I'm Back...

...but I'm wiped. I got back from a short but exhausting vacation only to be immediately slammed at work. Not only will the next few weeks be crazy, but I'm looking ahead at our schedule for the next year and it's only going to get worse. I'll have to start working harder and smarter to get it all done.

Besides the oh-so-fun prospect of working 12 and 13 hour days this week, one of the company heads started dropping negative hints about my department. Apparently we are not stacking up against the competition and it is not getting better. He slipped in some reference to "it's not too far of a drop to go from failing to folded." Yikes.

And this, of course, ties into my horse purchasing considerations. If I lost my job next year, next month, or even tomorrow, I'd be okay. I really would. I'd take on freelance work, take a break from a regular day job, and live off my savings for a little bit. But that would all change if I had a horse. My savings would be gone and I'd have to worry about finding work immediately to support my equine friend.

Speaking of horse hunting, I was visiting some (non-horsey) friends this weekend. When I told them I was considering buying a horse, they gave me that polite, blank stare you might give to a slightly crazy person trying to make conversation with you in public. I think what they were thinking was, "Why not use that money to buy a nice house?" but managed to muster an "Oh...well, if that makes you happy, then go for it." Oh, well. We already know non-horsey people don't always understand this obsession. :)

At the moment I feel too busy and overwhelmed to delve deeply into horse hunting or even to make a final decision about whether I'm truly ready. When things calm down I will contact the woman with the draft cross mare so I can at least get my first experience of checking out a horse. My SO even volunteered to come and take pictures and maybe video for me, which would be helpful.

My plans for this weekend -- besides working, ugh! -- include taking Mae out on the trail with another rider at the stable, going to watch a dressage show, and hopefully catching up on the Olympics. I sure hope NBC.com is archiving the events in addition to streaming them live, because right now I can't imagine when I will have time to sit down and watch them!