I can't even begin to express the number of times I thought about scratching this show. As I was warming up in our only real ride last week--the day before the show no less--I was planning on scratching. And then my horse popped over quietly and cleanly when I asked for a change and I was like, "Fuck it. Let's just do it."
midget horse out there doing it
Last week just kept piling shit on in a never ending shit cascade which included Opie's clearly equally herd-bound BFF injuring himself pretty dramatically while the two of them were having a meltdown over me not being able to magically poof them into their paddock at the same time because I am only one person. I have a lot of feelings and opinions on that whole situation and not a single one is kind, so we'll skip that. Opie got moved to a small solo turnout with a herd of Haffies across the lane and he seems perfectly content chilling out there during the day. We'll see where that goes.
On top of all that, and all sorts of other things like my custom saddle not being made correctly and my phone being stolen, it was also god fucking awful hot and humid to the point where riding was futile. We did fifteen minutes of walk on Wednesday before going to play in the pond. The worst of the soul-sucking heat broke Friday so I was finally able to put in a real schooling ride.
He started off very stiff and gross which made me question why the fuck I thought this horse was ready to try Third let alone try yet again to get his elusive 60% at 2-3. But I kept going through the motions and progressing through the warm up, and he ended up giving me everything I asked for without fuss.
Ready? Well, ready enough I guess.
that tail needed three washes on friday to become white again
I kept Opie on the trailer until I was dressed and ready to throw tack on and head right down since we were quite far from stabling and fairly isolated. Fortunately he was totally chill hanging out up there all afternoon, either on the trailer or tied to it. No friends and a double dose of Ulcergard ftw.
I knew he was going to be tense though because for whatever reason he hates this facility so I gave us a lot of time to just go walk around warm up until his back loosened up. He needed all of it, and I threw in every trick I knew to get him to soften.
Second Level Test 3
Hot damn, the forty minutes of "Let's be zen" worked and he put in his most relaxed Second test to date. The trot work is what it is at this point, I've got to figure out how to get him to unlock those giant shoulders (starting with targeted PEMF this week because it worked to unlock his hind end!). We got a 6 on the first TOH though, and a 5 on the second ("against outside leg, hairpin"), 7s on all the walk and for the canter transitions and medium canters and 6.5s for the counter canter serpentines. I felt his back lift up in those medium canters--especially the second one--and I knew I was finally riding to this horse's ability.
This judge is tough and was scoring tough all morning. What a fucking time to deliver, Opie. We ended up with a 61.786% which won our big class! That was such a giant relief and victory, one which I didn't even celebrate until after our Third test because they take so long to score at this show.
We had three hours between tests so we went down and watched our PEMF lady also do her Third debut on her OTTB. We both had the same goal--55% or bust lol. Her trainer told us to temper our expectations with how the judges were scoring and be prepared to be happy over our rides and not the scores.
just opie being opie
I gave us half an hour warm up for this test. We ended up using about half of that because it was so hot that both of us were pretty cooked. I rushed through the actual warming up to ask the real questions: half pass and changes. Half pass was in place, the changes were back to their usual rodeo of "I don't wanna." But I worked through that and got one clean so I left it there knowing they were going to be what they were going to be anyway.
Third Level Test 1
going up center line for our first third test!!
I handed my phone off to a mom but it didn't want to cooperate so she videoed it on her phone. I'll see if I can get her to send it to either my phone or Hubby's this week.
Opie was EXHAUSTED for this whole test. I've never had to straight up pony club kick him in the middle of a test before, and it was inconvenient timing to need to do it in a test with so much collection and sideways where the footing was already super deep and wet in the corners. I don't think we ended up doing a single step of real SI.
Turns out these long, shallow half passes are actually insanely hard. I'm not sure how to ride them tbh because our half passes are used to being much steeper. I was ready to hit the rail two letters before I needed to and kept having to stuff in straight steps because M and H would not come fast enough.
The trot work all scored accordingly (badly, that is), 6.5 for his extended walk that he slept through, 7s for the canter transitions and medium and extended canter, a 6 and a 7 for the 10m circles, and 7s for the center lines.
he looks sane, i don't lol
I was worried we weren't going to be able to contain ourselves long enough to cross the center line for the changes, but he was so tired he carried on just fine until I cued for them. Now I thought he popped right over R-L (which is, of course, the direction he never wants to give me), but apparently not cleanly enough because we got a 4 for being late. The other direction he bounced up for a couple strides before switching and another 4. Totally fine because both were quiet and uneventful and I knew going in it was going to be pure luck if I got them in the test.
We ended up with a 54+% for 5th which was just shy of our goal, but I'm glad we ended up going out and doing it anyway. I was able to see spots that I need to work on in an actual test ride (the half pass), and got good feedback on spots where the judge can give me more points (not ducking behind the vertical in the rein back).
can't be ruining these gorgeous halts, sir
Overall I'm pleasantly surprised with the outcome. For a show that's historically been a complete clusterfuck for us for one reason or another, it exceeded expectations. I was able to get my 60%+ to close out my Second level rider award and now qualify for the recognized year end award for my GMO. Hopefully we can repeat that one more time in two weeks at our last schooling show and wrap that up.
This season, which essentially got compacted into the month of August, has been mentally and physically taxing. I'm proud of us for (almost there!) closing it out on such a high note. This is technically only Opie's third show season after four years off the track and at only eight years old. Not too shabby all things considering.
Tuesday we went out to the pond pasture. Warm up was ace, he was super soft and honest in the contact. L-R flying change was butter, R-L was not happening behind. Whatever. We jumped everything like a hunter course--in half seat on a looped rein, never changing rhythm. Bam, jump school done, he doesn't need anything else he's got that down.
Wednesday Opie had a meltdown over picking up the canter from the trot instead of the walk which devolved into not being able to turn right.
Thursday it was clear the dressage needed the extra attention not the jumping, so back to the indoor. The thing with Opie is, he can escalate and get dramatic and fucking stupid and you're like, "Wtf is the deal?! Why?! And also why am I bothering because clearly you're not getting anything out of this." But then you get on the next time and there has been some retention of the lesson you were literally beating into his giant asshole head. So we had canter from trot, and we could turn right on Thursday.
Saturday was the dressage. Opie was a raging asshole at the trailer, and as soon as Hubby let go of the bridle when I got on he launched into the air and tried to bolt. Fortunately that was the end of the dramatics and he was super soft and quiet warming up. We did a bunch of walking circles, about two seconds of trot because the footing was such shit, and a circle each way of canter. We hung out chatting with barn mates until the judge came back from break and then went in six minutes early.
He stayed soft and obedient. He needed a bit more energy I thought, but I could tell he was right on the line that if I asked for one percent more I'd get a thousand percent more. We got three 8s, a bunch of 7 and 7.5s and a 9 for the final halt for a score of 26.1 with judge's comments "Well ridden keep up the great work! Work for more thrust and swing through body." That put us in first for our split and second for the TIP Intro division (first on a 25.something).
I was going to bring Opie over to watch the other two Intro riders from the barn do their tests, but then Opie and his bff Easy who was in stabling saw each other and promptly lost their shit. I stuck him in a stall and went to watch alone, and then left him there with Hubby while we walked the xc course.
The xc was BN Lite. Forget Intro. It was big (for the level) and super, super long with an optimum time of six minutes plus. There was a sketchily decorated bench and a chevron table as 9 and 10 that I thought for sure would give us trouble, but lol nah.
When it was time to leave, Opie walked back to the trailer on his hind legs screaming his head off because he had to leave Easy. On Sunday I kept him locked in the trailer until I was already dressed myself and ready to just throw his tack on and go in hopes it would keep him contained and calm. That ended up failing because Easy ditched his rider at the second fence and they came stomping back right behind us which set off another round of screaming and thrashing and melting down.
Fortunately I had enough time to let him settle down in the relative safety of the trailer and he was reasonable to get tack up...until our two riders came by to head up to warm up. I asked one of them to stay behind while I finished getting bridled, but Opie was still screaming and hyper speed walked right on by patient Puck to go hunt down better soul mates.
He was super tense just walking around even with all the other horses, but they were running super late so we had all the time to just keep walking until he started to soften a bit. The trot was useless so I sent him into the canter which was much better. He jumped softly and quietly, and I was like, "Okay, once I get his brain on the jumps and the job at hand, we'll be just fine."
HAHAHAHA NO.
The second we passed through the warm up gate to head up to the start box he went up in the air and started screaming and spinning. He flung himself around having a complete meltdown while the starter was like, "You have one minute." Yes, thank you, sir, hopefully we make it the remaining ten feet in that time.
He wasn't paying attention to a single jump in front of him. He was just flat out running while staring around trying to find another horse to fixate on which caused him to climb over the fences. I brought him back to the trot for the ditch so he could get his eye on it, thinking the ditch was the better option than the log stack since he was jumping so shittily and he's done a million ditches without issue. Nope, slammed on the brakes twice and then tried to run out on the log stack and almost smashed my leg into the flag.
The next jump was actually super, the best on course. Then he tried refusing the two inch up bank and I knew there was no way we were making it over the bench or the chevrons so I found the next jump judge and retired.
Honestly I'm glad I didn't have to do the show jumping anyway. The ground was complete shit all over the place and clearly his brain was completely absent from the picture. It was a shitty AF weekend that started Friday evening when my phone was stolen at the state fair. I forgot the camera Saturday so I'm waiting on the show photographer for pics, and then I sent Hubby to the finish line for pics because warm up was ten miles away and obviously we didn't finish.
I have mixed feelings about it. Was Opie just a complete raging asshole because he knew Easy was around? Would he have been so obscenely herd bound if he didn't know that? Would that have made the jumping go easier, or would he have fixated on Puck and Finn instead? Or any horse on the planet?
Do I take him to the show this weekend where he's been tense and awful the past two times we've gone? Is it worth the hassle on the off chance I get that elusive 60% at 2-3?
After not doing my due diligence and missing the deadline to enter my first scores for the USDF Regional Schooling Show Awards--which meant I was no longer able to do just the two remaining shows hosted by my GMO that fit into my schedule since you need three shows--I was on the hunt for the elusive third show.
Fortunately I saw a posting on FB that someone else within five hours had gotten qualified.
Unfortunately it was three hours away.
At this point, whatever. Clearly I cannot get a 60% at 2-3 to save my life which means I won't get either of the year end awards from my GMO. Gotta try to scrape up a ribbon somewhere, right?! So bright and early Saturday morning we loaded up the trailer and headed south to PA.
GPS, of course, took us up a giant fucking mountainside to get there but it was easy to find and they got us checked in and parked no problem. Opie was a bit tense and spooky in their indoor to start as it was kind of dark and the mirrors were a bit wonky, but I wanted my only goal for warm up to be suppleness. If I didn't get him relaxed, there was no point in doing the test. AS I'VE LEARNED THE HARD WAY.
Mission accomplished and we wrapped up with some sitting trot where I was able to get a little bit of SI even. Maybe we could put in a real Second Level test for once?
Second Level Test 2
We were able to do a quick warm up inside the ring since there wasn't room to go around the outside. This was good for Opie because he immediately started llama-ing and tensing up at the new scenery. Fortunately by the time she rang the bell he was settled again.
We started off feeling okay. The judge thought so, too, and gave us a couple 7s and lots of 6s. 5.5 for the first medium trot, but hysterically an 8 for the final one up the center line. I can't read the scribe's writing for shit, but a 6 for the first TOH and a 5 for the second one.
don't you dare cross behind, fucker.
Then we hit the canter and shit just went off the rails. It was a horrible, shitty canter. Head wag, zero collection, zero energy, dumped on his fucking face, etc ect. She should have given me a 2 for the first simple change as he splatted into this strung out trot and I was like, "No, fuck you, sir. This is a schooling show, get a schooling moment." and I sat him on his ass and halted him before picking up the canter again.
I wrapped up feeling very disappointed. Glad for the relaxation, but frustrated with the lack of everything else. Final score a generous 62%. "Accurately ridden test. Rider needs to support and develop improved engagement and lightness without wagging head." Gotta love that the head wag has returned in full force.
We had a little break where I left him saddled but he got to hang out at the trailer stuffing his face with alfalfa before heading back up to warm up. He was done being spooky in the indoor so I went right to work trying to fix the canter.
Nope, it was still shit. Falling over his shoulder, disengaged, head wag galore, and on and on. I had forward, I had relaxation, I could not get anything else.
Second Level Test 3
Things felt okay in this test. I guess at this point if we just go around and do the things in the spots without a blow up, I think we've done quite alright. Judges do not agree lol. To be fair, the medium trot was gone and I had nothing left to offer because I'm fat and out of shape and inherently lazy. As such none of the trot work scored above a 6. Actually we didn't even score a 6 for anything but transitions. 4s for TOH, and the free walk doesn't exist anymore either.
We basically flip-flopped scores on 2-2 and 2-3. Shit canter for the first test to better canter scores this test while bombing the trot work. Final score 58%. "While this pair demonstrates basic obedience for this test, they need to develop more engagement to support a quieter contact." Yup.
Honestly the judge was spot on with her final comments on how I felt with my final feelings. We're just not there. We've literally gone backwards in quality of work instead of improving. And I want to go backwards and strip everything down to the beginning and start over. Clearly the core basics have slithered off somewhere and neither of us can be bothered to hunt them down and use them at the moment. If I hadn't already paid for these next two shows, I wouldn't do them. (Although this upcoming weekend is the HT so that's the most basic of dressage and yay, fun jumping!)
At this point, I've got the attitude of suffer through what's left knowing I'm not going to score well--and by well I mean 60%--and then bring on a revamp/overhaul/remedial party.
I switched him out of his fat, hollow mouth loose ring to a thing eggbutt. I thought I had a normal width one, but out of the five hundred eggbutts I own that is somehow not one of them. So that's on its way.
I started off Tuesday's ride in-hand. Listen, the shoulders can move independent of the rest of the body. Key lesson: the shoulders can move.
Right off the bat we got to work on the SI under saddle, too. Moved to the quarter line and the haunches kept trying to shoot out one way or another while the head came up and the shoulders didn't actually move.
Tried circling because no outside rein connection and a head tilt, bulging mid-neck muscle. Didn't help. Moved on to the TOH.
TOH: Slow the fuck down. Put your fucking head down. Slow down more.
He was getting confused and kept trying answers--sideways, half pass, backwards, too wide behind, crossing behind. The answer is slow down and put your head down. Process what I'm asking.
Had to get tough on him, but his brain was going too quick and the second his feet starting going sideways he would just spin around. slow down slow down slow down. Finally got them both ways and got big pats and a stretch.
Back to SI. In the trot, did not want to give me the bend or the shoulders. Bracing, hollowing his back, sewing machine trot. Slammed on the brakes when I corrected him and when I booted him he shot into the air. I just carried on like nothing had happened, still asking in kindergarten language. I could tell he was getting flustered because he wasn't slowing down to listen to my A B C cues. Finally got through to him being patient but insistent. These are the aids. There is a correct answer. Got the answer? Best boy ever so many pats! Finally got one down each long side both ways.
Long stretchy trot and walk to finish, but not a hurried rushing trot and walk which is what he wanted to default to. Because going fast and dumping yourself onto the forehand is much easier.
Today we did one million circles of varying sizes all over the ring at the walk until he lost the mid-neck bulge and started actually giving me a true connection.
Moved right into the SI from there at walk. Got it both ways. Directly into the trot. Bam, had it both ways there, too.
That's good, but it's also frustrating because I know he knows this shit, he just lets tension/laziness get in the way of producing the work and all the evasions that follow blow shit out of proportion when if he just did the work he'd get the reward.
A monster windy rain storm blew through right when I picked up the canter and cooled everything right the fuck down for a good twenty minutes so I took advantage and used that time to canter. So. Much. Canter.
It started off really, really shit. Not going anywhere, tense, falling in, sometimes four beat. Any request for forward just made him run. I finally got the shoulders up with a million square turns, but the gait quality remained gross.
Took a break, got his neck reaching out, and picked it up again. Had the forward and the softness, but it was freewheeling around with zero collection and not much control. Half halt after half halt while not letting him break finally got it coming up.
Holy shit that was hard, and it really highlighted what a lazy, sloppy fucking rider I've become. Sitting in the saddle? Using my back and abs? Clearly has not been happening.
TOH. Got the slow down part, this time worked on staying straight coming into them. So much better than yesterday! Still probably too large for a great score, but I will ride my 6s to the bank all day.
Finished with stretchy trot, working on maintaining the rhythm and balance and not going fast.
This post is going to be short and sweet short. That's all the attention it deserves.
It was 90* with full sun all day. Hard pass.
Our original ride times were 4:36 and 5:00, but fortunately they had some early scratches (probably because of the awful heat), and the secretary emailed me the evening before to see if I wanted to fill them. 2pm instead of 5pm? Yes, I will be there!
The judge that was originally signed up for this show....was not the judge that was there. Instead we got stuck with my least favorite judge on the planet who was throwing scores between 86% and 49%--in the same level and test.
Opie was dreadful warming up for the first test. So tight, so resistant, so on the forehand, so not wanting to participate. I tried rapid fire transitions, I tried big posting, I tried going to the walk, the canter, straight to sitting trot, etc etc. He was not with it.
Second Level Test 2
I went in a bit early because of a rider scratch in front of me and because honestly I knew I wasn't going to get anything better with five extra minutes. It was complete shit and I knew it was going to be complete shit.
I was muttering, "I fucking hate you" under my breath because he was not helping me out one single teeny tiny bit.
It felt as bad as the last 2-2 test I rode at Houghton--where I still scored just over 60%. This judge, at a schooling show, gave us a 54%. Fuck you, crazy bitch.
i have apparently lost the ability to sit the canter
I hung out ringside so the horse after us had a friend, and then went back over to warm up and did ten trillion 10m circles at the walk and trot until I had a shoulder-in again and the horse was feeling supple.
Second Level Test 3
This test felt miles better than the previous one, but still stupid mistakes here and there.
He did feel relaxed. He didn't have a SI again.
Fuck you, TOH.
Fuck you, crazy SCHOOLING judge, for giving us a 55% when we had more mistakes at a RECOGNIZED show and were the smallest titch off of 60%.
please just give me any help here, fucker.
Final Thoughts
This level is hard.
I'm changing bits. Soften the fuck up, bro.
More work in the bands because I can't be doing all the work to get the hind end in use every single step, Opie.
I'm pretty sure I'm getting worse as a rider, not better.
We don't have a SI anymore. Sometimes we don't have a HI either! Don't know where they went or why they left us, but here we are.
The TOH have got to be one thousand percent slower. EVEN. FUCKING. SLOWER.
This judge, though I know she's off the rails and everyone else is in agreement on that, still manages to absolutely crush my will to show and sometimes to ride dressage at all.
There's a show every single weekend of August. There's a two day show, a show across the border in PA, and even a show on a Thursday. Aside from the planning on when to dole out the UlcerGard, keeping Opie feeling fit and fresh for the entire month is a massive focus.
Fortunately, at this point, there's not a lot of new things to jam into our skills belt. Everything always needs polish of course, but it's not like, "Oh, shit, I have one week to learn how to do a half pass and I'm going to need every single one of those days." That means keeping an every other day schooling schedule looks like it's going to work pretty well for us.
off days spent being forced into the great outdoors even though nature is not your favorite.
On Wednesday I rode him in the double again. SI good, half pass good, turns on the haunches good when they want to be (I don't fucking know at this point they just really fucking hate me), and flying changes are clean as a whistle.
Flying changes are also now performed thirty feet above the ground at all times.
For fucking real tho, what a rodeo. I mean, yay, great, glad the concept has clicked and we're changing back to front on the spot, but holy shit. Landing with one stirrup and clinging to the side of your horse because you just shot skyward to get them surely cannot be a good thing. And also THAT SEEMS LIKE SO MUCH MORE WORK, OPIE.
But whatever, it is what is at this point. The entry has been sent, we're just going to call this a fact finding mission LOL.
waiting for his german horse muffin after a shower. it's hard being opie.
This morning he went back in the snaffle and was definitely softer and better in the lateral work after being worked in the double. Right off the bat, however, I had to rein him right in to keep him from walking off with me in the TOH. He just wants to go fast or get lateral to get out of actually doing it, and then when I managed to get the feet slowed down and doing what they're supposed to do he braces and throws his head. Work with me here, bro, I hate them, too.
The canter work was running through the patterns from 2-2 and 2-3 mostly to make sure we still had a counter canter and could go across the short diagonal and do a simple change instead of exploding into a flying change. Check, check, and check.
At stretchy trot to cool out, a long cold shower, and then back outside for a few more hours until he got to come in early and park in front of his fan because we're back in a heat wave.
We don't ride until nearly 5pm Sunday which is the shits. With the heat, I'm planning on bringing him in at 10 for his cold bath and braiding, and then leaving him in front of his fan until we leave in the early afternoon so that I hopefully have some energy to draw from. Good news is he's gotten to be mostly a grown up about Mr Tappy so if we have to use him, so be it. But I'd prefer to have a horse going forward on his own without me doing all the work.
Amazingly we did make it to school cross country on Saturday. The footing was perfect and the weather was actually absolutely perfect as well--blue skies, slight breeze, high of 70*. And then on Sunday it rained and the kids didn't get their turn, but that's a whole different story and not my problem.
hubby was busy working so no jumping media :(
The ride was surprisingly uneventful.
We walked down to the field, made one trot lap while passing close to all the jumps in case he wanted to take a look at something (he didn't), had a quick canter, and then set right off to a log jump. I made sure to stay in my half seat because it was just a boring little log and Opie happily loped over right out of stride.
We did a few more log stacks, put a couple of them together in a bending line, and then stopped to chat with BM. We were both riding on a soft rein and having to use leg which is not what either of us were expecting. Both boys were so quiet we were kind of like, "Okay, how do we ride?"
I did a small roll top and house, put them together, then did them again and added a big log stack, rode that combination a few times because it was easy peasy, and finally we shrugged and headed down to play in the water.
We did the up bank a couple times out of the water by itself before going out farther into the field and adding a roll back line of logs into the water and out over the bank. Mo had to give us a lead down the bank the first time because while I'm sure Opie would have gone down without him, Mo was in the distance and they were having a bit of a "I need my BFF with me at all times" mentality and I was suspicious he would launch into the water like a rocket if I tapped him and I didn't really want to get wet. He still gave a big splash in following Mo, but it certainly could have been worse.
We finished down there by running up the short, super steep hill and doing the log at the apex of it.
For the grand field finale we did a log stack to the roll top to the house to a faux log hanging vertical to a cord wood stack. Opie broke to the trot seeing the admittedly weird looking hanging faux log, but he jumped it the first time so I circled back around to do it out of canter and then finished with the cord wood on a super jump.
We trottted over the ditch on the way back to the trailers no problem, but then surprise! Suddenly we were on our way home and both our horses had loads of energy to spare. Mo even tried to take off with BM. Needless to say Mo got made to jump a couple more things before being sent back along the fence line to disappear into the field while I made Opie wait until he was out of sight because we don't need to be attached at the hip to our friend always.
Fortunately he was a good boy about it and didn't make a peep, but he too magically had all sorts of energy when I asked him to pick up the canter and go back towards the field (and Mo). We jumped a few more logs on our way out and cantered over the ditch before calling it quits for real.
I gave him Sunday off, and this morning he went back in the double for more flying change work.
We worked on them Friday as well, and he was being very ho-hum about them while changing a few strides late behind. I appreciated the ho-um, I did not appreciate the lateness. So I tapped him once with the whip. That got the hind end moving alright, and suddenly it was launching us skyward. The one L-R change I have literally never in my life been so high off the ground while still in the saddle...and then he landed clean on the correct lead so I was like, "Uhhhh...okay, good boy?" The R-L was more flailing and attempting to rear while I didn't remotely play into it and just kept sending him forward on a circle the second he acted out until he finally settled and I popped him over cleanly onto the new lead right as we were about to hit the fence. Stop anticipating, sir!!
"good boys get cookies and today i was a good boy"
This morning I focused a lot on getting his 10m circles round and through at all three gaits, SI at the trot (ugh, so much better in the double where he can't brace), and trot half pass. Then the changes!
L-R was again the easy way. Once I corrected him when he tried to be late behind, he waited for me to ask and then popped over cleanly each time. The R-L wasn't wild, but he did try his "I'm jumping up! And my legs are going places! Hopefully you don't realize I'm not actually doing real work and changing my lead!" I didn't fall for it and kept circling him around, not letting him break from the canter. The changes weren't getting cleaner on the short diagonal I was riding though, and I felt like it was giving him too much space to throw evasions, so I basically made a half 10m turn off the rail and sent him right back onto it. He got tapped with the whip once, and the second time he finally jumped over clean and got to be done.
So they're definitely in there, and he's definitely being less dramatic about them especially as I get tougher on both of us about not getting out of them and continuing on in the canter no matter what.
He goes so much better in the double in general though that I did mark down 3-1 for the Fair. AHHHHH!!!! Now I just have to write the check and put the entry in the mail. Officially committed for better or (more likely!) worse!
