aikido, and the calculus of camp

Went to aikido tonight (heavy cotton gi + no air conditioning + aikido = sweaty stinky gi). The two senior instructors were both there, and neither of them said "yes, you and iabervon are testing for shodan [black belt] at camp this weekend", so that means the answer is "no, you and iabervon are not testing for shodan at camp this weekend". Which makes me much less inclined to drive 6 hours to work out in a heavy cotton gi in an un-air-conditioned gym (and watch other people take their shodan tests). But really, at this point, I'm not mentally (or arguably physically) prepared to have a Good Test, and really, I want to have a Good Test.

At the dojo, it may appear that the 4 of us (lyonesse and her boyz) run in a pack, but we just seem to be on the same wavelength regarding things like the utility and attractiveness of going to camp. If none of us is testing, and there's no other compelling reason to go to camp (other than to bask in the glow of Sensei's majestic presence), we'd just as soon stay home. The one downside to skipping this particular camp (other than the glow of Sensei's majestic presence) is that we'll miss E'beth's nidan test, which is totally going to kick ass.

and now, a horse

The past couple Saturdays, I've been going with Francie and Kylie to the barn where they take riding lessons. First there is the adult lesson, with Francie, Vicka, and Daniel. Then the kids lesson, which Vicka sometimes teaches, and where I've been helping the kids tack the horses, leading them on a lead line in the ring, etc. I like kids and I like horses, and I like kids who like horses. But this isn't about that.

Francie was saying that if I keep going down to the barn, they're going to have to put me on a horse. I've been riding for...call it 20 years, but I haven't had a lesson for at least 10 years. I'm not averse, but the kind of riding I've been doing (weekend trail-hacking in the state forest) doesn't require a lot of formal training, or at least not additional training beyond the big brass balls I keep in the saddle bag.

At the same time, the barn owner where I ride has been trying to talk me into converting my once-a-week mini-lease into a full half-lease - basically adding a couple weeknights to my one weekend afternoon. (Cheyenne's other rider just moved to New Mexico to be a cowboy, so he [the horse, not the rider] isn't getting enough work.) If I did that, I'd be doing more ring work, especially now that the nights are getting shorter (you've noticed that, haven't you?). And if I was taking lessons, I might have other things to work on than not getting run into trees, and not letting Cheyenne take the shortest route home.

So the question (for me, but you're welcome to chime in) is: do I want to triple my equine expenses and time commitments? Or should I take up a new hobby, say rock climbing?