Oh, I didn’t realize that ETF was coming. coughI’m feeling a little sick… 
Actually, my ten year old will be thrilled to talk horses with you for hours. (That would also be a warning for you 
)
Ex, three and a half hours? To meet all of these wonderful ly reclusive Dopers? C’mon! It’s Saturday, the day is yours for the driving!
A horse-crazed ten-year-old? Yup, I won’t want for conversation.
I better remember to pack my photo album, huh? And… Hey! I’ve got an old bridle, never use it, likely never will. Think your kid would like something like that, Salem? I know when I was a horse-crazed ten-year-old, I’d have gone bananas over one.
Like it? OMG, she’d be nuts. Of course then she’d try to convince me that we have to buy a horse to go with it. A friend of mine has a horse and my horsegirl has tried to convince me a thousand times that we can just board it there…for free, naturally. “Dor wouldn’t mind,” says she.
My 16 year old loves horses, as well, and is a pretty good rider, so she’s all for it. You’re safe from her, though, as she won’t be coming with me tomorrow cause how uncool would that be.
Wow now everyone comes in and chats! Where were you all for the weeks I was trying to keep my poor innocent thread alive?
pout Ex isn’t coming because he’s mad at everyone from the MMP or the french or something. I just know he’s mad. And maybe my house isn’t manly enough. Maybe that’s it. I’m sure Parallax could find something you guys could build or destroy depending on your mood 
I used to be a horse girl. I had Black Beauty and Runaway Riders and other horse stories that I am blanking on now. Then I turned into a unicorn girl. I only got to ride a horse once when I was 5 or 6.
Ok everyone do the good weather dance!
Time to go shopping!!!
I have a set of full-sized long-horned antlers I could rip off my garage and bring, if that would help persuade Exgineer. And then I could bring them home and return them to the ex that left them behind. The possiblities for ceremonial procedures are endless.
There’s a ceremonial procedure for putting antlers into your ex’s behind? :eek:
Well, if there aren’t, there certainly should be and I’m more than willing to head up the Brainstorming Committee.
tanookie, do you have a list of people attending? About how many, so I can decide how many potatoeeeeees to buy. One potato? Two potato? Three potato?
It’s looking like 12 including children…
That’s not it.
There is a thing which fills me with dread. It waits for me, this great, black, heartless evil, knowing that in the fullness of time it will crush my body and rend my soul. It will one day prove to be my weird, my downfall, and must only bide its time. This evil has a name:
The Massachusetts Turnpike.
I also have some pesky family obligations stemming from this one guy being inconsiderate enough to go and die unexpectedly.
Aww, I’m sorry for your loss Ex.
I was just teasing ya too! The turnpike does suck but I’ve driven the NY one too and they aren’t much different. We did both in one day during a 12 hour drive to my cousin’s farm in Canada. Mind numbing hell.
So, does your 16-year-old know that, just a short drive away from tanookie’s home (like ten minutes or so), there’s a gigantic tack shop – State Line Tack in Plaistow – that’s just chockful of English and Western horse stuff? Perhaps you could mention I’m planning to bring along several back issues of the Quarter Horse Journal for distribution to any horse-crtazed kids who wants them. I’m also thinking of rummaging through back issues of other horse magazines to bring some along for giveaway too. Oh, and there’s a PetSmart store right behind State Line Tack. [wide evil grin]
As to the Mass. Turnpike, and the New York Throughway – tell me about it. Or, rather, please don’t. I’m still recovering from driving them with a friend to visit another friend in Ontario – through that wretched snowstorm last November.
Huh, I don’t mind the Mass Pike at all, except during rush hour, and when everyone and their sister are going to the cape down 95 and 495. Blech.
The New York Thruway? Which one? I swear 95% of the freeways in NY are the “New York Thruway.” What an absolutely meaningless description. :mad: 
Um, there’s only one.
I-87 between New York and Albany, and I-90 between Albany and Buffalo.
That’d be two highways, though. And I swear there was more. But I will defer to your statement, I don’t live there, just drive through it.
Yeah, it is a little more than just 87/90. There’s 287 (and I believe not just where they run together) and 95, as well as 84 and 190, though tolls aren’t collected in all these places. But this is a quibbling over what the NYSTA oversees and what is actually posted as the New York Thruway.
Alrightie. I have cleared my insanely busy social calendar (I can play video games when I get back) and I shall be there with or without bells on … depending on the weather.
I’m not sure what I’ll be able to bring on short notice considering my cooking skills end right where, “pour in contents of flavor-pouch,” start … but maybe I can pick up 20 or so pounds of potato salad at the supermarket or something.
I doubt I’ll bring any alcoholic libations with me since I’m driving, so for once I’m looking forward to a sober DopeFest.
What will they think of next?
Potato salad is Salem’s thing - maybe cookies or macaroni salad or something?
Glad to have you come - I too hope the weather is nice. I’ve learned the weathermen lie a lot though. Right up until last saturday night they said sunday would be beautiful and instead it rained 
I totally will not complain if someone brings pasta salad. I swear.
Exgineer, sorry for your loss.
Jack, having personally given up the opportunity to mow my lawn, I feel your pain on having to give up so much to be there and I, for one, appreciate it. However, you’re muscling in on my potato salad territory. If you’ll mow my lawn, I’ll give up the potato salad idea and bring something else. I’m all about compromise.
Quite seriously, if it’s easier for you to bring that, I can come up with something else.
I’ll see what inspires me when I go to the store later.