Hello All!

Why I missed yesterday has nothing to do with what I am going to write about today.

I missed yesterday because sometimes (OK, often…) I don’t finish my blog until around dinner time.   (Like tonight.  It is waaay past dinnertime and I am just beginning to write.)

Anyway, when I have that day’s blog written, I schedule it to post in the wee hours of the next day.

OK, so last night, I had just come in from feeding and had settled into my chair when I realized that the buttons on my computer were not working.  Well, that’s not quite right… the buttons were working but nothing was zooming about, taking me to this site or that site for my research.  Like a toddler, I kept banging the buttons.  Make it work!  Make it work!  But it didn’t.

OMG.  The Internet was flat-lined.  EVERYONE C-L-E-A-R!  I banged on the keyboard with rhythmic vigor.

Still nothing.

“Don’t panic,” I said to myself, it will come back.

But, it didn’t.

Fingers flying and spastic, I called our internet provider. The recorded message was foreboding.   Yes, they were aware of the outage.   All of us Netaholics were to remain calm…

I waited for many hours and nothing budged.

It never re-booted.  It never took me to the places I wanted to go… It just left me there.  Hanging.

So, since I had procrastinated yesterday and didn’t have anything posted pre Netbreak, nothing posted for you all.

I even got up at 3am to see if I could post before I left for work.  But, the Internet, my close friend, was still down.

(hanging head)

I’m sorry.  I will post double in penance.  (Part of me is still Catholic – the guilty part… <smile>)

 

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

 

So today I was working my other job.  We were in San Francisco shooting the launch of the 4 Wave Glider ocean robots which are attempting a World Record for the longest, unmanned boat excursion.

Now that doesn’t sound like much – until you think about what an unmanned, self-propelled robot data retrieving and sending boat could do for our nation…

That’s probably why Virgin Oceanic, Google Earth, Monterey Bay Aquarium and the military (and NASA) were in attendance.

Yup.

Lots of very important people were there and I felt honored to be shooting the event.

TOTO, I HAVE A FEELING WE AREN’T IN KANSAS ANYMORE…!

I sat on the edge of my pillar (I leaned against a pillar for most of the presentation since there were no seats left in the venue) with my mouth agape.

All these brainiacs were explaining to this room full of elite scientists and investors the many good services these unmanned robots could perform while saving human lives and not using any fuel…  The room literally crackled with energy.  It was so exciting!

I wanted to tell you about it so that you can say that you knew about these things before they became common place in a few years.

A SMALL EXPLANATION

The Wave Glider boats are powered by wave action and solar energy.  They don’t need anything to get where they are going…  They are piloted via satellite.

They look like surfboards with antennae, data retrieving devices, apparatus and solar panels.  Under the water, they have a tether that is attached to fins.  The bank of fins catch the currents and that constant fin motion propels the boat.  The solar panels runs all the data gathering tools.

 

VIRGIN OCEANIC WAS THERE

I have to say that Chris Welsh from Virgin Oceanic (Yes, that Virgin…) put his bag right next to mine.  I saw him place his bag and in that instant, I had some fantasy that maybe his backpack would communicate with my purse and I’d learn something and become smarter in some way.  Or maybe some other-worldly wildly successful celebrity dust would sprinkle my purse dousing Virginesque success upon me…

Anyway, all fantasy aside, Virgin Oceanic was there as a sponsor because they plan on using the Wave Gliders in future expeditions to the deepest parts of the oceans.

Wow.

GOOGLE EARTH WAS THERE

Google Earth was there for a zillion reasons.  In fact, I saw that they had posted about the launch already and you can follow the boats via Google Earth mapping.  HOW FUN!

Jenifer Foulkes from Google Earth, posted this.  Very cool.

THE WAVE GLIDERS HAVE A FB PAGE

So, if you want to follow what is happening on this 300 day venture, you can follow the Wave Gliders on FB.  Here is the link.

 

BACK TO HORSES!!

 

Since I spent so much time on non-horse newsy stuff, I thought I would share some newsy horses stuff!

 

1)  SPLASH, THE HORSE WHO WAS REUNITED WITH HIS OWNER AFTER 11 YEARS!

Here is the link to the story…  You can watch the video here.

By: ctvbc.ca

Date: Tuesday Nov. 15, 2011 4:00 PM PT

Eleven years after she had to give up her beloved horse because her health was failing, a B.C. woman has been reunited with the long-lost pet that was narrowly saved from the slaughterhouse.

Splash came into Erin Rogers’ life in 1995 as her diabetes was getting worse and she feared she was dying. The young gelding gave purpose to her life.

“I saw him and I just fell in love with him,” she told CTV News.

But her disease became so severe that she required a double organ transplant, and she didn’t feel she could give Splash the care he deserved.

She sold him to someone she trusted, but he was never far from her mind. Several years ago, with her health improving, Rogers began searching for Splash.

“I never forgot about him,” she said. “I started looking on the rescue sites. I asked friends. I thought he was out in the Chilliwack area.”

She learned that Splash’s original buyer had sold him again. It wasn’t until last week that a friend spotted the horse on the website for J&M Acres Horse Rescue in Maple Ridge.

“I just saw him on my friend’s little phone and he was filthy and skinny, and I saw this tiny little picture and I knew that it was him and I just started crying and shaking,” she said.

The rescue centre took Splash in after receiving a call that he was headed to slaughter. They found room for him and named him Jack.

“He was emaciated, he was skinny, he was really haunted-looking and he was having a bit of trouble moving,” Amy Lizzee of J&M Acres said.

Within days of hearing from Rogers, rescuers reunited her with Splash.

“He’s just as sweet as I remember,” Rogers said.

Now 24 years old, Splash has arthritis and Rogers will never ride him again. Her health is still fragile and she tires easily, so the two old friends often spend their time simply sitting together.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Michele Brunoro

 

2)  WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THE HAY CRISIS IN TEXAS

Hay prices are prohibitive in many states right now but Texas is really suffering.

I found this article… it has petition information as well as some ideas about how to help.  If you GOOGLE ‘hay shortage in Texas’, you will find many ways to help.

 

3)  OUR BUCKET FUND FILLY, AUTUMN, IS BETTER!

Lots of mare’s milk has really helped our girl!

She is gaining weight and filling out!  Unfortunately, she still has a low grade infection so she cannot leave the ICU – yet.  But, she is much better and things are looking up.

The folks at HOPE FOR HORSES are so grateful for the Bucket Fund because without it, they may not have been able to make these (costly) choices to save her life.  But now, Autumn has a very, very good chance at survival – after a very miserable start.  You can read her story here.  If you’d like to donate to her cause, click here.

 

 

 

THANKS FOR LETTING ME TELL YOU ALL ABOUT MY VERY EVENTFUL AND HISTORIC DAY!

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

 

Copyright

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