Last week SmartPak advertised breeches on sale for the fuller figured woman (in my case, fat) I love the comfort of breeches and have two pair in black that I wear for lessons. Unfortunately my profile closely resembles Alfred Hitchcock so I always wear overhanging tops in the hope that it will disguise my gut. I'm sure the horse will tell you that this in no way fools her when my lard butt is on her back.
I am toying with the idea of competing in one dressage show this summer. The trainers at the barn think I'm ready for a walk/trot class. I still haven't decided, although I will have to soon as they will be planning their show schedule later this month.
Anyway, this is a long-winded entry to say that I ordered a pair of light tan breeches which arrived yesterday. They fit, so that is one item out of the way if I do decide to compete. I still need a proper shirt (a piece of clothing with an unfriendly neckline to a double chin) and jacket. I'd love to have good boots but at my level (bottom of the barrel) I can get away with paddock boots and half chaps. I'd also like a better helmet than my shiny Troxel but these are investments that can wait.
I am actually making a half-assed attempt at diet and exercise. Not for my health, naturally, but have you seen the girls/women who compete at English shows? Twigs, I tell you!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Craigslist Strikes Again
Yellow lab 9 weeks old, male, parents are pure bread American and English yellow labs. Moving must sell $400 call ###-####.
"Moving must sell." Dude, really? Most reputable breeders will not sell a puppy before it is eight weeks old (but this is Craigslist so all bets are off) It appears to me that you've had this pup for one or two weeks and have "just" discovered you have to move? Liar, liar, pants on fire.
I think you are some low-life who scooped up a "pure bread" (WTH?) puppy for cheap or free and are now trying to make some money off it. Not to mention that it is against the rules to sell pets on Craigslist. End of rant...
Last Monday's lesson was "awesome." Friday, once again I rode as if I'd never been on the back of a horse before. Fortunately I got myself straightened out and had a really good go at trotting a pattern over poles (we stayed in the middle - yay!) We (me and the horse/team concept) completely missed some of the poles the first few attempts. I've had using my legs and torso to steer drilled into my head so much that I hesitate to use the reins. I hope to talk to my trainer during today's private lesson to get a better idea of what is acceptable. I know not to saw at the horse's mouth, but not using the reins at all sends us out into no man's land instead of the desired direction.
Introduced a friend to Goodreads so she is now bugging me to update my reading list. I was happy just reading the monthly newsletter. She is also planning to write reviews. Overachiever.
"Moving must sell." Dude, really? Most reputable breeders will not sell a puppy before it is eight weeks old (but this is Craigslist so all bets are off) It appears to me that you've had this pup for one or two weeks and have "just" discovered you have to move? Liar, liar, pants on fire.
I think you are some low-life who scooped up a "pure bread" (WTH?) puppy for cheap or free and are now trying to make some money off it. Not to mention that it is against the rules to sell pets on Craigslist. End of rant...
Last Monday's lesson was "awesome." Friday, once again I rode as if I'd never been on the back of a horse before. Fortunately I got myself straightened out and had a really good go at trotting a pattern over poles (we stayed in the middle - yay!) We (me and the horse/team concept) completely missed some of the poles the first few attempts. I've had using my legs and torso to steer drilled into my head so much that I hesitate to use the reins. I hope to talk to my trainer during today's private lesson to get a better idea of what is acceptable. I know not to saw at the horse's mouth, but not using the reins at all sends us out into no man's land instead of the desired direction.
Introduced a friend to Goodreads so she is now bugging me to update my reading list. I was happy just reading the monthly newsletter. She is also planning to write reviews. Overachiever.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Nuff Said
Trayvon Martin, 17, was killed on February 26 in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, 28, a white and Hispanic (emphasis mine) neighborhood watch volunteer who has claimed he acted in self defense and has not been charged with a crime.
This is bullshit. And by "this" I mean the insistence upon pointing out the evil white aspect of Zimmerman's heritage. You never see Obama referenced as white and black. Hell no, he is the first black president, for the most part ignoring his mother (although she is the one who gives him his oft-questioned U.S. residency legitimacy)
Talk about reverse discrimination.
This is bullshit. And by "this" I mean the insistence upon pointing out the evil white aspect of Zimmerman's heritage. You never see Obama referenced as white and black. Hell no, he is the first black president, for the most part ignoring his mother (although she is the one who gives him his oft-questioned U.S. residency legitimacy)
Talk about reverse discrimination.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Uninspired Ramblings
Spring is in the air and the snow seems to be melting at a reasonable rate without flooding everywhere. It's getting up into the 40's during the day and 20's at night. Bart discovered the joy of digging in the mud yesterday and we have the footprints on the carpet to prove it.
The memorial for J at the barn was lovely. I only stayed for about an hour and a half but there seemed to be a steady flow of visitors. I had helped scrub stalls the day before so everything was spic and span. There was a nice array of photographs displayed. J had been an artist prior to her disabling accident and they had some of her artwork exhibited. There was also a screen hooked up to a DVD player showing her back in the day when she was still riding. There were blank books scattered around where people could write their memories. I don't think her girls could have put together a nicer tribute.
I am volunteering at grooming one day a week in addition to my twice weekly lessons. Hopefully my body is getting in better condition. I helped lug around 30 pound packages of stall bedding last Saturday. That's almost as good as lifting weights, right?
I am improving my balance while in the saddle and had an awesome lesson this past Monday. The majority of the time was spent riding without stirrups and using my legs to get the horse to travel in a large circle. Somehow this is improved by keeping my eyes focused not only in the center of the circle, but up, almost to the ceiling. I don't get it but it works. I have to remember to keep my right shoulder up and back because I can't spend the rest of my life riding with my hand on top of my helmet.
One of my friends had hernia surgery a while back so she and I have been watching movies together once a week. So far we've seen Buck, Sex and the City 1 and 2, and the old Disney classic Sleeping Beauty. Yesterday we splurged and saw Mirror Mirror at a theater. It was okay - at least I didn't feel that I'd entirely wasted my money. What really surprised me is that I now want to see Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp. It looked really funny, which I didn't expect, plus the music is from the seventies, right up my era. There is also a Pixar film called Brave that's supposed to be released this summer that looked cute.
The memorial for J at the barn was lovely. I only stayed for about an hour and a half but there seemed to be a steady flow of visitors. I had helped scrub stalls the day before so everything was spic and span. There was a nice array of photographs displayed. J had been an artist prior to her disabling accident and they had some of her artwork exhibited. There was also a screen hooked up to a DVD player showing her back in the day when she was still riding. There were blank books scattered around where people could write their memories. I don't think her girls could have put together a nicer tribute.
I am volunteering at grooming one day a week in addition to my twice weekly lessons. Hopefully my body is getting in better condition. I helped lug around 30 pound packages of stall bedding last Saturday. That's almost as good as lifting weights, right?
I am improving my balance while in the saddle and had an awesome lesson this past Monday. The majority of the time was spent riding without stirrups and using my legs to get the horse to travel in a large circle. Somehow this is improved by keeping my eyes focused not only in the center of the circle, but up, almost to the ceiling. I don't get it but it works. I have to remember to keep my right shoulder up and back because I can't spend the rest of my life riding with my hand on top of my helmet.
One of my friends had hernia surgery a while back so she and I have been watching movies together once a week. So far we've seen Buck, Sex and the City 1 and 2, and the old Disney classic Sleeping Beauty. Yesterday we splurged and saw Mirror Mirror at a theater. It was okay - at least I didn't feel that I'd entirely wasted my money. What really surprised me is that I now want to see Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp. It looked really funny, which I didn't expect, plus the music is from the seventies, right up my era. There is also a Pixar film called Brave that's supposed to be released this summer that looked cute.
Friday, March 23, 2012
First Grade Drawing - PRICELESS!
A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for her homework assignment.
The teacher graded it and the child brought it home.
She returned to school the next day with the following note:
Dear Ms. Davis,
I want to be perfectly clear on my child's homework illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint surrounded by male customers with money. I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This drawing is of me selling a shovel.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Harrington
The teacher graded it and the child brought it home.
She returned to school the next day with the following note:
Dear Ms. Davis,
I want to be perfectly clear on my child's homework illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint surrounded by male customers with money. I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This drawing is of me selling a shovel.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Harrington
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Fate Rears Its Ugly Head
I'm not quite sure where to start here. As far as riding goes, I had a couple of not so wonderful lessons but this past Monday's was "awesome" in my trainer's opinion. Wednesday I got my hair cut and colored - it had been since November so I was long overdue. Afterwards I went to a friend's who had surgery recently and visited with her.
When I got home my husband said my trainer had called. Oh boy! Maybe she needed help at the barn! So I called her right back, got her voice mail and left a message. She called a few minutes later to tell me her mother had died the day before.
This is where this entry gets kind of tricky. The owners of my barn are very private people so I don't want to offend them. On the other hand, I feel compelled to write a small memorial.
My barn is owned by a woman and her two daughters. The mother, "J", had a training accident some years back that left her a paraplegic. I was not aware of this so the first time I had a lesson with "Mom" I was taken by surprise. "J" was a force to be reckoned with. She had a dynamic personality and would not let me get away with anything. She was excellent at having me refine my riding skills and would push me to get it right. She always said how much she enjoyed her adult students because she could be more forthright with them and not have to be as tactful as with the young kids. Our lessons together involved a lot of back and forth bantering.
I was always happy to run errands for her and help out in any way I could. Don't get me wrong, there were many, many people involved in her life more than I was. However, I was looking forward to getting to know her better. I knew she was reading the book, The Eighty Dollar Champion which I finished a short time ago. I was anticipating talking about it with her and finding out if she'd ever attended a National Horse Show. She may actually have seen the horse this book was written about. Last summer I did a little gardening for her and was looking forward to doing it again this year. I had also volunteered to help out with a horse show that she chaired. Now none of these things will happen the way I thought they would.
It's hard to believe that I'll never hear her counting, "One, two, three" in an effort at getting me to dismount quickly. Or, "Yeah, yeah, yeah" when I whined that I couldn't do something.
Her passing is such a shock because it was totally unexpected. I am trying to help out but also feel like somewhat of an outsider compared to those who have known the family for years. I'll bumble along the best I can.
"J" I will miss you. Your death has left a hole in my heart.
When I got home my husband said my trainer had called. Oh boy! Maybe she needed help at the barn! So I called her right back, got her voice mail and left a message. She called a few minutes later to tell me her mother had died the day before.
This is where this entry gets kind of tricky. The owners of my barn are very private people so I don't want to offend them. On the other hand, I feel compelled to write a small memorial.
My barn is owned by a woman and her two daughters. The mother, "J", had a training accident some years back that left her a paraplegic. I was not aware of this so the first time I had a lesson with "Mom" I was taken by surprise. "J" was a force to be reckoned with. She had a dynamic personality and would not let me get away with anything. She was excellent at having me refine my riding skills and would push me to get it right. She always said how much she enjoyed her adult students because she could be more forthright with them and not have to be as tactful as with the young kids. Our lessons together involved a lot of back and forth bantering.
I was always happy to run errands for her and help out in any way I could. Don't get me wrong, there were many, many people involved in her life more than I was. However, I was looking forward to getting to know her better. I knew she was reading the book, The Eighty Dollar Champion which I finished a short time ago. I was anticipating talking about it with her and finding out if she'd ever attended a National Horse Show. She may actually have seen the horse this book was written about. Last summer I did a little gardening for her and was looking forward to doing it again this year. I had also volunteered to help out with a horse show that she chaired. Now none of these things will happen the way I thought they would.
It's hard to believe that I'll never hear her counting, "One, two, three" in an effort at getting me to dismount quickly. Or, "Yeah, yeah, yeah" when I whined that I couldn't do something.
Her passing is such a shock because it was totally unexpected. I am trying to help out but also feel like somewhat of an outsider compared to those who have known the family for years. I'll bumble along the best I can.
"J" I will miss you. Your death has left a hole in my heart.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Apple Does It Again
Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music. The iTit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size. This is considered a major social breakthrough because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.
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