The tragic death of the beast...

So yesterday was just a comedy of errors... I should really have stayed in bed.

First I ran out of OJ. Certainly not a tragedy on any scale, but really it set the tone for the day. The top I wanted to wear was in the laundry. Stupid stuff like that. Get to work to find somebody having a meltdown about something dumb. etc etc. Work day got better as it went along except that I didn't have time to eat my lunch, but such is life. Try to get changed to go to the barn and realize I forgot a t-shirt. Great, get to ride in work clothes. Ugh. Go to the barn to get Sienna for dressage lesson and for once she's *not* coated head to tail in mud. Woohoo. Beast is cooking so I roll down all the windows. Well all except one -- evidently it doesn't feel like opening today. Sheesh. That was the first sign. Get horse loaded and off we go and window randomly decides to open again so all is well. I did give brief thought to the fact that if it didn't close I'd be a little toasted, but fortunately it seemed willing to cooperate.

Forgot my whip and lost one of my spurs. How do you lose ONE spur??? Is it with the single shoe on the highway? Seriously. N of course my extra set are too serious to wear on Sienna (baby spurs people -- as in ankle jewelry -- but it does make a difference). So M to the rescue, leant me both (although I was entirely willing to suck it up and go w/o). And those of you who know me at all will know that being unprepared for a lesson drive me insane (on either end!). I'm always compulsively early and have everything you could ever need or want w/ me. So again, not such a great start. Lesson went well -- M got decent results from what she was given to work w/. Miss Sienna was definitely not interested in participating in the day's activities. Sux too since we've actually been doing reasonably good dressage lately, but such is life eh? Despite all my smart-ass anti-dr comments I do actually enjoy the sport and so would rather not waste my coach's time *g* But evidently some days it's unavoidable.

Cool out and untack horse, put her back on the trailer. Sienna has been out so much in the last few weeks that loading and unloading is essentially a non-issue now. I'd really like it to stay that way. Put all my stuff back in the truck and close the doors and BANG. What? Yeah -- one window wouldn't open, well now another door wouldn't close. Just a solid crash and back open it comes. Argh. I couldn't make this up! Poked around at the latch a bit (as if I have any idea what I'm doing) and open the other one to compare... W/ the aid of a screwdriver and some funky timing (had to lift handle and apply screwdriver at the same time -- don't ask where we came up w/ that, but it worked) we managed to get the door close. I didn't bother to open that door again. Which will rapidly be a pita as that's the "people side" as in the back seat that's actually a seat as opposed to a traveling tack box. But that's their problem >;-P

So finally ready to go, start truck and . . . nothing. Dead. Smell of gas. Start truck again. Still nothing, but this time could literally hear the gas pouring onto the driveway (M's nice new paved driveway -- so very sorry about that!). You have *got* to be kidding me. So call CAA to come get the beast and tow it somewhere. Unload horse, unhook truck from trailer. Brief discussion over whether tis easier to leave horse there and come get her later or for my super-amazing coach to drive her all the way home. Which she decided to do so load pony into her trailer (which is significantly larger than mine. hahaha Sienna felt she could turn around when it was time to unload -- had to suggest that perhaps wasn't the *best* solution.). By this point it's dark and late. Blah. Take Si home and meet up w/ puzzled barn owner who was beginning to wonder where we'd ended up "longest dressage lesson ever!". Did think enough to grab my bridle and my brushes out of the truck so still good to go for today. Albeit I definitely considered just not getting out of bed this morning. Sheesh.