Gosling Stables is a versatile, down to earth and dedicated place to ride at and I am so happy to be a part of the 'barn family'. I am so pleased to share the news that one of the young riders who trains there qualified with her rescue pony, to ride at the Hyde Moffat clinic being held at the Royal today! Kaitlin is a talented and hardworking rider who has been a regular presence at the stable and we're so happy to wish her the best of luck today.
Showing posts with label awesome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awesome. Show all posts
Friday, November 13, 2015
A Royal Welcome For a Fellow Rider
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the best of the country being brought into the city for competition and marketing. A prestigious affair, the Royal Horse show is a major highlight for many equestrians and getting to compete at the Royal is an honour. The fair manages to showcase every aspect of agriculture and equestrian greatness. It's a great educational experience for city kids who don't have the opportunity to join 4-H clubs through showcasing their country cousins' pass times and projects.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Mid-year Goals Review: I'm my own worst enemy
A few other (horsey) bloggers have done a review of their goals around this time and it makes sense since I'm also doing my performance review at work. You'll recall that the goals I set out for 2015 were listed in this post. There was a combination of personal, kitty, riding and reading. For a bit, I wasn't confident that I'd make what I wanted to accomplish. I was having challenges at work and I was starting to feel really overwhelmed with all the things that I had to do, outside of the goals I set for myself here just to maintain some sort of order in my personal life. I'm fortunate that +ADW (and my parents to a degree, since I try not to worry them and keep most to myself) is supportive and (mostly) patient of my frustrations and personal tribulations and I have amazing friends who commiserate with me when I need a moment (or two).
Let's get right into it, shall we?
Let's get right into it, shall we?
PERSONAL
- Finish all my "stuff" half an hour before I intend for bed--10:30pm bed time! (hopefully my caffeine habit will reduce too!)
This hasn't REALLY happened b/c I am a night owl. But, I have been trying to just go to bed the minute I'm tired. I mitigate things by getting prepared by 10pm and then seeing when I wanna keel over for the evening. - Getting active daily (by week), minimum: yoga twice, cycling once, cardio once, get off 1 stop earlier to walk home
I have not tried hard enough. At the risk of making excuses, I have been struggling with work so I've been distracted; but, it's June now (not cool). I will start getting off a stop earlier twice a week this week and do my yoga stretches (maybe not the full session?) twice as well. - Complete a preliminary project management course
So this is on like right now... but I might need to postpone with all the other things that have taken priority. - Complete my Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt
In process. I am going to make it my goal to have the exam successfully completed by July 20th. - Study and successfully pass the MCAT
This doesn't seem necessary any more... but I have to double check to be certain. - Be on time for stuff
I'm doing pretty well for this one! - Make more of an effort to get out with friends
This one is one of the easier ones... and I've done some "clean up" too. - Limit Facebook time to once a day, 20 minutes (this one is tough b/c I love procrastinating!)
I think I average 20 minutes daily. I'm going to continue to be more direct and specific here so I can bring it to 10 minutes. - Maintain a regular blogging schedule so I can aim to have a minimum of 10 posts per month
I'm all over the place with this one. I have had good months and not so good months. That said though, sometimes it's simply a lack of subjects to post about. I'd say I'm doing well so far. - Decorate my new home by finding spots for all photos or other images
I have started. I suspect this will be a long-term work in progress. - For my piano, improve enough to get to grade 4 by end of year and perfect the Christmas tunes I've been practising for the last 2 years (only around the holidays!)
I am not being realistic, based on the current trend. My teacher is treating me like I am doing this for the first time (that's not bad, but not moving fast enough since it's not enough of a challenge sometimes). That said, I'm an adult student so I can do whatever I want. I'm going to see to make some amendments to this and see if I can at least be plowing through grade 3 by year end. - Complete 2 more speeches in my Toastmasters ACB set
This has taken a major stall. My office location has really limited me to be able to complete this. I have looked up after work sessions near home (to no avail) and nothing is nearby (no open clubs anyway). I will be looking for alternative ways to continue to practice my speaking and communication skills (see practice for job interviews ;) )
BUCKINGHAM/STANLEY C. PANTHER
- Clicker train Stanley in the basics and ensure he comes when called
For the most part, he comes when I call him. But without consistency. Good start so far. We'll be working on refinement. - Set-up the ultimate cat-terrium indoors
This project has sort of exploded... I will be pushing updates into our sun room to accommodate this so that the boys can go into the room on their own and stare outside. Windows have been opened so that has been a good start. We also are dealing with a community cat issue so I don't know how far along this will get. Getting things done in the house is correlated with the decorating so I feel this will take time. In the meantime, they are all over and have 2 trees, allowed on all tables and counter-tops and Bucky's bed is by a window. - Get Stanley to wear a collar without ripping it off
Success!
RIDING
- Ride every moment of a lesson with intention--don't waste time
I'm doing pretty well here. Even on days I'm kind of tired, I push myself to get through the burn and keep going. - Communicate with half halts for transitions consistently to reduce that ear pinning and tail swishing
Good progress here too--especially at gait transitions. Need to translate to other tasks/asks. - Participate at one adult show at Touch N Go Farms - Adult Schooling Series (not aiming to place--just get over nerves and gain ability)
My first goal to getting there was to successfully ride courses of 2'3" before I even attempted anything further. With the way things have been going on in other aspects of my life, this goal might need to be postponed to next year. But I will continue to push forward. - Improve my hip/seat flexibility and overall fitness so I reduce/eliminate my physical short comings
Related to my fitness goals... not really improving at this time.
READING
- Finish the reading list proposed from 2014 within 12 months
To be determined but things aren't looking great right now :| - Read as many of those books as possible, through paper based books as opposed to electronic
No problems here! - Pick up a few "non typical" Deb books and incorporate into 2015 or 2016
I have met a major bookworm so I assume this will be no problem!
Overall, this has been a struggle for me on the personal side of things. To be fair to myself though, a lot has been happening that I have been working through that I won't get into here b/c you never know who reads these things. But those who know, know it's a real pain in the arse and it's just on me to change things. I have to want it though... you know? I gotta be hungry for the change and act on it every.single.moment.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with this image of my beloved baby Stanley doing what he does best: looking oh so cute.
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| He's seriously THIS CUTE all the time. It's hard to say no... |
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Clicker Games
Those of you who've been following along for a longer time know that I clicker trained my big cat Buckingham. My rational for training him was to ensure that I could get him back to me if there was an instance where he dashes out the door. This cat is the cat that has been the recipient for all my new fangled dedication (or obsession... call it as you will :P) with doing better than the last.
Some background... my family had two cats (you'll see them in the "In Memory" section on the right hand column) that we lost too early due to what I would consider, avoidable illnesses. The elder, we put down because of her advanced state of cardiomyopathy--something we were expecting at some point but were still happy she managed to tough it out for as long as she did; she was the one who got me hooked on the feline species. Then there was my parents' favourite and my rival sibling whom I spent his life at some sort of odds until the end where we did make peace before he left us too.
Even reflecting about it now, I still get really sad and there is not a day that I don't think about them. When Buck unexpectedly appeared in my backyard after a long mourning period and wondering if I could ever let another cat back into my heart, I knew that (it sounds a bit nutty) he was brought to me to try again.
For a year, Bucky became my project cat and I worked really diligently at learning to communicate with him and understanding what his needs are. My mom would tell you that the two of us are probably inseparable and the best of friends. Without much further ado, I post the game we play in the back yard where he disappears into the bush and I would call him back out.
Some background... my family had two cats (you'll see them in the "In Memory" section on the right hand column) that we lost too early due to what I would consider, avoidable illnesses. The elder, we put down because of her advanced state of cardiomyopathy--something we were expecting at some point but were still happy she managed to tough it out for as long as she did; she was the one who got me hooked on the feline species. Then there was my parents' favourite and my rival sibling whom I spent his life at some sort of odds until the end where we did make peace before he left us too.
Even reflecting about it now, I still get really sad and there is not a day that I don't think about them. When Buck unexpectedly appeared in my backyard after a long mourning period and wondering if I could ever let another cat back into my heart, I knew that (it sounds a bit nutty) he was brought to me to try again.
For a year, Bucky became my project cat and I worked really diligently at learning to communicate with him and understanding what his needs are. My mom would tell you that the two of us are probably inseparable and the best of friends. Without much further ado, I post the game we play in the back yard where he disappears into the bush and I would call him back out.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Eating for Charity
I try to live by the famous quote from Ben Parker of "with great power, comes great responsibility". Humans have such great capacity to do amazing things (or horrible horrible things) that it makes sense to be responsible. All of our choices even on a mundane granular level such as where to go for lunch will impact the greater picture.
During the day, I work for a large, for profit organization but in my off time, the things I enjoy doing usually surround the not-for-profit sector or those that are not nearly as lucrative. Why? Because I believe that there are causes out there that warrant attention and devotion. I'd say I'm like most people where what I do during the day is something that pays the bills--we all gotta eat. The causes I provide my time and money to are those which are (not surprisingly) in aid of animals. Perhaps I've met just one too many poor examples of human beings to care about a cause specific to people's well-being, but I have yet to meet an animal that I perceive that way. The reality is that people can do something about their situation and change it--animals, not so much. As well, much of the poor animal situations are caused by poor choices of people.
In addition to the fictional Ben Parker's sentiment, another personal value that strongly resonates with me is "participation is appreciation". I got this one from an unlikely source when I worked with a dragon boat coach whom I could not stand, on a good day. His difficult personality and our regular clashing (and occasional bouts of my murderous rage induced by his entire being) taught me a lot about patience, tolerance and devotion. It was a life changing lesson for me, to understand and realize what it means to volunteer your time for something: those who participate and take advantage of your time will generally have no idea the amount of work and effort that goes in, for mere seconds or minutes of "fun".
Over the weekend of the 23rd, I wanted to show my support of one of the girls at the stable, of her work with the cat rescue that we adopted little Stanley C. Panther from. She helped organize a charity all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner. These types of grass roots fund raising events always brings a good feeling for me because you see how sincerely dedicated people are, to the event and cause... before all the commercialism and lame stuff starts to take over. One of the grandmas made all the meatballs (amaze-balls!) and the cooking was done by the actual volunteers and they had cat grass centre pieces. The various dessert items were also donated by volunteers' families or themselves!
During the day, I work for a large, for profit organization but in my off time, the things I enjoy doing usually surround the not-for-profit sector or those that are not nearly as lucrative. Why? Because I believe that there are causes out there that warrant attention and devotion. I'd say I'm like most people where what I do during the day is something that pays the bills--we all gotta eat. The causes I provide my time and money to are those which are (not surprisingly) in aid of animals. Perhaps I've met just one too many poor examples of human beings to care about a cause specific to people's well-being, but I have yet to meet an animal that I perceive that way. The reality is that people can do something about their situation and change it--animals, not so much. As well, much of the poor animal situations are caused by poor choices of people.
In addition to the fictional Ben Parker's sentiment, another personal value that strongly resonates with me is "participation is appreciation". I got this one from an unlikely source when I worked with a dragon boat coach whom I could not stand, on a good day. His difficult personality and our regular clashing (and occasional bouts of my murderous rage induced by his entire being) taught me a lot about patience, tolerance and devotion. It was a life changing lesson for me, to understand and realize what it means to volunteer your time for something: those who participate and take advantage of your time will generally have no idea the amount of work and effort that goes in, for mere seconds or minutes of "fun".
Over the weekend of the 23rd, I wanted to show my support of one of the girls at the stable, of her work with the cat rescue that we adopted little Stanley C. Panther from. She helped organize a charity all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner. These types of grass roots fund raising events always brings a good feeling for me because you see how sincerely dedicated people are, to the event and cause... before all the commercialism and lame stuff starts to take over. One of the grandmas made all the meatballs (amaze-balls!) and the cooking was done by the actual volunteers and they had cat grass centre pieces. The various dessert items were also donated by volunteers' families or themselves!
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| Meow! |
In case anyone is curious (or looking to help out or even adopting), the rescue we were supporting is the NCWL Cat Rescue (of the west GTA area).
Monday, March 10, 2014
Horse Learning... FREE!
My instructor always tells me that to truly learn about horses, the sport and become a better rider, one must get their hands dirty (literally). Most of us don't have that time though (or the money). So, we need to find other ways to learn and enhance our knowledge. As well, as adult riders, we face an entirely different pile of challenges than someone who's been doing it since they were tots.
One of those challenges is finding a support group or resources for information. So, I started a Blackberry Messenger Channel called Adult Horseback Riders Learning. The main objective is to share resources, information, tips and accomplishments or tips with others in a similar situation. If you're in a similar situation as myself, then I encourage you to join and add your knowledge too :)
I've since posted two items in there:
One of those challenges is finding a support group or resources for information. So, I started a Blackberry Messenger Channel called Adult Horseback Riders Learning. The main objective is to share resources, information, tips and accomplishments or tips with others in a similar situation. If you're in a similar situation as myself, then I encourage you to join and add your knowledge too :)
I've since posted two items in there:
- The Horse Course being offered through Coursera--an online place where you can take the best online courses for free!
- A give-away from She Moved to Texas for subscriptions to EquestrianCoach.com.
Good luck and never stop learning!
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Adding Another Layer
I'm so glad that I have stuff outside of work, that keeps me going. Especially when things are not going so wonderfully in other areas of my life (*cough*work*cough*). I haven't told you about the success I've been having with the metronome. Really. For musicians, you understand the love-hate relationship with this object that tick tocks (or beeps) away while you're playing so that you're able to maintain rhythm. I still have a strong dislike of it, but I have really come into learning how to play with it and not completely ignoring it while it just awkwardly accompanies the music. And rhythm is ever so important! Not just for music...
And as I've mentioned before, learning to master a skill is made up of layers and pieces of the whole picture; everything compliments the end result. I think the progression of loathing to tolerance (and hence complimenting) of the metronome has aided me to advance a step forward: I have been graduated from my grade 1 studies to grade 2!! I also received an Appaloosa sticker for my efforts on a "Battle Song" (list C).
Eventually this musical onion will just reek of melodies, rhythm and technique.
And as I've mentioned before, learning to master a skill is made up of layers and pieces of the whole picture; everything compliments the end result. I think the progression of loathing to tolerance (and hence complimenting) of the metronome has aided me to advance a step forward: I have been graduated from my grade 1 studies to grade 2!! I also received an Appaloosa sticker for my efforts on a "Battle Song" (list C).
Eventually this musical onion will just reek of melodies, rhythm and technique.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
A Student's Journey
I want to start off by saying that I had a great evening last night; I had a make up piano lesson. And let me tell you again, it was a great lesson. We've briefly talked about why I re-started, after a decade long hiatus; literally, I had not touched a piano since I quit in high school. I'm a changed student: I've taken to tracking my practice and aim for 30-45 minutes daily. Sure, stuff comes up and I don't always practice as diligently but that's the nature of being an adult student (with anything, really!).
I've mentioned that I want to learn to play a stash of new arrangements and some old ones, but upon further reflection, I have decided to re-do all the grades I did do... from 1 through 8 including the theory. I won't be taking the examinations again but I will be working through each grade as if I was going for an exam. This could take several years but it's like many of the things I've started doing... it always takes time and to do it truly well, you have to diligently work at it regularly because everything has layers and "cross training" will enhance the ultimate goal. Yesterday was the first moment that I had felt like I got any real traction. K told me that yesterday's lesson was genuinely fruitful and that it sounds like I had really buckled down this past 3 weeks.
K is a great teacher for me. She's something of a real "godsend" because she breaks down the layers of playing well and her goals for her students are thorough and robust. The only thing is, I'm terrified of her. LOL really. But I've been scared of every piano teacher I've ever had... it's performance anxiety with just one other person there. Sounds ridiculous, I figure, but that's one of the main things I struggled with as a kid so now's time to grab the bull by the horns and take it on. Hopefully my Toastmaster training will kick in at some point (aaaaaanytime now...)?
Going back to my revised goal, after I get up to that point, I will start thinking about whether it would be worth my time to work towards the ARCT status. There appears to be a varied range of different certificates and diplomas so perhaps I'll see which one works best to what I want to ultimately achieve. I think it would be reasonable (at this point) to easily say that once I get my achieved grades up to snuff, I"ll be looking at moving forward to complete my grade 9 and 10 and then seeing where the wind takes me. I will probably never teach (because I have no patience for people! I mean I was a totally miserable student) or perform professionally but to be able to accomplish something on my bucket list just for me? That's got to be gold.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
My Pet Mummy
No need for many words. This year, I have a lot of fun stuff that's made things really great. To help me celebrate, ADW and Bucky have put together a little something for everyone...
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Model: Buckingham
Wardrobe Consultant: ADW
Photographer: me
Finished on Pixlr Express
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Model: Buckingham
Wardrobe Consultant: ADW
Photographer: me
Finished on Pixlr Express
Monday, October 21, 2013
Lesson #57: Bliss
We visited a little slice of heaven on Friday (Oct 18, 2013) in place of our regular weekly lessons at Greyden. This facility is stunning: the stable is built into the rolling hills of the property and is bright, clean and solidly built. The indoor arena is also HUGE. I don't know the exact dimensions but I would happily guess that it is twice the size of Greyden's. It didn't take a lot longer to get there but the route we took is slightly different. Our instructor's specialty is dressage herself but she also teaches hunter-jumper. All the disciplines that I really want to work towards because I'm interested in (what I'd consider) the highest level of horsemanship: eventing. Not only do you have to be an incredibly proficient rider in several different areas but the relationship bond between horse and rider must be unshakeable.
I know. Are you swooning like I am? I've been on cloud nine since Friday and haven't been able to stop thinking about our experience. I even got up on a Monday (MONDAY!!) morning with pep in my step on my way to work. Sure, I fell asleep and missed my stop but who cares? I'm feeling like a million bucks! I even greeted my coworkers with a cheery "good morning!" to which they grumbled or ignored me. Again, not something I do but I didn't care what was going through their minds b/c I floated in. So, onwards to my lesson!
When we arrived, I was assigned a chubby Appaloosa mare named Ariel. She's a cremello colour which almost looks white to me; and she's got these bright blue eyes and spots on her extremeties. It's nice to be riding a horse that isn't a pony; she's approximately 15.1 hh which is perfect (though I do love a 16hh+ horse) for me. But, like most animals, she's got a mischevous glint in her eye and dirt all over her back, loin and croup. Time to get working.
We put ourselves together and walk into the arena to put ourselves together and mount our steeds. We're reminded that because these horses are not "schoolies", they are sensitive to aids and we do not need to excessively ask. We have our usual warm up of trotting around this big arena and wow; Ariel only needs a teeny squeeze and off she goes. I consistently forget about my diagonals and have to be reminded to check. I should actively check regularly and see if I can feel when I'm riding incorrectly. That said, we do quite a bit of trotting around and I start to realize that I'm pretty unfit and I tire and my legs and my cardio systems remind me that I need to continue to work on that. Cycling Sunday mornings, here I come!
Next, the canter. I've been experiencing issues with getting Trinket to canter in both the indoor and outdoor rings lately. I shift my outside leg back and she takes off like an F-16. No pulling down, no deeking about and no dropping down in speed. We canter around several times and I can hear the air whistling past me and I continue with a giant smile on my face. Since the ring is large, I don't feel like the walls are too close to me and we both comfortably lap around several times. To slow down, I remember that I should be sitting up straighter and making myself slightly more rigid and gently squeezing my reins to tell her that I intend to slow down. There is no fighting: she drops out of the canter and we're back in the trot and I barely have to pull back before she slows further to a walk.
Our final exercise is a small x-jump which we take at the trot but these girls and guy actually jump over the jump even in trot. My 2-point is weak here and I find myself either leaning onto her crest or pulling on her just before the jump. I'm reminded that when she jumps and I'm in my 2-point position, she'll come up to me so there is no need for me to lean so far forward--just stick my butt back and out. I still need to find my 'sweet spot' here as I progress forward. One day this will just come together and I'll be moving forward to getting into a showing/competitive state. Until then!
I know. Are you swooning like I am? I've been on cloud nine since Friday and haven't been able to stop thinking about our experience. I even got up on a Monday (MONDAY!!) morning with pep in my step on my way to work. Sure, I fell asleep and missed my stop but who cares? I'm feeling like a million bucks! I even greeted my coworkers with a cheery "good morning!" to which they grumbled or ignored me. Again, not something I do but I didn't care what was going through their minds b/c I floated in. So, onwards to my lesson!
When we arrived, I was assigned a chubby Appaloosa mare named Ariel. She's a cremello colour which almost looks white to me; and she's got these bright blue eyes and spots on her extremeties. It's nice to be riding a horse that isn't a pony; she's approximately 15.1 hh which is perfect (though I do love a 16hh+ horse) for me. But, like most animals, she's got a mischevous glint in her eye and dirt all over her back, loin and croup. Time to get working.
We put ourselves together and walk into the arena to put ourselves together and mount our steeds. We're reminded that because these horses are not "schoolies", they are sensitive to aids and we do not need to excessively ask. We have our usual warm up of trotting around this big arena and wow; Ariel only needs a teeny squeeze and off she goes. I consistently forget about my diagonals and have to be reminded to check. I should actively check regularly and see if I can feel when I'm riding incorrectly. That said, we do quite a bit of trotting around and I start to realize that I'm pretty unfit and I tire and my legs and my cardio systems remind me that I need to continue to work on that. Cycling Sunday mornings, here I come!
Next, the canter. I've been experiencing issues with getting Trinket to canter in both the indoor and outdoor rings lately. I shift my outside leg back and she takes off like an F-16. No pulling down, no deeking about and no dropping down in speed. We canter around several times and I can hear the air whistling past me and I continue with a giant smile on my face. Since the ring is large, I don't feel like the walls are too close to me and we both comfortably lap around several times. To slow down, I remember that I should be sitting up straighter and making myself slightly more rigid and gently squeezing my reins to tell her that I intend to slow down. There is no fighting: she drops out of the canter and we're back in the trot and I barely have to pull back before she slows further to a walk.
Our final exercise is a small x-jump which we take at the trot but these girls and guy actually jump over the jump even in trot. My 2-point is weak here and I find myself either leaning onto her crest or pulling on her just before the jump. I'm reminded that when she jumps and I'm in my 2-point position, she'll come up to me so there is no need for me to lean so far forward--just stick my butt back and out. I still need to find my 'sweet spot' here as I progress forward. One day this will just come together and I'll be moving forward to getting into a showing/competitive state. Until then!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Lesson #56: You Lift Me Up
It's Thanksgiving weekend for us Canucks and it's the weekend of the Erin Fall Fair. However, ADW and I don't get to go to the fair but we do get up Sunday morning to go riding. It's rainy though, so we end up indoors; and it doesn't really bother me anymore, to ride indoors, because I feel like I've gotten more control over things and speeding around doesn't seem so darned scary.
I'm assigned to ride Trinket. But, I receive this news with a bit of apprehension. I have been having trouble with Trinket to get her into the canter for several lessons now and I can't seem to figure out what's wrong with me. Yes, me. Not her. I've learned that animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for so likely, she's perfectly understanding what's being asked of her but she isn't doing it for some reason that I haven't yet figured out.
I speed around trying to initiate canter and every time, I get close but it doesn't seem to follow though. I am falling all over the place and leaning forward more and more. It's an incredibly frustrating stint. Lenka even tells me, "you ask her nice once... and if she ignores you, you demand it of her. Kick harder and I don't care how you look like". I kick as hard as I can when I try for the umpteenth time and she only manages to speed around. *sigh*
Lenka asks if I want her to give it a whirl and see if she can figure out what might be wrong with her because my aids are right and I'm asking for the initiation in the corners. It's when I stand holding onto Trinket do I realize that Lenka is a lot taller than I am and getting on a pony looks kind of funny on her ;) Regardless! She also kicks and pushes Trinket to get into a canter but she can't seem to stay in it. This time, she tries something different: she lifts her head up with the reins while asking. And off she goes!
Lenka tells me that I need to lift Trinket off to initiate the canter. The thing is, the more experienced girls ride and show her so I'm sure that a good portion of the error is attributed to my lack of developed skill. Trinket leans on the bit and pulls herself along with her front instead of motoring through with her backside. This can't be good that her hind end is a little on the weaker side. I do remember this comment during another lesson and it makes sense now. But, I'm glad that I've figured that out! Hopefully I can continue to work with her to get at least myself up to par so that my weight is shifted back into the seat and onto her hind end.
I'm assigned to ride Trinket. But, I receive this news with a bit of apprehension. I have been having trouble with Trinket to get her into the canter for several lessons now and I can't seem to figure out what's wrong with me. Yes, me. Not her. I've learned that animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for so likely, she's perfectly understanding what's being asked of her but she isn't doing it for some reason that I haven't yet figured out.
I speed around trying to initiate canter and every time, I get close but it doesn't seem to follow though. I am falling all over the place and leaning forward more and more. It's an incredibly frustrating stint. Lenka even tells me, "you ask her nice once... and if she ignores you, you demand it of her. Kick harder and I don't care how you look like". I kick as hard as I can when I try for the umpteenth time and she only manages to speed around. *sigh*
Lenka asks if I want her to give it a whirl and see if she can figure out what might be wrong with her because my aids are right and I'm asking for the initiation in the corners. It's when I stand holding onto Trinket do I realize that Lenka is a lot taller than I am and getting on a pony looks kind of funny on her ;) Regardless! She also kicks and pushes Trinket to get into a canter but she can't seem to stay in it. This time, she tries something different: she lifts her head up with the reins while asking. And off she goes!
Lenka tells me that I need to lift Trinket off to initiate the canter. The thing is, the more experienced girls ride and show her so I'm sure that a good portion of the error is attributed to my lack of developed skill. Trinket leans on the bit and pulls herself along with her front instead of motoring through with her backside. This can't be good that her hind end is a little on the weaker side. I do remember this comment during another lesson and it makes sense now. But, I'm glad that I've figured that out! Hopefully I can continue to work with her to get at least myself up to par so that my weight is shifted back into the seat and onto her hind end.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Treehouse of Horrors
I have a thing for toys... and the Simpsons and all things bizarre. Kidrobot a line of Simpsons figures that I got hooked on, over the weekend while visiting Silver Snail. Fittingly, it's also close to Halloween and it's the Treehouse of Horrors series! After buying 3 random figures, I've decided enough guessing: I want to get the full set (minus the gremlin b/c he's a "rare").
If you've watched the Halloween editions of the Simpsons, you'll probably recognize each character above and chuckle a little bit to yourself. Well, I chuckled a bit when I got a response on a forum that a guy had some of the ones I was looking for but only after I bought from someone else. He called me "bro"... which reminds me again that this tends to be a guy's hobby.... *sigh*
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| Kidrobot: Simpsons Treehouse of Horror |
If you've watched the Halloween editions of the Simpsons, you'll probably recognize each character above and chuckle a little bit to yourself. Well, I chuckled a bit when I got a response on a forum that a guy had some of the ones I was looking for but only after I bought from someone else. He called me "bro"... which reminds me again that this tends to be a guy's hobby.... *sigh*
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Perfect Escape
It's something I knew but my coworker confirmed it during a conversation earlier this week when he said "... you definitely seem to 'recharge' better with nature and/or animals". You see, I'm an introvert; apparently a severe introvert and I require "me time" to properly recharge after expending my energy on regular events like going to work for 7.5 hours--what a chore! And it appears that I get the most out of being around nature and animals. When I think about Buckingham's entrance into my life (and home), I can see how the dynamics of my home and myself have changed for the better. My parents don't know it but I hear them with the little dude and they sound genuinely happy. Me? I feel plenty better after I spend an evening (or short morning) with him. I know, it sounds a bit crazy cat lady, doesn't it?
So, the prospect of getting out of the city and spending time surrounded by the Ontario nature and horses really appealed to me. I booked a long weekend at Cadogan Farm Adventures in Caledon, Ontario. This is a horse farm B&B where guests can choose to go and relax away from the buzz of the city, or they can take the opportunity to work with and ride horses.
Since I've started riding, I have fallen further and further in love with the countryside of Ontario. Unfortunately for us this evening, we've arrived late and didn't have the opoprtunity to get the full impression of arriving to our weekend home away. The home is stunning and huge: I'm excited.
Friday morning's first order of business was breakfast before getting ready to head out to ride for our assessment lesson at Trailwood Farms (just down the street). And what a breakfast it was! Our hostess, Gina had stocked the pantry with bacon, breakfast sausage, eggs, cereal, juice, bacon, coffee, tea, pastries and more bacon! What a fabulous hearty breakfast to start your day with.
We are introduced to Gina's head instructor, Wendy at Trailwood Farms. I am assigned to ride a chestnut thoroughbred named Sully; he's a big horse compared to what I'm used to riding. I believe he's at least 16hh. We start the lesson together and by the end, we're split up to work on specific things to further tune our weaknesses and strengths. It's nice to ride a properly sized horse and not a pony. Not that I have issues with ponies... but for some reason, a bigger horse seems to feel safer! We do manage to get into a canter and his canter is this nice smooth "da-dun da-dun" that just has you sailing through the air. However, little did I realize, that without me directing him more, he liked to speed up and drift into the ring during turns. Wendy tells me that I have to ride deep into the corners by pushing him into the corners so that he keeps proper balance and doesn't lose me in the process. I work on staying focused on doing what I wanted of him. We finish off the lesson with some ground pole work and then head out. Trailwood Farms is a beautifully maintained location. And their indoor ring...*swoon* it's truly a spectacular facility.
Our afternoon ride for Friday is on Cadogan Farm property but we didn't quite know what we were in for. This time, I'm assigned a sweet and quiet liver chestnut names Sadie who is a bit shy at the get go; she isn't running away from me but she's not exactly interested in me. This time, Wendy's daughter Nicole is riding with us too. She leads us to the interior of the property; as we walk over the small swell of a hill, we're greeted with this stunning open field with some cross country jumps. We're riding in an open field. What a chance! I'm not sure what's going on but it doesn't seem like Sadie is excited to do this with me... she's more interested to go running and jumping about on her own. We eventually sort out our differences and we take to our lesson and practice cantering and trotting. I'm cautioned that Sadie wasn't started properly (she's a rescue) so when she turns, she turns straight as a board and doesn't bend. So it's on me to get her to bend this weekend.
Three times is bliss, I say. We finish dinner and head over to Greyden for our regular weekly Friday ride. With so much riding in a short period of time, I'm all limber and I remember some of the things we were working on earlier in the day. A successful ride.
Saturday is more riding in the morning at Trailwood and this time I ride a leggy thoroughbred named Mon. He's a dark bay and he's inquisitive and eager. He's also one of the biggest horses I've ever ridden before. He's stunning. But, he's distracted in the arena because the windows are open and he can see the fields and his friends. With a day like that, I wouldn't want to be working either! We eventually figure ourselves out and we have some cantering and transition work. It's more of a similar lesson on Friday except we ride with NR and Kent.
During our lunchtime break, we spend time on the stunning property and find some peace in the teepee set-up on the property. A lazy afternoon and the perfect rest before our next lesson back in the open Cadogan field! It should be noted that at this point, I'm not (not surprisingly) tired and only a tad sore and with a giant bruise on my leg from a stirrup buckle rub. But I hadn't noticed until late Friday night.
It is incredibly liberating to canter in the field again and we learn what a flying lead change is. Something new to work towards when we get better with our canters but for now, we continue to go with a controlled canter and the proper bend. We do some low level pole ground work where our horses are asked to trot over the poles in a specific order. Our last activity is to actually try a basic cross country jump at a trot. It's not the first time we've done a jump but it was certainly a different feeling when there's so much space available to you and your mount!
This is our last lesson for the day and ADW and I head to the Brampton Fall Fair to watch the demolition derby. Have you ever been to one? This was my first and not last! I admit, I didn't have high hopes about this and figured that we'd just go and see what it might be and head back. But I found it very amusing to watch and we stayed for 2 rounds instead of 1! These old clunkers were doing a figure 8 loop and going at full speed (as fast as broken clunkers can go!) and crashing into one another and drifting out in corners! It was hilarious to watch the cars do their bumper car thing and wheels went flat or flew off, bumpers knocked off and one car even rode up onto the barrier early on!
Our evening ends with a bon fire where we sit calmly staring into the flame. There's something very primal about fire and watching it can be hypnotic!
Sunday is our last day and we finish our time at Cadogan with a nice trail ride. When I mounted Sadie, I noticed how tired my body finally is, after 5 lessons in 2 days. And it's only at this point where I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable sitting in the saddle. I persist to ride but not as effectively as I was earlier :P The trail ride is a perfect way to end our time here since it's easy and gives me the opportunity to spend a nice slow walk with Sadie so that I can get to know her better.
Just after noontime, we part our ways and say goodbye to Gina and thank her for having us. It was an absolutely wonderful weekend and even then, I could still jump on a horse and take another lesson or two! I can't wait to have another opportunity to head out and ride some more at this perfect escape from the city.
 |
| Selina Kyle, my hero! |
So, the prospect of getting out of the city and spending time surrounded by the Ontario nature and horses really appealed to me. I booked a long weekend at Cadogan Farm Adventures in Caledon, Ontario. This is a horse farm B&B where guests can choose to go and relax away from the buzz of the city, or they can take the opportunity to work with and ride horses.
Since I've started riding, I have fallen further and further in love with the countryside of Ontario. Unfortunately for us this evening, we've arrived late and didn't have the opoprtunity to get the full impression of arriving to our weekend home away. The home is stunning and huge: I'm excited.
Friday morning's first order of business was breakfast before getting ready to head out to ride for our assessment lesson at Trailwood Farms (just down the street). And what a breakfast it was! Our hostess, Gina had stocked the pantry with bacon, breakfast sausage, eggs, cereal, juice, bacon, coffee, tea, pastries and more bacon! What a fabulous hearty breakfast to start your day with.
We are introduced to Gina's head instructor, Wendy at Trailwood Farms. I am assigned to ride a chestnut thoroughbred named Sully; he's a big horse compared to what I'm used to riding. I believe he's at least 16hh. We start the lesson together and by the end, we're split up to work on specific things to further tune our weaknesses and strengths. It's nice to ride a properly sized horse and not a pony. Not that I have issues with ponies... but for some reason, a bigger horse seems to feel safer! We do manage to get into a canter and his canter is this nice smooth "da-dun da-dun" that just has you sailing through the air. However, little did I realize, that without me directing him more, he liked to speed up and drift into the ring during turns. Wendy tells me that I have to ride deep into the corners by pushing him into the corners so that he keeps proper balance and doesn't lose me in the process. I work on staying focused on doing what I wanted of him. We finish off the lesson with some ground pole work and then head out. Trailwood Farms is a beautifully maintained location. And their indoor ring...*swoon* it's truly a spectacular facility.
Our afternoon ride for Friday is on Cadogan Farm property but we didn't quite know what we were in for. This time, I'm assigned a sweet and quiet liver chestnut names Sadie who is a bit shy at the get go; she isn't running away from me but she's not exactly interested in me. This time, Wendy's daughter Nicole is riding with us too. She leads us to the interior of the property; as we walk over the small swell of a hill, we're greeted with this stunning open field with some cross country jumps. We're riding in an open field. What a chance! I'm not sure what's going on but it doesn't seem like Sadie is excited to do this with me... she's more interested to go running and jumping about on her own. We eventually sort out our differences and we take to our lesson and practice cantering and trotting. I'm cautioned that Sadie wasn't started properly (she's a rescue) so when she turns, she turns straight as a board and doesn't bend. So it's on me to get her to bend this weekend.
 |
| Uh oh! Sadie sees me with carrots... |
Three times is bliss, I say. We finish dinner and head over to Greyden for our regular weekly Friday ride. With so much riding in a short period of time, I'm all limber and I remember some of the things we were working on earlier in the day. A successful ride.
Saturday is more riding in the morning at Trailwood and this time I ride a leggy thoroughbred named Mon. He's a dark bay and he's inquisitive and eager. He's also one of the biggest horses I've ever ridden before. He's stunning. But, he's distracted in the arena because the windows are open and he can see the fields and his friends. With a day like that, I wouldn't want to be working either! We eventually figure ourselves out and we have some cantering and transition work. It's more of a similar lesson on Friday except we ride with NR and Kent.
During our lunchtime break, we spend time on the stunning property and find some peace in the teepee set-up on the property. A lazy afternoon and the perfect rest before our next lesson back in the open Cadogan field! It should be noted that at this point, I'm not (not surprisingly) tired and only a tad sore and with a giant bruise on my leg from a stirrup buckle rub. But I hadn't noticed until late Friday night.
It is incredibly liberating to canter in the field again and we learn what a flying lead change is. Something new to work towards when we get better with our canters but for now, we continue to go with a controlled canter and the proper bend. We do some low level pole ground work where our horses are asked to trot over the poles in a specific order. Our last activity is to actually try a basic cross country jump at a trot. It's not the first time we've done a jump but it was certainly a different feeling when there's so much space available to you and your mount!
This is our last lesson for the day and ADW and I head to the Brampton Fall Fair to watch the demolition derby. Have you ever been to one? This was my first and not last! I admit, I didn't have high hopes about this and figured that we'd just go and see what it might be and head back. But I found it very amusing to watch and we stayed for 2 rounds instead of 1! These old clunkers were doing a figure 8 loop and going at full speed (as fast as broken clunkers can go!) and crashing into one another and drifting out in corners! It was hilarious to watch the cars do their bumper car thing and wheels went flat or flew off, bumpers knocked off and one car even rode up onto the barrier early on!
 |
| Towing off car 537 from the concrete barriers... |
Our evening ends with a bon fire where we sit calmly staring into the flame. There's something very primal about fire and watching it can be hypnotic!
Sunday is our last day and we finish our time at Cadogan with a nice trail ride. When I mounted Sadie, I noticed how tired my body finally is, after 5 lessons in 2 days. And it's only at this point where I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable sitting in the saddle. I persist to ride but not as effectively as I was earlier :P The trail ride is a perfect way to end our time here since it's easy and gives me the opportunity to spend a nice slow walk with Sadie so that I can get to know her better.
Just after noontime, we part our ways and say goodbye to Gina and thank her for having us. It was an absolutely wonderful weekend and even then, I could still jump on a horse and take another lesson or two! I can't wait to have another opportunity to head out and ride some more at this perfect escape from the city.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Lesson #51: Indoor Canter Success Story
September 13, 2013
Finally, a vacation. I took Friday off from work to make my way out to Caledon for the weekend. But, I'll get into that later. My friday lesson was the third lesson ADW and I were riding in a single day. I rode Trinket this cool fall evening and as I mentioned last time, it is indoors. Sheri is back this Friday and we have her one more lesson before the end of September and while I am really looking forward to having Sheri again, I'm also sad that it would mean it'd be the last lesson we'd have with her at Greyden. But, as lessons with horses has taught me, things change and you just have to adapt... because you don't always have control over what happens.
We warm up with a good trot and Sheri asks me if I'm comfortable to get Trinket into a canter in the indoor arena. This is not a light question... this pony has a tendency to be heavy on the forehand and speedy while doing it. So, while you're being pulled further and further forward (this is terrible for a rider because you lose balance), she's getting faster and faster and also drifting into the circle so you're not only off-balance now (remember, riding is all about balance!) but you're losing control because you're falling inwards or struggling to not fall into the circle. I just say yes and figure if I'm not comfortable, I just pull back on the reins--not the most graceful but at least I can get accustomed to her gait.
We complete some balance exercises with the double post: up-up-down and 2-point while trotting to get our bodies into the right balance. We're reminded that the best way to determine the proper alignment is to get into a 2-point while walking. Doing this gets your weight in the right place over the saddle and to return to a full seat, all you need to do is keep your legs where they are and then sit down. Ta-da! Perfect alignment. Keeping it is a whole other story ;) In addition to this exercise, we do out-of-stirrup work. Ouch. Seated trot and posting trot. While both are more steady now, and I am able to stay on without too much jossoling around it still isn't my idea of fun. However, this is perfect to get me understanding the long leg position.
Anyways, because I already had two lessons at Cadogan Farms (more on that later!), I got quite a bit of practice cantering around and understanding how to mitigate the typical "issues" that come with cantering within an arena. To go deep into the corners and reduce the drifting in, I have to remember to apply the bending aids. So, when we're asked to get into a canter, I decide to go for it and hooray! Off I goooooo! I felt Trinket get faster and knew that I had to slow her down but didn't want her to get so slow that she'd break her canter into a trot. I sort of got Trinket under control and had her stop but my god... she stops on a dime and my body is still moving and I have an uncomfortable jam forward into the pommel *.*
Our final exercise for the evening is an x-jump that we had the option to take in a trot or canter. For some reason, I couldn't get Trinket into a canter during the turn into the jump so took it in trot. I think my frustration made things worse because it didn't matter how many times I tried it but the more frustrated I became, the less cooperative she became and she did her fast pony trot which discombobulated me too much to get through the jump.
But, my highlight of the lesson was certainly the indoor canter on Trinket! It's a first with this mare and I'm very proud that I managed to keep enough control around the corners and push her into the corners too.
Finally, a vacation. I took Friday off from work to make my way out to Caledon for the weekend. But, I'll get into that later. My friday lesson was the third lesson ADW and I were riding in a single day. I rode Trinket this cool fall evening and as I mentioned last time, it is indoors. Sheri is back this Friday and we have her one more lesson before the end of September and while I am really looking forward to having Sheri again, I'm also sad that it would mean it'd be the last lesson we'd have with her at Greyden. But, as lessons with horses has taught me, things change and you just have to adapt... because you don't always have control over what happens.
We warm up with a good trot and Sheri asks me if I'm comfortable to get Trinket into a canter in the indoor arena. This is not a light question... this pony has a tendency to be heavy on the forehand and speedy while doing it. So, while you're being pulled further and further forward (this is terrible for a rider because you lose balance), she's getting faster and faster and also drifting into the circle so you're not only off-balance now (remember, riding is all about balance!) but you're losing control because you're falling inwards or struggling to not fall into the circle. I just say yes and figure if I'm not comfortable, I just pull back on the reins--not the most graceful but at least I can get accustomed to her gait.
We complete some balance exercises with the double post: up-up-down and 2-point while trotting to get our bodies into the right balance. We're reminded that the best way to determine the proper alignment is to get into a 2-point while walking. Doing this gets your weight in the right place over the saddle and to return to a full seat, all you need to do is keep your legs where they are and then sit down. Ta-da! Perfect alignment. Keeping it is a whole other story ;) In addition to this exercise, we do out-of-stirrup work. Ouch. Seated trot and posting trot. While both are more steady now, and I am able to stay on without too much jossoling around it still isn't my idea of fun. However, this is perfect to get me understanding the long leg position.
Anyways, because I already had two lessons at Cadogan Farms (more on that later!), I got quite a bit of practice cantering around and understanding how to mitigate the typical "issues" that come with cantering within an arena. To go deep into the corners and reduce the drifting in, I have to remember to apply the bending aids. So, when we're asked to get into a canter, I decide to go for it and hooray! Off I goooooo! I felt Trinket get faster and knew that I had to slow her down but didn't want her to get so slow that she'd break her canter into a trot. I sort of got Trinket under control and had her stop but my god... she stops on a dime and my body is still moving and I have an uncomfortable jam forward into the pommel *.*
Our final exercise for the evening is an x-jump that we had the option to take in a trot or canter. For some reason, I couldn't get Trinket into a canter during the turn into the jump so took it in trot. I think my frustration made things worse because it didn't matter how many times I tried it but the more frustrated I became, the less cooperative she became and she did her fast pony trot which discombobulated me too much to get through the jump.
But, my highlight of the lesson was certainly the indoor canter on Trinket! It's a first with this mare and I'm very proud that I managed to keep enough control around the corners and push her into the corners too.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Lesson #50: Bending Towards Fall
Sept 6, 2013
The seasons are changing. By the time we were ready to ride, the sun had set and it would be impossible to ride outdoors as there is no lighting. Fall is in the air, literally! In addition, we start our fall season with a new instructor, Jennifer. And for me, to make things even better, I'm assigned Aspen!!!! Woohoo!! He even looks pretty lively tonight so I hope that things will go well.
Jenn starts us with a good warm-up of trotting. We do a lot of work to hone our preciseness such as turning, transitions and bends. We haven't worked much on bends before but I remember reading about Present Tense's experiences with a bend, back in December. There is a good article about what bends are, and how a rider is to aim to accomplish them. I suppose I didn't really realize that all these things can (and should) be broken down for further analysis.
While we don't get into specific details about the technicalities of bends, Jenn elaborates for us the reason we have to do it and if the bend is present. It's kind of like getting the feel for things when we were starting out. We accomplish the exercises by cutting the arena in half and focusing on touching the tangents of the circle and bending at these specific tangents. Looking at the picture now, I realize I was placing my legs in the wrong places. Next lesson!
We continue to work on our 2-point position over the x-jump and Jenn refers to "crest release", which is something that we haven't talked explicitly about before. That's only partially true... Lenka refers to "your hands should be further up on the horse's neck" which is basically referring to a type of 'release'. We never go into detail but it's new for me in terms of technicality. We are asked to do a "short crest release" and a "long crest release". Next time I think I'll need to take better note of what my body is feeling and where things are. After all, I'm starting to think that much of what is happening is slight unless we hone in on the details.
Anyways, some new stuff for a new season! :)
The seasons are changing. By the time we were ready to ride, the sun had set and it would be impossible to ride outdoors as there is no lighting. Fall is in the air, literally! In addition, we start our fall season with a new instructor, Jennifer. And for me, to make things even better, I'm assigned Aspen!!!! Woohoo!! He even looks pretty lively tonight so I hope that things will go well.
Jenn starts us with a good warm-up of trotting. We do a lot of work to hone our preciseness such as turning, transitions and bends. We haven't worked much on bends before but I remember reading about Present Tense's experiences with a bend, back in December. There is a good article about what bends are, and how a rider is to aim to accomplish them. I suppose I didn't really realize that all these things can (and should) be broken down for further analysis.
While we don't get into specific details about the technicalities of bends, Jenn elaborates for us the reason we have to do it and if the bend is present. It's kind of like getting the feel for things when we were starting out. We accomplish the exercises by cutting the arena in half and focusing on touching the tangents of the circle and bending at these specific tangents. Looking at the picture now, I realize I was placing my legs in the wrong places. Next lesson!
 |
| I've got the "bends"! |
Anyways, some new stuff for a new season! :)
Saturday, August 31, 2013
A Review: Austenland
Let me start off by saying, wow. What a whirlwind read: I picked up Austenland because I have been avoiding Blindness for weeks; I started it and just couldn't get fixated enough to read it on my own. So, as Amb did too, I grabbed Austenland and away I went... 2 days ago. I finished reading this in 2 day, folks! I figured this would be one of those smutty "chick lit romances" that throws in this poor woe-is-me heroine who hasn't the foggiest idea of what to do with herself in terms of her love life and readers read as she awkwardly struggles to grow and mature as a character and then coincidentally finds love with a wonderful Darcy-esque man. *swoon*
I generally shun and abhor chick flicks/lit romances. Yuck. But, as Amb promised, I fell right into the rabbit hole on this one. I didn't have high hopes for the literary quality of the prose and I suppose that was the weakest point for me... the conversation style writing. It felt lazy and lacking a solid grasp of quality writing. However, I'm no writer and similar to my perspective on wine, if you like it, then that's good enough.
The story presents us our heroine, Jane Hayes. Similar to the target reader demographic, she is in her 30s and probably read Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and then was introduced to the impeccable BBC rendition of the same story, in 1995; and like many of Austen's modern female readers, fallen in love with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy a la Mr. Colin Firth.
(Note: most of you male readers might be completely confused about who this "Mr. Darrrcyyy" is and why us females swoon so much over him. It's ok, you'll never get it; it's a girl thing. We're all in love with Mr. Darcy in some way.)
Jane is down and out on her love life and through a surprise inheritance from a great aunt, finds herself gifted a trip to Pembrooke Park--a fantasy place where the Regency era comes to life and the patrons participate in a staged farce of Regency romance and a life of leisure. The reader follows Jane's story from starting as an awkward, damaged and unsure heroine. She becomes the heroine that we all want her to be: strong, confident and comfortable with who she is and what she wants.
The book makes a great premise for a chick flick movie, and that's exactly what happened--though I have yet to watch the movie that came out earlier this year--but lacks real "meat" as a literary gem and could easily be defined as being a quick and easy read that fits the purpose of being a literary palette cleanser; a break from something heavier. It was fun and thrilling for a P&P fan like myself but it certainly doesn't make you think or react viscerally like The World According to Garp.
If you're looking for a guilty pleasure rush of excitement, girly thrills and a Mr. Darcy fantasy, then this is the perfect read for such a purpose!
I generally shun and abhor chick flicks/lit romances. Yuck. But, as Amb promised, I fell right into the rabbit hole on this one. I didn't have high hopes for the literary quality of the prose and I suppose that was the weakest point for me... the conversation style writing. It felt lazy and lacking a solid grasp of quality writing. However, I'm no writer and similar to my perspective on wine, if you like it, then that's good enough.
The story presents us our heroine, Jane Hayes. Similar to the target reader demographic, she is in her 30s and probably read Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and then was introduced to the impeccable BBC rendition of the same story, in 1995; and like many of Austen's modern female readers, fallen in love with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy a la Mr. Colin Firth.
(Note: most of you male readers might be completely confused about who this "Mr. Darrrcyyy" is and why us females swoon so much over him. It's ok, you'll never get it; it's a girl thing. We're all in love with Mr. Darcy in some way.)
 |
| Oh don't look at me like that, Mr. Darcy! |
The book makes a great premise for a chick flick movie, and that's exactly what happened--though I have yet to watch the movie that came out earlier this year--but lacks real "meat" as a literary gem and could easily be defined as being a quick and easy read that fits the purpose of being a literary palette cleanser; a break from something heavier. It was fun and thrilling for a P&P fan like myself but it certainly doesn't make you think or react viscerally like The World According to Garp.
If you're looking for a guilty pleasure rush of excitement, girly thrills and a Mr. Darcy fantasy, then this is the perfect read for such a purpose!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Never Late, Always Remember
When I started this blog, I was on the verge of turning 30 and I wanted to reflect and focus on me. After all, that's the single most important relationship I will ever have in my life. I spent the previous years entrenched in things that I thought I needed to do and at the time, enjoyed but what started as desire became obligation. More than a year later, some things have come full circle but none, more than my return to FanExpo.
I started working FanExpo in 2000 when it was still in its infancy. To me, this was a time when the idea of a girl admitting that she enjoys the Star Trek franchise (most notably TNG), wasn't popular. It was one fateful afternoon when things changed. I left for various reasons and as I've gotten older, I've started to realize what's important to me and what I like. Maybe it was this mental growth but I'm not all too sure what made me decide to return and "work the con"; but, old friends (and new) quickly accepted me back into the fold.
Things have changed a lot: the show now spans the entire MTCC complex and there was a record attendance of over 100,000 patrons. What a weekend! I was assigned to the Premium Lounge where we oversaw the Premium ticket holders' swag bag give-away and helped maintain the state of the space. I don't usually talk to strangers and find that when put into social situations, I keep mostly to myself. However, I felt very comfortable among the crowds and was able to spend most of the weekend chattering away. I know... me, chatting with strangers like we're old friends! In fact, I would safely say I made some new friends this weekend.
Now to get to the fun stuff! What did I do while at the expo? I worked mostly. But I had the opportunity to walk the show floor when it was virtually empty and to see all the neat stuff that the different vendors brought with them after the show closed one of the evenings. It reminded me of an episode of "Today's Special" when they run around the mall at night. One of the highlights is when I met Tony Moore of the Walking Dead comic series. He is both the creator and artist (first 20 issues) of the story. In both instances, I "geeked out" and felt like a kid in a candy store again!
Although there is over 750,000 sqft of space designated for corporate vendors, independent artists, celebrities, workshops, seminars and many other events, any patron who goes will tell you that they go, for more than the cool toys and the opportunity to meet their heroes. This weekend is a chance to make friends and to be yourself among others who are doing the exact same thing. Since I started, the attendance has grown 9x what it used to be. That's incredible! It's encouraging to see the wide range of demographics and entire families dressed up together, to enjoy the weekend. Sure, you can think it's a cash grab but the expo is literally a chance for all the geeks and nerds to congregate in one place and socialize and do business. For us big kids, it's a chance to continue reliving and enjoying the stories, characters and themes of our yester-years.
I started working FanExpo in 2000 when it was still in its infancy. To me, this was a time when the idea of a girl admitting that she enjoys the Star Trek franchise (most notably TNG), wasn't popular. It was one fateful afternoon when things changed. I left for various reasons and as I've gotten older, I've started to realize what's important to me and what I like. Maybe it was this mental growth but I'm not all too sure what made me decide to return and "work the con"; but, old friends (and new) quickly accepted me back into the fold.
Things have changed a lot: the show now spans the entire MTCC complex and there was a record attendance of over 100,000 patrons. What a weekend! I was assigned to the Premium Lounge where we oversaw the Premium ticket holders' swag bag give-away and helped maintain the state of the space. I don't usually talk to strangers and find that when put into social situations, I keep mostly to myself. However, I felt very comfortable among the crowds and was able to spend most of the weekend chattering away. I know... me, chatting with strangers like we're old friends! In fact, I would safely say I made some new friends this weekend.
Now to get to the fun stuff! What did I do while at the expo? I worked mostly. But I had the opportunity to walk the show floor when it was virtually empty and to see all the neat stuff that the different vendors brought with them after the show closed one of the evenings. It reminded me of an episode of "Today's Special" when they run around the mall at night. One of the highlights is when I met Tony Moore of the Walking Dead comic series. He is both the creator and artist (first 20 issues) of the story. In both instances, I "geeked out" and felt like a kid in a candy store again!
Although there is over 750,000 sqft of space designated for corporate vendors, independent artists, celebrities, workshops, seminars and many other events, any patron who goes will tell you that they go, for more than the cool toys and the opportunity to meet their heroes. This weekend is a chance to make friends and to be yourself among others who are doing the exact same thing. Since I started, the attendance has grown 9x what it used to be. That's incredible! It's encouraging to see the wide range of demographics and entire families dressed up together, to enjoy the weekend. Sure, you can think it's a cash grab but the expo is literally a chance for all the geeks and nerds to congregate in one place and socialize and do business. For us big kids, it's a chance to continue reliving and enjoying the stories, characters and themes of our yester-years.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Lesson #46: Magic Moment
Aug 9, 2013
ADW and I had another semi-private lesson and today, I ride Indy. I haven't ridden Indy for a while. The only difference this time was that Sheri was doing some stuff with one of her horses, Bons, and a student. So, during warming up, she was riding him around; and it was incredible to watch her do her dressage magic. Her seat is amazingly awesome and just the way she looks as a rider... we're both blown away. I definitely want to get tickets to watch the dressage competitions at the Pan Am Games.
We had the space today so spent most of our time working on the gaits--particularly the canter. We warm-up with the trot and Sheri tells us to lengthen the stride. I read up on it after I came home and see that there are quite a few aids that a rider should do to get a horse to lengthen their trot; we are not at this level of skill yet. In addition, the horse is generally trained to do this. To overly simplify, we merely extend the 'up' part of the post a fraction longer. I don't think I'm quite successful but trying certainly gave me the chance to get a feel for my balance and forward impulsion.
I am finding that the weight that needs to go down through my heels are starting to sink down some more but I also continue to work on the proper leg contact with the horse's body and saddle. My lower leg still flaps about sometimes but I try to wrap around their body and have the proper alignment with heels, hips and head. While doable for short spurts, doing any of this for a longer duration is a tricky endeavour and I find myself tiring quickly and thus reverting to "bad habits". It also continues to be tricky once the gaits increase from a walk.
We trot a few more times in both directions and then we move to the canter. Sheri says that the canter is what we'll work on because there is enough space with just the two of us. So, from walk, we ask our horses to gear up to canter and take a burst as long as we can handle. Indy has been more and more difficult to get started in lessons so I find myself pushing him a lot, to get him forward thinking. I notice that my balance is much better than it used to be and I'm able to coordinate my alignment when he's taking turns.
I focus on getting my leg alignment in the right place in canter because I am finding that my heels are lifting a bit when riding and it thus throws my balance off. I also notice that Indy is a bit unsure of himself sometimes and if I am not clear about what I want, he guesses and doesn't appear to be very good at guessing appropriately. Sheri reminds me to focus on getting my leg alignment in the right place with proper contact. I had some trouble getting him started prior to this reminder and I notice that the instant I have proper leg alignment and the appropriate contact with his body, he takes off exactly as I need him to and doesn't hesitate or guess incorrectly.
It's a "eureka" moment that provides an immense amount of clarity about how to apply my aids to Indy (and any other horse, for that matter). But, it isn't easy. My leg muscles continue to be conditioned with each lesson to develop closer and closer to what is considered ideal. I had just a glimpse of what wonderful magic can happen when I am suddenly talking the right language with the proper pronounciation, to Indy. Now to work on the endurance and flexibility to really drive it home.
ADW and I had another semi-private lesson and today, I ride Indy. I haven't ridden Indy for a while. The only difference this time was that Sheri was doing some stuff with one of her horses, Bons, and a student. So, during warming up, she was riding him around; and it was incredible to watch her do her dressage magic. Her seat is amazingly awesome and just the way she looks as a rider... we're both blown away. I definitely want to get tickets to watch the dressage competitions at the Pan Am Games.
We had the space today so spent most of our time working on the gaits--particularly the canter. We warm-up with the trot and Sheri tells us to lengthen the stride. I read up on it after I came home and see that there are quite a few aids that a rider should do to get a horse to lengthen their trot; we are not at this level of skill yet. In addition, the horse is generally trained to do this. To overly simplify, we merely extend the 'up' part of the post a fraction longer. I don't think I'm quite successful but trying certainly gave me the chance to get a feel for my balance and forward impulsion.
I am finding that the weight that needs to go down through my heels are starting to sink down some more but I also continue to work on the proper leg contact with the horse's body and saddle. My lower leg still flaps about sometimes but I try to wrap around their body and have the proper alignment with heels, hips and head. While doable for short spurts, doing any of this for a longer duration is a tricky endeavour and I find myself tiring quickly and thus reverting to "bad habits". It also continues to be tricky once the gaits increase from a walk.
We trot a few more times in both directions and then we move to the canter. Sheri says that the canter is what we'll work on because there is enough space with just the two of us. So, from walk, we ask our horses to gear up to canter and take a burst as long as we can handle. Indy has been more and more difficult to get started in lessons so I find myself pushing him a lot, to get him forward thinking. I notice that my balance is much better than it used to be and I'm able to coordinate my alignment when he's taking turns.
I focus on getting my leg alignment in the right place in canter because I am finding that my heels are lifting a bit when riding and it thus throws my balance off. I also notice that Indy is a bit unsure of himself sometimes and if I am not clear about what I want, he guesses and doesn't appear to be very good at guessing appropriately. Sheri reminds me to focus on getting my leg alignment in the right place with proper contact. I had some trouble getting him started prior to this reminder and I notice that the instant I have proper leg alignment and the appropriate contact with his body, he takes off exactly as I need him to and doesn't hesitate or guess incorrectly.
It's a "eureka" moment that provides an immense amount of clarity about how to apply my aids to Indy (and any other horse, for that matter). But, it isn't easy. My leg muscles continue to be conditioned with each lesson to develop closer and closer to what is considered ideal. I had just a glimpse of what wonderful magic can happen when I am suddenly talking the right language with the proper pronounciation, to Indy. Now to work on the endurance and flexibility to really drive it home.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Iceland Video Recap 1
If you've followed my journey to Iceland, you've read that I was planning to create a video to help everyone get a better understanding of what ADW and I did and how Iceland is actually like. I suppose you could say it puts context to the hundreds of photos and videos taken. I've been busy but I finally found the time to learn some basics of Apple's iMovie application.
So, without further ado, I present my first attempt at creating a non-fiction cinematic short:
Music: Of Monsters and Men, Mountain Sound
Enjoy!
EDIT: this is the first of a series I will be creating! This is actually a lot of fun and the first time, I spent several hours on it when I should have been sleeping...
So, without further ado, I present my first attempt at creating a non-fiction cinematic short:
Music: Of Monsters and Men, Mountain Sound
Enjoy!
EDIT: this is the first of a series I will be creating! This is actually a lot of fun and the first time, I spent several hours on it when I should have been sleeping...
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Lesson #32: Twisted Sister
The last lessons I had were somewhat unpleasnt... weather wise. The unpredictable rain had made life difficult and unpleasant. I hate being wet.
This last lesson was totally different! The weather was a wee bit chilly but nothing that being outside and moving around wouldn't get the blood going. Getting tacked up was pretty quick this time. I think I've gotten a system down... me and Aspen have a "thing". ADW is riding Buddy today... a wonderful Belgium and QH cross. One of the most endearing things about Bud is that his head is HUGE. haha He literally has one of the biggest heads on a horse I've ever seen!
When we are ready, Sheri moves quickly and gets us to get warmed up with the trot. She must have a plan today. For some strange reason, I am having a lot of trouble with Aspen. It's as if he's not listening to my signals. A few times, he's pulled me into the middle of the ring completely insistent on going that way. I've had to use a lot more force than usual... strange. Regardless, she has us make a change of direction and immediately says it's time for the canter on the left rein. I thought I was going to fall right off! I haven't felt more unbalanced than that moment. When we slowed down enough for me to walk over to Sheri, she tells me to approach her and then starts laughing! Tells me to hand her the reins and shows me that I crossed the reins under his chin!! The whole time I was basically telling him to go the opposite way I was thinking I was directing him!
I haven't felt more sheepish than that moment. It was so silly but i couldn't help but laugh because it was so ridiculous. Poor Aspen!!! He must have been so frustrated with me at the beginning and was likely thinking "what is this idiot doing!?" Good thing he's a good boy and didn't take me straight into the rails! :S
Finally! He's back to being his good boy self and responding appropriately to my aids. We move into cantering on the left then the right rein and transitioning down and up. We work on trotting over the Cavaletti jump a few times and then Sheri says, "ok, I want everyone to come this way and then each of you are going to canter the jump". ADW is uneasy as it's quite the launch when you're ontop! Believe me, that 12 inch jump looks like nothing while you're on the ground but when you get ontop of a horse, it suddenly becomes this ginormous obstacle that you feel you'll never get over without toppling off.
I figure that the best thing to do is to not think about what's happening and just doing... otherwise who knows: jump refusal, stalling or worse. So I get Aspen into a canter and have him moving nicely around the corners and as we approach the jump, I remind myself to look up and forward and just go for it. What an exhilarating feeling to sail over a jump like that! Instead of Aspen lazily stepping over the Cavaletting, he actually jumps it.
What an amazing feeling! I totally know why riders get into jumping.
This last lesson was totally different! The weather was a wee bit chilly but nothing that being outside and moving around wouldn't get the blood going. Getting tacked up was pretty quick this time. I think I've gotten a system down... me and Aspen have a "thing". ADW is riding Buddy today... a wonderful Belgium and QH cross. One of the most endearing things about Bud is that his head is HUGE. haha He literally has one of the biggest heads on a horse I've ever seen!
When we are ready, Sheri moves quickly and gets us to get warmed up with the trot. She must have a plan today. For some strange reason, I am having a lot of trouble with Aspen. It's as if he's not listening to my signals. A few times, he's pulled me into the middle of the ring completely insistent on going that way. I've had to use a lot more force than usual... strange. Regardless, she has us make a change of direction and immediately says it's time for the canter on the left rein. I thought I was going to fall right off! I haven't felt more unbalanced than that moment. When we slowed down enough for me to walk over to Sheri, she tells me to approach her and then starts laughing! Tells me to hand her the reins and shows me that I crossed the reins under his chin!! The whole time I was basically telling him to go the opposite way I was thinking I was directing him!
I haven't felt more sheepish than that moment. It was so silly but i couldn't help but laugh because it was so ridiculous. Poor Aspen!!! He must have been so frustrated with me at the beginning and was likely thinking "what is this idiot doing!?" Good thing he's a good boy and didn't take me straight into the rails! :S
Finally! He's back to being his good boy self and responding appropriately to my aids. We move into cantering on the left then the right rein and transitioning down and up. We work on trotting over the Cavaletti jump a few times and then Sheri says, "ok, I want everyone to come this way and then each of you are going to canter the jump". ADW is uneasy as it's quite the launch when you're ontop! Believe me, that 12 inch jump looks like nothing while you're on the ground but when you get ontop of a horse, it suddenly becomes this ginormous obstacle that you feel you'll never get over without toppling off.
I figure that the best thing to do is to not think about what's happening and just doing... otherwise who knows: jump refusal, stalling or worse. So I get Aspen into a canter and have him moving nicely around the corners and as we approach the jump, I remind myself to look up and forward and just go for it. What an exhilarating feeling to sail over a jump like that! Instead of Aspen lazily stepping over the Cavaletting, he actually jumps it.
What an amazing feeling! I totally know why riders get into jumping.
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