i just burned the shit out of my tongue on some oatmeal that i microwaved myself. that's the worst - you just want to take the spoon and scrape the crispiness off, but it just leaves you feeling even more toasted. duh. you think i'd be more experienced with this microwave phenom. techtard.

if you haven't heard her yet, i'd highly recommend tristan prettyman, jason mraz's girlfriend. try "love love love" and "electric" to start out. i can send them to you if you'd like.

horse people: i am a little bit stuck. most of my regular riders are very young (ages five to nine) and very green around the gills (mainly just starting out), but here's the thing - many of the moms are sort of horsey themselves. by "sort of horsey", i mean that maybe they started taking lessons five years ago, bought a big honking warmblood and the top of the line tack/apparel (OH the outfits - one woman sends her six year old to the barn in a burberry poncho), and they can't really ride/show the beast. faux horsey, you see? but in the meantime, they think their children are the most naturally gifted riders ever - reality being that the kid can barely trot. so here i am with these mothers watching like hawks while i think of creative things to do with kids who mainly ride at a walk for forty-five minutes. problem: i don't remember HOW i learned this stuff. we do lots of balancing and stretching, lots of games to work on stopping/moving forward/organizing yourself in the saddle...but i'm running low. riders, any thoughts/suggestions?