30 Things

Thanks, Emily and Amanda, for the blog inspiration!


1. I love architecture: Even as a child, historic buildings and cool design fascinated me. Then, as now, give me a sketch pad, a pencil, and a ruler and I'll happily spend hours designing buildings down to the smallest details. I mock things up digitally now and then, particularly if I want to show G a 3D walk through, but nothing beats paper and pencils for me.

2. I like building things: furniture, cabinetry, home renos. Ties in with the above. I really like visualizing and creating things, then working hands on. I'd go so far as to say that's why I enjoy the training process with horses so much too.

House imagined and  reno'd by me. The living room floor might still be my favorite part - it took me hours to install and was custom milled from alder at a local place. The beams too, there were two rooms here and the ceiling was collapsing, so the beams are structural as well as making it feel a bit more 'west coast'

3. I didn't have regular lessons until I bought Ginger. I always lived in an area without coaching growing up. My first event was 3 years ago, my first dressage show was last year!

4. Sharks. Orcas. Nightmares: I have an irrational fear of the above, and threfore do not swim in the ocean. I often have nightmares where the boat/ferry/plane is sinking/crashing and I'm like "oh NBD I can swim" then my cruel subconscious is like "But these are orca infested waters!!! ha ha"

5. I've been kind of a nomad. I've lived in a huge amount of places in western Canada. Usually for work, sometimes just because I was bored and needed a change.

6. Education: I had no money/no family backing, so the obvious archectecture degree (7 years of university) seemed unattainable cost and time wise. Instead, I did a tech college diploma in Forestry, thinking to get a good paying job sooner. I went back at age 30 and did 2 more years, specializing in GIS (geographic information systems)

7. My first real job out of college was as a Park Ranger. Fun times! That evolved into surveying and mapping in the parks, and working on ecological studies for the govt but never anything permanent/year round.

8. Resulting in some super random jobs to fill in the employement gaps. Post office letter carrier, barn manager, paper machine operator, forklift driver, tow truck dispatch, vet assistant, construction labourer. Obviously, none of them 'stuck' as potential long term career options.

Sorry, paper machine crew, I don't miss this

9. I've been a GIS/IT tech/analyst for a few years now, and it's a great fit (finally, lol)

10. When I'm retired, I want to be that awesome old lady with the small barn and nice horses that teaches cheap riding lessons to the local kids.

11. I'm a total introvert. Parties and small talk are exhausting.

12. I actually only very rarely drink, and I don't like wine (gasp!). Beer, cider, in summer, maybe the odd daquiri on vacation. One drink hasn't "tasted like another" for a very long time. (This may be what is complicating my awkwardness at parties, lol)

13. Good Mexican food is my very favorite,

14. And, I'm vegetarian.

15. I haven't ever had a cable suscription. Internet, obviously, and books. So many books.

16. Marriage. Nice idea, not something I feel overly strongly about for myself. G and I have been together for 12 or 13 years now, and I wouldn't want it any other way. We could make it official, but see above re: introvert...my idea of worst day ever probably involves being the center of attention at a party. It would only be worse if it was a cruise/beach wedding in shark infested waters.

17. Chocolate, not coffee. I'm still not a coffee drinker. The closest I can get is a mocha, because chocolate is everything to me.

18. I love learning new things. The tech job thing works for me because things are always changing and there is a constant learning curve if you want to stay current.

19. Besides riding, hiking is the other thing I do regularly. Its a big thing here. How can we not when our weather is comparitively moderate year round, the trails so accessible, and the scenery so stunning?

So much backcountry

20. My current dream trip is this Ride Andes horseback tour of Ecuador.

21. After horses, my favorite animals are elephants.

22. I have a really terrible sense of left and right, and am equally terrible at remembering what day of the week/date it is without reminders. I've forgotten numerous birthdays, anniversaries...heck even Christmas a few years ago ("Why is the barn so quiet on a Saturday morning?" lol)

23. I'm a bit of a minimalist. I love clean, bright spaces and multipurpose items. I don't generally have much that I don't need. (except my strange addiction to saddle pads, and Asmar rain coats..as discussed previously on this blog :)

24. Yolo. I'm very much an 'in the moment' person and will sacrifice future plans for current enjoyment almost very time.

25. It's partly true that opposites attract. G very much loves his piles of clutter ( I dream of renting a paper shredder for a day, but yeah, we'd have to get a fake divorce if I did :), is super social and outgoing, and definitely good at planning and saving for the future. He's really not good with envisioning things that aren't there in front of him or assuming 'things will work out because they always do'. He's the outgoing realist, I'm more the introverted dreamer.

26. Speaking of introverted, I really like gardening.

27. Cats > dogs. I used to be a dog person, but I've since figured out it's because I had a dog who was basically a giant loyal cat who loved car rides. No barking, super clean and tidy, and happy to sleep all day. I've taught my curent cat to sit, fetch, and come when he's called, so what more can I ask for? :)

Too bad he's much grumpier than your average dog

28. I grew up with a parent suffering from pretty severe mental illness that was not to be talked about/not medicated. I think as a kid, you don't know that's not normal or not something you somehow made happen. So, life from my 20's onward still feels like a huge unexpected gift. I really treasure and enjoy every good thing in my adult life. I know that can come across as me being very cheerful/naive/unrealistic/overconfident/impulsive about things sometimes. And, maybe I am :)

29. I know I mentioned I like reading. I'll read anything. I literally caught myself reading a report on wastewater treatment yesterday at work and was like "wait, I only needed to know the date of construction that was listed on the cover page...why exactly am I still reading this?"

30. If not horses, maybe skiing? I took a couple of beginner lessons years ago and it was the only other time I've felt moments of being completely free and in tune with things.