palace of winds

01/14 Sun: nada
01/15 Mon: 45 min C
01/16 Tue: 30 min C&S - JF Arms
01/17 Wed: riding
01/18 Thu: rest
01/19 Fri: riding (lesson)
01/20 Sat: riding

Friday (and Saturday) I rode a new horse, an off-track thoroughbred another girl at the barn has out on trial. He hadn’t been ridden in a week or two, and even after lungeing him forever he was in fine high spirits, speeding endlessly around in that big amazing trot of his. I’d love to give him a try on a cross-country course, though I don’t think he’s ever been jumped before and, well, it’s winter. And we don’t have a cross-country course. He’s a very pretty boy, though.

Have I mentioned I want one? I do, terribly. Though yesterday I updated my budgeting (I use the Microsoft Money utility that came with my computer, and that’s astonishingly wonderful for a — well, I guess it wasn’t free exactly since I’m sure the price was incorporated into the purchase price of the computer. Anyhow, I really like it), which I’d neglected through the holiday season. I have to say one of the best things I’ve done for myself in this past year is keeping rigorous track of my expenses — first in my checkbook register and then in Money. I’ve got a full year of spending habits to look at now, and while I still have the sketchiest of budgets, a thing dictated by rather than dictating my spending, it’s nice to know I could easily pinpoint places to cut back if I needed to. Which I don’t, which is even nicer to know. And I put over 20% of my income into my retirement fund, and I’m proud of that. Playing with Money makes me feel like I’m a real adult, and one who’s doing well. End own-horn-tootage. (Tootage, heh.)

Also! On Friday? My bank boy totally made my sign. It was just scribbled on a deposit envelope and he didn’t put it up until after I’d made my deposit, but it was brilliant.