This is a really good analogy! Since I live in the western US and most people have been sore AF after an hour-long trail ride on a rented dude horse, I usually just go “dude, that’s not even baby steps and you couldn’t hack it” but that falls flat for those who have literally 0 horse experience.

Dressage (well, and equestrian sports in general) are incredibly complex, so it’s really difficult to explain them. First, realize that just riding a horse requires more physical strength and ability that most people realize. You’ve got to constantly be moving in sync with the animal just to stay on its back, which…

Hell, forget about making it look invisible—I’d like to see the people who knock dressage as not a real sport just try to *stay on* a Grand Prix horse at a medium or extended trot.

I agree. Placing a no-contact order on people accused of committing a crime together is totally standard and normal.

I have seen it, in the Field Museum. You’re normally allowed water bottles there but we were in a special exhibit where no food or drink was allowed (it only mentioned it in the brochure/map, though, nowhere else that I saw). A lady next to me at one of the exhibits took a water bottle out of her bag and a museum…

I am glad I’m not alone! Everyone thinks it’s really weird but I find that listening to podcasts while I run is much more effective than music. When I listen to music I notice how tired I am or whatever, while listening to a good podcast keeps me just distracted enough to push through.

I haven’t been able to read it yet (on mobile, saving it until I have a bigger screen), but I think this sort of thing is very common when people aren’t able to have the closure of being able to locate and bury their loved ones. My experience is a little different, but I do wilderness SAR with a specialty as a cadaver…

My pleasure, I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit too. Good luck with the racist. :(

Yep, and the article I read mentioned that a lot of the comments on that post were warning him to stay in control and remember that he’s a role model for his kids, so it seems he probably has a history of shitty behavior beyond his criminal record.

Ah, for some reason I was thinking she was in Germany or somewhere in that area, where they were introduced earlier. I should have looked her up a bit more thoroughly. ;)

I’m o

Stirrups were in widespread use throughout Europe by the 8th century CE, while a quick Google says Lady Godiva lived in the 11th century.

I have never even heard of this show but this GIF is killing me and now I want to watch it.

I was going to mention this as well. Bears and occasionally cougars are killed by people feeding them, because most fish and wildlife agencies have policies about euthanizing habituated animals (they’ll catch and relocate them a time it two, but if they’re caught around humans again, bye bye bear). Habituation and the…

A lot of those older houses are very efficient, IME. I used to live in this 100-year-old adobe in a part of southern NM where summer temps were pretty much always 3 digits. No AC or swamp cooler and I rarely missed it. The walls were like two feet thick and you had to get the hang of when to open and close various…

Well, and not to mention that many (I’ve heard conflicting reports of how many exactly, but even the lowest estimates are significant) of the emails were retroactively classified—in other words, when she sent the emails they weren’t classified, but then later the subjects discussed were. Sure, best practices would…

I once discovered that my driver’s license was expired right before a flight across the country, and I didn’t have a passport. I called TSA to ask what to do and they basically were like, “It’s technically still okay for a year after the expiration date so just bring your birth certificate in case, but it’s really up…

Agreed, though I once had a shitty experience where I got hit with a $500 bill because my insurance company decided that not all the x-rays taken at urgent care were necessary (I had a potential spinal fracture and they couldn’t get a clear picture so it took them a few tries), and I was paying out the nose for…

I’ve worked in health care, and am a first responder, and have several family members who also work in health care (nurses, therapists of varying kinds, etc.). So I get what you’re saying.

That also kind of depends on where you are, but in general, no. There are a few protected sites where backcountry permits are required and strictly enforced, but they make up a very small percentage of our public lands. For other lands, permits may technically be required but no one really cares (the most they’ll do…