Tuesday, February 3, 2009

A wonder

So here's another one of my wonderous thoughts. What makes a horse's mane go on one side of their neck or the other?


Looking at my above avatar just now, because that's my absolute favorite picture and I love looking at the pretty side of my girl, I realized that her mane was on her right side. This picture was taken about 1 1/2 year ago. I think it used to be kind of split, the lower 1/3 was to the left and top 2/3 was to the right, but now it's all on the left side. I don't ever recall consciously trying to make it go to one side though. Hmmm. Here's a pic from last summer.



All completely on the left side. (and yeah, I have pulled my saddle back abit off her shoulders. I'd like to think I never rode like that, I don't think it was usually that far foward)

Ok, that was my thought. Just wondered if there was any real answer or if it will always be one of my unsolved ponderings :)

This past weekend my husband and I went out with our friends, who happen to be my trainer and his girlfriend who gives my son lessons. We had a hoot. We NEVER go out. Seriously, the last time we went out (like to eat with friends or the bar) without kids, was last spring. My dad is more than willing to watch our kids, but we think it's kind of tough for him since he's almost 70. He loves the boys, but they know exactly what they can get away with, if you know what I mean. He's whipped by the time the kids go to bed, or we come home, whichever is first. So we try not to ask him to babysit unless it's for something good. So anyhow, there was a comedian playing at a little rural towns little podunk bar and girlfriend asked if we wanted to go. We said sure, sounded like fun. My hubby was the DD because he hasn't drank alcohol since he had his gallbladder taken out last fall, so it was no big deal to him. The rest of us however, got kinda sloshed. I know my limit. I also only drink amaretto sours because I'm so not a beer person. Never have been. Last time our group went out last spring, I had 4 drinks before we even had dinner. But they were small glasses and restaurant weak. So trainer was making fun of me after I stopped at three drinks because my stomach was getting goofy and the room was tilting a little. I said these were kinda strong and I don't drink that much anyhow. He made sure to bring up that I drank like a fish when we went out last time. lol. I said these were stronger, but he said they weren't. Whatever.

Let me ask you all this. How are you when you drink, if you drink? We drink only a few times a year, and that's putting it mildly. We just aren't sit at home drinkers and we never get to go out, so we just don't drink. Let me put it this way. I have a bottle of amaretto from BEFORE my almost 5 year old was born. I bought it, then got pregnant, and there it sits. lol What kind of drunk are you if you drink enough to get drunk? My sister is a "lover" when she drinks. She gets very touchy feely with everyone. My trainer gets nice. Not that he's not nice when he doesn't drink, but he doesn't talk a whole lot and is kinda uptight, like not too sociable. But when he drinks, he starts talking like a normal friendly outgoing person. lol Their friend that went with us, who's a little older, gets a little, I don't know, nasty? She starts using words she would never use if not drunk. And she gets very social too, with anyone that will talk to her. And trainers girlfriend gets really funny and loud. Me? I'm a happy drunk. I sit there and smile and giggle at everything. In my head I'm thinking clearly (which is why I've never done anything totally stupid), but I get really quiet and just smile and laugh at everything and anything. One of my good friends who I used to go to the bar with all the time was an emotional wreck and mean when she drank. And let me tell you, she was about 120lbs soaking wet and could drink 15 bottles of bud light by herself. So what are you like when you drink?

Here's another thought, what do you think about drinkers and the things they do and say when they get drunk? Are you of the mind that when people are drunk they say what they are actually thinking? That when you are drunk you show your true hidden colors? I don't think that at all. I think that when you drink, you may say things that you are thinking when you normally wouldn't, but I don't think that it means you hide what you really are. I think you lose inhibition and control over what and how you would normally conduct yourself. So when people say or do stupid or outrageous things, I don't think it's necessarily that they hide how they feel normally. I don't know if any of that made sense. Hmmm, if I'm quiet and giggly when I'm drunk, maybe if I was drunk more often I would have a little more self control over my knee jerk reactions to everything.....lol. Just kidding. Oh, and on that note, I definitely saw some things I don't really think I've ever seen at any bars I've been to before. One girl was going around flashing everyone and letting everyone touch her boobs because they were "nice." lol I passed of course. I looked over at a little group chatting only to see them all looking down while one guy was letting his junk hang out. I was like AHH!!!! I was very surprised. I don't think I could ever get that drunk and uninhibited to let people see my goods. Ever. The most crazy thing I've ever done while drinking was attempt to dance to reggae music when I turned 21 and dance on speakers up in canada when I was 19. Me dancing is my uninhibitedness because this girl cannot dance. lol

10 comments:

Chelsi said...

LOL... oh dear! You just reminded me why I dont go to bars... though I have to say it can be fun...sometimes! I dont drink at all so I am always the DD but when I do drink, my clothes fall off! Just kidding (kinda). I dont get naked....I just I get frisky, flirty and very sassy. Giggle fits, that type thing. But I havent been drunk in...wow...4 years? 5? The most I will have is a single drink and that will make my cheeks red and get the giggles going. I even fell of my chair once after drinking a half glass of wine.

Good post! Thanks for the laugh.

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

Wow...I could do a whole post myself on this one. I've spent a lot of time on both sides of the bar. I think I got into bartending because I love "being out", but kinda got tired of being out and spending money rather than making it.

These days, when My Honey and I get the chance to go out together, I love getting a "buzz" going on, but don't like to get past that point. I enjoy being with him too much to have the memory blurred.

And on the opposite end, I can go out and have a good time without having more than one drink. I took my daughter to a very rural little bar for New Year's Eve. Obviously she is too young to drink, so I didn't either. We still had a fantastic time. The band was good and there were dancing partners. In that aspect I think it is important to show teenagers that it is possible to have fun, even in a bar, without drinking.

And then you add in strange factors like the fact that my dad was an alcoholic and my step-dad(he sobered up though) and people wonder why I drink at all? Well, because I like the taste. And I think there is much more to alcoholism than "it's a disease". There are so many emotional or physical reasons why people become alcoholics and drug addicts, that just because you like the taste of a mixed drink is not going to make you an alcoholic.

So any..whooooo...about that mane?;)
Megan and I were looking at some pictures of her roan/paint horse when we got him and all of the sudden Megan says..."Mom, look, his mane is on the opposite side." She was right. Neither of us can remember when or why or how his mane got switched from one side to the other. And it still looks plumb natural. I did have a TB, whose mane I could lay on one side or the other or split right down the middle, so he had mane on either side anytime I washed him. That was kinda fun.

Nowdays, no one seems to care what side the mane lies on, but I can remember when I was growing up, if the mane laid on the right side, people used to roach the mane(shave it off) and as it grew back in train it to lay on the left side. My step-dad was adament about that. When I asked him why, he told me "So the mane does not get tangled in the rope." And ta-da, that is the reason that for decades, people insisted that the only correct way for the mane to lay on was on the left side...because the cowboys said so!!hehehe

kdwhorses said...

About the mane, who knows! Our horses are all on the right side, but a couple the lower part goes to the left side. I did have a friend tell me one time that you can train them to go the other way. I know there are alot of ropers that don't want it on the right side. I just braid a few of the lower section and mane and don't worry about it.

Drinking~can't tell you the last time I had anything. Before my daughter was born we would go out and have a few beers or what not. After I got pregnant that stopped. Savannah has always gone with us and we didn't want to expouse her to that. Now I will say the few date nights we have had, when we go to Red Lobster I would have a mixed drink, but that was it, and I can't remember the last time that happened. I can't stand bars and the smoking, burns my eyes, and the way people behave on the most part. I feel everybody has there own right and own lives, for us I just don't want to expose her to everything else that comes with it. And to answer your question I can't drink alot, I'm a cheap date for sure! I drink 1 beer and I call it quits.

ezra_pandora said...

AoaHCM: I think the best part is watching everyone ELSE get crazy and do funny things. You are like my sister when she gets drunk ;). She doesn't go out often either.

BEC: I'm sure you could being a bartender. You have front row seats!! I'm more for the buzz too. I only got drunk enough to get sick I think maybe 3 times in my life. I think once my brother (who doesn't drink, at all) thought I was dying when I was praying to the porcelain gods. He kept asking if I was ok and if he could do anything. Yeah, take me back 5 hours and take the drinks away!! lol I definitely know my "headache limit" now and don't go over that. And that's great about showing your daughter the right way. Not all drunks are alcoholics but sometimes it's only a thin line.

I have no idea when my mare's mane did the switch either. It's a mystery to me. lol Interesting to know why people wanted it on a certain side though, I never thought about that.

kdw: I LOVE Red Lobster. That is where we go for my b-day and our anniversary EVERY year. My hubby doesn't like seafood, but he said they definitely have a mean cajun chicken alfredo that he has every time. I actually have the recipe for their cheese biscuits if you ever want it ;) Thankfully Ohio is now a non-smoking state and you cannot smoke in public places. yay for clean smelling hair!!

I will say that I cracked my one girlfriend up one time because one of the guys, that hung out in our litle group at the country bar that we went to dancing when we couldn't drink, bought me like 21 shots and at the end of the night he asked for my phone number. I said no and he has the most shocked look on his face. I felt bad, but he wasn't someone I wanted to date, why would I give him my number? She asked if I knew WHY he bought me all those shots. I was naive. I said because he's one of our friends!! lol Wrong answer. But at least at the point I knew I had a little sense and wasn't going to be going home with any random people. I could tell a few more silly stories.

Mrs. Mom said...

Drink? Go out? Dude, what's THAT like??? LMAO

I have not had a drink in... umm... years now. All I did was fall asleep. If I feel the need to people watch, i just go to WalMart! HA~

Andrea said...

I really have no clue to why horses manes do what they do? It's probably just like our hair, it just grows the way it does??? I was always told by a hunter/jumper trainer that they want the manes to go to the right, so when you come into the ring going to the left, your horse's neck line looks nice and clean. But my one show horse's mane is all over the place. I think he has some mane on both sides!! LOL

And bars, oh gee. I can honestly say I have never been drunk in a bar. I always drank water. I didn't want to end up with some weird guy, and there were plenty of those at the bar I went to. But that was back in college. Now, at parties, at people's houses, that was a different story. I guess I trusted my friends. But I haven't had a drink since college. And when people are drunk around me, it depends on how they act. Sometimes I think they are funny, but mostly they are obnoxious. But that is just me. Maybe I need to relax more. :)

I am glad you had a fun time. I would love to get out from time to time. It just never happens.

ezra_pandora said...

Mrs. Mom: YES, drinking totally makes me sleepy too unless there's dancing or something really interesting going on.

Andrea: You definitely need to make time, at least once a year, lol. I totally understand. We really couldn't afford it and shouldn't have gone, but I decided we HAD to get out since it had been so long.

Roxmysox said...

In English - technically the mane is supposed to lie on the right ( everything fastens on the left) Not totally sure why but it probably dates back to the military traditions - like how it's "correct" to mount from the left so you don't get tangled with your sword.
I don't show - I have one with a left mane, one with a right mane and the one in the picture - well that defies gravity !

As to the drinking issue - I'm a happy drinker, I just get happier and happier and more and more giggly. I'm also an abrupt drunk as in one minute I'm fine and the next......
Sadly actually going out is a fairly rare occurence these days - the whole no smoking in pubs kind of had an effect there. Still, roll on Summer and we can sit outside and smoke and drink and giggle again !

ezra_pandora said...

Rox, I do so love the picture in your icon. I'd blow that bad boy up and frame it! lol I never seem to be able to catch my girls doing that. The appy we had used to have a floppy lower lip and I have quite a few with that hanging down, but none of these fun tongue shots. lol

and as a side note, we just got Horse Illustrated yesterday and there's a whole freaking article on the manes and which side and why. lol!! I must have ESP or something.

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

lol! I think you and I are a lot alike, my friend. I rarely drink unless we go out, which is even rarer. I think the last time was YEARS ago. I don't honestly remember. How sad is that?
I will drink wine with dinner sometimes, a glass of zinfandel or maybe some Sangria.

I would never show my tatas or crotch while drunk. That's just gross and tactless. I can't dance either, but I will dance if I've had a few drinks. I'm sure it's not pretty! lol!
And I'm also known to just sit and giggle at everything when I've had a few drinks.
Your hubby and mine would have a lot in common if we went out. My hubby hasn't dranks for more than 10 years since he had blood clots in his lungs. He takes medicine that doesn't permit him to drink now.
So your hubby and mine would both be the DD's and probably sit and laugh at you and I as we drank and got silly! lol!

I've never had an amaretto sour. Now I'm curious about how they taste. May have to try one if I ever do go out again. lol!
Or maybe I can make one at home one day...and I'll think of you.
hehe

~Lisa

 

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