Training for Courage with Paul Dufresne

Yup, went to his clinic this past weekend. It was definitely for those interested in getting a lot out of their hard-earned cash, as it went from 9am-5/6pm with nary a break except for lunch! It felt strenuous for my days off, I mean, no sleeping in time??

Worth it, in my experience. What I really enjoyed was his 'it's ok' view. Horse freaks out? No problem. My friend's horse was getting snitty on the ground and tried to rear when Paul was showing us a half-pass on the ground, and what did he do? Stuck with her and was like, it's cool. She forgot about her temper tantrum and kept working. He said we often mirror the horse and when they freak out, we freak out. If we just keep on keeping on, the horse will be like, oh, ok, my human thinks we're doing fine. Guess there's nothing to worry about, carry on.

And that is so true, I mean, I would freeze up if my horse tried to rear when I was leading her!

We did some cool exercises, like 'driving' a horse over a tarp with us between a barrel and the tarp in case the horse decided 'no more' and wanted to buffalo past us, or jump the tarp. An important lesson, 'never get between your horse and a scary thing'

We encouraged our horses to be ok with us kicking a bag full of tin cans around, a giant neon soccer ball (my horse knows the ball and wasn't impressed still) and step up on command on a small platform. We weren't allowed to let our horses jump on it and stay there, as they will fall off and who wants a 1300lb animal falling on them??

My horse liked the platform and leapt on it and tried to climb right on, and I was like, nooo way!!

We also worked on a lot of 'poll bending' exercises, getting the horse's head lowered and comfortable. We practiced this exercise on horseback as well as on the ground.

Good clinic, be prepared for long ass days. You definitely get your money's worth, and a great tool for bravery and 'keeping your cool' which I needed.

Coming up next with Things My Boss Said

I was inspired to write this after a pal sent me this link: It's not bad, but you could make it better! http://bartlebysunite.tumblr.com/

And now, my entries:

Boss: “The council hasn’t come to sign cheques yet? Why don’t you give Bobo an email.”

Worker bee emails: “Bobo says he will be in on Thursday.”

Boss: “Why did you email him? I told everyone staff is not to contact council members. Only I contact council members!”

Worker bee: ????

**********
Boss: “Nobody is to contact council members-only I will. Therefore I will be taking the minutes at the council meeting, because of this. Worker bee no longer can attend council meetings.”

~~~after council meeting~~ next council meeting a month later

Boss: “Worker bee is taking minutes at the council meeting.”

Worker bee: “I thought you said staff wasn’t supposed to attend the council meetings anymore, and that you would take the minutes?”

Boss: “Well you take better minutes.”

Worker bee: “I have a migraine that day.”

Fall Fantastic

Bit of a lament here. Whitehorse has no fall fair, and no rodeos. No schooling shows either. It really bums me out, as last weekend was the Cobble Hill fair in Cobble Hill, the Saanich fall fair is coming up, and I miss them so much!

The Cobble Hill fair is a really cute tiny fair, complete with dogs herding ducks over little bridges, a horse show, 'largest vegetable' awards and baked goods and handicraft competitions. It is very tiny, but so worth going. When I was there, they had a miniature horse in-hand class where the handlers had to run the minis around traffic cones and one mini got super excited and ran off with his handler, pulling her to the ground. She was ok but man, those suckers are strong!

The Saanich fall fair is big, has a midway and everything. They have a fabulous rabbit/livestock competition and a horse show that is very well attended. They even have draft horse pulling competitions as well as carriage/trap competitions. It's fantastic! I didn't even go to the midway last time I was there, I was so caught up in the other events--they have a beer/wine category under handicrafts too, and there are a ton of entries in the 'vegetables/produce' categories, as well as baked goods.

My friends are going to the Alaska fall fair in Palmer, AK. It's about 45mins-1hr outside Anchorage and around 13 hours away from Whitehorse. I am so envious! It sounds like a blast, and I do miss those lovely fall fairs...

The Gift of Fear

By Gavin deBecker.

Not a book review, as I haven't read it yet myself (currently reading The Prince of Tides, yeah don't ask) but I have read a spinoff about stalkers who quotes heavily from 'Gift' and therefore feel it is appropriate to bring it up.

Also, a great feminist news source/angst mongering website I frequent does great book reviews and just reviewed this one, as they felt it was timely.

It is always timely, and in an effort to take this beyond book review, the book is about your senses being able to guide you past trouble. That sick feeling or 'hairs raising on your arm' creepy sense is valuable. They tell you something is wrong, and don't stick around to find out what.

The important thing about this book is not 'living in fear' which is extremely debilitating and dangerous, but using that one type of fear--creepy sense, as a tool to save your life from a bad situation.

de Becker doesn't victim-blame, he says we are all responsible for our own safety. Women in particular are to be aware, on guard constantly, as men are always the aggressors. We can't depend on others to protect us, they haven't earned the right to that.

One of the most troubling aspects of protecting ourselves is that women, through society and rom-coms, are conditioned to accept a man's aggressive behaviour, not taking 'no' for an answer, and always accepting a man's help, even if not needed and puts one in an uncomfortable or dangerous scene. We have to learn to say NO. And leave it at that. Don't feel bad, if they are bad people, so much the better. If they are good people, they will understand.

The Guns of August

Well, it's past the middle and on the homestretch towards fall...

The weather has been very cool and very wet. I don't think it has gotten past 15 at all these past few weeks, and last weekend, which was our long weekend, was most disappointing.

We did have a good summer, which was actually warm, but still...It currently feels like November in Victoria at the moment. It's true, YT gets about 2 months of 'warm' weather and then it's back to the shitstorm of cold.

Ah well, labour day is coming up! Interestingly, I noticed the french (almost wrote 'grench' school near my house starts on the 25th of Aug. When did that start happening, I thought all schools traditionally started after Labour day--tradition people! I guess it may be because L-day starts so late this year, but still. Here's what we have to look forward to these days...

Mon15°C 6°C
Tue16°C 6°C
Wed16°C 5°C
Thu17°C 7°C

Finally another Friday!

Candy review alert! Great truffle chocolate bars from 'Truffini'

They are 'all natural' and dark chocolate, bar form. They come in a variety of flavours, and I got mine on sale at Shoppers this week for $1.00 each, so I bought three. They originally cost $2.50 or more and they are produced in Richmond, ON.

The flavours I bought...

Raspberry truffle. It.was.fantastic~ Almost on par with the super-pricey Godiva raspberry, even better than the Lindt raspberry bar. Good value, and delicious. No bizarre ingredients save some exotic oils (coconut) and no artifical food colourings or flavours. Tastes excellent.

Peanut butter truffle. Very good, tasted more 'peanutty' and less like Reese's, even though I happen to really love Reese. Good quality and very filling.

Green tea truffle. This was a bit 'out there' for me, and unsurprisingly, it was the one I didn't enjoy quite as much. It was still good, but the green tea taste was sweet and slightly cooling, and I was expecting something a bit more different, perhaps with a stronger flavour. Not bad, but just a bit out there for me.

They're on sale at Shoppers for a buck each. Let's face it, you can't even buy a box of crapass Smarties for a dollar anymore. These suckers are a good deal!

I hope it only rains at night

After my triumphant gallop across-country the other week, I had yet another week where reality seems to come crashing down.

It all started (not at work, that's never a 'high' and always seems to be crashing around your shoulders) at riding, of all places! A good ride makes the world seem accessible and adventurous, a bad ride makes you lucky to be alive and shaking next time you see a hill!

I took a friend for a gentle trail ride and yes, it went very inauspiciously. However, while tacking up I spotted a dime. Yep, I am that ridiculous, I grabbed it triumphantly (way more worth it than a penny!) and banged the crap out of my head on a shelf, lurking above. Yeah it fucking hurt.

Not be outdone, while I was tacking up my friend's horse, the western stirrup slipped off the horn and whacked the same soft spot that had taken a beating only 5 mins earlier. OUCH.

Yeah that was karma trying to tell me something, maybe it doesn't like it when I think too much...My head hurt for the entire ride, and was tender and sore for the next 2 days.

Then...It gets better. I go for a ride under bad cirumstances (hungover, no sleep, exhausted, up from a midafternoon nap) and get my ass out on the trail with 2 friends. They let their horses gallop up a very steep hill and at the first jump, I was already starting to shake loose. My horse was not to be left behind, so she heaved her huge heifer ass up as fast as she could, nevermind her rider frantically clinging to her nonexistant appy mane. I fell off mid-hill at the gallop and bit the dust, landing luckily on my ass/side and not hitting my head again. I was a bit shaky after that, so I walked her back down the hill after we caught her.

This was turning out to be the trail ride from hell--lesson to myself, never ride hungover. We continued our trail on safer ground, less hills, and came across a big white-tailed deer, who took flight and spooked the younger horse. Mine spooked because she spooked, but only a little, enough to rattle the already shook up me! We gathered ourselves up and continued, only to...

Come across a man sleeping in a mini-bobcat. He woke up and again, startled the crap out of our horses. Leaping sideways, snorting, prancing...

Ok. We collected ourselves once again, feeling a little on the hairy side, and continued. I heard a car coming, and it sounded loud.

Right around the turn, a huge dumptruck was steaming full speed. He braked next to us. We were between a dumptruck still running and a cliff 20 yards away. The young horse was very unsure, my horse was unsure because of young'un and I was feeling very, very unsafe. I made an executive decision and leapt off, only to have the asshole masquerading as a 'man' let off his 'J' break and a huge gust of exhaust, which was very loud. Next to horses, next to a cliff.

I was very glad I had jumped off. The young horse almost lost her mind, and was safe only due the quick actions of her rider, who wrestled her under control and we continued out of the asshole's way.

Right now, I'm sticking to ring riding. That was too close for comfort, and I've never been a confident trail rider in the first place. Also, my ass hurt for 2 days after that ride.

Restaurant Review: Pickapeppa

I normally shy away from restaurants that have cutesy names, but you know, with a limited selection to choose from, a new restaurant is a godsend!

Pickapeppa, a northern Caribbean restaurant, just recently opened its doors, and are still 'working out the kinks' menu-wise as well as service. The menu was limited to curry items and roti items, drinks are spare- lemonade or ginger beer. The restaurant itself is tiny, seating maybe 20 people tightly, but it is very well decorated in a rustic yet joyful Caribbean style. It felt comforting and interesting.

I ordered the ginger beer ($5.25) and the goat curry roti (all roti items for lunch were $12.95, not expensive but not cheap either). My partner ordered the oxtail stew ($16.95) with black-eyed peas and the lemonade. For lunch it is a bit expensive, but seemed well worth it.

Our drinks came quickly and mine was quite good, the ginger was heating and yet not too hot that I couldn't drink it. The lemonade seemed a bit weak and they had the same colour, something that confused the heck out of us initially.

When our meals came--it didn't take long, the server notified me that there might be a bone in my goat curry roti. No problem, as long as I know!

There were 5 big bones and one tiny evil bone, but I caught all of them. Bones aside, the roti was delicious. Unusual and spicy, it was very tasty and I enjoyed it immensely. Well worth it, and I hope they work on the 'bones in the roti' issue...

My partner enjoyed his oxtail stew, and it looked good. Portion sizes are quite large, enough that you come away feeling stuffed.

Located right off main in the strip mall that used to have Le Gourmandise, Pickapeppa will only get better, I predict! A great place to have in the evil, bitter winter.

A Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing

A New York Times darling when it came out, about a million years ago in 1999, it's actually a fun little book.

Full of pithy insights about the pettiness of the human spirit, particularly while battling cancers (2 show up in the book), it's quirky and easy to read. I really enjoyed the author's descriptions of feelings and emotions, they ring true. New York I happen to be a bit alienated from, as I have not been there in over 10 years, so the book is a tad dated in that aspect. As well, the protagonist Jane Rosenal, pseudo-Jewish, is wealthy, or at least comes from a wealthy family (father is a heart surgeon, mother is ? homemaker?). Again, tends to date the book a bit.

Also, I never considered being an editor for a publishing house a viable career but apparently in New York it is and you can be a minor celebrity as well. The most heart-rending part of the book isn't the protagonist's relationships with men (fleeting, strong, casual and unfulfilling) but with her father. I am a daddy's girl, and it really felt real to me.

I haven't finished it yet--coming close. I have enjoyed it and I can see why it was such a sensation back in the day. I wonder what else Melissa Bank has come up with? In the age of Shopaholic, Janet Evanovich et al. it seems tragic that Bank has stopped. Her 'chick lit' was quality, not fluff.

This book was found at the free store and generously given to me. Apparently in its past life it was worth $12.99 USD and $18.99CDN, concurrently.

Busy busy busy

I've been absolutely run off my feet these last couple days, not just with work but with my personal life. Writing, friends, horseback riding, working out, work...Boy does that add up!

To tell the truth though, I am at my most creative, most interesting when I am that busy. When I don't know what to do at night, my zest for life starts waning and I sit on the couch and read. That's not to be confused with relaxing on the back deck with a beer or three and reading Practical Horseman after a rough day at work. It's odd, isn't it, how productive relaxation is so much more fulfilling than aimless 'relaxation'. It's that, what am I going to do with myself that can be absolutely soul-destroying. I think that's why I had such a tough time with myself this past winter.

Moral of the story? Be busy and stay busy, and then have productive relaxation periods where nobody is allowed to talk to you when you're having a drink and reading in the sun... Or pick up a great, all-consuming hobby that costs a lot, trust me that will always keep you on your toes.

Oh, and for the winter? Start building your defenses, as a friend of mine mentioned the other day. And get a SAD lamp.

New Riverdale Pub

Now this is specific to Whitehorseians.

Riverdale, that idyllic established surbian haven, has a pub-finally! Now if only Copper Ridge, a barren house-only suburb, would follow suit. We went to the pub on Friday to check it out, and somewhat unpromisingly, it was located in the strip mall under Peak Fitness. There were some scrungy guys staggering around outside in the parking lot clutching cardboard boxes of booze.

We entered and the first thought that struck me. "This feels and looks like a Vietnamese restaurant." It was true. The tables were restaurant-style arranged in groups of 4, little tables not great broad beams. The seating arrangements appeared to be similarly thought out, small clusters instead of drinking-friendly setups.

It was weird. There was even a Chinese gold cat with one paw upraised in some sort of 'heil' salute.

The ambience was a little...lacking. The beer was fairly reasonably priced, you could get a glass of Kokanee for around $3.75.

Restrooms were clean and large, again, not like a pub where you are lucky to squeeze into them past the floor dripping with suspicious liquids, the toilet paper everywhere and the slimy toilets.

The result? Not somewhere you go for a cozy boozing atmosphere, but if you live in Riverdale, why the heck not.

Is This The Life Worth Living?

Went on a totally exhilarating trail ride the other day that made me totally forget all my stressors, life stressors, job stress. It was fantastic, we galloped over hills, slid down steep inclines and raced each other. I drew the line when my friend wanted to gallop up an incredibly steep hill, about .5km long and as steep as a black diamond ski hill. I said 'no way' and that I'd ski down it but not ride up or down, yikes, did she have a death wish?

If she went back and galloped up it, I'd go watch though--it was that awesome. Cleared my brain of work issues (newbie, always hard) and life probs (is this what I want to do with myself?).

I think everyone needs something they can do that relieves their brains of thinking, thinking, thinking about themselves all the time. For me, horseback riding provides that respite. I don't need to think about tomorrow, or what's for dinner, or why my partner has anxiety attacks. It doesn't matter anymore, nothing does except the amazing freedom of galloping across country. I used to be afraid of some trail rides, as I grew up a show-ring rider and never had the opportunity to go wild on the trail, like some heathen child. I am riding a great horse, who listens to me even when we are slanted sideways on a steep dirt path, one stirrup hanging off her side. She knows when to push the envelope with me, galloping up a hill, me losing my stirrup and her deciding it's a fine time to keep cantering and run me through a hefty branch, my foot still wiggling for my stirrup. My friend laughed and laughed after I spluttered curses and yanked her to a stop. I'm not usually rough, but hey, enough's enough.

I like sharing horses, because I want something that brings such joy to my life to bring it to others. My partner doesn't really share this need, something I'm trying to break him of. Life feels sepia-tinted and grey when I am not riding. I need it to bring colour and excitement, the kind of thrill that drinking, partying and working out provides but so much more.

After a great ride, everything in my life feels resolved. It's totally not, and things still lurk under the surface, but after a good time in the saddle (not dirty) I feel accomplished and proud. I can handle it, if I can handle a 1,000 beast.

The issues are still there, and hell, even horses provide their own brand of drama, usually the crazy horse people. But they, like life problems, will always exist. At some point you have to own the life you live, and gallop on.

Dangerous Women

Why Mothers, Daughters and Sisters become Murders, Stalkers and Molesters.

By Larry A. Morris

Book Review:

As a nonfiction writer, I seek out books existing in the sociological realm (psycho-social though, I don't really believe sociology as a science, they just exist to put a name to what we already know).

This book was fascinating and takes to task the idea of 'sugar and spice and everyone nice'... I know it's 'everything' but yeah.

The stats are rather alarming but also continually show the obvious: for 30% of women in jail, the other 70% are STILL MALE.

Hm.

Also, for every, oh 25% of women who are found to be stalkers/molesters/murders, they have a male counterpart that is astoundingly high. Let's face it, the book is a great exploration of case studies and psych behind violent or bad behaviour, but men are still way, way worse. And men are the perpetrators of women who are dangerous.

For each case study, there was a history of childhood sexual abuse, either by a family member, parent or friend of the family. The abuse continued into adulthood in almost every cirumstance, and it was always a male.

Women who abused did so because they couldn't form a proper approach to sexuality and treating others. They simply didn't know how to.

This book also had some continuity errors that confused me, like during a case story he would be discussing someone's mother's mother, then refer to them as the 'mother' in the next sentence. Quoi??

Read the book, but in my focused lense, men are the causation of violent and dangerous women. Without a catalyst of horrible abuse, there wouldn't exist percentages of violent women. Environmental/nature/nuture factors follow here, and without a nurturing and positive environment, women can and do become violent abusers. But hey, can we go, men started it?

Maybe.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I'm not a rabid Harry Potter fan, although I am quite fond of the films. Never miss those ones!

This one showed a marked return to the older style of directing, less whooshing and strange violent movements and more love-story plotlines.

Over the irritatingly loud projection, the story was solid and true. The sound sucked though. The theatre was hot and stuffy, I was dying of thirst a quarter of the way in and it is a looong movie, and the coke (or cola) bought at exorbitant rates was so flat it was gross. Ick.

As usual, I was impressed with the astounding visual aspects of the film. Pure magic, really. I do wish they had more of Hagrid's creatures, but the book doesn't follow it, so why would the film?

I don't want to give too much away, but Snape is bad. Oh, so bad--here at least. He doesn't have a chance to redeem himsel, and poor Dumbledore bites the dust. Ah...end of an era really. Reminds me of the time the Ottawa Citizen ran a photo series 'Who would make the best Dumbledore?" after the initial actor died. They even had Sigourney Weaver dressed in a photoshop finest beard and wig. Haha.

Go see the film, but beware the crappy theatre!

Puckerooms or a Candy Review

Of Wonka's newest and finest, from the great garden of magic...

Puckerooms!

Sour, vaguely phallic-shaped sanded gummi mushrooms. I picked these over the gummi non-sour 'Sluggles' which had an equally attractive name.

Brand new, and interestingly Puckerooms are made in the Czech Republic. Hm. The gummis are not that sour, first off. I was a bit disappointed, as I was expecting something like sour soothers or a bit lesser, not a teensy bit tangy, if that. The chew though, is something to behold. It just keeps going, and going, and going. It is an impressive chew for a gummi. It took my voracious, 'slurps food like spaghetti' guinea pig at least 20 seconds to eat a whole gummi, which never happens.

I expect the package ($2.00 US) to last quite awhile. Good effort, Willy Wonka! Bringing back the whimsy to our candies...

Available in Skagway at the moment, in a bag only.

The Distance Between Us

I apologize for the lack of blogging, there has definitely been some change and it's hitting me where it hurts--work!

Actually, it is a very positive change but I have been absolutely swamped and ingratiating myself into a new environment=difficult times, my friends.

In other news, I drank a few blueberry beer yesterday to remind myself how great life is, and they were fantastic. I also felt a tad tipsy, as they are quite strong beer...

I also attended an art show, 'Exploring Illustration' by Cathleen Collins held at the Chocolate Claim. Great food, great art, good times. The hideous smoke cover that held the sun at bay has lifted, and my throat no longer burns. I even escaped to Skagway to get away from the smoke, and thank the gods, it was clear and fresh there, albeit cold.

Blog posts may be brief, as they are written during snatched moments in my life. Enjoy them as always!
Look for some new reviews, including the newest Harry Potter.
Sneak peek: Great action, taking it back to the roots, but awful theatre seats etc.