Oh, and I'm a Horse Jumper Too

USEF * USHJA PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP		2008
LAUREN WILLIAMS USEF: 5005952 Senior Amateur 1/4/2008 - 11/30/2008 USHJA: Senior Active 1/4/2008 - 11/30/2008 May compete in Hunter/Jumper
You must present this card or a copy thereof to prove your eligibility to participate as a rider, driver, handler, owner, lessee, agent, trainer, coach, vaulter or longeur at USEF licensed competitions.  ATTENTION COMPETITION: Please accept this in accordance with GR 1504.2.1(d) as proof of 2008 USEF and USHJA membership

Sorry, You've Got the Wrong Person....AGAIN

One of the best things about having a common name AND snagging that as my email address on Google means I get a lot of email for other people with my name.

Like LOTS of it.

I mean, enough that it has to be directed to at least 25 different people with my name. This is a constant source of entertainment, and I occasionally like to share on this blog. I’ve previously posted about it here.  I almost think I should try and get national recognition and track down all the intended email recipients and bring us together on Oprah or something.  That could be my 15 minutes of fame.  Just a thought.....

Upon receiving such email in error, I usually respond to the originator politely, like ‘Hey! You’ve reached the wrong person, wanted to let you know!” Most of the time I get nothing in response, sometimes I get an “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry” and on a rare occasion I’ll start a dialogue with strangers on the internet. Right up my alley.

Twice I’d have to make phone calls explaining this (mostly due to library cards and renewal notices).

 
Some recent emails of amusement:

• She looks beeeautiful! Apparently I helped a youth pastor at Cornerstone Community church redecorate the youth room.


• Bonnie wants to know if I’m becoming a real estate agent


• Whitney sent me 5 pictures of her and her boo from her Picasa account, complete with the backwards cap and dreadlocks


• I’m staying at the Four Seasons, Las Vegas soon! And I ordered a balloon bouquet with a message “Happy Birthday Stud!” and a Pink Pig Staff Animal attached.


• Austin sent me some photos that he took on his first day of work as a newspaper staffer (see below)


• Desiree is a little pissed at me: “I need to submit my other payroll numbers now. I waited to hear from you all day and have been hung up on, or disconnected, and have not got a return call from you so the best I can do now is assume on what you would like. I have also emailed you 3 times.”


• I went to the Ravenscroft school.


• I also went to the University of Georgia


• The Kalamazoo MI public library has my email on file for one of their patrons. I get renewal notices. I had a lovely phone conversation with a woman at the circulation desk when I called.  She perfectly understood the situation and was able to get my email address out of their database.  Now, when the same thing happened with a DC public library, no disrespect to my former home, but I KNEW I'd have a problem.  Sho' 'nuff, when I called, the employee was confused beyond measure and had no idea what on earth she could do to help me cause she can't do nothin' cause I'm not the account holder.  


• I signed up for Emerson Ecologics??


• A dude named Buell Fogg from Union College is going to help me with the FAFSA.

• Will thinks I’m an agent – see headshot below. We exchanged a few pleasantries. I told him I sent his headshot and resume to friends. I hope he thought that was funny.

• Charles in DC emailed me the weekend plans for the wine tasting tour. Turns out he lives a couple blocks from my old place – we chatted briefly and he issued a real invitation for the weekend!


• I’m also booked at a resort in Anguilla. Lovely place, lovely place.


• Hello Daughter, The reason I need you to come back, well, let's just say that we (your mother) screwed up. Instead of just putting or keeping you myself and travis on the lease, she also signed tutor and the baby. (that you should have known) But she was still on kisha's lease as well. The management people informed kisha that as of 1/31/08 her rent was now 1,500. a month. You know kisha had a cow, (as she was supposed too). Long story short, a new lease has to be drafted and signed again. Dad
  

Summing Up September Part II

Let the California adventures begin, trip one of three in a month’s time.

It only took a year to get together. After a few years of great geographic separation, Erin and I both moved to the southwest around the same time – me to Phoenix, her to San Diego. A year later, I still hadn’t visited. It was high time to visit Erin and the Toddster and the munchkin, baby JAG.

Erin and I date back to Georgetown, first bonding in Harbin and Profesora Wear’s class and slight disdain for our ward and later moving in as roomies with Crystal and sharing a love for Spain and Christopher Guest films.

It was my first real road trip since the Volvo disaster on the way to the Grand Canyon in February. I’d driven all over the East Coast, with friends, alone, and fully explored. But the West seems a whole new ballgame. Especially stopping at two border patrol checkpoints on Interstate 8 amidst the barren wilderness. That’s a new one for me. The six hour drive went by quickly. And I rather enjoyed being alone in the car; after years of not driving, I figure karma will even it out or something like that. With a fully stocked iPod, anything is more than bearable (almost).

As I get older, it takes less and less to entertain me. I’m simply content to converse, catch up, read a book, relax (really, did I just say that? Hmmm). And it was a good weekend for that. I pulled in Friday night, right as JAG was going to sleep. Erin and I caught up over dinner and errands and soon I fell asleep in JAG’s room, on the spare bed.

Erin warned me he’d cry in the morning upon the discovery of a stranger in his room. He did. But I was determined to make him like me before the weekend was over.

Me and babies – not so much a natural interaction. Over the last couple years as I’ve shopped for baby shower gifts, I can’t even bring myself to go near the baby clothing section (I almost had a heart attack writing that word – baby – just now). I usually steer clear of the baby sections of stores and end up purchasing something to pamper the mother-to-be. When I met another friend’s new baby earlier this year, the first thing I could stammer out was, “Congratulations. You reproduced.”

Sounds heartless and awful and my mom says that’ll change when/if I get married but we’ll see……I’m really not cold-hearted towards children, I just don’t know what to DO with them. I grew up watching my little brothers and of course I love them, but the rest of human beings under the height of 3 feet….not really sure what do with them most of the time.

Back to the trip.

We started off Saturday at Seaport Village, a touristy little shopping place that I’d always visited as a kid. Even the old kite shop was still there. The harbor is beautiful, the weather perfect, the artwalk full of things to see. We had great kebabs for lunch, made the trek to the beach, and had a great day despite the clouds.

Sunday morning – no more tears from baby JAG. He woke up, I woke up, and I managed to spend a little over an hour with a 15-month old. This is a big deal. I consider it a small feat. We read books and talked about animals and played. And perhaps we made friends.

Then I gave him back.

We headed to church, had some lunch and then it was time for me to trek back to the Valley of the Sun.

It won’t be a year before I return. Life’s too short to let a 6-hour drive separate me from great friends and possibly the best weather on the planet. But Erin, be assured that I’d still come visit, even if you don’t stay in the perfect weather city.