Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Tuesday night group ride

I finally did another Tuesday night group ride. I didn't have training, and I didn't have to go to the barn, so my Tuesday night was freed up. There were only 10 of us or so. I ended up wearing my fleece jersey because I couldn't find my arm warmers. Was I ever glad I wore it! It ended up getting cold after the sun went down.

Anyway, the ride was great! I was able to keep up with the group for about five miles (by far longer than any other time). We were going at a steady 30 mph at one point, with no headwind or downhill to help me out. ;) After that, I mostly rode alone, which was fine. Even alone, I was able to keep the pace at 20 mph or so. :D

Hopefully I'll be able to do more of those rides next year. Last night was the last night. :( Although, I hear they may continue doing the Tuesday ride through the neighborhoods around here... we'll see.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

A rant on instructors

[rant]

If you tell a rider to do something ("ON THE BIT!") every three seconds for the first half of a lesson, maybe try explaining what you want out of the rider in a different way.

If you tell a rider "I'm not seeing anything happen", don't expect that to solve anything. If nothing is happening, it's not because I'm not trying. Perhaps, again, try explaining what you want in a different way.

Don't ever tell me, "your leg sucks". First of all, my leg most definitely does not "suck". Ten years ago, yes, my leg "sucked". It may need improvement now, but that is one of the many reasons why I'm taking lessons. Telling me something like that is counterproductive, discouraging, and doesn't make me ever want to ride with you again.

[/rant]

GAH. I had a rather... well... horrible lesson today. The first 30 minutes were just awful. I couldn't get the horse--I rode the mare Nokomis--on the bit for longer than 30 seconds.

But my "trainer"? She was of no help whatsoever. First of all, I had never ridden with her. I normally ride with Richard, who is excellent, but I happened to be riding his daughter's horse, so he had her give me a "lesson". And although he may yell at me and make me feel like a piece of crap, he never flat-out insults me. The woman was a self-righteous, egotistical, spoiled brat. I'm fairly certain by now that Richard must have "talked me up" to her, and she maybe felt a bit threatened by me--which would lead her to saying things such as "I don't think she likes you very much" (huh?) and something so far out of left field as "your leg sucks." Geez.

After she said, "I'm not seeing anything happen," I said, "Well it's not for lack of trying!"

Finally, after 20-30 minutes, Nokomas was soft, round, and attentive to my aids (mostly). We did leg-yields, shoulder-in, haunches in, a bit of half-pass... but I couldn't get the canter. (After nearly 15 years of riding, I'm just now being taught how to canter from the inside seat bone rather than the outside leg.) I tried maybe three times, and the instructor kept telling me to "make something happen", whether it be by running her into the canter or whatever. I'm sorry, but no. Nokomas already knows how to canter. It's me who needs the training, and running her into it is going to teach me nothing. At that point I was pretty frustrated, so I just said, "Why don't you get on?" Ugh.

By the end of the ride, I was exhausted, and I now have blisters on both ring fingers (one that opened during the ride and is now raw), even though I had gloves on.

Not a good way to end my last day at the barn. Oh well. I'm glad to be done with waking up at the butt crack of dawn every Saturday and being slave-driven at the barn for five hours.

Monday, October 20, 2008

New friend :)

I went out for drinks/dinner with Amber from work. We talked about work and lots of other stuff for a couple of hours. I said I needed girlfriends to hang out with, and she said she wanted to get drunk on Friday. So it looks like we're going out, lol.

So, last night we had training, and it totally blew up. Basically, we were given an account and asked to present ways on how to improve it. I failed to see the training involved in this, nor did I learn anything, although that was probably partially because at that point, I wasn't even open to learn anything--I was so pissed, my ears were closed off to the meeting. Before I left, though, I sent a professional, well-written, calm e-mail to my boss's boss about how I felt that the training needed to improve.

His door was shut for a good hour, and everybody wondered who was in there. I think he was actually responding to my e-mail, because I soon received an e-mail, and it was addressed to everybody in my department except the team leads. I didn't particularly appreciate the fact that it was addressed to everybody, but they all felt the same way that I did, so whatever. I did get kudos from others for sending it. In the e-mail, he pretty much told us that if we're "not a part of the solution, we're a part of the problem." God I'm tired of hearing that--every single time an issue is brought to the surface, we're asked to solve the problem. So we give them solutions, and they say, "we can't do that." He's basically saying, if you don't like the way we do things, STFU. I sent an e-mail back with some solutions, and also mentioned that I'd like to be moved to a different team if possible. I doubt that'll happen anytime soon.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Still an INTJ

On one of the online forums I frequent, someone posted a new thread about being an introvert. I was amazed at how many people feel exactly the way I do. I used to think of myself as shy, but as I've gotten older, I don't think I'm shy anymore... I'm just an introvert. I also used to be an INTJ on the Myers-Briggs personality test, and I thought that had changed until I took it again today. And damn, it hasn't--I just took it, and I'm still an INTJ (that site is very circa-1995)! After reading about it, I fit that profile to a "T". Anyway, I'm quiet, but I actually enjoy being around other people. I do like to stay in sometimes, but I like going out, too. It's just hard for me to strike up a conversation with a stranger, so it's been difficult for me to meet new people down here. I've gotten a lot better over the years, though, especially with people that are outgoing and like to talk--I find myself more open/willing to speak up more with that kind of person. Wow, enough rambling.

I went out to the barn for a couple of hours on Saturday. Richard and Susan were gone, so I had the whole place to myself. It was nice. I bonded with the horses--I really love Wal; as psycho as she can be, she can also be a real sweetie. While I was in her stall, she put her head down near me, and I started petting her nose, and she just put her head into my stomach and stayed there. Awww... I'll miss her. :( Although, Susan did say I was welcome to come back any weekend I have available.

I had a flat on Sunday's solo ride. My brand new rear tired. Grrr... I was having an awesome ride, too. I'm going to have to get another new tire at some point. :(

Friday, October 17, 2008

Nothing exciting here ;)

I've been kind of a bum the last couple of days, so I don't have much to write about. I got a book the other day, left it on my bed while I went to work, and Jaiden CHEWED ON IT. Yeah. He ate a book. Normally, it's shoes or boxes or those cardboard toilet paper things. But no, he chose my book that I had literally read one page from. It's still readable, but I still can't believe he did it.

Saturday morning I'm going out to the barn (and maybe doing a solo bike ride, too, since I haven't ridden in a while), and Sunday I'm doing another solo ride. So I should have more to say after the weekend. :)

TGIF! :)

Monday, October 13, 2008

Solo bike ride and a good lesson

I went on a solo bike ride yesterday. I had a lot to drink on Saturday night, so I was really not feeling up to riding, but I forced myself to get out there anyway. I kept it somewhat short, but I was actually feeling pretty strong. Although, I did get dizzy every time I stopped at stop lights, heh.

After cleaning stalls on Saturday, I had a lesson on Diamante ("Di" for short), their 23-year-old Grand Prix gelding. The horse is pretty big--about 17 hands--and he's somewhat hard to figure out. I know he's entirely capable of being ridden lightly, but he just feels so heavy and clumsy. The lesson was very good, though, and makes me want to keep coming back for lessons. I just can't afford it, though. So, anyway, we did some shoulder-ins, leg-yields, and even a few half passes! At the end of the lesson, we did a piaffe! :)

We were having issues with the shoulder-ins to the left. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to turn your shoulders to the left, and keep your hips straight (or even worse, to have to turn your hips to the right)? Sit in your chair with your feet flat on the ground. Now turn your shoulders (basically, your entire upper body) to the left, but keep your lower body/hips "looking" straight forward, with your weight equal on both seat bones. If you're like me, your hips wants to follow what your shoulders are doing, or you want to shift your weight--but you can't let that happen, or the movement will go down the drain. Now, with your shoulders to the left, try turning your hips to the right. Makes you feel like a contortionist, right? Now look and see how many people are watching you. Haha. Anyway, imagine having to do that on a trotting horse--it's difficult. I had to do that several times in shoulder-in to the left, because in that direction, we kept drifting off the track, and in order to correct it, I had to turn my hips to the right. It was really hard to do.

Apparently Aragon (the energetic little three-year-old I rode a couple weeks ago) ran off with a few riders last week. I can see him doing that. He tends to get a little uptight/scared, so if a rider gets on him, and he starts acting squirrelly, and the rider gets scared, it can spiral downward pretty quickly with a horse like Aragon. Richard made a mistake, in my opinion, by putting a "kid" on Aragon. While he's a smart horse, he's still very young and too spooky to put an inexperienced rider on. Even their big oaf of a colt, Antares, who wouldn't hurt a fly, is still too young to have a rider on him that doesn't know much about riding young horses. Oh well.

So, I have a big tack trunk that I keep on the deck of my apartment. It's not water proof, but it is pretty water resistant, so I've never really thought twice about it. I went to clean my bridle yesterday, opened the trunk, and saw that the saddle pads on the top were pretty damp. Not good, but whatever--they're just saddle pads. I dig a little deeper, and things are getting wetter as I go further down. I spot what I *think* to be my bridle, but that can't be it, because it's all sticky and there's like... stuff growing on it. I move some more equipment over so I can see just exactly what that thing is, and yeah, it's my bridle. I've never seen any bridle so covered in mold in my life--and I've seen some pretty nasty bridles. I mean, there was mold just CAKED on it. And the little leather keepers that keep the ends of the leather straps from flapping around were practically glued into the straps. :( It took me a good 45 minutes just to take the bridle apart. The metal keepers on the reins were so rotted out that I broke them, and had to throw them away. :( I took another 45-60 minutes cleaning the bridle and oiling it. It's so dry that the oil has soaked entirely throught the leather, and it's dry once again. Sigh. Hopefully I can salvage it, as I really loved that bridle. The reins were difficult to part with, because I loved those reins, too.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Went for a ride, and my car died.

Well not really. I went for a solo ride further north of Austin (less traffic, big shoulders, pretty scenery). I was feeling good, but not really up for riding, so I kept it really short. I did see a few deer on the side of the road that I would have totally missed had they run right in front of me--I didn't see them until I suddenly looked off to my right, and there they were, grazing on the grass on the side of the road. I've got to learn to pay more attention as far as that goes. When it comes to traffic, I'm always listening and watching, but wildlife is probably more of a danger than the cars, to an extent. I went up a big hill--not steep, but long--and it seemed easier than all the other times, even with a headwind. I was a bit fresher, so that could have had something to do with it, but I also had to change out my chain. For the last few months, it seems like pedaling up really steep hills has become a bigger chore than usual, and I'm wondering if it's because of the chain... I don't know. I'll have to go up Bluegrass or Yaupon to see, but it definitely feels like the pedaling is smoother.

A girl waved at me from the back of a car as I went by... that was kind of refreshing in a way.

So, the car. I got all my gear back into my car, turned the ignition, the radio started to come on (the volume slowly comes up after the radio turns on), and then silence. I figured it was a problem with the station, so I turned it to another station. Silence. Now, what are the chances that two stations would be having issues? If they're affiliated, maybe. Tried the CD player. Silence.

:(

I'm hoping it's just a fuse, but my friend Eric said if it's a fuse, there could be something shorting out. I'm thinking he's right, because after turning the radio off and turning it on again, the stereo kind of popped, and I think I saw the dashboard dim. GAH.

Note to self: NEVER BUY A WHITE CAR AGAIN. Will I ever learn my lesson? Arrrgh... White cars hate me. I totaled my first car ever, a Ford Probe, white car. My second car was a white Grand Am. The guy that sold it to us seemed nice enough. The car was spotless, so we believed him when, after telling us that the odometer didn't work, he told us it had 77,000 miles on it. One day, I hit a big bump, the odometer flashed on: 134,000 miles. It flashed on and off after that, and I had all kinds of issues with it. A friend that worked at a body shop told us to SELL IT because it was completely rusted out underneath. Third car was a Dodge Neon. Also white. It was a decent car, but I did have a few issues with it. The transmission went out, but thankfully I had an extended warranty on it. I also hit a deer with it. I become a rolling magnet when I'm driving white cars. In my current car, a WHITE Honda Accord, I nearly got into two accidents before I even got the damn thing plated, mostly due to bad roads and idiots that can't drive. And now I have to get the front bumper fixed, AND the stereo. :( My trip to Omaha is going to be so not fun if I don't have a stereo.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

I quit the barn. :(

Yeah, it may not make any sense that I'd say I quit, and then add a sad face to the end, but I am sad. I'll miss the horses, and I'll miss the riding. It just wasn't what I wanted. I have learned a lot while riding, even the younger guys, but I'm sick of cleaning stalls (I did that in high school... A LOT). I haven't had a true lesson in a while, and they really only have one upper level horse that I can ride. I've just come to the realization that if I want lessons on a regular basis, I'm just going to have to pay for them. However, at this point, I can't justify spending $65 a lesson, so I'm going to try to pick up some more side jobs developing web sites. If I can get another web site job like the last one I had, that'll pay off my last credit card, along with 15 lessons. :) Anyway, so I'll be going to the barn until the end of October, and after that, it's up to me to fund my own lessons... wherever I happen to go.

I rode my bike Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I got home early on Saturday after my barn chores, and Michael and I went on a ride. We had a strong headwind on the way out, and a nice tailwind on the way back. We did 32 miles or so, and I felt strong (actually felt somewhat restless) after the ride. Sunday I did a solo 24 mile ride--I'm really starting to love my Sunday rides--not as much traffic, I can go as far and as fast (or slow) as I want, and have only one thing to think about: riding. I took a side road into a subdivision called "Caballo Ranch" or something, but only saw one horse facility. The wind has been pretty strong the past few days, so I had a bad headwind on the way back. Monday's ride was even harder, even though it's a recovery ride. Normally we do some pretty big hills, but this time it was mostly flat, and I was still having a hard time.

We had a HUGE thunderstorm last night! I woke up to it, and I swear, it seemed like the lightning was striking right next to my apartment window. And the thunder was so loud. Jaiden normally isn't bothered by it, but I think he must have been a little worried last night. When I woke up, I just stayed in bed for a few minutes, and suddenly I heard Jaiden give off his "OMG! There's someone in here that I don't know!" bark that scares the hell out of me every time. I think he just heard a noise in the kitchen, so I went to him, touched his side, and he wagged his tail and laid down at my feet. Lol.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

I rode Crazy Horse!

I went out to the barn this morning, and rode two horses that I'd never ridden before, including the gorgeous, crazy Wal. She was actually really good. She's a pretty easy horse to ride, all things considered. We just did some walk and trot, and a few leg-yields.

I also rode a three-year-old named Aragon. The first time around the arena, he spooked at something and jumped out of the arena--about six inches, so not much, but he shook his head and bounced around a little bit, so it sort of unsettled me. I got him to quit, pet his neck to calm him down (and partly to calm me down, haha), and gave him a minute or so, then led him back into the arena. After that, he was fine for the most part. He spooked a little bit at random stuff around the arena, but nothing like that first time.

What amazed me is that I was able to get this relatively untrained horse to canter just from a shift in my weight and little bit of encouragement from the inside leg, rather than sliding my outside leg back, like I was originally taught. He got a little bit excited, but not too bad, although he did make me a bit nervous--the little horse is just so energetic!

I did a solo bike ride on Sunday morning (although a guy caught up with me and rode with me halfway), and another ride on Monday. There's a hill called Yaupon that SUCKS... it's pretty long, and it's steep too. Last time I rode it, two weeks ago, I had turned off a side road halfway up, and felt like I had cheated, so my mission on Monday was to ride all the way up, and I did. People said I was going up pretty strong, too. Ugh... it was hard. I bailed out on the rest of the ride a little while later, heh...