Howrse? Yes, Howrse. No, it’s not spelled wrong. It’s an online horse game that I have come to be quite obsessed about.
Here’s how it happened . . . I actually followed a link from this very page — it was an ad that Google put on our blog. I thought the name was odd, so I decided to see what it was all about.
When people first learn to dance, the concept of leading and following is a tricky one. Conceptually, it isn’t hard — the leader (typically the man) decides where he’s going to go, and what’s going to happen next and the follower (typically the lady) goes with him. Not too bad, right? Well, the trick is making that happen.
Nothing like tackling something light on a Sunday evening, eh?
Well, ok, much as I might like to think I know the meaning of life, I can’t really provide the answer here (at least, I don’t think I can). But I can share with you my thoughts on the subject. To me, the most significant thing we can do during our time on this planet is to have a positive connection with another person. That’s it.
This can be in big things, like supporting a friend going through a crisis or caring for a child. But those aren’t the only relevant examples. Small things can make a difference in the world, and can contribute to our purpose on the planet. A kind word to someone in a service position, turning the other cheek when someone takes their bad day out on you, letting someone into difficult traffic, or even just a smile can make a difference in their day.
But what can a small kindness really do for the universe?
As I mentioned in a previous post, I love this show. This is the best TV show to ever be cancelled. I am completely enamored of this series. This is truly one of the best things to have ever been on TV. The dialogue, the character development, the acting, the directing, the music are all fantastic. Every time I see it, I get more nuance out of it.
For whatever reason, this show was not successful when it was first run on Fox back in 2002. It was cancelled after only 11 episodes were aired (and, to help matters, they were aired out of order). Since its cancellation, Firefly has enjoyed wild success on DVD. To the best of my knowledge, it’s the only cancelled-after-less-than-one-complete-season show to ever spawn a theatrically released movie (Serenity
I’m going to outline some of what makes me so passionate about the show. But I will tell you that nothing I say can truly capture it. It simply has to be experienced. If you do watch it, I implore you to do yourself the following favors: 1. Please see the episodes in the order in which they were intended to be seen, 2. See the entire DVD set before you see the movie, Serenity
My Chincoteague Pony, Wish Upon a Star, first came to me as a wild little weanling. To look at her now, Cricket, as she is known around the barn, you’d never know she started her life as unruly and untrusting as they come. I first saw her in a pen full of other wild ponies at the 2001 Chincoteague Pony Roundup. She stood out to me because of the grace with which she moved. She and her mother were startled and trotted across the pen. She didn’t move like the rough around the edges critter she appeared to be — she was elegant.
. . . but you always get what you asked for.
This is a principle I first learned when riding and interacting with horses. I started riding as a small child (8 years old) and this rule about horses was one I learned to help me deal with my frustrations when I couldn’t get the horse to do what I wanted. I don’t remember who first said it to me, but it made me realize that the problem wasn’t in the response, but the question.
Horses don’t speak English (or French, Chinese, Farsi or Gaelic). That’s not to say they can’t be conditioned to associate certain words with certain items or actions — they can be trained to come when called, to respond to voice commands — but they don’t come to the party with an a priori knowledge of the language. They are being asked to respond to questions they don’t understand. We do what we can to imbue certain words with meaning, and a wise horseperson will work with the horse’s own language (mainly physical and spatial) to hedge their bets.
There are still, however, many misunderstandings. It is the very basis on which we learn to interact together.
These are things I recommend without reservation. Enjoy!
As often happens when teaching, the teacher ends up learning. In the years that I’ve been teaching dance, I’ve learned a lot myself. The most significant thing I’ve learned is that ballroom dance is a rather zen activity, meaning the philosophy that pervades dance is generally applicable to living life, as well.
Yes, to the list of titles I hold in my life: woman, wife, dancer, sister, daughter, friend, rider, engineer, student . . . I can now add “American Idol reject”.
I went down to try out a couple of weeks ago. Allow me to share just a little bit of the saga . . .
I had plane tickets for that day. Technically, I still have them, as they weren’t used. It was supposed to be my first real business trip – Salt Lake City for a conference.
I came into work early on September 11. I had some things to finish up at the office before my afternoon flight, and I still had to go home to pack before heading out to Dulles. I got in around 7:30.
The phone rang just before 9:00, barely catching me before I left. It was my husband.
“Go to a news site now,” he said.
“Which one?” I replied.
“It doesn’t matter.”
