Virtual Brush Box

Words

Speaker 1: I’m holding a Friendmas. Wanna come?

Speaker 2: Say what?

Speaker 1: Friendmas. It’s like Friendsgiving except at Christmas. It’s for people who don’t have family, and for people who have family but wish they didn’t, and for folks who have to stay in town to work holiday shifts.

Speaker 2: What is Friendmas when you take it out of the box?

Speaker 1: Well, to start, the color scheme is purple and orange and yellow and blue, basically any color other than red and green.

Speaker 2: So it’s an anti-Christmas?

Speaker 1: Not at all. That’s the point. There is nothing inherently Christmas about red and green. Or snow. Or traveling. Or Santa. Or fir trees. Or Jingle Bells. Or Frosty. Or …

Speaker 2: I get it. I get it.

Speaker 1: Or … ahem. Anyway. You can have none of those things and still have Christmas. Think of it as alt.Christmas.

Speaker 2: Activities?

Speaker 1: Eat. Drink (both high-test and regular). Be Merry. Play holiday movies with the sound off and make up our own dialogue.

Speaker 2: Gifts?

Speaker 1: Yes, gifts, but everything has to be consumable. No stuff. You won’t leave with anymore than you came with. Again, there is nothing inherently Christmas about buying stuff. Although, I did buy lumps of frankincense and myrrh because how many of us have actually seen those things? Did you know they are both resins? I figure everyone knows what gold looks like.

Speaker 2: Sounds like a plan.

Speaker 1: I’m looking forward to it.

Speaker 2: I’m just here as a narrative device, aren’t I?

Speaker 1: Yeah, but this way I’m not talking to myself.

Speaker 2: Merry alt.Christmas, everyone.

~~~

This would be a fun frame for an ensemble plot. Each character or set of characters has their own problems. There is an interrelated solution that comes together at the party.

~~ fin~~

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. Charity Partners, NYRR: Run for Charity. “Nonprofits accepted into the Official Charity Partner Program are able to raise vital funds through runners looking to gain guaranteed entry into our sold-out premier events. NYRR: Official Charity Partner Program.
~~~

Virtual Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K
Lock Haven Park/Hoover Dog Park
5 Nov 2021
~57 minutes

Oh look, Strava records moving time. I’ve often thought my 5K time would be under an hour, if I didn’t count time that I stopped for photos and notes.

No loot, other than this digital badge. Sad face. Gets away with it because this 5K and the idea of walking around NYC is what started my 5K project in the first place. “Runners will zip through the streets of Manhattan, and finish at the famed Marathon finish line in Central Park—without running 26.2 miles.” Run Guides: NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5K. [Proof of Concept]

Fun park. When you want to take a break from walking, you can watch the dogs. Chosen as the second of three local parks I wanted to check out. [Little Walking, Little Walks]

Update. Listed with monthly walks. [The Next Step, State of the Fitness, November]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. “The Assembly also designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention {United Nations Convention against Corruption} in combating and preventing it.” UN: International Anti-Corruption Day.

“And of course we have contrived that their very language should be all smudge and blur; what would be a bribe in someone else’s profession is a tip or a present in theirs.” Screwtape Proposes a Toast, Lewis.
~~~

Rodney lunges better than he long lines, particular when lunge line is attached to a halter as a faux-lunging cavesson, I tried to recreate this under saddle.

Bzzt!

Dug up his old hackamore noseband. Rode with the bit as back up in case this was a bad idea.

Bzzt! Bzzt!

We gave it a week. Then stopped. He hated it. No overt misbehavior, just low-grade resentment and the ever-present possibility of making poor life choices.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!

I took it off mid-ride. He relaxed immediately. The minions finally got the message. Last time we tried this, he liked it. I though I was onto a good thing. Hmmff.

November 2015. Tack purchased. [New Equipment: Hackamore Attachment]

January 2016. Hackamore versus bit options. [Rodney’s Headgear]

February 2016. We go full minimalist. “He is wearing a side-pull hackamore noseband, a headpiece, & reins. That’s it. No saddle. No bit …. He was a star … We’ve done it three times now. We usually give him at least a week to grasp new ideas. He’s been thrilled during each ride. ” [View from the Top]

September 2016. Experiment ended. “I’m also getting more assertive with Rodney. Yes, I know you prefer a hackamore. I don’t. You have not earned the cred. Therefore, you will wear a bit. Deal with it.” [Or Not. Rodney]

Now he prefers a bit. Go figure.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Ancient Alabama, part four, “The features … were signs of an astrobleme, or ‘star wound.’ ” AL.com: 84 million years ago, a massive meteorite strikes ancient Alabama, Pillion, 15 Nov 2021, updated 19 Nov 2021.
~~~

At last week’s lesson, School Horse and I cantered a course!

It was a short course, only 5 jumps, all crossrails. I’m still counting it. Round the outside and down the diagonal for a single.

I had to look for a jump! I haven’t had to do that in forever. Actually, it feels like yesterday. The calendar tells me it has been far too long.

The Tailored Sportsman britches from Carousel Tack Shoppe. So begins the conversion to hunter princess. We’ll see how far it gets.

Previous Hunter Barn post [Lack of Lessons Lately]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Could you live or work in a former church? Whatever: And Now, the Latest Scalzi Acquisition.
~~~

Now that Greg is riding more (yay!), we are riding together (yay!). That often means riding after work (not so yay.).

Evening has never been Rodney’s fav time of day. Because it’s getting cooler? Getting darker? Who knows.

In order to get him adjusted to the concept, we have gone back to first principles. Handwalks in the gloaming. Stand practice as the sun sets. He’s better with company, not surprising. So we practice the baby steps when Milton’s rider can’t get away before dark.

To date, Rodney is calm on the surface, but jumpy underneath. He doesn’t believe yet.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. CETI: The CETI scientific team collaborated to develop a scientific roadmap, Cetacean Translation Initiative: A Roadmap to Deciphering the Communication of Sperm Whales.
~~~

Achievement: unlocked! Clear – 16 NSN rides. Grey – 7 rode, not NSN. Stripes – 7 no ride.

No Stirrup November with Equisarte Shows. “The main goal of the challenge is to complete the 10 rides without using stirrups for a portion or all of the ride.” Equisarte: No Stirrup November

What I learned:

+ Don’t wear slippery riding tights.

+ The slick Wintec saddle may be part of the reason I don’t feel like dropping my stirrups with Rodney. Not an excuse, but a contributing factor.

+ Practiced dropping stirrups & picking them back up. Also, this means the horse learning to ignore the rider fishing around with their feet.

+ Lost momentum mid-way through the month. I know I can do it. I know riding without stirrups is good practice. Not with this horse.

+ Keeping track of our rides showed me that while we don’t do much on each ride, we do ride often.

+ I found retrieving my stirrups to be harder when they are short. Dunno if it is objectively harder, i.e. less room to maneuver or because I’ve only recently raised them. I can certainly tell they are shorter when I go to mount up. [Speaking of Stirrups, Up They Go]

+ It’s all about the horse.

Data Dump

NSN: 16 days. One day during a lesson with a school horse, trotted. Fifteen days with Rodney, lots of standing, a little bit of walking, no trotting. In order to do *something* I practiced picking stirrups up without looking.

Rode: 23 days, out of 30. Sixteen NSN. Seven did not: forgot, tired, rider not feeling it, or horse not feeling it.

Non-riding days: 7 days. Three days off. One day for shoeing. Three days groundwork/handwalk.

[No Stirrup November Begins]
[No Stirrup November, In Which I Complicate An Introduction]
[No Stirrup November, No Stirrups Not On Purpose]
[No Stirrup November, No Stirrups, No Tack]

I wish I had done more. At least I did this.

Update [No Stirrups, Lots of Ribbon]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Images

Awareness of the outside world. The Dance Foundation: Freeform. PERFORMANCE LIVESTREAM: Sat, Dec 11 at 7PM, FREE.
~~~

Continuing to explore Boolean graphic operations in Inskcape. Part 3, this time with logo practice in keeping with the monthly State of the Blog yesterday. [Part I, Part II]

Huh?

I thought this was going to be a doddle.

Union. Okay. Merge, as expected. Result from bottom color.

Difference. ??? Where did the second and third letters go?

Intersection. ??? Everything disappeared.

Exclusion. Okay. Donut holes, as expected.

So … this is what happens with multiple shapes?

Hmm. Intersection. I guess there is no point were all three letters overlap, so a null set makes sense.

Hmm2. I still don’t understand the subtraction operation here. When the letters are on top, why does it only show one letter? When the letters – the smaller shapes – are underneath, why doesn’t everything disappear, the way it did last week?

The mystification continues.

Enough. Moving on. Returning to generating art next week.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine