Questions of the day

(1) Is therapy a form of learning?

I know this is broad - what kind of therapy? Learning in what sense? What is the relationship between therapist and client?
But just interpret it however you want.
Is therapy a form of learning (or can it potentially be)? Does therapy engage learning processes?

(2) What is educational psychology?

Tiler Peck and Nuttin' but Stringz

So I'm going from Earth Day and environmental awareness to something much more fickle, but this performance was absolutely amazing.
In fact, I'd go so far as to say it was awesome.
Travis Wall choreographed the Macy's Stars of Dance performance, featuring Tiler Peck (principle ballerina for NYC Ballet Co) and the violinist duo Nuttin' but Stringz, for the Dancing with the Stars Week 4 "Results Show" (aired 4/13 - I'm a little behind).

These performers are all amazing, musicians and dancers alike.
Something fun to check out (you can also find it at www.hulu.com - at about 28:50 :)

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

I'd like to share this article - Can you afford to go green? - that Heidi directed my attention to.
My favorite aspect of the article? It reminds us that "going green" doesn't require the drastic, expensive changes people often initially think. Just start by consuming less. Yup, it's that easy. And I'm definitely a big fan of recycling and buying recycled. And carpooling can be a good way to get to know some really awesome people. But the take-home message: start small, and suddenly it's not so intimidating.

Hope you had a good day today :)

Window shopping

Sometimes, just for fun, or to take a break from homework, or when I'm going a little stir crazy and wish I was riding, I like to go "window shopping."

What kind of window shopping, you ask? Well, window shopping for horses at sites like dreamhorse.com or equine.com.

But first in line, time for my Tommy to get new shoes, a new bit, more supplement cookies, new boots (for me), and maybe new medicine boots for him. And, someday, a new english saddle (been using Juilie's since Mom's bit the dust). And then maybe another pony so Neil and I can ride together. someday - but doesn't hurt to look, right?

Okay, okay - back to homework...

Good day

Research meeting got cancelled today, so I went out and rode my pony. We did some groundwork in the mud and then revisited the route from Saturday. "Perfect"? No. But better? Definitely. A ways to go, yet, but feels good :)

Oh, and Tommy ate his first half of an apple today!

two forward, one back

My pony bucked me off yesterday (Saturday).
I didn't even try to hang on (the first time) 'cause I was so caught off-guard. Just enough time to think, "Crap. Hang on or bail-by-choice?"
Rather than risk injuring my spleen again (hehehe), I voluntarily jumped horse and landed on my butt in the mud, facing my horse just in case I needed to get out of the way.

And later on down the road, it happened AGAIN. This time, though, I was prepared, so I hung on and got him bent. I'd have preferred to stay on both times, but I'll take what I can get, again given that I was riding in an English saddle on a big horse who catches some big air - and it was SO out of the blue! I haven't been bucked off him since the spleen incident of ... 2006, I think???
WTF Tommy???

We started out fine - my theory is that it was just a lot of little bits all added together. There were six of us - Tommy gets nervous when there are more than three (counting him). Juilie was riding Candy's horse, Sunny - Sunny was on crack, so Tommy was simultaneously intrigued by her and trying to get as far away from her as possible. A storm front was moving in and he'd had two weeks off, so he was a little extra goofy and spooky. But I think what really did it was the mud-induced-panic, 'cause both times his brained checked out were when we were in the mud - the deep, goopy, slippery mud out there on the plains of the front range. Tommy doesn't like the mud (well, it's not the mud so much as the discomfort of his hooves slipping out from under him), so Tommy tries to hurry up and get through the mud. We were approaching a down-hill, so I asked Tommy to do a 360 and slow down - coming out of the 360 is when he bucked.

I was too bewildered to have any sort of reaction beyond the "WTF??" (though the first words out of my mouth were "I landed on my butt, this time!"), so I got up, bent him each way, and stepped back on without a problem. Bent him again, and we continued on, serpentining down the muddy hillside. As soon as we got to a dry spot, I made him do more 360s, side-passing, backing up - anything and everything to serve as a "brain check" and maybe figure out what triggered that reaction in the first place.

But once we were out of the mud, we were fine. He had returned to the quiet, compliant, soft version of himself - almost seemed a little ashamed of his prior behavior.

Until we got back into some more mud, and then his brain fell out again.
Like I said, this time I was prepared. He started to hurry, so I bent, and I hung on this time. Two jumps into the air and then done - but he was still tense the entire time we tromped through that muddy field. Like a ticking time bomb. He was haulin' ass until we hit dry road. I got him to do baby serpentines, so he didn't run home, but he's usually bringing up the rear, not leading the way.

He'd been hobbled before I got him, and he used to kick at anything that came in contact with his hind legs, so I wonder if maybe, when I asked him to do those 360s, his hind legs just got a little tangled, started to slip, and he panicked and went up in the air. Or maybe he was so hell-bent on getting out of the mud, he decided to act like a butt-head and brush me off (or buck me off) when I went to bend him. Maybe both - maybe he has started to panic, and then my bending him became too much extra stimuli. I really don't know.

Once we hit dry ground again, he was fine.

I DO know that we're going to have to work through it, whether he was reacting out of fear or out of defiance, but the point is that sometimes I have trouble telling which of these two is influencing him more (and it makes a difference in how I handle the situation). Sometimes it's obvious - when he's being a butt-head, he swishes his tail and tosses his head (which he was not doing on Saturday - he was just stiff as a board through the mud, and then positively drooping on dry ground).

I worked through more mud when we got home - and I watched as, once his hind feet started to slip, his hind-end popped straight up in the air to just get him out of that uncomfortable situation. And when I wrapped the lead rope around his hind legs, his initial reaction was *flinch* (but no kicking - good boy!), so I'm suspicious that it was mostly panic. But I wish I could read his mind, sometimes.

And we still need to work through it, regardless - I'm sure the mud will be there for awhile, so we'll just go play on-line and riding (though likely with my western saddle this time). Or I could just send him to WA for a bit - no escaping the mud, there!

I just wish I knew for sure.
Oh well, no matter - we'll just revisit - plenty of learning opportunities :)

Part of why I am sharing this is that I've been asking my study participants what are some of the challenges of owning/working with horses, and what kept/keeps them coming back for more? So here is one of the challenges with a "used" (and abused) model - I can relax on him, but I'm never going to be able to fully let my guard down, so, while it's nice to imagine cantering off into the sunset, it will never be that romantic in reality. And I don't know if I handle situations like this "properly" when they arise, which obviously leads to some heavy-duty reflection on my part. Did I do the "right" think? Should I have made more an issue out of it at the time? Or was it okay to get to a safe-moving-on point and let it be for later revisiting? Am I being too harsh or too soft with him?
Eesh - reflection? More like mild distress, almost. How do parents do this??

But why do I keep coming back? Masochism? Seriously, though - in this case, I don't think Tommy means to be "bad," so I can't hold it against him. I want to help him. We're such good partners when we're in sync. I can think of some flat-out naughty, bratty horses. Tommy can be one from time-to-time, but his overall personality is very compliant. He just has panic attacks (which I can relate to).
Personalities - there are as many different personalities - or "horsalities" - as there are horses in the world, and that's part of what keeps me coming back, too. And when their heart is there and their trying so hard. When they nicker at you and nuzzle you, and choose to come be near you. And because I'm a puzzle-solver - this is a puzzle - what was the catalyst and how can we re-direct that reaction? And he hasn't given up on me, so how can I give up on him? And when you make it over those hurdles together, as a team, it is awesome!
And the smell, and the feel - looking into their eyes - again, appreciating those horsalities.
Sometimes it sucks, and sometimes it is life at its absolute best.

Oh, Tommy. Thanks for keeping me thinking ;)
And at least big buck = big jump :)

Dear Perfumed Gym Users:

Props to you for using the gym. Even more props to you for working hard enough to work up a sweat. But did you know that when you do work up a sweat, it strengthens the already pungent aroma of your respective cologne, perfume, or body spray?

What begins as a mildly annoying scent quickly becomes intolerable - sickeningly overwhelming in the confined space we share. My eyes sting and tear up, my head begins to throb, my chest gets tight as my asthma protests, my lungs all but shutting down. And I just want to work out, just like you are doing. But there is just no escaping you.

And so, boys and girls who soak in the scent before hitting the gym, if you could lay off the cologne, the perfume, the body sprays, perhaps until POST work-out, that would be most appreciated. C'mon, relish the sweat. You've worked hard for it. And in the meantime, you can spare your fellow gym users the watery eyes.

Thank you for being considerate and abiding by the unspoken codes of the gym.

Sincerely,

Me

Revisiting the swirling vortex of terror...

April 8th: UNC Research Day
1 poster presentation, 1 panel presentation, 1 paper or poster (TBA)

April 15-17: Rocky Mountain Psychological Association (RMPA) conference
1 poster presentation, 1 paper

April 30- May 4: American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference
1 poster presentation, 1 paper

To say nothing of regular homework, the Ed Psych Society newsletter/website/events, & "little" things like taxes, FAFSA, what-I'm-doing-for-work-next-year, etc.

Hang on to your hats...