Despite my immune system's plan to thwart my every ambition, I've had good successes the past few weeks. Stressful at times? Yes. Visual payoff? Harldy. Worth it? Imma say yes, because today is a good day. I got some good connections out of the Expo, and I did not wuss out. I actually had a great time, and I almost, and I really mean ALMOST, bought one of the trainer's challenge horses. That would have been a mistake, but a good one. You came here for horse drama updates, didn't you? OF COURSE YOU DID. After much back and forth, feverish delirious mind-racing torture, I decided to call mom and make her an offer. ___________________________________________________________________________ "Hello Martha." (this is what I call my mother as of late, despite the fact that her name is not Martha.) "Hi Stinky, whatcha doing?" (This is what my mother has always called me. It's my name.) "Well, I was at the barn, and I thi...

This weekend is the Utah Horse Expo. I'm excited. I'm scared. I'm scared because I'm going to be there representing myself as the Editor of The Utah Trotter . Once people put my face to this thing, there's kind of no going back. And I don't want to wuss out like I did two years ago. (So much wussing out. I talked to one guy shaping hats before crawling into a dark hole of fear and shame. I can laugh about it now. Or...a week from now, maybe.) I've been trying to read lots of motivational quotes about how good ideas look crazy at first, and how to overcome fear, and how you should do what you love and BLAH BLAH BLAH. So this weekend I'll be at the Expo as a lone representative of my crazy idea that someone ought to be telling the stories of the horse industry- the struggles, the conflicts, the heroes. We ought to start getting to know each other and finding each other's experiences relevant. We ought to be resources and mentors for each other mo...

It has been five years since I worked at the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The distance between then and now felt especially poignant to me this morning as I was coming into work and listening to the reporters talk about the Kenyan elections on NPR. Five years ago, I was a wide-eyed baby intern trying to find the balance between being helpful and staying out of people's way. The 2008 Kenyan elections had gotten out of hand, ethnic violence was erupting in eastern Africa's most stabilizing cities, and we were sending observers to try and sort out what was going on there. When those observers got back, they had an intimate briefing with the Committee staff and some Congressmen. One of my bosses sent me to transcribe the meeting and report back. I sheepishly walked into the gorgeous congressional hearing room with a glossy oak table at the front, and rows of chairs in back. I took a seat at the back of the chair rows, trying to minimize my nervous fidgeting. One of ...

I did not fight the urge to partake of staff meeting office donuts all winter just to give up on my bikini bod in MARCH. Kick it back into gear, Little Lady. Oh, and by "Bikini Bod", I obviously mean "Skin-Tight White Breeches Bod" Curse you, Corn Dog Gods. (but not really.)

I said that sometimes this blog would be about corn dogs. How long has it been since I made a genuine ode to mysterious animal byproduct rolled in corn flour and deep fried to white trash culinary perfection? TOO LONG , said the Corn Dog Gods. (I know this church is true.) Since Utah recently got its first Trader Joe's, my coworkers and I decided to make an adventure of it during lunch today. I picked up oodles of organic this and that, but obviously, this had to come home with me: There is something so wickedly, delightfully oxymoronic about a wonderful hippie leftist food company trying to sell a healthy corn dog. No Nitrates or Nitrites, guys! (Also, WHAT ON EARTH is the difference between nitrates and nitrites? I don't know. Don't want to know.) It's a corn dog, guys. A CORN DOG. There is no scenario wherein animal byproduct shaped like a machine mold and rolled in corn batter could be considered a wise or fancy choice. Not ever. Does that mean you shouldn...

www.TheUtahTrotter.com Visit the Facebook Page and Give us a 'Like'! Two years ago I started a website to cover Utah horse news and events. It was a ton of work, but really worthwhile, and I felt like I was giving a voice and a community to people who needed one. And it was getting great attention for awhile. But when I changed jobs, it became important for me to rededicate myself to the money making machine, and take a step back from my writing. It was an incredibly hard decision. I took down the Facebook page, the website, and closed shop. But I didn't delete it, and I didn't give up my site address. Some part of me said that maybe a better time would come. I don't know that the time is really better now, but I think that I have to try. With Posie and I looking at a slew of spring shows and harboring ambitions to make a triumphant return to the Wild Horse and Burro Festival in June, I feel reconnected to my favorite community. I have loved writing f...

1. If strep throat and a whiteout is enough to keep you from going back and rescuing your favorite riding crop that you left in the indoor arena, you have no business riding horses. (It has this amazing squishy handle, so much better than any other crop ever.) 2. If strep throat and a whiteout is enough to keep you from going to the barn in the first place, you have no business riding horses. 3. Here is a great tip: Sometimes, if the furnace stops working, your house will get really cold. 4. When it's fixed, your house will get warm again, and you can start watching all those reality shows stored on the DVR in the coldest room in the house that is no longer cold. 5. Things that make a sore throat feel better: cough drops, tea with honey, chocolate, Ruffles, Kraft MacnCheese, and medicine. 6. Things that don't make a sore throat feel better: Juice. Why do sick people drink juice? 7. Dan has been letting me watch a great deal of RFD-TV lately.  I think pretty soon we...