tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55061752012-02-03T06:54:06.502-05:00Caustic OpportunityLooking for joy and meaning in everyday stuff --
Just the daily trials and tribulations of my life.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.comBlogger14971100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-65302000877506427612011-10-15T20:29:00.002-04:002011-10-15T20:48:30.066-04:00Life & DepressionI know that I haven't updated this blog in about a year. I keep meaning to get back to it, but life intervenes and I feel like I have so much to write to catch up, that updating everything here becomes pretty overwhelming. I am just dropping a line to say that I am going through a very rough time right now. I've recently accepted that I have been struggling with depression for deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-45411885469899815742011-01-03T21:50:00.003-05:002011-01-03T21:55:07.487-05:00The Hunt FieldRuby and I are the pinto (brown & white) horse smack dab in the middle of the field of bay horses. Stand out much?deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-74340808133814929202010-12-13T18:53:00.006-05:002010-12-13T19:36:11.324-05:00On RunningI haven't really written much of an update on my running program. Well, let's face it, I haven't really written much of an update about anything much in a long time. But I did want to sketch out the highlights.I went through the beginning running schedule through the class that I was taking with my local Y. For the most part this worked out pretty well and it did a good job of generallydeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-59297680845346926092010-12-10T08:29:00.002-05:002010-12-10T08:43:27.001-05:00A-Hunting We Will Go!I was invited to go fox hunting on the day before Thanksgiving, something that I have wanted to do since I was probably, oh, about 12 or 13. Anyway, I've been meaning to write up a detailed report of the experience and haven't had time. Instead, I am cutting & pasting highlights that I wrote in an email that I sent to a couple of friends a couple of days afterwards.(deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-85318411213248895562010-10-12T18:27:00.004-04:002010-10-12T19:47:41.152-04:00Course Brook Farm HT 10.9.2010It’s awesome to ride a bold horse who loves her job. A horse who, while galloping along on cross-country, is eagerly looking for the next thing. When you have that in an eventing horse, everything else seems to fade down the scale in importance. When you have that in an eventing horse, your enjoyment of the sport can be limitless. My competition planning for this deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-63398299559040595492010-10-04T19:39:00.001-04:002010-10-04T19:41:16.072-04:00This is incredibly inspiring.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-50963051706403996802010-09-29T20:51:00.001-04:002010-09-30T13:13:28.853-04:00Self-Doubt & LoathingI had a bit of a meltdown in my jumping lesson last week. I'm still not even quite sure what happened. I do know that I was nervous all day for the impending lesson, but that's not anything new. I just started riding and I felt like I couldn't ride to save my life. I was full of self-doubt, convinced that I just Cant. Do. This. I'm not really sure where that was coming from. deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-18139904887296036942010-09-17T18:53:00.002-04:002010-09-20T13:13:05.199-04:00Running Program: Week 1Monday:Scheduled: 1 minute running, alternated with 2 minutes walking, x10 -- 30 minutes total.Actual: 1 minute running, alternated with 2 minutes walking, x10 -- probably a little more than 30 minutes, maybe 40. *Notes:This ended up being harder than I expected it to be, especially after the class on Saturday where, instead of alternating 1 min. running to 2 mins of deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-91214936176833651692010-09-11T15:34:00.005-04:002010-09-17T18:57:08.401-04:00Structuring a Running ProgramSo, I've been thinking that I have to take this running thing (and cross-training, in general) more seriously. Running is my main focus in this for a lot of reasons: it's an activity that can be done without too much logistical worry, if I can't make it to a gym, I can go out the door at work on a lunch hour, I can use the treadmill at home, or whatever. I feel that deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-63560143374323075752010-09-10T18:54:00.005-04:002010-09-11T07:09:26.728-04:00Am I ready to move up?(the answer is "no", by the way)Alison (my trainer) recently sent out the new lesson schedule for Fall and I noticed that she had moved some people around so that now my Wednesday night lesson is comprised of three girls who are competing at a level above me and, well, me. Gulp. I would say that this caused me some concern. Yep, that would be pretty accurate. So, this week deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-71778948587085367952010-09-04T11:50:00.014-04:002010-09-05T11:51:24.378-04:00Valinor Farm HT: 8.29.2010I have not signed up for a lot of competitions this season. There are a number of factors affecting this: first, I lost a bit of confidence with some of my riding mishaps earlier in the year. Even though the Groton House Summer Classic ended up working out pretty well, I still came away from that event feeling like I had ridden very poorly, most of that was related to deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-32572919296343825152010-08-21T18:23:00.003-04:002010-08-21T19:10:51.043-04:00An Improvement in Flat WorkI have to say that I am very pleased with how Ruby's flat work has been coming along this Summer. If I remember correctly, last Summer it was a bit of a struggle to get her consistently round and reaching for the contact and working through her back. I remember a good amount of inverted flat work. I would get some nice roundness for a few strides and then lose it again.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-70692275373140565172010-08-18T06:37:00.001-04:002010-09-17T18:57:25.606-04:00On RunningI’ve known for a while that just riding alone is not quite enough of an activity level to make me as fit as I need to be. And I’m not even talking about weight loss here, at this point, thoughts of weight loss are a pie-in-the-sky fantasy for me and if I seriously sit down and think about it as more than a passing idea, I get very, very depressed and start to feel very hopeless, deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-57420062430871323582010-08-11T19:02:00.000-04:002010-08-11T19:02:00.612-04:00Riding OutThis Summer I have been enjoying riding outside of the ring and off of the barn property. Last year I didn’t do nearly enough of this, Ruby & I were just getting to know each other, I was still getting my riding legs (and seat) back and I just did not take nearly as much advantage as I should have.This season I was off to a shaky start with my riding. First there was the unfortunate deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-84292540549600575622010-06-25T18:28:00.009-04:002010-06-28T10:38:52.383-04:00Weekend o’ RidingI knew going in that this was going to be a busy, exhausting and somewhat stressful weekend. I had a lot on the agenda with very little rest time planned. The capper of the weekend was to be the Groton House Summer Classic show on Sunday (6/20/2010), my third attempt for this season to put in a successful show effort, having failed miserably at the first two attempts, Pine Top (deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-28504949489215381342010-06-25T18:27:00.000-04:002010-06-25T18:28:09.293-04:00Postscript: The Tale of the Evil Mounting Block.The day was not without some casualty however. Because of my incredibly sore rear area, I was having some trouble moving and bending. I could not lean over the save my life, had to crouch down to pick anything up. And mounting was a serious problem. I couldn’t bend my leg to get it in the stirrup and mount the way one normally would do. I had to deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-75468443899762026442010-04-06T16:37:00.036-04:002010-04-08T11:29:39.941-04:00Aiken Adult Eventing Camp: 2010(Ruby, during our dressage test on 3.27.2010)On March 20th I flew down to Aiken, SC where Ruby has been in training all Winter, to attend my trainer’s Adult Eventing Camp. It’s been a long few months without her and, while Ruby has been doing well and competing around the Aiken area, I had hardly been riding at all while she’s been gone. So, I was pretty nervous deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-70921423678736614982010-03-13T12:25:00.002-05:002010-03-13T12:27:13.353-05:00House Selling (not)Well, apparently my house is worth practically nothing, so I guess I'm not even going to bother trying to sell after all. I'm very, very disappointed and not a little depressed about it all right now.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-25833432308187916132010-03-08T18:58:00.003-05:002010-03-08T19:17:05.963-05:00Hypnosis: Check-in on ProgressIt's been a little over a week now since I had my hypnosis session and I have to say that I think it's been going very well. I definitely feel calmer and I am amazed at how much more in control I feel of my eating. There were a number of times during the week when I've let myself get pretty hungry and I started craving bad stuff as a result, yet I still managed to deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-78555217999438891072010-03-07T18:13:00.006-05:002010-03-07T19:52:43.970-05:00House HuntingI had a realtor to my home on Saturday after which we went to see a few condos. The tour of my house went fine, he seemed to like my house well enough, liked what I've done with it and thought that it showed well. Of course the real information will come from the market analysis that he'll do, so I'll know more once he's done that number crunching. He did say that the market has deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-44601507701953335102010-03-04T16:26:00.003-05:002010-03-04T16:31:56.353-05:00The CommunicatorI find it hilarious how every time I have any kind of evaluation at work, it is emphasized how fantastic I am at communication. No one seems to notice that I'm a complete introvert and extremely socially awkward. I guess I either, A) know how to make up for it, or, B) how to fake it. Either way it takes effort and is exhausting!deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-62314666701499925372010-02-28T16:53:00.005-05:002010-02-28T20:59:40.000-05:00Sundry* I'm not quite sure why, but every conversation I have with my father leads to my defensiveness and even sometimes irritation, over the most mundane of topics. Case in point: Today he was asking how Tig's obedience class was going. And then he went on to say something to the effect that I must have a goal to make him "sane". What? He's just an excited dog, but he's a good boy. My response deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-78692740256745507872010-02-27T20:44:00.004-05:002010-02-27T21:07:19.081-05:00Hypnosis on a Saturday MorningI had my hypnosis session today and I think that I'm still trying to process everything. Actually, I think it's going to take me a few days to really get a feel for whether it is working, to see what I'm getting out of it. So far, however, I'm thinking that the result has been positive. Since this was my first time, the session started with a long talk with the deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-12268561861147089092010-02-26T16:15:00.004-05:002010-02-26T18:20:23.466-05:00Boxers are the BestAnyone who knows me knows that I am not a kid person. And I'm especially not a a baby person. But even I thought this was unbelievably adorable. Of course, I am completely in love with the dog, not the kid, but you expected that. Right?deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-53257654473424043362010-02-25T19:50:00.010-05:002010-02-25T21:47:36.538-05:00Wet DogMy Boxer, Tig, is the biggest water weenie that I've ever met. Human or canine, that's saying a lot. Big time wimp. So, tonight it's pouring down rain. I mean, teeming, driving, torrential rain. And of course at some point Tig has to desperately go out. That is until I open the door and he sees the rain. I guess he had to pee pretty badly though, because he jumped outside anyway, after a deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-53083758126871494362010-02-25T10:37:00.008-05:002010-02-25T21:46:36.359-05:00Moving "Fantasy" UpdateAs an update to my moving fantasy of the other day: I bit the bullet earlier in the week and sent a query to a real estate agent. He called me last night and I was able to discuss with him at length what I was thinking of doing. He seems to think that it may perhaps be doable. Maybe. He said that there are some tax incentives for buyers right now, so he thinks that I shoulddeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-22936698369491785852010-02-19T08:44:00.003-05:002010-02-27T21:06:26.358-05:00Hypnosis ScheduledWell, I have an appointment set for the hypnosis place. Unfortunately, I couldn't get anything before next Saturday, but it will be here soon enough. Should be interesting, I'll make a point of posting about my experience.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-71741893643106125472010-02-18T20:23:00.003-05:002010-02-18T20:55:12.564-05:00I always have one fantasy or another goingI've been fantasizing this week about downsizing a little bit. Selling my house and buying a townhouse close to where I board my horse. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. But the thought of it also completely overwhelms me. So, I'm making out a pro & con list. Here is what I've come up with so far:Pros* Cheaper (smaller mortgage, deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-82416405383286830292010-02-17T20:29:00.003-05:002010-02-27T21:06:47.285-05:00HypnosisHeaven help me, but I just sent an email to a hypnosis center in an adjacent town. I have to find a way to combat this continued anxiety, and the idea of hypnosis has always intrigued me. I would also be interested to see if it could help me with fitness goals, general focus, finding a "center", etc. I guess it couldn't hurt to check it out anyway, if I don't feel it's for me, I don't deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-72397095023675438632010-02-16T12:46:00.003-05:002010-02-26T16:25:27.837-05:00Ski RacingA very brief video of my nephew at a recent ski race -- just a glimpse as he flies past:He made the qualifier for the Western Junior Olympics!deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-69597587810535224352010-02-10T19:49:00.016-05:002010-02-10T20:49:34.595-05:00Worry, Worry, WorryI've been feeling a little, I don't know ... lost over the past week or two. I think most of it is stemming from worry. Mostly worry about work. I am worried about continuing to have a job. I worry about the stuff I'm working on, I worry about the stuff I may end up working on. I worry about what I don't know, or whether I am learning enough, or quick enough. I worry about the deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-7314828659749159372010-01-31T12:33:00.002-05:002010-02-26T16:19:04.831-05:00XC Helmet CamI posted this to Facebook yesterday (it was posted in the COTH Eventing message boards):deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-39209744436061568662010-01-30T15:38:00.010-05:002010-01-30T19:20:32.437-05:00Dressage on FergieOn Wednesday night I had a riding lesson and got to ride "Fergie". Fergie was the very first horse that I rode at ATF so it was interesting to give her a try again after all this time. I remember that first time that I had a lot of trouble getting a decent pace out of her and forget about getting on her on bit or bending. At that stage I was really just trying to remember basic deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-54702233027777204702010-01-27T17:22:00.002-05:002010-02-26T16:19:20.394-05:00Eventing StrongI love this video! (for the non-horse-y people, "Eventing" is the type of equestrian competition that I do with Ruby)Thanks to Shannon Molloy for posting the video to Facebook.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-57461355029071874752010-01-26T18:49:00.005-05:002010-01-26T19:37:37.439-05:00Working OutWell, I'm trying to start off the new year on a more or less good, or at least healthy(ish), note. I believe I mentioned that I joined the "Y", but I didn't actually go for the first time until this past Saturday. For my first workout I was just going to do about half-an-hour, but I surprised myself by working out for almost an hour. I even managed to throw in a few running intervals. deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-24161291564783293682010-01-21T19:50:00.003-05:002010-01-21T19:58:41.091-05:00Anxiety DreamsLast night I had some crazy dreams. I slept pretty well until about 3 AM (when the Ambien wore off). I then remember having nightmares about being fired. This is not so unusual, but this time I had dreams on top of dreams -- layered dreams where I remember dreaming about being fired and not being sure if it was true or it had been part of another dream. So, I kept waking up deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-75851830436918336322010-01-20T20:34:00.003-05:002010-01-20T20:48:35.436-05:00Aiken-BoundOkay, maybe not so much. At least not until the last week of March. But I am already getting excited for the trip. Hearing little tidbits from Alison about what she is doing with Ruby. Every week filling out a new entry for yet another competition down there for her. Reading on COTH about other's Aiken plans ... it all has me incredibly hyped up and wishing that I was down there! I deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-79070178868272932482010-01-19T18:53:00.009-05:002010-01-19T21:57:16.499-05:00An Old Family StoryI was talking to my father on the phone last night and he brought up this family story that my brother had told him over the holidays (apparently my father has no memory of it). I don't know why, but before my father could even say one word of the story, I knew exactly the story he was going to tell. And I was right. So, my grandmother (mother's mother) came to live with us deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-54407492138259420452010-01-18T12:07:00.003-05:002010-01-18T12:20:09.440-05:00AnxietySo, this is a typical example of something that causes me a mild bout of anxiety. Last night we had a snow storm (actually, it's still snowing, but whatever). The power in my neighborhood went out at 2 AM and I woke up instantly. I always do, for some reason. Anyway, I was then awake for the whole rest of the night obsessing about how long the power was going to be out, how cold it was deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-91828156215915804232010-01-17T11:43:00.003-05:002010-01-17T12:09:42.897-05:00Dressage Lesson on LuLuWhile Ruby is down in Aiken for the next few months, I will be riding school horses during a weekly riding lesson. This was a Dressage week and I got to ride LuLu again! I had a half-lease on LuLu last year before I bought Ruby. During the six months that I leased LuLu, she taught me A LOT. Particularly about jumping, I feel that riding her was a big factor towards fixing deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-51165746439670927672010-01-16T11:26:00.007-05:002010-01-16T17:08:14.506-05:00Riding Goals for 2010These are more or less the goals that I wrote up for a post last month on the Chronicle of the Horse (Eventing) Message Boards (with a tweak here or there):I feel like I reached so many of my 2009 riding goals that I don't really want to be too greedy with my goals for 2010. 2009 was my first real year of competition of my "new" riding life. Previous competition experience deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-66032470773598855572010-01-15T18:35:00.010-05:002010-01-16T13:46:32.131-05:00Goals for 2010 (non-riding)My goals for 2010 are going to mostly be about behavior. I find that it's useless to make promises to myself like, "lose 30 lbs" or, "get a promotion or a raise (or whatever) at work", it's much more concrete and attainable to make goals around the specific behaviors or tasks that I can make a choice to do, or not do, on any given day that fulfill the goal and inch me deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-54678131501619911372010-01-14T21:56:00.009-05:002010-01-15T13:27:10.078-05:002009 in Review (non-riding)I feel like both 2008 and 2009 were pretty good years for me. However, I set some goals for 2009 and fell short of many, if not most of them. RidingAs I stated in a previous post, I reached all of my riding goals. In fact, I actually surpassed them, so I ended 2009 extremely happy and satisfied in that regard.FinancesI had a goal to save more money. Nope, didn’t happen.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-64586126844663349012010-01-12T09:04:00.001-05:002010-01-12T09:27:22.955-05:00Ski BumMy niece, ski racing:deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-67253649543799399682010-01-11T13:12:00.002-05:002010-02-26T16:19:46.014-05:00How to Wrap a Cat for ChristmasThis made me laugh so hard, I was crying ...deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-6130640125214273972010-01-10T20:50:00.008-05:002010-01-15T11:21:29.228-05:00My Riding Year in ReviewRiding Camp:In March, 2009 I travelled to Aiken, SC to the adult training camp that my trainer hosts every year.That trip proved to be a kind of bootcamp back into my riding life. We had intensive riding lessons in Dressage, Stadium Jumping and Cross-Country. We trailered to some of the big cross-country courses in the area for schooling. We did pacing work on the deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-66290925456579378322010-01-07T10:30:00.001-05:002010-01-07T10:30:59.654-05:00A Jumping Lesson on a WednesdayLast night was my last lesson on Ruby and my last lesson with Alison for a couple of months. Happily, it was a jumping lesson! After warming up, Alison put together a few different jump courses for us to do – I don’t know why, but I felt myself getting a little bit nervous for them. You would think that I would get used to all of this at some point. Anyway, I think deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-10929175700307582072010-01-04T20:07:00.004-05:002010-01-04T20:30:38.904-05:00A Ride on a MondayI rode Ruby tonight and she was one huge bundle of freaky, bunched-up energy -- mostly because she didn't get ridden at all last week (I was on-call). After riding her around for a good while she finally settled down but was still on a hair trigger. I find one of my bigger challenges on rides like this is overcoming my own nerves and just getting down to the job and riding her deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-9544044752126041592010-01-03T13:55:00.009-05:002010-01-04T15:34:19.551-05:002 Riding ClinicsJumping, December 13:On Sunday, December 13th I participated in a jumping clinic with Lynn Coates-Holmes. Lynn in an upper-level event rider, she is also one of the trainers from whom my trainer takes instruction. Because I haven’t been riding nearly as much as I should be, I was pretty nervous about the clinic. I didn’t really know what to expect from Lynn (I had heard of her, deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-87789598940736860282009-12-14T19:47:00.005-05:002009-12-14T19:57:58.449-05:00Crazy, Busy Work and SIMHG DramaSo, work has been extremely busy. I have to say though, for the most part, it’s been a “good” busy. More and more I am enjoying the interaction with my team and a lot of the new stuff that I’m learning. A couple of months ago we went through a big reorganization where a couple of parallel groups merged with ours. One group in particular my team has always worked deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-64933841149236532462009-12-11T21:24:00.001-05:002009-12-11T21:25:27.267-05:00CookingWell, at least I know, when all else fails, I can cook BBQ chicken.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-80039913571043378202009-12-10T18:00:00.002-05:002009-12-10T18:05:44.635-05:00Conversation with My Manager TodayBoss: "So, are you going to the Christmas Party tonight?"Me: "Nah."Me: "I mean, why bother? It's not like I can drink."Boss: "No drinking at the party?"Me: "No, I mean that I don't want to drink and then have to drive."Boss: "Oh."Me: "How Irish am I? Only interested in the party if I can drink!"Boss: SNORT!deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-90112842710251496892009-11-11T17:47:00.001-05:002009-11-11T17:47:54.153-05:00Things that have frustrated or pissed me off today:* Receiving a meeting request for tomorrow (which also happens to be my birthday) for 4:30 PM. * Listening to SIMHG pontificate endlessly on hours & hours of back-to-back meetings (starting at 8 AM, going through noon)* Receiving yet another email from my father dictating the special sell circumstances for some stock or another on the trust deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-64664004459060620022009-11-04T12:59:00.000-05:002009-11-04T13:00:51.311-05:00Another RantI know that I’ve written about the guy in my office who I like to call, “SIMHG” (Self-Important Meeting Hijack Guy). I haven’t mentioned him in a while because, well, I guess I don’t want to sound too bitter – or maybe I just don’t want to encourage my own bitterness (not to mention my paranoia) by fueling the flames with endless rants about him. Plus, that gets a little tedious and deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-74253175969989077642009-11-04T10:44:00.002-05:002009-11-04T10:46:26.944-05:00Rant: Benefits FairSo, my company is having a benefits fair since we’re in the enrollment period for next year. And, because there are significant changes happening for 2010, there is a good line of people before each table waiting to ask important questions about how they will be affected. So there I am, stacked up behind people in front of our HMO table and the woman who is holding up the line deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-47429702035674386942009-11-01T20:34:00.002-05:002009-11-01T20:37:40.193-05:00Ads on FacebookOkay, can someone please explain to me why Facebook thinks that I should date "Seniors"??? I keep getting this ad on the sidebar: "Date Active Seniors -- Meet senior singles near you at seniorpeoplemeet online dating. Join free!"I mean, WTF??? I know that I've gotten older, but I didn't think that I was actually in Senior Dating territory. At least not yet anyway. SHEESH!deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-50761324863072061042009-10-24T17:44:00.001-04:002009-10-24T17:45:22.271-04:00I Love FallI am currently drinking a hot cider with spiced rum and cooking a an acorn squash. I love fall.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-45928425581975677962009-10-21T10:07:00.003-04:002009-10-21T10:12:08.056-04:00Seen on the Coffee Line this MorningA woman wearing: A horizontal striped shirt. Stone-washed jeans. Ankle-length. Thick, white sport socks. Clogs. I mean, I'm all for business casual, but I think this is stretching things a little far.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-80445059324156293762009-10-14T21:07:00.003-04:002009-10-15T20:19:24.574-04:00UNH Fall Horse Trials – October 3 – 4th, 2009Day 2: Stadium Jumping & Cross-CountryI think that I managed a little off & on sleep on Saturday night, but still, 2:30-3 AM came around awfully fast on Sunday. Definitely the hardest part about this event was the 2-day element. I think it might be kind of fun to go to something where you stay overnight, but this coming home and starting all over from deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-73986330967034339922009-10-08T20:10:00.005-04:002009-10-08T20:50:25.113-04:00UNH Fall Horse Trials – October 3-4th, 2009Day 1: DressageUnlike how I came into my two previous sanctioned events (UNH Sunmmer Horse Trials in July and King Oak in September) I did not do a ton of riding leading up to the day of this event. Between coming down with a bit of a bug the week before that mostly had me feeling exhausted and crappy, and work, I did not have a lot of time leftover to deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-77012354887849783582009-10-07T18:37:00.002-04:002009-10-07T18:40:46.177-04:00Note to Self:When you're really, really pissed off about something, be careful how you stomp around the house, because dogs really don't understand that you're actually not upset with them. They will cringe and cower (or look at you like you're insane, if a Pug) as if you are.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-71595351480897909382009-09-29T10:27:00.003-04:002009-10-21T10:13:01.271-04:00A Note to the Woman Whose GINORMOUS SUV was Blocking the Exit from my Complex this MorningDoes your kid really need a ride, personal escort and cushy spot to wait for the school bus when:* It's 60 degrees outside.* It's clear and sunny.* The walk required to the school bus stop is (at the most) 0.1 of a mile on a private driveway. * There are other kids to walk and wait with. I mean, your kid deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-61916817312239521932009-09-28T20:41:00.002-04:002009-09-28T20:45:41.165-04:00In a FunkHave you ever gone through one of those periods where you feel so crappy about yourself, that you feel like you just can’t do anything right? Where you feel so down about yourself that you’re at your happiest when you’re asleep? I’m kind of going through one of those periods right now. I’m not sure what has caused it, but I sure would like to see the end of it now. In a way, I think I’vedeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-29390662259249016882009-09-16T19:16:00.002-04:002009-10-08T20:37:18.328-04:00King Oak Results UpdateThey published the final results from the horse trial on Saturday and I see that my time faults on cross-country only ended up pushing me down one place. Either way I would have been out of the ribbons, so I don't feel so bad about it now (not that I really felt that bad about it in the first place!)deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-60589716046697711452009-09-14T11:45:00.008-04:002009-10-08T20:37:41.518-04:00King Oak Fall Horse Trials: September 12, 2009Let me just say, it's a good thing that I have a trainer to push me a bit in this sport. I had had such a great experience at UNH in July, but it was also such an exhausting effort. Worse, I had been jumping out of my skin with nerves for weeks leading up to that day. Once it was all over however, I was on a high about my experience, but also with deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-79346663461877016352009-09-08T08:23:00.003-04:002010-02-26T16:20:29.603-05:00Most. Awesome. Dressage. Ever.NOTE: When I talk about the Dressage that I do, it does not resemble anything even remotely like this. Just to be clear.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-8311306846056967062009-08-31T15:33:00.003-04:002009-08-31T15:45:53.798-04:00WowToday I quite unexpectedly received a certificate of appreciation from a customer for being a team player and helping them out with certain needs. Included with the award was $50 in AMEX gift certificates! Well, color me completely amazed! How sweet of them.(of course I was so surprised and stunned that I proceeded to turn into some strange person's cubicle while reading the award, instead of deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-37331699882915942032009-08-30T13:42:00.004-04:002009-10-21T10:13:21.857-04:00Nicolas Sparks SucksThis post contains spoilers for a couple of sucky movies, so if you care about that, you might not want to read on. I've read only one Nicolas Sparks book, "Message in a Bottle" -- that was more than enough for me. Sentimental, trite, maudlin crap! And I occasionally like sentimental stuff, but this was too much, even for me. Since then, I've now seen three movies made from deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-19855408103494263222009-08-27T08:40:00.002-04:002009-08-27T08:42:44.413-04:00Things I Will Never UnderstandWhy I always feel immediately guilty whenever I see a police car, even though I'm not doing anything wrong. (Well, I'm almost never doing anything wrong anyway.)deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-65707413374329812912009-08-25T21:15:00.005-04:002009-08-25T21:22:06.312-04:00Note to Self:When you're browsing around the company cafeteria and nothing really appeals, and you look at something in particular and think to yourself, 'I'll bet that's not very good.' Do yourself a favor and trust your instincts and get a simple salad, or a chicken sandwich, or a yogurt. Because otherwise you might end up throwing that lunch away and end up with something inappropriate like, deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-69620223519718460662009-08-21T17:05:00.003-04:002009-10-21T10:13:52.098-04:00Observations from a WeekYou wonder what the grocery clerk REALLY thinks when all that you are buying are a bag of giant carrots, greek yogurt and beer. It’s shocking what some people consider appropriate work wear on a Friday. Self-Important-Meeting-Hijack-Guy (SIMHG) being out on vacation = good mood. SIMHG back in the office = bad mood. Being stuck on endless meetings with SIMHG = foul mood. deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-48655691341729461302009-07-30T16:34:00.004-04:002009-10-08T20:38:23.689-04:00UNH HT Photo(used with permission)If I remember correctly, this was the one of the jumps that I was worried about on the first course walk (I think it was fence #7). As you can see, it was really no problem at all.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-60163570240954579312009-07-27T19:52:00.005-04:002009-10-21T10:14:55.092-04:00A Funny Thing Happened in the Ladies Room TodaySo, I'm in the Ladies Room in a stall and I hear someone come in and go into another stall. I come out and am at the sink washing my hands and I hear the other person come out and go to a sink down the room a bit. Suddenly I hear this exclamation, "OMG!!!"I turn around and look at the person and hesitate for a beat and think to myself, 'what is wrongdeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-34579363599230887092009-07-23T17:13:00.001-04:002009-10-08T20:38:39.893-04:00UNH Summer Horse Trials: July 19th, 2009On Sunday I competed with Ruby in my first ever sanctioned event. I have written here leading up to the event about how nervous and freaked-out I was for it. Also about how, in addition to being my first sanctioned, this was also a step-up in division for me. Alison (my trainer) had been telling me for the past month or so that I was ready for this, I trustdeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-32791664130660791222009-07-16T11:44:00.004-04:002009-10-08T20:38:56.328-04:00Preparing for the Next CompetitionI wrote previously about my decision to ride in the UNH Horse Trials. Well, that competition is coming up this Sunday and I’ve been a bit of a nervous wreck worrying about it. Besides the general performance anxiety, Ruby & I being new to each other, Ruby being green, me being green, Ruby’s warm-up meltdown at the last event, etc. etc. etc. There is also the factdeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-22356367054881997102009-07-09T18:18:00.003-04:002009-10-21T10:16:15.463-04:00Things I'll Never UnderstandWomen who stand in the ladies room at work talking on their cell phones. I mean, there are plenty of much more appealing, as well as more private, places to talk on the phone. I just find it so weird to just stand there having a personal conversation with toilets flushing and people peeing or whatever. And I'm not talking about people who happened to just answer theirdeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-72495051357150922892009-07-06T19:34:00.001-04:002010-02-26T16:21:14.713-05:00Pugs = ComedyGAWD, this cracked me up!deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-15541060210190837052009-07-04T18:00:00.005-04:002009-07-04T18:40:05.869-04:00Just Clicking AlongI have to say that I've put in some very, very nice dressage rides on Ruby over the past few days or so. On Tuesday night I had a lesson with Danielle (who was subbing for Alison) -- by the time the lesson was over, she was very complimentary of our progress, she even said, "That was really very lovely". That's the thing about riding with a substitute, they're more likely to deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-60885130766165459492009-07-03T17:24:00.007-04:002009-10-08T20:39:35.675-04:00UNH Horse Trials: To Ride, or Not To RideLast month I submitted an application for Alison (my trainer) to ride Ruby in the UNH Horse Trials on July 19th. Our entry had been on the wait list because I was a day late getting the application in the mail. Well, just the other day I noticed that the entry has moved from the "Wait" section and is now an official entry. That's all fine and good, but deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-87480987369237139222009-06-29T19:48:00.004-04:002009-10-08T20:39:52.749-04:00You Learn a lot from Reading a Dressage TestThe kind folks at Groton House were very nice to mail me my dressage test from last week. The test had not been ready by the time we were ready to leave that day, it had been a long day in the pouring rain and so I decided not to make everyone sit around wait for it -- I didn't want to stick around any longer that day either! So I was pleasantly deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-87099834568981096252009-06-29T10:58:00.000-04:002009-06-29T10:59:14.472-04:00Things I’ll Never UnderstandWhy, when I use my debit card at the card reader machine at the grocery store (or the gas pump, or wherever), it asks me first what the card type is to be, such as credit or debit. Yet, I am still prompted later in the session for my PIN, regardless of the fact that I selected “credit” for card type. I then must go through the added step of canceling or continuing fromdeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-81241348534952049302009-06-23T16:34:00.002-04:002009-10-08T20:40:09.885-04:00Groton House Summer Classic 3-Phase (horse) Event: 6.21.2009On Sunday I was entered in my second 3-phase event since my return to riding (and Ruby’s third since coming north to New Hampshire). The event that I did in May had been a simple re-introduction for me and a way to start to get to know Ruby. The Groton House Summer Classic 3-Phase was to be a step up from that – more competitive, higher deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-29480231096349414032009-06-09T08:26:00.002-04:002009-06-09T08:30:51.000-04:00What Was I Thinking?Do you ever get yourself ready in the morning on a sort of autopilot, only to arrive to work and suddenly realize that you're completely mis-matched? Well, it happened to me this morning, I still can't figure out exactly what happened really. This is what I'm wearing:* brown suede shoes* darkish brown pants * this sort of olive-y, greenish top* black cardiganThe bottom half deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-72575875891030586612009-06-07T21:17:00.005-04:002009-06-08T10:39:42.325-04:00Owning Your Own Horse RocksI’ve had the opportunity to take a couple of lovely trail rides over the last couple of weeks. We’ve had some lovely weather here and now that I have a horse, I’ve been able to enjoy it in the best way possible – from the back of a horse. A little over a week ago, Marilyn (one of my barn friends) invited me for a trail ride for that Saturday. It turned out to be one of deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-30920449363873867942009-06-04T18:30:00.001-04:002009-06-04T18:31:33.106-04:00You Know What Pisses Me Off?"Regular" commercials on a DVD. WTF is that all about???deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-66985163836217784322009-06-03T15:13:00.002-04:002009-06-03T15:17:32.370-04:00Big Brother Really IS Watching!Received a nasty-gram today from EZ-Pass. Apparently I was clocked going through the EZ-Pass toll too fast one day and I've been warned that repeated offenses could result in the revocation of my EZ-Pass privileges -- GAH!!! Next they'll be monitoring your speed through EZ-Pass on just the general roads & highways. Is nothing sacred?deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-22057208455858731262009-06-01T14:30:00.002-04:002009-06-01T14:34:49.408-04:00A Note to All Those Clueless Drivers Out There:If you're driving along the highway, and you come to a section of the road where the broken white line becomes a solid white line, it means that you are meant to stay in your lane and not just change it at will. This is not merely a suggestion, but an actual LAW. How come so many people don't realize this??? Sheesh!deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-13372435076694402732009-05-29T19:31:00.002-04:002009-10-08T20:40:35.620-04:00Another CompetitionMonday was another competition for Ruby and me. This one was a schooling 2-phase (dressage and stadium jumping) that was hosted by my barn. It wasn't at the barn location however, so we still had to trailer over -- although it was in the same town, so there wasn't much traveling involved. It was another early morning (although, not as early as the previous two competitions had deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-4302701188948216312009-05-27T13:37:00.010-04:002009-10-08T20:40:57.299-04:00My First Competition on RubyI really wanted to write about this before too much time went by, I’ve just been a little busy. On Sunday, May 17th, I was entered in a local schooling 3-Phase event with Ruby. Our very first competition together and only my second time competing since starting my second riding life. To say that I was nervous is an understatement. I was pretty much a wreck for most of deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-18272630866719446292009-05-13T11:55:00.006-04:002009-10-08T20:41:22.910-04:00Ruby's New England Debut CompetitionOn Saturday (May 9th) Ruby was entered in her first horse trial in New England. This was her first event since I bought her and since her name had been changed from “BeBe”. Alison (my trainer) had suggested that it might be a good idea to have her ride Ruby in few sanctioned events over the Spring & Summer (perhaps also the Fall) to give her some mileage and deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-18912678586438377602009-05-06T10:56:00.004-04:002009-05-06T11:01:40.928-04:00Ruby at a Horse TrialSome proofs of Ruby (when she was "BeBe") at a horse trial in Georgia in March. The pictures can be seen HERE (there are 21 in all). Hopefully, I'll have some more after this Saturday where she is competing at King Oak. Alison is riding her and I will merely be a spectator/helper, so no pressure on me! (Well, no pressure except to try and get her clean!)deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-35999653717078001312009-05-05T21:23:00.005-04:002009-05-05T21:29:15.797-04:00Ruby's Baby PicturesRuby's former owner was kind enough to send me a couple of baby pictures!How freaking cute!deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-70341193314496280452009-05-05T08:50:00.003-04:002009-10-21T10:19:18.288-04:00Seen walking into work this morning: A man wearing a suit. Now that's something you don't see everyday (nowadays anyway).deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-62431635673612790762009-05-04T18:49:00.003-04:002009-05-04T18:52:15.298-04:00Ruby's SireReference link and pedigree.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-5805225973554016252009-05-03T20:12:00.006-04:002009-05-03T21:03:22.231-04:00Another Weekend with RubyNow that I've gotten a chance to ride Ruby for a couple of weeks, I am getting to know her better and am really enjoying her. And I just love her personality! On Friday I went to the barn in the late afternoon after work with the thought that I'd do a little ring work, however, one of the barn girls said that Alison had planned to ride her (the first training ride of May)deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-63559175032046154402009-04-30T18:55:00.009-04:002009-10-21T10:19:37.253-04:00Self-Importance AboundsAt a lunch hosted by a vendor today, I end up sitting near someone who also happens to work for my company, someone I had never met before. We introduce ourselves and say where we work. Self-Important Company Guy: "I'm in charge of this product!"Colleague and myself: "Really? What group do you work for?" (in the meantime our group handles hosting for this product for our deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-66989936357740218792009-04-30T09:07:00.004-04:002009-04-30T17:42:07.137-04:00Louie, LouieIn an odd twist, I had an email from the owner of the thoroughbred that had I tried a few weeks before buying Ruby. The owner at that time was going to give me a trial with him and then at the last minute backed out, claiming that she had decided to sell him to someone else. Well, it turns out that the sale fell through and she wants to know if I'm still interested. She admits in her deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-38162246867373789772009-04-29T21:06:00.002-04:002009-04-29T21:11:27.477-04:00More Jumping with RubyJust a quick post to note that I had another successful jumping night with Ruby. We were off to a bit of a bad start in the lesson when she took a big spook at some kids running around across the street -- although, I was proud of myself for sticking with her pretty well and not falling off! But we ended on a high note by doing a whole jump course (at the canter) which deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-87420780743114427682009-04-28T21:17:00.004-04:002009-04-28T22:42:00.520-04:00First Time Jumping RubyTonight was kind of a combination flat and jumping lesson. I was a little nervous because I hadn't jumped Ruby yet and it was the last "test" left. Not that any of this has been a true test, but every first time for something has been an opportunity to see potential for our future partnership in each area. Everything so far has worked out pretty well, not that everything isdeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506175.post-57109907413318316122009-04-28T11:11:00.004-04:002009-10-21T10:19:52.458-04:00Observation: Automatic FaucetsI mean. With the Swine Flu apparently sweeping the nation, it might be a nice option to be able to control the water temperature when washing one's hands in a public restroom. You know, because hot water might be a bit more effective against killer germs than say, cool to tepid water. Just a thought.deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963116955563374662noreply@blogger.com0