Like every other horse-crazy child, every Christmas (and every birthday, and any other gift-giving occasion) from the time I was 3 years old, the first thing on my list was “A PONY”. Like almost every horse-crazy kid, I never got one. Although with each passing year, and each calm explanation from my parents about why it wasn’t going to happen, my resolve and hope never faded. I still held out hope that there would be a pony under the tree (maybe not literally). I asked for a pony every year from the time I was 3 until I moved out of the house and went to college.
A Pony for Christmas
December 16th, 2007Teaching a Group
December 7th, 2007As a dance instructor, I regularly teach in two different ways: one on one in private instruction, or one with many for a group. In a lot of ways, the one on one instruction is much easier. It’s not hard to keep your focus, you get constant feedback from your audience, and it’s very easy to adjust the material, as you go, to make it work. The timeline is also quite flexible – if you get something started, and aren’t able to finish it, there’s always next time. With sufficient disclaimers and communication with the student, you can leave off in the middle of a concept and just pick it up again later.
On the other hand, teaching in front of a group brings up certain challenges. You have to have a plan that can address a group of people with varying interests and skill levels. Your plan has to be flexible enough to adjust to the struggles and questions that arise during the process. You have to address yourself clearly enough to be understood by people with a variety of interest levels, abilities to focus, delusions of grandeur and even different native languages or hearing difficulties. You have to be able to handle problems, questions and even challenges from students without sacrificing the quality of the instruction being given. You have to keep your focus on the group without getting distracted or getting sucked in to the issues of a particular student. And you have to be able to do it all in a finite period of time.
Through Ellie’s Eyes
September 20th, 2007
Ellie is my 9 year old Arabian mare. Arabians often enjoy a reputation for being flighty, spooky, unstable, unpredictable over-reactors. Ellie can be all of these things. However, she also shares the other reputation that Arabians have — for being kind, sweet, smart, brave, hard working, dedicated, strong, fast, loyal and kind spirited companions.
I went out to ride her today. I was actually going to ride Cricket – that was my plan. But when I got to the barn, as soon as I parked my car and opened the door, Ellie was at the gate, whinnying her welcome to me. She totally warmed my heart, and I decided I’d ride her today instead (although I’m not sure that was the outcome she was hoping for). I went to get her, and brought her up to the barn to groom her. They’re building a couple of new stalls out at the barn, so there was a good deal of commotion — nail guns, circular saws, trucks driving around — in addition to the normal commotion of an active barn — horses and riders going about their regular activities.
I can never be quite sure which Ellie I’m going to get at a given time. I was prepared for the flighty one — I get nervous around nail guns and circular saws — but I was pleasantly surprised. She was quiet and relaxed while I groomed her and tacked her up, even as an air compressor came on loudly not far away. I brought her to the arena and she stood with me while I took care of the gates and arranged some poles on the ground. Then I mounted up and started the ride. Mostly, she was very well behaved, but she was very nervous about one side of the arena. On the other side of the fence, there were some poles and jump standards arranged. They have been there for some time, but they’ve been rearranged since the last time I rode her in the arena. So this was scary. Saws, nail guns, moving vehicles – those are fine, but don’t make a pile of lumber! Certainly, I can think of some good evolutionary reasons for horses to be wary of a pile of wood that had changed since their last pass through the area (something could be hiding in or behind it, for example) but it really made me realize something about horses and people and our reaction to perceived threats.
Howrse: an unexpected obsession
September 2nd, 2007Howrse? 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.
On Leading
August 29th, 2007When 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.
The Meaning of Life
August 26th, 2007Nothing 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?
Firefly: A completely biased review
August 25th, 2007
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
The Journey of a Chincoteague Pony
August 20th, 2007
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.
You don’t always get what you wanted . . .
August 10th, 2007. . . 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.
Things I Like
August 7th, 2007These are things I recommend without reservation. Enjoy!