Exciting news...

I was at my local tack shop, Double L Tack, and I was talking to the lady there. I feel bad because I'm horrid with names and she knows mine. Anyhow. I told her about the blog before and she shared some good news. Ariat one of the best boot companies has finally decided to start making more calf size options. I guess enough people have finally complained so they are adding gussets and are going to include bigger calf sizes.

They had wanted to launch the new line last Christmas, but it won't be launched until this fall.

Happy New Year

A couple days late.   I hope you guys had a great holiday season.  My dad got me a new camera that I can't wait to use at cons.

If my horse and I qualify early in the season, I hope to head too three Celebration 6.  I want to do Dragon*con, but Sept is way too busy for me horse show schedule wise.  My students are keeping me extra busy this year.

SALES!!!
This is the time of year that horse catalogs get rid of old inventory, so.check oout your local tack stores or online shops.

Museum Replica Boot Review

kiyotei from the Imperial Officer Corps bought the Musuem Replica boots. If you're not aware Musuem Replica uniforms have been 501st approved (but a few mods), so it is an option, but here's one review on their boots.


I ordered a pair from Museum Replica's and was very excited to get them. When I opened the rather small box, I found that the boots had been rolled up and bound with a rubber band. This created a horrible crinkle pattern in the leather of the shaft of the boots. I considered the boots unusable at that point. They looked terrible with all the cracks. I did inspect the quality of the boots and was very disappointed. The black leather outside is just a thin veneer of black leather glued over some other material (not sure what, leather, vinyl?). I returned the boots. I'll stick with my more expensive equestrian boot.

-End Review-

My take: If you know leather you can tell the quality of the leather by a picture. Good leather looks good. There are a few companies that use leather made/tanned in India. This leather is usually brittle and cheap. And just by glancing at the picture, I wouldn't spend $225 for these boots.

Thanks kiyotei for the review!

it's been awhile

It's been awhile.

My tunic arrived, but there were some issues. I wanted olive green and she made black. Not a big issue, but oh well. I guess my brain reasoned that the pictures were all dark, but after getting it I'm like it's definitely black.

There are a few other issues, one my fault: I gained weight. -_-
It needs another pocket for the code cylinder.

That's about it.

I also have come to the realization that my custom riding boots, actually suck for riding. They had been resized and still just were uncomfortable. I finally realized what the problem is and it's the edge of the back of the boot. It's too high. It's suppose to support (I'm guessing) the back of your foot and hit right about where your foot bends (it's hard for me to explain), but it's far too high for me. I'm not sure if Dehner will re-do them, but I guess I can always ask.

Since I lost some weight I think I'm going to start the search for boots to ride in and my custom boots will be for trooping. These boots cost more than my tunics. So I need to get my money worth.

I bit the bullet and ordered from a lady who is known to make 501st approved tunic. No chances the second go around.

My Uniform

Nancy from Akino Atelier is finished with my Imperial Officer uniform. She was about to send it off, but I noticed a small little thing. She sewed the seam where the code cylinders go shut. In the example pic I sent her it did look like a closed seam. But I think it looks pretty darn awesome.

Once I get my uniform I'll send it off to the 501st to try and get in. yay!

I ordered my code cylinders. My friend is going to see if she can make my rank bar. I decided on Captain. So I'm going to order the materials soon.

I'm going to use my custom Dehners for right now. They haven't been getting much action since I've taken a break from showing. Plus really can't afford another pair of boots at the moment. I need a new show helmet.

Dragon*Con

I believe I heard about Dragon*Con when I was in high school. My friends had introduced me to anime conventions. While I do enjoy a few anime shows I have always been more of a Star Wars nerd. There are so many anime conventions in Virginia and Maryland that it was always easier to attend anime conventions.

In college I didn't have the money to spend on going to Georgia. My first few years employed in my big girl job didn't lend to extra money with paying off loans and the car.


So finally after a decade of wanting to go, I finally did.

I had a blast. I meet some folks from the 501st. Did a crazy thing called light speed dating, drank, made new friends, met Timothy Zahn, Faith Hunter, and a few other authors, remet Sherilyn Kenyon, and sat in some awesome panels.



That's the really abbreviated version of the weekend.

I'm definitely going to make it a yearly thing. Saturday night I realized that I hadn't thought about my horse one bit. I'm always doing something horse related, it was a nice thing to just totally take a break from work (which has been insane) and the horses.

I think my favorite part of the weekend was just talking to people. I talk to so many different people. I had a conversation with people on the subway asking about the convention. I had conversations with folks at the convention about all different things. I think my job makes me so bitter sometimes it was nice to have decent conversation with another human being.

Aigle Boots

Aigle Boots have been becoming popular in recent years. I have no experience with them, so I can only type what I can see by their description.

They aren't real leather. They have two different types that could be suitable for trooping.

Start-$129.99
They say there are 6 different calf sizes. But looking at them I don't think they go very very big for a super wide calf. But take a gander at their sizing chart and find out your measurements.

The other model is the Ecuyer. It retails at $189.99 (though I often see them selling for $169-179).

Maybe they can work with you. Aigle Boots