EN blogger finalist Yvette Seger is back with more Tips for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City. Yvette will always be remembered for the famous Insane Walmart Ride, and we welcome her contributions to Eventing Nation.
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From Yvette:
Tips for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City: The Power-Walking Etiquette Edition
Hello Eventing Nation! While many of my Federal employee colleagues enjoyed a nice three-day weekend to celebrate Christopher Columbus stumbling upon the New World, I continued what I’m now calling my two months of vagrant living. Between farm sitting for two families, judging Pony Club rallies, riding and competing my two beasties so that they are in tip-top shape for the upcoming Novice 3-day at Waredaca, and of course, working to pay the bills, my itty-bitty apartment seems to have downsized even further to what I can fit into a small wheelie suitcase, a tote bag, and my handbag of the moment (I heart you, Kate Spade!). This weekend’s destination? New Orleans!
I know, I know…you’re probably expecting some sort of bizarre helmet cam video of me stumbling “galloping” down Bourbon Street and nose-diving into a basket of beignets at Café du Monde(those antics were so LAST trip to New Orleans…duh). No, no…this trip was all about being a responsible (*chortle*) adult (checking driver’s license – yup, winner on a technicality, I guess) role model (STOP LAUGHING! You know you’re just jealous that I was the Wal-Mart XC pathfinder) to the members of Pony Club’s Deep South Region at their annual Eventing Rally at the Lagniappe Equestrian Center about an hour north of NOLA. But you’ll hear more about that in a separate post (WARNING! Super-cute ponies and kids alert!)…
Anyway, the security line for the Seat Yourself Airlines terminal at BWI served as a reminder for several of my key attributes: #1: I do not have any bipedal children. #2: Pregnant women make me nervous. #3: I do not own nor would I wear a velour track suit, let alone wear it out in public. #4: I am not very patient. While numbers 1 and 2 are probably a side-effect of being an only child and #3 just proves that I have some basic fashion sense, #4 indicates that I’m in a constant cycle of trying to get 30 things done at once. Negative: not all horses respond very well to a rider who is – in the words of my boss – a “natural spazz.” Positive: my Mach 10 personality means that I get a lot done in a short amount of time, namely, I’ve probably walked my cross-country course three times, ordered 5 pairs of shoes online, and led two work-related conference calls in the time it took you to walk it once. Luckily they only time the horses running around cross-country, because I’d undoubtedly get speed faults.
Sorry I don’t have a better segue to today’s tip…one of the hazards of spastic thinking is that you may get distracted before you actually finish a project…As a random aside, I came across this fun story about a service horse flying on the aforementioned Seat Yourself Airlines while trying to come up with ideas for today’s blog visual. I’m SO flying with my Super Pony in tow next time!
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Tip for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City #9:
I’ll admit it, I’m a little high strung. I walk fast. Everywhere. At all times. Even in my workday standard of 4” heels. If you’re a fast walker like I am, you end up passing a lot of people on the sidewalk, in the Metro station, etc. Just know that when you’re dealing with people who are walking on their own two feet (as opposed to them sitting on a nice horse you wish you had for yourself), you don’t have to yell, “Outside!” or “Inside!” to let people know you’re passing. Unless you feel like freaking out tourists. Which is always fun.
