wouldn't do it again, but it was a great learning experience!
Nearing the end of the RNC meeting, I got an email from the PAC. They were interested in interviewing me again for another position with the company, one which they thought I would be perfect for. So I went in, and it was a unanimous decision to hire me on :) Starting January 18th, 2011, I became the Development & Marketing Assistant at a Business PAC in Washington, D.C. My first real life big girl job!! It's been exhausting, but also thrilling to learn new ways of building a department in such an established company. I'm really looking forward to working there!
This past weekend a friend and I loaded Wanda up in the trailer (after my parents and I spent 3 hours in the snow digging out bamboo so we could free the driveway back to the barn!) and drove the 9 hours South to Aiken, South Carolina. I haven't been able to ride Wanda very much since the ground has been so terrible and I've been so busy with work, so I talked the guys at Phillip Dutton's Aiken barn, Red Oak, in to conditioning her for me where the weather is much better! When we arrived there, it was about 65 degrees!! A pretty nice change from the 30 degree weather we've been having here in VA. Wanda was SOOO excited to be there. When I turned her out, she ran off bucking and prancing like a stallion. I hope she's not too much of a handful!!
My friend and I stayed at the Hotel Aiken, which I have ALWAYS wanted to do. It is a historic hotel in the center of the city, so we could just walk downstairs to the super popular bar, the Polo Tavern, and the Hotel Aiken's restaurant, 100 Laurens. We ate at the restaurant, where they only serve Tapas but they're amazing, and met up with all my horsey friends afterward at the Polo Tavern. It was so great to see all the people I worked with last year and it definitely made me miss being there!
Sunday morning we packed up and headed back up toward VA. We made a quick stop in Cary, NC to visit my friend's parents (and his giant rottweiler!). They made us lunch, which was a much-needed rest stop since we were pretty tired of driving, and we got back on the road. We arrived home at about 7:30pm, and after I made some Easy Mac, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!! I slept like an absolute rock. Now it's back to my real life job!!
The holidays went without a glitch, and I was lucky to be able to spend Christmas with my family at Millwood this year. Last year I was working in PA, and had to work that morning so I wasn't able to make it in time for the Judy family Christmas.
New Years was by far the best I've ever had. It seems to get talked up so much every year that I end up spending it alone at my house with my own bottle of champagne! (Of course, I usually fall asleep by midnight). This year I was prepared.. with a date! I went ahead and made reservations through OpenTable.com for a place in Arlington called Extra Virgin. We wanted to keep it a pretty low key night since it does seem to get over-hyped, so the plan was to have dinner and return to his apartment to watch the ball drop in NYC. After our AMAZING 4-course meal at Extra Virgin, we decided to stick around the area and ended up hitting a few of the restaurant/bars nearby. Since we were still there by midnight, we ended up at a dive of a place dancing to some goofy music and ordering champagne from a bar to cheers. It ended up being one of those insanely random nights, and we were both exhausted by the end of it!
Post-holidays, I had a few interviews after being recommended to them by my internship job. My first was for an Executive Assistant position at a PAC, and the other was for a Press Assistant position for a House Rep. Unfortunately, I received a callback from the PAC saying they LOVED me, but thought I would hate that job. The House office never called. So, I kept on trucking :)
In January I volunteered at the Republican National Committee Annual Meeting at National Harbor, MD, as a WHIP-runner for (then) Chairman Michael Steele. He was running for re-election, and I thought it would be a great way to get involved in the whole process. It turned out to be SUPER educational, and it was amazing to see how sheisty it can get in politics! It was more interesting because it reminded me of high school elections. Almost a popularity contest at the end of it all. Anyway, Steele didn't win (as you know), Reince Priebus did- my least favorite candidate! Oh well. I was definitely bummed, but it didn't impact me as much as the rest of his team. They were pretty devastated to lose their jobs! Overall, I probably wouldn't do it again, but it was a great learning experience!
Nearing the end of the RNC meeting, I got an email from the PAC. They were interested in interviewing me again for another position with the company, one which they thought I would be perfect for. So I went in, and it was a unanimous decision to hire me on :) Starting January 18th, 2011, I became the Development & Marketing Assistant at a Business PAC in Washington, D.C. My first real life big girl job!! It's been exhausting, but also thrilling to learn new ways of building a department in such an established company. I'm really looking forward to working there!
This past weekend a friend and I loaded Wanda up in the trailer (after my parents and I spent 3 hours in the snow digging out bamboo so we could free the driveway back to the barn!) and drove the 9 hours South to Aiken, South Carolina. I haven't been able to ride Wanda very much since the ground has been so terrible and I've been so busy with work, so I talked the guys at Phillip Dutton's Aiken barn, Red Oak, in to conditioning her for me where the weather is much better! When we arrived there, it was about 65 degrees!! A pretty nice change from the 30 degree weather we've been having here in VA. Wanda was SOOO excited to be there. When I turned her out, she ran off bucking and prancing like a stallion. I hope she's not too much of a handful!!
My friend and I stayed at the Hotel Aiken, which I have ALWAYS wanted to do. It is a historic hotel in the center of the city, so we could just walk downstairs to the super popular bar, the Polo Tavern, and the Hotel Aiken's restaurant, 100 Laurens. We ate at the restaurant, where they only serve Tapas but they're amazing, and met up with all my horsey friends afterward at the Polo Tavern. It was so great to see all the people I worked with last year and it definitely made me miss being there!
Sunday morning we packed up and headed back up toward VA. We made a quick stop in Cary, NC to visit my friend's parents (and his giant rottweiler!). They made us lunch, which was a much-needed rest stop since we were pretty tired of driving, and we got back on the road. We arrived home at about 7:30pm, and after I made some Easy Mac, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!! I slept like an absolute rock. Now it's back to my real life job!!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Morning Excitement
This morning at the barn we had a bit of excitement! I let Wanda & Dublin out in to their field, forgetting I had pinned open a gate on the other side of the paddock because the manure pile is there and they hadn't been allowed out because of the rain these past couple days. So, with Wanda leading, the two went trotting down the gravel driveway towards the house and towards the neighborhood. When I noticed it, I BOOKED it across the field parallel to them on the lane, throwing off my jacket in the process (it was slowing me down!) and intercepted them before the lane opened up to our backyard. Waving my hands in the windmill motion, I deterred them both and then turned back towards the barn. Thinking all had been saved, I shut the gate to the lane and proceeded towards the barn to grab some halters so I could corral them back in to the field. As I turned from the gate, Wanda trotted past me and jumped over the 4 foot gate and back towards the lane. I think I muttered something like "you have GOT to be kidding me". Luckily Dublin's lameness prevented him from making the leap after her, and she missed him too much to continue on, so she turned back and I opened the gate for her. Of course she went trotting right in to the open field, and Dublin stood in the driveway paddock trying to point his back legs at me for about 10 minutes until I gave him the stinkeye. This all happened before 8am and I still made it to work on time :)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Year End Awards
In other news,
Brittanie Hardy & Wonderbaar are Open Novice Champions for the United States Eventing Association Area II!
http://www.usea2.net/competitions/points/190-2010-year-end-points-participant-photos
Brittanie Hardy & Wonderbaar ended 4th for Novice from the United States Equestrian Federation for their zone, and 13th nationally!
What a weekend!
It was an absolute whirlwind of a 4-day weekend, with a super successful ending to a great start.
Fridays I usually don't work so I can get my weekly errands done, so I took the day to get the barn cleaned up and rearranged for winter. Friday night a friend and I went to dinner at the Daily Grill and then to the 10:30pm show at the DC Improv. The comedian's name was Bob Marley, and he is best known for setting the World Record for longest standup comedy. The guy is absolutely hilarious, though I will admit when he first came on stage we were thinking he was a bit out of control! Overall it was an awesome show.
Saturday I had a lesson in the morning with Cathy Fredrickson, and we had an extremely productive lesson working on Wanda's movement and my body position. By the end of the lesson I was feeling much more comfortable with the tools I had to control the horse. Saturday afternoon I went wine tasting with some new friends at Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA. I had never realized there was a winery so close to my house! The wine wasn't my favorite. Plus they only grow one type of grape there, so their red wines are all imported-grapes. Still a fun time. Afterward, I met up with my best girl friend, and we made stops at Fat Tuesdays, Red Lobster, and Patriots Cafe before calling it a night.
Sunday was a relaxing day, and I was able to hang out and watch TV in the morning. Mom and I took a trip to Dover Saddlery to pick up a few horsey things, and I bought a new pair of body clippers to take off some of Wanda's winter coat. When we got home, I gave her a quick bath and trimmed her up as much as I could before it got too dark.
Monday morning I loaded Wanda and mom up in the truck & trailer and drove the 3 hours to True Prospect Farm for a lesson with Phillip Dutton. I hadn't been back there since I stopped working for him in April, so I was a bit nervous! Definitely had no idea what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. It was awesome to see the old co-workers (Jennie, Ryan, Susanna, Emma, Silva, Sara, Phillip and Evie!) and great to get a one-hour lesson with Phillip for the first time in a few months! He had me working on a lot of the same things Cathy did, and helped me get over our little 'down-bank' issue. We also did a few more complicated x-country obstacles, like a coffin, road-crossing, and prelim log down in to water. I was surprised at how well Wanda adapted to the new questions, and felt so much better about the work I've done this summer. I was definitely not riding well when I left True Prospect last Spring, and finishing this lesson without hearing 'terrible!' or 'do this again' or 'we'll come back to it another day' made it that much more rewarding. I can thank Cathy for that one :)
Fridays I usually don't work so I can get my weekly errands done, so I took the day to get the barn cleaned up and rearranged for winter. Friday night a friend and I went to dinner at the Daily Grill and then to the 10:30pm show at the DC Improv. The comedian's name was Bob Marley, and he is best known for setting the World Record for longest standup comedy. The guy is absolutely hilarious, though I will admit when he first came on stage we were thinking he was a bit out of control! Overall it was an awesome show.
Saturday I had a lesson in the morning with Cathy Fredrickson, and we had an extremely productive lesson working on Wanda's movement and my body position. By the end of the lesson I was feeling much more comfortable with the tools I had to control the horse. Saturday afternoon I went wine tasting with some new friends at Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA. I had never realized there was a winery so close to my house! The wine wasn't my favorite. Plus they only grow one type of grape there, so their red wines are all imported-grapes. Still a fun time. Afterward, I met up with my best girl friend, and we made stops at Fat Tuesdays, Red Lobster, and Patriots Cafe before calling it a night.
Sunday was a relaxing day, and I was able to hang out and watch TV in the morning. Mom and I took a trip to Dover Saddlery to pick up a few horsey things, and I bought a new pair of body clippers to take off some of Wanda's winter coat. When we got home, I gave her a quick bath and trimmed her up as much as I could before it got too dark.
Monday morning I loaded Wanda and mom up in the truck & trailer and drove the 3 hours to True Prospect Farm for a lesson with Phillip Dutton. I hadn't been back there since I stopped working for him in April, so I was a bit nervous! Definitely had no idea what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. It was awesome to see the old co-workers (Jennie, Ryan, Susanna, Emma, Silva, Sara, Phillip and Evie!) and great to get a one-hour lesson with Phillip for the first time in a few months! He had me working on a lot of the same things Cathy did, and helped me get over our little 'down-bank' issue. We also did a few more complicated x-country obstacles, like a coffin, road-crossing, and prelim log down in to water. I was surprised at how well Wanda adapted to the new questions, and felt so much better about the work I've done this summer. I was definitely not riding well when I left True Prospect last Spring, and finishing this lesson without hearing 'terrible!' or 'do this again' or 'we'll come back to it another day' made it that much more rewarding. I can thank Cathy for that one :)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Puissance, Dressage, and S.W.A.T.!
Friday night a friend and I went to the Washington International Horse Show at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. We made it in time to watch the Puissance competition, which went for only about 45 minutes because they only made it 2 rounds to 6'1". Afterwards we ate at Fado's outside of Chinatown, which was an amazing meal since we were both pretty hungry! It was a pretty fun night!
Saturday took Wanda to Morven Park in Leesburg, VA for the Morven Park Benefit Dressage Schooling Show. I had originally entered this show to ride the Training eventing tests in preparation for moving up to Training, but due to recent refusals at Seneca and Middleburg and an elimination at Waredaca, plans changed. So, I used it as a schooling just to see where we were in our dressage work. I had entered in Novice B (as a warm up), Training A, and Training B, but scratched from Training B because I didn't want to over face her with all the lengthening and such. The judge was Evelyn Susol, a widely known dressage judge in the Virginia area. For the Novice B test, we got a 36.5%, best movements being 7's on my trot and canter circles, and lowest movements being 5's on my turns and medium walks. We tend to swing wide and lose momentum from her hind legs. For the Training test A, we got a 39%, which isn't terrible for our first time riding this test! We got an 8 on our stretch-down trot circle, and a few 5's on a 15meter canter circle and a trot lengthening. All-in-all I thought it was a pretty successful day, and I was really proud of how relaxed she was being there. I was even asked if she was for sale, and told by someone that they wished they had a horse that was "easy to ride". (I said, "me too!")
Saturday night I got together with my friends (dressed as a banana, disgusting feminine pad, chicken, and a kissing booth), and we jumped on the Vienna metro to the Clarendon Bar & Grill in Clarendon, VA. I pulled together a home-made S.W.A.T. team member outfit, and it worked out perfect. Unfortunately, I hadn't eaten beforehand, so my night was spent thinking about how I could sneak away from my friends to get some food! We left D.C. around 12am and hit up Taco Bell on the way home. It was pretty hilarious sitting in the metro looking across the tracks to see a bull & matador, mario & luigi, chilean miner, fisherman, gumbi, orphan Annie, and numerous other oddities. There were about a billion people dressed up as miners. I'd say that was the most common costume this year. Gotta start working on next year's costume!!
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Unfortunate Waredaca Horse Trials
So Wanda and I have been having hiccups at our events lately. It's frustrating because we started off in the Spring winning everything, and lately we haven't been able to complete an event without a run-out.
This past weekend was pretty busy for us. On Friday I trailered Wanda to Millwood and had an extremely productive jump lesson with Cathy. Saturday morning Christie rode with me to Waredaca to walk my xcountry course, then I competed Wanda at the Sandstone Farms Schooling Show in the Novice division to ride through a dressage test. With Lucy Eddins as our judge, we placed 1st in our class with a 26.9%, which is really good. We didn't do the jumping portion (I didn't want to jump her 3 days in a row), so we ended with a no-score finish. I was really proud of her though.
On Sunday, I competed Novice at the Waredaca Farms Horse Trials in Laytonsville, MD. My parents refuse to attend this event, because I have always had a rough time there. I'm pretty sure I've been eliminated or had major penalties every time I've been there in the past. Unfortunately, this time was no different. Our dressage test was unfortunate, because it was on grass footing on a slope, and Wanda was feeling kind of stubborn. We ended with a 39.5% putting us in 11th. Our worst score ever. ShowJumping went ok, but we were fairly unbalanced through a lot of the turns and I was lucky she was being good with her feet. We went double clear. Once we got to the xcountry, I was feeling pretty nervous about things and I guess she was, too. It felt like we were drifting left the entire first couple fences, and then we had a dirty run-out at a drop bank fence. I was able to circle and trot her down, and we kept going until we reached another drop bank two strides to water, and she stubbornly ran out left 3 times, eliminating us. I almost ran over the jump judge during the first run out because I was trying to avoid falling off, but she was extremely nice about it and even let us try again after we had been eliminated, just for schooling purposes. Unfortunately, Wanda wasn't having it. Stubborn mare!
When we left Waredaca, I called mom and we decided to take her to Frying Pan Park to school some banks so she didn't get it in her head that she could get away with not completing them. She balked a few times, but eventually went on, and then it seemed like they were no problem at all. I wouldn't normally go schooling after an event, but I felt it was necessary for the both of us, so it didn't turn in to a confidence problem. We just walked down the banks a few times, then packed up and went home. It was a very long weekend.
This weekend we are competing in 3 dressage tests at the Morven Park Benefit Dressage Show. Hopefully we can get our dressage sorted out, because the next weekend is our final event for the season, Rubicon. I'm also going to start her on a mare supplement to see if I can get some of her moodiness out. Stupid woman hormones!! We'll see how it goes :)
This past weekend was pretty busy for us. On Friday I trailered Wanda to Millwood and had an extremely productive jump lesson with Cathy. Saturday morning Christie rode with me to Waredaca to walk my xcountry course, then I competed Wanda at the Sandstone Farms Schooling Show in the Novice division to ride through a dressage test. With Lucy Eddins as our judge, we placed 1st in our class with a 26.9%, which is really good. We didn't do the jumping portion (I didn't want to jump her 3 days in a row), so we ended with a no-score finish. I was really proud of her though.
On Sunday, I competed Novice at the Waredaca Farms Horse Trials in Laytonsville, MD. My parents refuse to attend this event, because I have always had a rough time there. I'm pretty sure I've been eliminated or had major penalties every time I've been there in the past. Unfortunately, this time was no different. Our dressage test was unfortunate, because it was on grass footing on a slope, and Wanda was feeling kind of stubborn. We ended with a 39.5% putting us in 11th. Our worst score ever. ShowJumping went ok, but we were fairly unbalanced through a lot of the turns and I was lucky she was being good with her feet. We went double clear. Once we got to the xcountry, I was feeling pretty nervous about things and I guess she was, too. It felt like we were drifting left the entire first couple fences, and then we had a dirty run-out at a drop bank fence. I was able to circle and trot her down, and we kept going until we reached another drop bank two strides to water, and she stubbornly ran out left 3 times, eliminating us. I almost ran over the jump judge during the first run out because I was trying to avoid falling off, but she was extremely nice about it and even let us try again after we had been eliminated, just for schooling purposes. Unfortunately, Wanda wasn't having it. Stubborn mare!
When we left Waredaca, I called mom and we decided to take her to Frying Pan Park to school some banks so she didn't get it in her head that she could get away with not completing them. She balked a few times, but eventually went on, and then it seemed like they were no problem at all. I wouldn't normally go schooling after an event, but I felt it was necessary for the both of us, so it didn't turn in to a confidence problem. We just walked down the banks a few times, then packed up and went home. It was a very long weekend.
This weekend we are competing in 3 dressage tests at the Morven Park Benefit Dressage Show. Hopefully we can get our dressage sorted out, because the next weekend is our final event for the season, Rubicon. I'm also going to start her on a mare supplement to see if I can get some of her moodiness out. Stupid woman hormones!! We'll see how it goes :)
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