Like Yoga for Horses

*Note: I am leaning forward...ARGH! But at least the horse looks good. Working on a 10 meter circle.


It never fails to make me laugh. Inevitably when someone finds out that I ride and train both English and Western horses, they ask: "do you do dressage?"

The answer is: always.

Then another statement from this new person: "I have always wanted to do dressage, I wonder if my horse could do it."

This single statement is probably the dumbest thing I have ever heard (no offense to those of you who wonder...keep reading). It is like wondering if you can do yoga. Any person can do at least a little yoga, and will benefit from it. This is the same with horses. Can you drink water? should you breathe air? These are all similar questions.

Yes, your horse CAN do dressage. You can do it too, and the sooner that you start, the better your life and the life of your horse will be. Here are some reasons to do dressage:

*It will improve balance and posture in your horse

*It will improve your balance and Posture (you see, dressage is like yoga for people too)

*It will strengthen the effectiveness of horse/rider communication

*A responsive horse is more likely to find a good home if (God forbid) you should ever need to re-home it.

*Dressage increases muscle tone and overall fitness in both horse and rider.

*It will make your reining horse stronger and more efficient, and ultimately able to do a prettier pattern

*It will develop the back muscles needed in cutting and quick cow work

*It will develop all muscles needed for jumping

*It will create a pretty rounded and natural look for your western or english pleasure horse.

*or any show horse

*rhythmic exercises are soothing for high strung horses

*extension and flexion exercises are wonderful for lazy horses

*Dull horses learn to respond

*hyper-sensitive horses learn to wait for cues

*Riders learn to be patient, relax and rejoice in small victories (you would be surprised at how many small victories are in a day...it leads to a much more satisfied life)

*Dressage, unlike any other equine sport, focuses on the longevity of the horse. A lot of the Prix St Georges horses are in their late teens and early twenties and much more fit than a 10 year old show horse. Their usable life is extended and their quality of life is improved.

*Older horses tend to lose muscle tone first, creating that "ridge back" effect. Slow dressage workouts help build that muscle back and keep your horse looking well.

Here are some reasons not to do dressage:

*

*

OK, I can't think of one! There is no reason not to do it. If you have a stick horse or no horse at all, at the very least, learning dressage terminology and "riding" a pattern in your living room will improve memory and muscle memory. It feels silly, but my friends and I use to do tests on foot just to commit them to memory. Don't be ashamed!

Now, I know that not every horse is Prix St Georges material, some of them may never make it past training level, but that isn't what is important here. The "tricks" of high School dressage are amazing, but that shouldn't be your goal. When you start, your goal is to improve the life of you and your horse.

Honestly, this seems counter intuitive, but Training level and lower levels are the hardest. Do you remember how hard Kindergarten was? I do, coloring inside the lines seemed purposeless and why would I learn to read or add when mommy and daddy do it for me? But, when you get going and really start learning, school would get easier and easier. Sure, we hit roadblocks in each grade and it became hard, but kindergarten had taught us to learn, take instruction and the value and fun of knowledge.

Your horse will go through the same process. If you have never done any dressage he will question and maybe even get frustrated from time to time. you will feel like your kindergarten teacher did. It might frustrate you too, but just remember to have patience. He is upset because he doesn't know the answer. Try to find ways to make it easier for him to FIND the answer. Don't give it to him. And don't ever try to force him.

Here is a very basic dressage exercise that will help you both learn. Your horse will learn to seek the correct answer and you will learn patience. Some of you may already do this. Without knowing it, you are doing dressage!

First a few tips: I ride with my inside leg up by the girth, and my outside leg just slightly back. This helps cue my horse as to my intentions. It is a good thing to ALWAYS make your intentions clear. If I am out in a random field or on a trail and I ask for a canter or lope from the walk, they know which lead to take based on my leg position. It is OK to do this without head and neck flexion. That will come with time. Don't expect this to be perfect! Have patience and your horse will learn more quickly than you think. Also, I always start these exercises with loose-ish reins. don't try to fight for control, but don't throw the horse away either. A plain snaffle bit, or rubber mouth snaffle is perfect. But you can do this in a halter, bitless, whatever. The instructions are for riding with two hands though so I recommend a mild snaffle or bitless affair.

OK, here it goes:

You will start this exercise at the walk. A field, hill, center of the arena, any where you can do a circle. Start out on a 5 meter circle. Now don't go panicking already 5 meters is about 15 feet across. Just a moderate circle in the center of your workspace is fine. Get a good consistent walk. If all you do during the first lesson is learn how to walk on a 5 meter circle then no big deal. Small victories are big victories in the long run. If your horse is really having a hard time walking on a small circle, then spiral out until he is comfortable. We can reverse this exercise to build enough muscle to handle a 5 meter circle.

Once the horse has a very consistent cadence, not quite plodding, but not rushing either, increase the pressure from the inside leg at the girth. HEELS DOWN!!!! Just use the side of your calf to press against the area just behind the girth. At the same time release pressure from your outside leg. If your horse is confused, take your outside leg completely off of him...point it out, whatever. What you are doing is asking him to move sideways and forward at the same time. Your hands/reins do not change and your seat does not change. If he is still having trouble, increase the weight on your inside seat bone, but don't lean. Think of it as closing the door for any inside movement and opening the outside door. When the horse takes ONE STEP in the direction (sideways and still forward) RELEASE!

The release is the most important part. This is the reward for the horse. If he does it and you keep asking, he thinks he has given the wrong answer. So, when he even makes the slightest try at first release to let him know he is doing well. You will be surprised at how quickly he learns. Pet him, tell him how good he is and try again. The next time, if your release was correct, he will respond much more quickly. Once he responds well, add steps. Keep increasing the size of your circle until you can't anymore or until you feel that he is doing well on that side.

DO NOT QUIT HERE. It is vitally important that you train both the left and right sides of your horse. Do this exercise in both directions. If you are only working on a good circle, do it in both directions. Always, always, always work both directions!

Another very important thing to keep in mind is not to overdo it. This can be as bad as expecting too much, and is very closely related to that. This may seem so simple and easy, but it is building muscle, and thought in you and your horse. When you first start only work a maximum of 15 minutes in each direction. Work your way up to longer sessions, then add trot and canter (or jog and lope for you western gurus) when you are ready. More importantly don't add these before the horse is ready. He will get sore, and become less and less compliant and maybe even bored. I am not saying to limit your entire ride to 30 minutes total, but the gymnastic dressage sessions should start out with that. Remember, dedicate equal time to both sides. One side may need more work than the other but you will find that out when you start. that's OK. As long as the horse learns the same exercise on both sides you are golden.

Don't forget to warm up and cool down. a nice walk and trot on loose reins to start, and a good walk after you are done. This should be one where you aren't trying to teach him something. Let him walk and think. Prepare and cool down from each lesson. It is good for you too; I promise!

I know that this may sound so hard for those of you just starting out. The key is to have patience. With yourself as well as your horse. It is hard for a lot of people to learn to separate their leg movements, but you can learn how. After all, you learned how to walk, and it was hard, but you did it. You can do this too. Sometimes it helps to explain the goals and process to someone who does not ride and ask them to critique you. I get so frustrated sometimes when my non-horsey boyfriend tells me to sit up straight, but then I have to remember, he is looking at me with only the knowledge that I have given him. The correct way to do it, and he can process that and recognize that I am not being correct. It helps that he doesn't know what I am doing. Even when I am bunched up trying to get a colt to understand my legs and an experienced horse person might overlook that and not mention it, DB just sees me not sitting up straight and calls me on it.

New House....FINALLY

So, Peter and I finally moved. We started last Saturday (June 4) and everything was in our new house by Monday, June 6th. this was no easy feat either. It took two trips each with my parents' large and fancy 3 horse trailer with living quarters, and our 4 horse stock trailer. It also involved an entire trailer load to the dump.

How do two people gather so much CRAP? I mean, it is actually embarrassing to have that much stuff laying around, hiding in corners, that needed to go to the dump.

On Wednesday, we cleaned. We scrubbed from top to bottom and let me tell you, I was thankful that we kept it so nice because if we hadn't it would have taken us so much longer. Oh, and you know those white carpets I complained about? Well I had to clean them all the time because they are WHITE and we have ANIMALS, but thank God for that, because all they needed was some freshening up. The water in the carpet cleaner was clean. I am proud of myself...can you tell?

The new house...not so clean.

It is a lovely 2 story remodled farm house, with a 3/4 wrap around deck, a creepy meth basement, a large arena, pastures and...24 ACRES!!! Like, we super lucked out on this one scoob!

But, it is dirty. There are limbs down everyewhere. Thwe 100 year old barn is sturdy, but a walleyed mess. and the inside of the house is just filthy. I made a huge deal about how we take care of our animals, we clean up after them, they live in our home, not the other way around...and I am now thinking that I may have offended the owner. Who is a very nice, and classically busy soul. I really do like her, but GEEZ.

And the carpets.

OMG, the carpets upstairs were dastardly. I can think of no other word. They actually had a persona. And the smell would reach down the stairs and smack you in the face. They are a smart dark green color, and you know there is trouble when you look at dark carpets and can see dirt stains.

I have 2 Bissell Big Green Machines (which I get so much crap for by the way "why do you need two of those" all of the whiney voices ask) and a small little green machine for spot cleaning.

I was thanking the Maker for having 2 big greens because one of my machines actually BROKE while cleaning this carpet. I was pulling out the muddiest most disgusting water you could ever imagine, and I went through six bottles of pure Amonia (for cleanliness) and 4 bottles of "LA's Totally Awesome Floor Cleaner" in Lavender (for deoderizing).

After three tries, the smell was gone, and our carpets were cleaned. There are stains that I can do nothing about, but it smells fresh, we can move furniture in and I feel better about it!

Now for the lower level floors: gorgeous oak flooring that looks pretty hammered...until you get it clean. After 4 buckets of mop water, the dining room is clean, and actually sparkles. The newly painted walls and beautiful accent crown molding are really set off by the floors. Add our antique oak dining set, and china hutch and the result is breathtaking! And, to date, the dining room is the only finished room in the house.

Which brings me to the kitchen. For a moment, let's forget the food and utensils and boxes laying around (canned food of course, I'm not a pig!) and get to the root of the matter: a stunning updated kitchen with a convection combo oven, a glass cooktop and griddle combo range, a two tiered drawer style dishwasher and a recessed fridge. Those last two are most certainly broken.

Yup, brand new, and broken. The appliance store has the part to fix our fridge, and they are having two guys come out and fix it...sometime. The dishwasher is another story.

I opened it up to find Dog hair and crud in both drawers. In taking them apart to clean, we discovered that the drain hose is broken in half, so the dirty water was recycling right back onto the dishes. YUCK! So, that is in pieces until we can figure out how to get the hose.

These are just some of the things that need to be done. And believe me, there will be more. I will more than likely be talking a lot about this in the coming months, so be prepared!

Yay! I'm a runner...sort of

I have really taken the "get in shape" thing seriously. In February, I joined the 24-hour Fitness, and I end up getting to go one (at the VERY minimum) to 3 times a week. Since Peter started working at the Dealership, I get off of work an hour before he does, so it makes sense that I should use that time productively right? I thought so.

Many days, I intend to go to the gym, but I end up finding something else that just needs to be done, right now, and I run out of time. So I decided to add running to my regimine. Now, this decision is not as random as it sounds. I tried the C25K program last year, and did one workout and promptly decided that I was just too uncoordinated to run and watch my timer at the same time. Believe me folks, it wasn't pretty. My decision to try again can be credited solely to my Best Friend. She and I were Skyping and started talking about getting in shape, and she mentioned that she is training for a marathon. This took me aback a little as Alicia is as or slightly less coordinated than I.

Me: "....really?"

Alicia: "yeah, I run a little each day, I actually found a program to help me get in shape so I can train for my marathon."

Me: "wait, are you doing Couch Potato to 5K?"

Alicia: "Yeah, that's the one!"

our conversation continued thusly, and I found out that Sis (Alicia) had found the ultimate tool for C25K: Podrunner Intervals! Podrunner Intervals are these magical little musical mixes that you can download from itunes (free: they are podcasts) or from the podrunner site. They are timed perfectly with a sort of techno/beat type music that tells you when to run and walk in accordance to the C25K plan. No more watching watches, tripping and looking stupid. Okay, well, I can't help the last one, but you get the idea. So, I promptly went to itunes and downloaded the "first day to 5k" series to get started. Week one was a breese. Apparently working out at the gym has gotten me into enough shape to start running (jogging, let's be realistic) and I was able to saunter down the path running and walking at appropriate intervals.

By the second workout, I began to notice other people doing the same thing. Running a little, then breaking down to a walk and looking at their ipod or other music player just like me. We exchange knowing smiles and begin running again when the chime sings it's little tune. Week two was a little harder. Running for 90 seconds is hard on my lungs, and my joints are starting to hurt because I previously would avoid high impact exercise at all cost. Of course, this doesn't serve to make me want to quit, as I imagined it would but actually fuels my desire to succeed.

I sort of slogged through week two, and am now in week three. However yesterday, as I trudged out to valliantly jog in the pouring rain/sleet I decided to repeat week two just to make sure I am progressing naturally and not punishing myself too much. My joints are still a little sore, but I think that means that they and my bones are getting stronger. I can definitely tell that my muscles are getting stronger and I can't wait to see how this whole escapade turns out. So far, if I don't repeat too many other weeks, I should be able to run 5k (all at once) by the end of May. I am still going to the gym on "non run days" and this week I am doing both every day to ensure that I progress. My hopes are to use my running skills to benefit my riding skills. I will have stronger legs, better muscle control, and I will be able to ride and tie with the best of them!

Crazy (as in "I've gone")

So....Lets start with last week when my Wallet got stolen. Don't know how or where, but it did. I cancelled my debit card and hoped to heaven it would show up somewhere stupid...like the refrigerator...no such luck. Some guy saw it fly out of a car window on the highway and I had a professors card in it so he called her...she called me and I recovered the wallet on Thursday. It was stripped of the cash I was going to take to the school to pay off my account, and my card but my ID was still in there...lucky me.

Then, Saturday I had a horse show. A stupid local county show that I was taking Sissy to for Halter, and Dreamer for one english pleasure class. I started practicing halter stuff with Sissy on Monday, so my expectations were dirt low, but she is so smart and ready to please that she took right to it...even squaring fairly well! So My mom and I loaded the horses and set out. And the fun began. Dreamer in his telltale way immediately started misbehaving in the trailer. Only this time, instead of pounding and kicking, he was trying to fall down and scramble around. We got to Orofino and Dreamer had scraped the skin off of his knee, was dripping wet, the floor under him was pooled with sweat (not even exaggerating a little) and was lame. Awesome. Sissy was dry and calm, bless her heart! So I had to scratch dreamer and add sis to his class and I proceded to walk him out. The announcer kept saying "okay, now we are going to take a ten minute break..." and it would never happen. Then she said "okay now we are really taking a ten minute break...wait never mind calling halter mares." SHIT. So I had to run with my sweet girl in tow to the arena, go in, she was a saint and performed perfectly...really, I couldn't believe how good she was! Then she got second...okay out of two but she placed. The Mare that placed first was black and white and a little on the thin side...like right between needs groceries and perfect weight. Well the judge walked up to the girl who handled her and said that the mare was too fat....EXCUSE ME?????????? I was so pissed! MY mare is fat, yes, but that mare could use some grain!!!! What kind of horrible person says that???????? Like if that mare were any thinner I would say she was absolutely skinny! When a horse is "too fat" you cannot see ribs of any sort and this mare was a BCS 3!!!!! Grrrrr. I put my horses in the trailer and we bounced back up the hill. But I decided then and there that I am not taking Dreamer to any more of those shows. It isn't worth it! There is nothing more he can learn from that sort of thing, whereas I have Rocky and Sissy who would both benefit from the experience. Nope, never again. Unless we are going to an event or something that will mean anything in the end, Dreamer stays home. I hate to put him through that when I know, at the end of the day, he hates walk, trot, canter around the ring five minutes each way, halt, back up, repeat.

Now for Sunday: I started the day by sleeping in until 8:30 (yes, I AM a rebel) and then reading until 9:30. Then I went to my mom's house and we spent 3 hours picking blueberries and I made blueberry muffins...let me tell you how much I kick ass at making fresh blueberry muffins!!!!! Then I went home to take a nap, but I got a little OCD on my house. I vacuumed, dusted, cleaned and put away! It sparkles! Then I made dinner and read for a few more hours and tried to go to bed. I had to read here too because I couldn't sleep. Then the kitten curled up on my stomach and started purring and I zonked out...only to wake fifteen minutes later when said kitten got bored of being sweet and dumped my water all over me! Cold calculating brat!!!

SO, I got cleaned up, went to bed and zonked out again. Then 30 minutes later, Peter show up finally and said "you have to drive your truck tomorrow I hit a deer with the car." Whatever I thought....wait....WHAT?????????????? I went out to the shop and thankfully he hit the deer with the left front marker and it flipped up and destroyed the drivers side of the windshield...therefore the windshield in it's entirety as it is difficult and, consequently, illegal to drive with a shattered windshield. But Peter was not hurt, the car still runs well, and we had not put the new radiator in yet....phew. But, I was so keyed up that it took me another two hours to get to sleep, and then, the next thing I knew it was 5:00 and I had to get up so I could drive two hours to work...blech.

This coming weekend and the following week I am staying in Moscow to Babysit for Megan and Scott, and the weekend after that I have company. But I solemnly swear right now that I am going to do NOTHING the weekend after that! SO far being a grownup has been a real bitch! Peter and I can't seem to catch a break! And now, I am earning 26 a year with a BS in Ag management...BS is right!!!!!!!!!! I'm already considering going back to school...which will have to wait until I can earn the money that was stolen back so that I can get my transcripts... woe is me!

Bluh

Why is it that the last semester is the hardest? I know that they always say the first step is the hardest, but I call BS on that! I am in my last semester of college and I feel like I am going crazy. Maybe the problem is that it is a last step and a first step in one fell knock-you-on-your-ass swoop. I have no idea what I'm doing or where we are going to live in May. Me and Peter, and 3 horses, a dog two cats a rabbit a gerbil and a boat load of stuff! We don't know about jobs, housing, or anything that spells S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y. Not to mention that the classes I am taking are not only rediculous in scope, but also in content! STUPID I tell you! Ugh, you always hear abou tpeople having a coasting last semester...where is mine?

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On the other hand, I am having a very good horsey time. I got my mare back, and she is the best! She hasn't been touched in a year, and it's like I just rode her last week. It is gratifying to know that all of the work I did stuck!

Yesterday I rode Elly's baby Ony for the fifth time and he was such a good little boy. We keep challenging and pushing him and he always rises to the occasion. Of course, he has now decided he will only stand still if he can turn his head to my foot and get lovins....Im okay with that, but we will work on just standing still. He is your typical Arab, though. I mean, they are all different people, but they all learn at an alarming rate under the right touch and level of understanding. I think that all of the problems people have with Arabs arise because they teach them bad habbits without even knowing it. If you ensure that they get a good solid foundation of only learning good things...this is done by understanding bad behavior and knowing what leads up to it...they will be the best horse you have ever owned. The horse you put your children on because your quarter horse is having a bad hair day, and the horse you put your greeny husband on because the horse will teach him how to ride. I love arabs, and I can't wait to have more of my own.

This circles back to Sissy because I have all but convinced myself to breed her Arab. Yes she is a quarter horse, and yes these troubled times are bad for hobby breeding, but I think it would be perfect. I know from past ex[eriences that I can sell Quarabs to anyone...ranchers, show people, endurance riders....I sense a niche market and I am going to jump in. The only thing that is difficult is that I would want to keep that baby. Funny it is easier for me to sell a quarter baby than an arab baby...but who could blame me?

Rocky times (Updated)

So, I rescued a horse about 5 years ago. His name is Rocky, and 6 people had attempted to start him by the time he was 6 years old. I was number 6, and I only got the opportunity to do so by promising that, if it didn't work out by the end of the summer I would drive him to the livestock auction myself. It did work. After 3 months, he was stuck to me like glue, and would litterally do anything I pointed him at. One time I walked him up to a giant log (chest high to him) and, because I didn't ask him to stop he started over it. Not jumping, but walking. The poor thing got high centered because I didn't ask him to jump it. ever since that day, I was mindful of being clear with my directions to Rocky. He was so badly abused and fearful when I got him, that re-homing seemed unlikely, but at the end of the summer, I found him a home in Oregon. I drove him up and they got along great. Last year, they called me and wanted to give him back. They had too many horses, and if I would take him, he was mine. He is mine. I also have too many horses, but, with Rocky's violent history, I would NOT let just anyone take him. So, I have been conditioning for endurance with my friend Elly, and half leasing Rocky to a woman I give lessons to. Everything has been fine... then there was yesterday. After a nice slow ride with elly and Jasper, I decided to do some arena work with Rocky. It went okay, he was wiggly, but I haven't asked him for much straightness lately. Then, when I asked him for a canter, everything fell apart. Not just at the canter, which he took like a champ, but when I asked for collection, he shut down. Got mad even. Fought contact, and refused to perform. Then he planted his feet and started rearing. NOTHING that a horse does pisses me off more than rearing. It is nothing but a terrorist act. The problem is he has NEVER EVER fought me in any way. I was dumbfounded and heartbroken. So, after a near death experience for my right arm (which got tangled in my right stirrup leather the third time he cam up and my foot flung the iron out and up), I got him calmed down at a walk. Then, I set him up in a chambon and lunged him where I discovered that he won't take the canter with his head down. Aha. found the problem. I know that no one is perfect, but it is heartbreaking to find that such a heroic little horse felt that he had to fight. He is normally so passive, and he must have felt so trapped. So, my goal is to canter him freely in the pasture until he is comfortable, then slowly add areas of collection. He is the last horse I want to fight with. Especially since he is the kind of guy who will let you walk all over him, and take advantage of him. I feel terrible that he had to tell me so loudly. I apparently have not been listening to him. Since he is okay with everything else, I asked him for more than he felt he could give. I would post his whole story (the before-I-got-him-story) but it would break my heart right now, so I'll get to that later. UPDATE: I now ride Rocky in a rubber snaffle bit. He has really become so much more elastic and finds contact much more easily with this bit. I sincerely reccomend them to anyone having head/neck/collection and/or fight issues with their horses.

Working on a Masters in Procrastination

Well...here we go. That's right, I am supposed to be doing homework right now. Yes my instructors are the kind of sadists to assign boat loads over spring break. Yes, it sucks.
Why do homework, when there is a perfectly good excuse to avoid it? I set this blog up about...um...2 weeks ago, and I haven't written a single thing! And a lot has happened. First and foremost, my lovely shiney laptop crashed. Thank God my Boyfriend (peter) has a computer genius for a brother (tony). Tony couldn't fix it for me, but he knew just what to do: call hp and see if it is a common problem. Yes it is, and they would be delighted to fix it for me. YAY. Sent laptop in, and 3 days later (yesterday) the Fedex man brings it back to my house...when I am not home. No big thing, he left a note on my door saying that I could pick it up at Fedex between 5 and 6.
Meanwhile, I had one of my lessons (a 13 year old girl who acts like she might be turning 9) wants to stay and "help" for a while. When she gets here, I find that "a while" is from 1 pm to 5. Oh Joy, I get to babysit for 4 hours, I really need to think about charging more. Then my evil side kicks in, and I remember that the stall we kept our future hamburgers in needs to be cleaned. SO, I sent her to do that, knowing full well that it would not get done because she can't focus. But, it gave me time to finish all of my chores and to chase the little butt-head pony around the pasture, because he for some reason seems to think I have gained an obscene amount of weight, and I need more exercize. Got him. Saddled him, and I took the girl out into the field to have a nice lesson in the sun. Not too bad.
Then, we got back to the barn, and my Mom called.
"I went to put some money in your account and the girl, thinking I was you, told me you were 500 bucks overdrawn."
"no F-ing way," says I, "According to my records, I should have around 35 dollars."
Not much, but not 500 bucks in deffecit. My Lesson leaves, and I go to the house, log on to my internet banking, and lo and behold, I am in hock up to my eyeballs and beyond. After further examination, I find that I was charged 8 overdraft fees, totalling 300 dollars when I already had 434 dollars in my account. Yup, I had money, and they stole it. That, the money I spent unaware of the situation, and the 6 more fees I was charged when I DID go into overdraft (a total of 525 dollars in fees), left me up a creek without a paddle. I called the 1-800 number, to no avail.
"you have to call your bank, we can't do anything for you."
I call my bank here in moscow,
"you started your account in California, so you have to call that bank."
I call that bank, get the manager and she will NOT give me my money back.
"we don't see it as a bank mistake, it's simply a misunderstanding."
Did I mention that this has happened before? Three months ago, I had the same problem, called the 1-800 number, and they said:
"We are SOOOOO sorry. Here is all of that money back, and we appologize, it will never happen again."
BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!
So, back to the bank manager, she won't give me all of the money back, but she can reverse 170 bucks worth of the fees, and in 60 days she MIGHT be persuaded to reversae 75 bucks more. WHOOOOOORE. I realize it's not entirely her fault, but this is REDICULOUS. I am taking that 170 bucks and starting a new account somewhere else.
US BANK IS A BUNCH OF FRIGGIN THIEVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have you forgotten my laptop? I haven't. I want one nice thing to happen today, so I go to fedex. They tear the office apart.
"can't find it, let me scan the paper."
"Good idea idiot!"
Turns out my laptop is in Lewiston. What sense does that make? They come to my house, write me a note, and then take the damn thing all the way back to Lewiston.
"all our packages go back to Lewiston." says the frizzy haired incompetent behind the counter that I now want to jump over in order to RIP HER FACE OFF. Again, not entirely her fault, but she could have said that in the first place.
Moral: I hate Fedex, I LOATHE USBank, I love hp, peter and horses....I need a nap, and a diploma, so I can get on with my life!!!!!