Just found out today that my landlord is letting me out of my lease for sure in December, when I graduate. This is what I wanted right? This should make me happy? Then why was my first instinct when I got off the phone with them to tear up and get all sappy? I haven't lived in my parents house for more than a week, and always out of a suitcase in a guest bedroom, since I graduated High School in 2004. Even when I was living 45 minutes away and going to NIU, my sisters that live in Colorado visited home more often than I do. I don't like who I am when I'm there. I'm bitter, frustrated, constantly on edge. My relationship with my parents has improved drastically the more time I spend away from home and I never stay at their house long enough for that "we've just missed you so much!" feeling to wear off. And we always get along great when they visit because this is my turf. But the idea of having to move home to get myself financially balanced once I'm having to pay back my $70,000 in school loans has been giving me a complex (more like an ulcer) since I actually pinned down a ballpark estimate for the semester I'd be graduating. It makes sense, I have a place to keep Buddy for next to nothing with a friend, I can spend more time with my sister, I pretty much am guaranteed a job at the vet clinic my sister is the head vet tech at just to keep making a paycheck while I look for an "adult" job. And pretty much 85% of my friends are either from the Chicago suburbs so will eventually visit or within a 3 hour drive. Then why have I sat here for 2 hours researching and plotting ways to move out of my currently overly expensive apt and into someone's spare bedroom, basement, trailer, tent, yurt, covered wagon, etc? I have a few options that cut my living expenses down because there's no way I can afford rent, board, utilities, gas, food, etc on my piddly minimum wage paychecks with completely unpredictable and inconsistent hours without the help of student loans. But I'll no longer be a student so I'll have to get a second job. Besides "I don't wanna" my other reason for not wanting to leave Carbondale quite yet is Buddy. He's FINALLY settled and happy and healthy and loving life and his new bromance with Scooter the gelding.
Scooter's thoughts on Buddy
Clay the baby pigmy goat is clearly impatient with the traffic jam.
He's the herd leader. Wherever he goes, his goat entourage follows.I'll graduate in December and have to throw him in a trailer in Cdale and drive him to the frigid tundra of Chicago. There's no way he'll have a coat thick enough to handle that weather right off the bat and he's not the type to tolerate blankets. I know he's a mustang, but thats just plain mean. It barely gets to the 40s down here and it like negative 20 in Chicago in the winter. Plus with this new arena and property and how cheapr board is in So Ill, why would I want to leave that before I HAVE to. I'll prob come home mid spring once the Great White North thaws out a little. I'll just have to see what the universe has in store for us and if I can find another job. I have the option to live with a very generous friend, and possibily revisit the idea of living at the Hill's in the spare bedroom in the basement once their daughter moves out into the apt at the arena, but I closed that door once and we have to reopen it again. All I'll have to think about is work and Buddy, the life I've actually always wanted. Everything happens for a reason though, we'll see where this semester takes me!
Scooter's thoughts on Buddy
He's the herd leader. Wherever he goes, his goat entourage follows.
K - I have a blanket that will most likely fit Buddy that's already pretty torn up, so if he destroys it, it's no biggy. If you want it, it's yours.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the student loans thing - I totally feel ya. I had more than that to pay back originally (BFA from a private art school = OUCH) & things worked out alright. You just do what you've gotta do to make it work. Jimmy's barn is $200/mo pasture board if you wanna come check it out. It's VARY FAR from glamorous, but they give the horses what they need.
What type of job are you looking for? Office job/9-5 type of thing? Or more like vet-tech, animal-loving type of thing? I can put some feelers out & see what I can find if I know what you're looking for.
Anything you need, let me know. I'll help in any way I can. I still live at home, pay my student loans, credit cards (surgery), vet bills, and computer loan (just finished paying my car off 3 weeks ago...but I used to do that too) AND pay for board. It's possible, just takes a lot of hard work & dedication. If you count it all up, I work like 5 or 6 jobs...but I don't think of it that way. I just do what I need to so I can get by ;-) Keep your chin up. Everything DOES happen for a reason.
You're such an angel Jess. I have to posibilty of working in the Kennel at the Animal Care Clinic in Algonquin/Elgin because my sister is the head vet tech there (and she interned at an Equine Hospital... how convenient, eh?) which is minimum wage and not whole ton of hours. Its all just temporary while I'm looking for my big kid job. My degree (only bachelors) will be in Zoology with a minor in Equine Science and I have NO IDEA what I want to do with it because I'm almost too open minded about my future. I've toyed with working for the BLM, mustang rehab stuff, zoos, conservatories, wildlife rehab places, national parks, just who ever is hiring really. Mere contacted me right after she read this post and said I will ALWAYS have a place to stay at her house (she literally decorated a guest bedroom in colors inspired by me. Love that girl to PIECES.) That will be what keep me sane, the ability to escape on occasion and hide away with her and Lauren too. Where is your barn? I have a friend who is interning with Mere in Barrington right now who has a private farm in Marengo that her grandparents own and she has her two retired geldings there. Turn out, a little arena, a bridle path trail, and she'll charge me next to nothing, my ONLY reservation being is Buddy's ex-girlfriend Tammy (Amanda's 5 year old Appendix mare). You know that one poisonous relationship thats so horrible for you but you'll never be able to shake it? That's Buddy and Tammy. That's how we learned about his obsession with mares and his stallion tendencies. These aren't your average horse pecking order fights. Buddy becomes and absolutely terror. I'm not joking, people couldn't get their own horses out of the pasture once we put all the geldings and mares out together in a massive pasture. This totally demonic side came out of him and I wholly believe thats what made him so stressed and drop so much weight. He'd spend his whole day just following the mares around, chasing off the geldings. Didn't help that the 2 geldings new the mares for longer so they just wanted to be back with their herd, and they'd challenge Buddy. He sent one of them through a hot fence. It wasn't expertly constructed and neither horse was injured, but the family got home to find their expensive roping horse hanging out a quarter mile down the driveway all alone. Heaven help the poor two-legged that gets between a mustang who thinks he's a stallion and his mares too. It'd take me an hour just to halter him. Anyway, long story short, now that we're over that saga and he's back to oafey chocolate lab Buddy and his gelding bromance, I shudder at the thought of him shattering the bones of Amanda's 20 and 39 year old TB and QH just because he's jealous she's standing slightly closer to them then him. But board would only be $50 A MONTH. Ughhh. Decisions decisions.
ReplyDeleteYowza! That's cheap. My barn is in McHenry & board is $200 for pasture horses - I'm not sure if there are mares in the 24/7 pasture field or not. It's just straight up 31 a hair past Crystal Lake.
ReplyDelete2720 Barreville Rd, McHenry, IL
Oh - here is the google maps of it. Click "Earth" to view the layout of the farm: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
ReplyDeleteThe farthest field to the right on top is where he'd be as a "TO only" horse. You can see our round pen & outdoor arena, and there are trails/conservation district across the street. Also I think 1/2 mile away or so is some trail/forest preserve. I've never been, but I've heard rumors that they exist. LOL.
OHhhh dumb. This is the link - http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2720+Barreville+Rd,+McHenry,+IL+60050&sll=42.129299,-88.003705&sspn=0.011426,0.016201&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2720+Barreville+Rd,+McHenry,+Illinois+60050&ll=42.289269,-88.260846&spn=0.011397,0.016201&t=f&z=16&ecpose=42.28192323,-88.260846,1046.42,0,44.992,0
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a really cute place and potentially a good situation for Buddy. I really feel he does best at a smaller place thats a lot less commercial and more quiet. If they have a "geldings only" 24/7 turn out pasture, I would absolutely check the place out. Plus its only 20 minutes from my parents house (they live right off rt 31) in Algonquin. And all the options for trails sounds perfect to. He's an outdoorsy, rough and tumble guy. I like to mix it up cause he gets bored to tears doing just arena work. I firmly believe thats why he was so "crazy" at the place in DeKalb. They had great facilities, but barely a bridle path trail and you could only go on it like twice a year when the ground was JUST RIGHT. Budy has a knack for coming up with ways to entertain himself when understimulated.. lol
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