A small, horse/hobby-related rant...

Where shall I begin?  I don't want to go too far back or be too irrelevant or your eyes might glaze over, but I do have to touch on the 'beginning' to get to the day that resulted in this post.  And this is just so I can get it off my chest so it won't bug me anymore...I hope.

I started collecting probably around 1977 or 1978, I'm not sure.  I don't even remember how I started collecting, whether it was because I liked horses and saw a Breyer and asked for it or because I'd made a new friend and she had some and because I wanted to be like her I started wanting them.  It doesn't really matter, I think.  I know I already loved horses by the time I got my first Breyer, though, so that is significant to this story.  Remember that.  I've liked horses since I was at least 3 years old so that would've been 1973.  I'll save you the math...I'm 43.  Hahahahaha.  And not that it matters, but I don't live with my mom, she lives with me.  She moved in after my dad died.  I do live with my brother, but he had two roommates when I moved in.  We have a pretty nice 4 bedroom house and we split everything 3 ways.

Okay.  So we've established that I've loved horses for at least 40 years, right?  And I've been collecting for about 38 years.  Now, during that time, I wasn't always in the hobby.  My buying was sporadic in my teens and in my 20s I started live-showing.  In my 30s, however, my involvement was nonexistent.  I just didn't buy any models and I let my subscription to JAH lapse.  I even got rid of most of my models.  I still liked them and I still loved horses, but... So anyway, I think I started collecting again when I was 41.  I'm not sure what re-ignited my interest, but it didn't spark, it FLAMED.  I jumped back in with both feet and was off.

If you've made it this far, I applaud you.  We're in the homestretch.  I've been with my current employer for more than 12 years.  I started as a temp in Risk Clearance then went to Check Processing where I was hired full-time.  After about 3 years my department had to downsize by two so I decided to volunteer to move back to Risk Clearance and that is where I met Malissa.  She was my supervisor.  I worked in Risk Clearance for about 1 1/2 years.  During that time, she became aware of my passion for orca, dolphins and lighthouses, but not horses.  I never mentioned liking horses, although I still did.  After those 1 1/2 years I saw that Check Processing was looking to hire someone due to a retirement.  A couple of my co-workers in RC encouraged me to apply so I went to the CP supervisor and asked him if he would consider me for the job if I applied and he said yes.  So, I applied and I got the job back in CP.  I've been back there for probably 6 years or so and don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon, but that's irrelevant.  I still kept in somewhat touch with Malissa, but when she moved to the Pima Center to become the supervisor of an SPD unit, we occasionally went out to lunch and would often chat in the halls.

Fast forward to this past week.  I was leaving work for the day and encountered her just outside the building as she was coming inside.  We stopped to chat and she asked about the a/c in my car and asked if I had any plans for a new car in my future as she knew of previous car issues I'd had. I told her no because I really wanted to try to go to Kentucky next year.  Of course, she wanted to know what was in Kentucky and I said it was everything horse.  Her response was "oh, so now it's horses?"  That comment made me feel like a child who jumps from one thing to another.  I told her no, it's always been horses and she said that she knew I liked dolphins and "those light stick things".  She said she was surprised, then, that I'd never been there before and encouraged me to go.  It all worked out in the end, but her comment was just so...I don't know.  Condescending isn't the right word, but it's pretty close.  It bugged me, for sure.  Fortunately, I don't have that problem with my current co-workers or supervisor.  When I told my current supervisor of my plans for next summer he was real supportive and recorded the dates I wanted off work in his calendar book so there was an unofficial record of it.  A co-worker of mine has actually been to Breyerfest before because her oldest daughter collects, but that's neither here nor there.

I don't know. The conversation just left me with a bad taste in my mouth and made me like Malissa a little less.  <sigh>.   I know I shouldn't let it get to me and now that I've written about it hopefully I can put it behind me.  Thanks for letting me vent.