So, I decided to use this thing again.

The new idea is to keep track of the cool (who are you to argue with my status as an arbiter of cool?) things I do, since I don't get formal feedback in. . . any of them.

Also, I think I learn better when I write things down.

Aikido today: It's the beginning of the year, so there are tons of new people, and we're starting over again. Lots of girls, which is cool. Also, people shorter than me! Yes!

I have a theory that my tendency to lock into weird positions to keep my balance, instead of staying mobile and trying to continue attacks, is a learned instinct from riding. Mobility is not a major option on a bucking horse, really. I need a larger sample size, so my riding friends will hopefully drop by sometime.

My notes: Worked on kokyunage ikyo, omote and ura. "Breath throw." Rolling, leading hand is same as forward foot. Not sure that I actually get this wrong, but I should practice rolling with thought again. Maybe do some break falls, too.

However, racing across the mat and diving full speed into rolls after class is hella fun.

ETA: I made a bunch of old posts private. No particular reason, on most of them, I guess. Personal preference. I think what's left is fairly representative of the infrequent activity seen here since Dec 2006.

This thing. This thing. WOW. It's an exercise machine. . . based on horseback riding. I didn't scan the whole brochure (10 pages!), but consider this the "good parts version."

( Core Muscle Trainer, four big pics )They sell them in the States, too, but this Japanese brochure is way cooler than a b&w ad I saw in the Tribune - I think they go for about US$1500.

ETA: The US website

So, I'm doing it.

The long, narrative dreams are back - I've had two that I remember in the last week or so. I loose them when I'm not writing regularly, so this is pretty cool.

The last one totally character assassinated one of my favorite published characters, by way of inserting him into a riff on the Jaynestown episode of Firefly. My subconscious would like to submit that that particular character is all over the place on a trickster/order axis, which makes for more interesting reading (goal of order, trickster methodology, v.interesting). Also, that he is dead accurate with a shotgun. That was not anticipated by the waking brain bits, thank you.

Or just not? He's smarter than I am. Seriously. I will probably never end up in the lab of a Nobel laureate, but if I do, I hope I'll be half as unpretentious about it. And that said laureate is as good people as Temin was.

Anyway, organic chemestry had just about convinced me that I do not really want to be a bio major. And now I'm writing a bio paper, and I am *enjoying* myself.

So I like reading the humanities stuff, but when it comes time to sit down with a big pile of research and some results to make sense of, that keeps me out of the back alleys of the internet. Mostly (:-]). Major Asian Religions had me researching the erruption of Mt. Toba and human population bottlenecks and stuff until... four AM?

Yeah, I'm feeling better about this bio thing again. Now, to find an advisor...

I have learned three things today:

1) I suck at basketball now.
2) The reception of a puncture wound really does feel more like a blunt impact than anything.
3) I can make yummy food

( More about my day! )

I didn't realize my attempts to edit were creating multiple posts. I cannot figure out how to delete said posts. See: Serious formatting issues with this old browser. I apologize again for the spammed friends pages... sorry!!!

Oh, my word. My ancient Mac, and by ancient, I mean...five years old? Six? is connected to the Internetz for the first time in years. My browser options: Internet Explorer 5 and Netscape Communicator 4.7. I kid you not. Anyway, IE will let me read and post to LJ - albeit, with some drastic formating issues on the update page. I am typing in a box of the normal height, but about 1 cm wide, which may explain any disconnectedness in my style. "Disconnectedness" takes up three whole lines, you see. Netscape will let me see Facebook... IE brings up some "outdated browser" page, which I really can't argue with.

I've been trying to find a download of the old version of Firefox, which ran on Mac OS 9, but I haven't been having great luck. My acchievement thus far consists of realizing that I can actually READ the Firefox page in Netscape, while it crashes IE.

Also: Rudy managed to break his bridle. I was bringing the reins over his head to lead as we walked between the tack room and his stall, and I *think* they caught on the doorknob. Or something. All I know is that he threw his head back, and then his bit was dangling with the cheekpiece attached. Rudy was very calm about the whole thing, and didn't seem worried or pained. I got what was left of the bridle off of him, and shut him back in his stall while I figured out what was broken, which seemed to upset him more than anything. The part of the crownpiece that attaches to the cheekpiece broke right at the base. I JUST CLEANED that bridle, and I didn't notice anything wrong with that spot. I've been watching a small crack in my reins... never saw that coming. A little disturbing... I suppose it could have broken while I was riding, and I would have been left with no bit whatsoever. It's better that this happened... but I'm disturbed that I didn't realize the leather was so weak at that point. On the other hand, I don't know what caught on what. It could have been a strange angle, or something, that put stress on a small area of leather, and snapped it regardless of care. I just don't know. I do know that I need a new piece of a bridle... and I don't think I can find good English tack in the middle of IA. Not without driving for over an hour, anyway.

Also: I had gotten to the barn, and realized that my boots were not in the trunk as anticipated, leaving me in flipflops, with no bridle.

I grabbed a Western split-rein bridle with a sweet iron loose ring snaffle, and off to the arena we went. After two stupidity-related crises (throwing reins around near a doorknob, forgetting boots), I was questioning my competence to ride. Then I slammed my finger in the gate latch.

Yeah. That was the "big owie" I was worried about. Rudy was an angel. I love riding bareback, and the bridle was actually really fun. The reins are SO LONG! I crossed them over his neck, and used two hands, like normal. The crossed reins made it a lot harder to adjust them, so I couldn't really fuss with my hands - I think doing that more often would be good for me. We trotted circles, and reversed with pretty elementary turns on the forehand, which Rudy is starting to get the idea of. I had an excellent ride, and left the barn happy (as usual). The bridle situation will resolve itself eventually.

Also: this college has the most ridiculous alumni ever. During reunion, the Class of 90- something HOTWIRED A GOLF CART, and stole the Class of 70-something's beer. Heh.

Oh, boy. Ever since I discovered the "Graffiti" application on Facebook, I have been on a mouse-drawing spree. Observe my artisticness:



What does your drawing say about YOU?

That's a stream coming down off the near mountain peak, and a dotted path winding off the left edge of the screen to the stream, through scribblegrass(tm).

It says: Your friends and associates should generally find you a dependable and trustworthy person.
You are a thoughtful and cautious person. You like to think about your method, seeking to pursue your goal in the most effective way.
You like following the rules and being objective. You are precise and meticulous, and like to evaluate decisions before making them.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.

( An excerpt from my bio paper )

Anyone know any good studies of drugs pharmaceuticals and vaginal pH?
ETA: GRRRR! Das and Allan established correlation, but causation, if anything, was shown to be in the other direction! NO! Now I need more research...

I need to stop with the quiz-like things.
Typing speed/accuracy test

I hit 80 wpm, with two mistakes (mispelled answer and added a comma) typing the first paragraph of Rebecca (Last night I dremt I went to Manderley again...). Generally, I hover between 60 and 70 wpm.

Good to know.

Cute enough to make me forget that one should not lean on an electric fence, that's how cute.

( Pictures )

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd   Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Artistic Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Social Nerd
Drama Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Musician
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Well, duh.

Also, I realized after driving ALMOST all the way home that my CD player is currently collecting dust in the indoor. I did not go back to retreive it- shucks, I guess I have to go to the barn tomorrow. :-) Rudy and I did some jumping yesterday for the first time in weeks (spring break and all), which he was quite excited about. After a quiet ride today, he practically fell asleep in the aisle with me rubbing behind his ears. It was wonderful, and peaceful, and life needs more moments like that.

I set up some poles to an X for Herbie, which definitely helped him get the idea of how he needs to carry himself in order to jump things. With pre-break chaos, and then spring break, I haven't ridden him for a while. I've sacrificed Sunday aikido to ride more this month, which doesn't exactly make me happy, but seems to work well. Herbster (why does he have such an amusing name?! Soon, he's going to have an entire Herbilicious theme song) was very focused, and seemed to be enjoying himself as well. I really dislike jumping horses with no enthusiasm for it- honestly, it's a remarkably pointless thing to ask a horse to do.

Ellie and Chick both foaled in the last week- Ellie was late, and Chick was a little early. Ellie has a little chestnut colt with one sock, and Chick has a bay filly- Chick has been making scary protective faces across the barn at us every time Rudy moves in her general direction (ie, out of his stall), but they're both OK with me standing around making unreasonable cute noises, which is good. I promise I'll get some decent photos soon (the ones I took of Ellie's boy do not do him justice)!

I really, really want to go ride. The videos from the WEG finals Ben's friend linked to are not helping.

Andreas Helgstrand
Anky

I started this journal in December, 2003. I believe I was a freshman in highschool.

Needless to say, I wrote a lot of things over the last four years that the world absolutely does not need to see. So, since I'm on winter break now, I downloaded and deleted all my old posts, and redid the color scheme while I was at it.

Welcome to my journal, part two. I don't really know what I'll use it for, but at least I'll be able to post random stuff from the computer lab across the hall from my dorm room without having it link to the random stuff I posted from Dad's living room in 2004.

Cheers!