chicken and egg, meet the ATM conundrum

Today was one of those days where you feel like you are on the outside looking in - looking in on someone else's life to be precise - and what I saw was Amsterdam kicking me hard in the &%$.  Test of the day:  the ATM would only dispense large bills.  The Dutch only like to accept small bills from you when you purchase anything.  They also absolutely hate having to make any type of change.  They will patiently watch you dump out the contents of your wallet and pay with 47 coins as opposed to breaking a 50 note.

Knowing this predilection, I bicycled from bank branch to bank branch to exchange my money once I realized that the ATM had essentially given me the finger.  Interesting development, though... none of the banks had any money inside - they operate strictly ATM only here!  There aren't even bank tellers present, but just a person that greets you at the door and shows you to the ATM.  Honestly, the banks don't have money inside them here... I am still baffled by this.

So you can guess where this is going, right?  I had to beg shop keepers and grocers to accept my euros in their unfashionable denominations all day long.  I really can't put into words just how annoyed the Dutch get about having to make change.  It truly was as if I had personally insulted every person I had to pay today.  People muttered under their breath at me... others waved their hands about in disgust.

A bit surreal... the ATMs dispense large notes at random times  / the banks don't actually have money inside them to make any change for the euros their ATMs have just dispensed / and the general populace hates making change.  How?  Why?  Help!!!

Game ON horse!

More horse talk - as I am obsessed with my lessons at the moment.  So I found those horse riding instruction books and have been studying them with much tenacity.  I chose the more zen and horse friendly manuals - but find myself learning from a very strong-willed oompa loompa like character at the stables.  My instructor is all of 4 1/2 feet - and she is FIERCE.  She likes short reigns and firm kicks.  I like stroking the neck and making cooing noises.

Today she took the leash off of Flair and I rode a horse without training wheels for the first time.  It was pretty thrilling.  Then Flair stole the show and tried to walk us out of the ring and back to the stables.  It is hard to remember what you read the night before in your zen horse manual when you are basically being hijacked by a horse.  Oh Flair - why do you hate me so?

So today I learned how to use a riding crop (I prefer the sound of that vs. what oompa loompa calls it:  horse whip).  I have been dreading this day... I don't want to kick a horse, let alone whip one.  But I must say that it did keep my horse in the ring (hooray) and on the path (mostly).  Midway through all of this chaos Flair tried to shake me off, and then bite me.  It sounds a lot worse than it was - however, if she didn't have that massive bit in her mouth I would have run for my life!  Apparently she is testing my resolve.

And now I am on the hunt for some horse psychology books asap.

Will it come to horse bribery?

I have recently started learning how to ride horses.  Coming from Oklahoma, I am a bit shocked that I missed this crucial lesson growing up (that and not having to take any foreign language in high school - really?)  Better late then never!  Luck would have it that the most beautiful riding stable happens to be mere minutes away.  Sometimes luck also throws an instructor that speaks english my way, too!

My lessons started a few weeks ago with me in bootcut jeans (best I could do) and my worn out Frye boots.  I looked kind of idiotic, and certainly didn't exude any authority with my horse (Flair, who happens to be a complete diva in the horse stable community).  However, just back from a trip to the ever-so-lovely Dallas, Texas - I am fully geared up and certainly look the part of horse enthusiast.

I think I rode a little bit better today.  My boots certainly didn't slip out of the stirrups per usual.  My helmet actually fit my head for once, and the spandex of my britches was a very welcome and comfortable surprise.  Sorry Mr. Ralph Lauren, but spandex really does trump all-American denim when it comes to maneuvering your steed.

Lots to work on... big surprise:  I am too nice to the horse.  I need to find my horse voice and start using it! Must download horse voice finding books onto my kindle ASAP.  In the meantime, someone working in the stables told me that Flair has a weakness for peppermint candies - so I will be loading up on those in a big way.