When one is pregnant, it seems like your entire life revolves around the fact that you are pregnant. I actually knew I was pregnant at about three and a half weeks, and had it confirmed at four. I was out of town, but I wondered if it was to early to go get a pee stick to see if I was or not. So I kind of didn't say anything for about four days, woke up early Tuesday morning in the beginning of March, snuck into the bathroom, and whizzed on a stick. I came back pregnant.
As soon as I got that, I headed to the Airforce Base to have it confirmed, because it's free there, being an Airforce Spouse. They did a blood draw and I went home, to my husband still in bed (he was working swings and got home late) asking me where I went. I just told him I had to run an errand until I got the phone call a little later, yep! I was! When I got that news, Gus knew. I was actually planning on getting pregnant about this time of year if we hadn't gotten pregnant already, but if it didn't happen when it did, I don't know when it would have because Gus's schedule has been all over the place. So I guess the kidling was going to come when it was going to happen, otherwise it might have been a while. I guess things happen for a reason.
I actually sat on this news for about a month, I told my horse friends because I wasn't riding as much as usual and they just seemed to find out. I didn't want to out and say it, because after the last time, miscarrying, well, even at seven weeks, after knowing for two weeks, it wasn't fun. About a month after it happened, I had people still coming up and congratulating me since they hadn't heard the news that I had miscarried and it kind of stung. Their intentions were good, but it just kind of dug the pain in a little more. I wanted to make sure this time it stuck before I made the formal announcement to the world.
My family finally got the official word in April, when I was about nine weeks along, a couple siblings knew, but everyone else was excited for me. I made the formal announcement on Facebook at about twelve weeks, and as of tomorrow, I'll be seventeen weeks along. I think I felt the quickening, in fact the first time I thought I felt something was at about thirteen weeks, though that is insanely early and it's just been here and there. I'm starting to feel it more and more. We'll likely find out the gender in the beginning of July.
I'm going through a couple Nurse Midwives, going through a hippy phase I guess :P, just because I want to try to go natural. Going natural might be permanent birth control for me too, who knows? I may never want to have another baby after this, but our goal is two. We'll see how up I am for that after I've dealt with an infant for a few months, as we have discovered getting pregnant appears to NOT be a problem. I just knew for whatever reason I was super fertile, and I've never been on any hormones or birth control or any of that. I think in a lot of ways that has kept me pretty healthy. After baby number two comes along, one of us is going to have to get fixed or I have a feeling infants will keep coming, and as exciting as pregnancy is, after the scare with my first miscarriage, I've taken it easy with what kind of activities I do. I really would like to have a life again and do stuff. I feel like I can't do squat right now. We went on a motorcycle ride, I felt ever bump in my uterus.
Can't wait to meet you, babe. Though I do fear losing my independence.
A blog about a girl who speaks her mind and talks about whatever she wants. So its a blog about everything, and absolutely nothing, all at the same time. . .
6.07.2011
6.06.2011
To Good To Be True?
I went to this workshop today in regards to starting an online business through an online company that has apparently gotten some poor reviews in the past. Alright, I'll just out and say it, it's a company called StoresOnline.com, perhpase you've heard of it? Now, I consider myself a fairly saavy person when it comes to the internets, but I really need to do some research on this kind of thing and I am grateful to have a partner that can kindly (or forcefully) tell me to just walk away. Being Ms. Impulse, I do need that and marriage has helped me at that, he's not nearly as impulsive as I am.
In short, about a month ago my mom got this letter in the mail asking about this little workshop and I agreed to go with her, mostly to get the information to see if I can use it. I thought they had some good information so I went ahead and got a seat at the all day workshop for today. To be honest, I'm glad I went to it, I still think there was some good information, and if done wisely I can turn around and do my own research on it and use it. I don't know if I will or not now, that remains to be seen, but I will also admit they had smooth talking salesman and using the infamous pitch of 'buy it now for this one time offer', which Gus is leary about. That's the main reason he wanted me to walk away, to him that's a warning sign.
It was also a warning sign initially for me by how much they were asking for the product. At first the sticker shock made me go "ouch". But then, if I did the right research before hand, I could have better phrased how much it is really worth to me.
To be fair to the company, I think the right person with the right skills could take their business opportunities and be successful at it. The problem is that a lot of people who aren't in a position to build their own business and don't have the technical know how to make it successful often get duped into it and end up putting in a lot more time money and effort into the whole affair and end up feeling scammed. I almost fell for it, but I insisted I had to talk to my business partner first, because it did seem like a good investment opportunity and I probably could make it work if I could get over my motivation or lack thereof at times. He wasn't buying it, I tried to sell him, he talked me out of it. It's a good thing I'm not a sales person, I will never be a sales person, but the business model does sound like a good idea if I can get to that point.
Anyway, long story short, I'm only out a little money and the day for today's workshop where it could have been a lot more, but I still got some good info out of it so maybe in the long run I could find some kind of business opportunity, try to get back into blogging (well, you can see how that's going), get some kind of internet presence once more, I just need to learn how to market. They did stress over and over they weren't selling a business in a box or it wasn't a get rich quick scheme, and a lot of the negative reviews on websites seemed to be from disgruntled customers who didn't know what they were doing in the first place (though a lot appeared legit as well). I do still want to find something to do to bring in a little extra income into the house other then doing my weekend warrior stint and finding myself working retail. I'm a traditional, I would like to do something where I could work from the home.
I guess I'll find a way to go back to school instead. Hmm. . . guess I've never been one to work on my own business opportunities. Could go to school for business, but I don't know if I'm the entrepeneur type.
In short, about a month ago my mom got this letter in the mail asking about this little workshop and I agreed to go with her, mostly to get the information to see if I can use it. I thought they had some good information so I went ahead and got a seat at the all day workshop for today. To be honest, I'm glad I went to it, I still think there was some good information, and if done wisely I can turn around and do my own research on it and use it. I don't know if I will or not now, that remains to be seen, but I will also admit they had smooth talking salesman and using the infamous pitch of 'buy it now for this one time offer', which Gus is leary about. That's the main reason he wanted me to walk away, to him that's a warning sign.
It was also a warning sign initially for me by how much they were asking for the product. At first the sticker shock made me go "ouch". But then, if I did the right research before hand, I could have better phrased how much it is really worth to me.
To be fair to the company, I think the right person with the right skills could take their business opportunities and be successful at it. The problem is that a lot of people who aren't in a position to build their own business and don't have the technical know how to make it successful often get duped into it and end up putting in a lot more time money and effort into the whole affair and end up feeling scammed. I almost fell for it, but I insisted I had to talk to my business partner first, because it did seem like a good investment opportunity and I probably could make it work if I could get over my motivation or lack thereof at times. He wasn't buying it, I tried to sell him, he talked me out of it. It's a good thing I'm not a sales person, I will never be a sales person, but the business model does sound like a good idea if I can get to that point.
Anyway, long story short, I'm only out a little money and the day for today's workshop where it could have been a lot more, but I still got some good info out of it so maybe in the long run I could find some kind of business opportunity, try to get back into blogging (well, you can see how that's going), get some kind of internet presence once more, I just need to learn how to market. They did stress over and over they weren't selling a business in a box or it wasn't a get rich quick scheme, and a lot of the negative reviews on websites seemed to be from disgruntled customers who didn't know what they were doing in the first place (though a lot appeared legit as well). I do still want to find something to do to bring in a little extra income into the house other then doing my weekend warrior stint and finding myself working retail. I'm a traditional, I would like to do something where I could work from the home.
I guess I'll find a way to go back to school instead. Hmm. . . guess I've never been one to work on my own business opportunities. Could go to school for business, but I don't know if I'm the entrepeneur type.
6.05.2011
Thoughts On Genderless Children
NOTE - This post is very personal and draws from my own experiences and the outcomes of those experiences. It also explains a lot about what kind of person I am and why I am who I am.
Ok, me being me lately, I have not been all that motivated to jump online and comment on recent events like I used to. I was once a blogging fanatic, but that has changed with me getting married and the destractions that come along with it, to include my current pregnancy. And Facebook, which I promised my husband I would take a week long sabatical from, just to prove I don't need it. As I type this, I'm wondering if that's the quickening I've felt. I'm not even seventeen weeks along, but it certainly doesn't feel like the digestive track. Is the baby doing jumping jacks in there? Or is that just my small intestine? HOW DO I KNOW IF IT'S THE BABY??? I've felt things before and wondered, but I'm told it's to soon for my first pregnancy (to this point at least)
So anyway, about a week and a half ago, there was this big controversy with this >Canandian couple that decided to raise their child as Genderless, the story of which has died down. Me, being the conservative person that I am, you might think I might jump on this story as most others of conservative persuasion might and think of how wrong this couple is to raise this child with no set standards of gender identity, in affect, letting the child choose how it would like to identify themself when they come of age. And in a sense, I am inclined to think that the child does need to know that they are a boy or a girl from an early age.
However, believe it or not, I kind of get where these parents are coming from.
You see, growing up, I preferred to see myself as Genderless without realizing at the time what that meant. I didn't want to necessarily be a boy, but I didn't see myself as a girl. I hated playing dress up, I couldn't stand ribbons and lace, I didn't like wearing my hair down and if I could, I would have fought tooth and nail as my mother forced me to dress for church on sunday, but as soon as we were home, I was in my jeans playing out in the dirt. The only thing remotely girly I played with was My Little Pony, and not because it was girly, but because they were animals. I could play with animals all day long, in fact whenever my siblings played house, I was the cat. When my best friends (twins) and I played together anything along the girly lines of mom, dad and baby, we did it with animals and I was always the baby, who was always an it. No, not a boy or a girl, an it. Why did the baby need a gender? I didn't know, I certainly didn't care.
As I grew older, I did go through a bit of an identity crisis in regards to figuring myself out, as going through puberty, unlike some girls, I was horrified when it became more obvious that I was no longer a kid and was growing into a woman. I had my period before my older sister, what was up with that? I swear that fate was out to get me. I can often see where people who have gender confusion come from, I have never necessarily seen myself as being male though, asexual would be a more proper term for me. I have wondered about my sexuality at times, wondering if I was more inclined to like girls then boys, but, well, as you can see, that was a phase I went through, mostly in my late teens early twenties. At the time, I wondered if I was perhaps Bisxexual, but no, Asexual was more of a fitting term for me. I can't imagine having sex with a girl, sorry. I did go through this awkward phase because of my asexuality and denial of my gender that lasted from, oh, eleven until twenty six or so. This whole issue of trying to figure out who I am is part of the reason why I joined a traditionally non-female job field of the military. I still am very much down to earth and with me, what you see is what you get. At least I try to be that way. I have never really tried to fit into gender norms, I have always been, well, me. Sometimes I identify better with guys then other girls, but not always. Guys are sexual beasts, and me? Not so much.
However, as you can see now, I am definitely a girl, I am happily married, to a guy who is a great guy bytheway, and I'm currently pregnant, something I wondered if it would ever happen to me. I really did have to meet the right person, and I'm grateful I met a guy who loves me for who I am and has been so patient with me with the whole insanity of married life. I am excited at the prospect of being a mother, and I want my kids to be who they are, I don't want to force them to be something they are not, and certainly if I have a daughter who hates anything girly like I did, I'm not going to force it on her (well, except for Sundays at church). However, if she's miss Princess Frilly Fru-Fru with Ribbons and Lace, well, I'm just going to be wondering where she gets it from, because she certainly didn't get it from me (or Gus for that matter). However, that's Ok too (and my family jokes that I'm going to have a total girl if I have a daughter, just to spite me). I want my kids to be who they are, but they will also have a knowledge of WHAT they are. Just because I saw myself as genderless doesn't change the fact that I'm a girl.
So, back to this family that is choosing to raise their child as genderless, and their two older boys with their asexual names of Jazz, Kio and Storm. Jazz of course, being five, chooses what he wants to wear and how he likes his hair. In fact, he wears his hair much the same as I did when I was that age. He looks like a cute kid, but at first glance, he also looks like a girl. At his age of five, I don't know what his schooling is like, he doesn't seem to care much, but something I have discovered with my experiences of wishing to be genderless and forced to be a girl is that I am grateful now that I knew from a young age that I was indeed a girl. If my parents had raised me, a truly genderless child to be genderless without a knowledge of my identity but knowing what boys and girls are, I would have been horrified to discover that I was indeed a girl. At that age, I would have been more inclined to act like a boy then a girl. I thought girl stuff was stupid. I played with Ninja Turtles and mutliated barbie dolls. My stuffed animals played war and I was better bonded to my brother and male cousins then my sisters and female cousins, and the ones I did hang out with were always younger then me. I didn't chase boys, I barely noticed them.
If Storm is anything like I was, that poor kid when it becomes obvious what they are. The parents aren't doing that kid a favor by letting them choose their gender because it doesn't matter what they decide they are, when they discover what they really are, they are going to be disappointed if they are opposite of how they decide to see themselves. If that little baby starts identifying as a girl and discovers later that he's a boy, or vice versa, they are going to face a lot of stigma in life and probably become confused with their sexuality which will lead to problems with depression later. Believe me, my depression in my early twenties stemmed greatly from my gender confusion. There is nothing wrong with telling that kid what he or she is, and so they understand the biology of what they are, because nothing is going to change about that. Sure, you can hack off your penis and get a sex change and call yourself a girl, but I honestly think transgendered people are often times just very confused about their identity. It's not going to solve a lot of issues down the road. This poor kid, I hope for their sake that they go by nature versus nurture and take their natural gender role because nothing is worse for a genderless child then to go through puberty. Why? Because I went through puberty. Being genderless is fun until your gender decides to give you a kick upside the head that no, you are not an it. And hacking off my breasts and removing my uterus would not have solved the problem. I think that would have compounded the problem for me, it would have probably driven me further into depression.
Honestly, I think the best thing these parents can do for their kids is to let them know what they are, including Baby Storm, but continuing to allow their children to be who they are. Trust me, you think you are helping your kids out by giving them the freedom to decide but you're not. If human beings were born genderless and got to choose their own gender at puberty it would be a whole lot easier. But Biology is a part of who we are. It is not the same as Sexuality, which I think is what these parents are trying to do for their kids, but a child still needs to know their biology. It's not a matter of casting society's views on what gender roles should be, it's for the child's own sanity that they understand what gender roles are. If they identify with one gender and discover they are the other, they will be in a heap of trouble. It will be interesting to see if this experiment continues or if Storm just finds out on their own long before then. Maybe we can do a case study and Jazz, Kio and Storm in twenty years to see how they turn out.
So in Summary, what am I trying to say here? Being Genderless is fun and all, as a kid. There is no such thing as a genderless teenager. I know. I tried to be one. It didn't work, and this is from somebody who's Nature is Genderless with a parent that was Nurturing me as a girl. It just led to confusion and depression. Save the kid a lot of trouble, just tell them what they are and then let them be themselves. If they are truly genderless, you will probably know in time. If you think as a parent that you should condone their genderlessness, that is up to you. But chances are, Baby Storm is going to act on their own Nature and if they are a boy, chances are he's going to just be a boy. If she's a girl, she'll act like a girl. If Storm falls into their gender role, it's not going to make much of a difference to tell them what they are at that time. For the kid's sake, I hope that's what happens for them.
Rambly much? Probably. Remember, I'm pregnant, a lot of what I write doesn't make much sense.
Ok, me being me lately, I have not been all that motivated to jump online and comment on recent events like I used to. I was once a blogging fanatic, but that has changed with me getting married and the destractions that come along with it, to include my current pregnancy. And Facebook, which I promised my husband I would take a week long sabatical from, just to prove I don't need it. As I type this, I'm wondering if that's the quickening I've felt. I'm not even seventeen weeks along, but it certainly doesn't feel like the digestive track. Is the baby doing jumping jacks in there? Or is that just my small intestine? HOW DO I KNOW IF IT'S THE BABY??? I've felt things before and wondered, but I'm told it's to soon for my first pregnancy (to this point at least)
So anyway, about a week and a half ago, there was this big controversy with this >Canandian couple that decided to raise their child as Genderless, the story of which has died down. Me, being the conservative person that I am, you might think I might jump on this story as most others of conservative persuasion might and think of how wrong this couple is to raise this child with no set standards of gender identity, in affect, letting the child choose how it would like to identify themself when they come of age. And in a sense, I am inclined to think that the child does need to know that they are a boy or a girl from an early age.
However, believe it or not, I kind of get where these parents are coming from.
You see, growing up, I preferred to see myself as Genderless without realizing at the time what that meant. I didn't want to necessarily be a boy, but I didn't see myself as a girl. I hated playing dress up, I couldn't stand ribbons and lace, I didn't like wearing my hair down and if I could, I would have fought tooth and nail as my mother forced me to dress for church on sunday, but as soon as we were home, I was in my jeans playing out in the dirt. The only thing remotely girly I played with was My Little Pony, and not because it was girly, but because they were animals. I could play with animals all day long, in fact whenever my siblings played house, I was the cat. When my best friends (twins) and I played together anything along the girly lines of mom, dad and baby, we did it with animals and I was always the baby, who was always an it. No, not a boy or a girl, an it. Why did the baby need a gender? I didn't know, I certainly didn't care.
As I grew older, I did go through a bit of an identity crisis in regards to figuring myself out, as going through puberty, unlike some girls, I was horrified when it became more obvious that I was no longer a kid and was growing into a woman. I had my period before my older sister, what was up with that? I swear that fate was out to get me. I can often see where people who have gender confusion come from, I have never necessarily seen myself as being male though, asexual would be a more proper term for me. I have wondered about my sexuality at times, wondering if I was more inclined to like girls then boys, but, well, as you can see, that was a phase I went through, mostly in my late teens early twenties. At the time, I wondered if I was perhaps Bisxexual, but no, Asexual was more of a fitting term for me. I can't imagine having sex with a girl, sorry. I did go through this awkward phase because of my asexuality and denial of my gender that lasted from, oh, eleven until twenty six or so. This whole issue of trying to figure out who I am is part of the reason why I joined a traditionally non-female job field of the military. I still am very much down to earth and with me, what you see is what you get. At least I try to be that way. I have never really tried to fit into gender norms, I have always been, well, me. Sometimes I identify better with guys then other girls, but not always. Guys are sexual beasts, and me? Not so much.
However, as you can see now, I am definitely a girl, I am happily married, to a guy who is a great guy bytheway, and I'm currently pregnant, something I wondered if it would ever happen to me. I really did have to meet the right person, and I'm grateful I met a guy who loves me for who I am and has been so patient with me with the whole insanity of married life. I am excited at the prospect of being a mother, and I want my kids to be who they are, I don't want to force them to be something they are not, and certainly if I have a daughter who hates anything girly like I did, I'm not going to force it on her (well, except for Sundays at church). However, if she's miss Princess Frilly Fru-Fru with Ribbons and Lace, well, I'm just going to be wondering where she gets it from, because she certainly didn't get it from me (or Gus for that matter). However, that's Ok too (and my family jokes that I'm going to have a total girl if I have a daughter, just to spite me). I want my kids to be who they are, but they will also have a knowledge of WHAT they are. Just because I saw myself as genderless doesn't change the fact that I'm a girl.
So, back to this family that is choosing to raise their child as genderless, and their two older boys with their asexual names of Jazz, Kio and Storm. Jazz of course, being five, chooses what he wants to wear and how he likes his hair. In fact, he wears his hair much the same as I did when I was that age. He looks like a cute kid, but at first glance, he also looks like a girl. At his age of five, I don't know what his schooling is like, he doesn't seem to care much, but something I have discovered with my experiences of wishing to be genderless and forced to be a girl is that I am grateful now that I knew from a young age that I was indeed a girl. If my parents had raised me, a truly genderless child to be genderless without a knowledge of my identity but knowing what boys and girls are, I would have been horrified to discover that I was indeed a girl. At that age, I would have been more inclined to act like a boy then a girl. I thought girl stuff was stupid. I played with Ninja Turtles and mutliated barbie dolls. My stuffed animals played war and I was better bonded to my brother and male cousins then my sisters and female cousins, and the ones I did hang out with were always younger then me. I didn't chase boys, I barely noticed them.
If Storm is anything like I was, that poor kid when it becomes obvious what they are. The parents aren't doing that kid a favor by letting them choose their gender because it doesn't matter what they decide they are, when they discover what they really are, they are going to be disappointed if they are opposite of how they decide to see themselves. If that little baby starts identifying as a girl and discovers later that he's a boy, or vice versa, they are going to face a lot of stigma in life and probably become confused with their sexuality which will lead to problems with depression later. Believe me, my depression in my early twenties stemmed greatly from my gender confusion. There is nothing wrong with telling that kid what he or she is, and so they understand the biology of what they are, because nothing is going to change about that. Sure, you can hack off your penis and get a sex change and call yourself a girl, but I honestly think transgendered people are often times just very confused about their identity. It's not going to solve a lot of issues down the road. This poor kid, I hope for their sake that they go by nature versus nurture and take their natural gender role because nothing is worse for a genderless child then to go through puberty. Why? Because I went through puberty. Being genderless is fun until your gender decides to give you a kick upside the head that no, you are not an it. And hacking off my breasts and removing my uterus would not have solved the problem. I think that would have compounded the problem for me, it would have probably driven me further into depression.
Honestly, I think the best thing these parents can do for their kids is to let them know what they are, including Baby Storm, but continuing to allow their children to be who they are. Trust me, you think you are helping your kids out by giving them the freedom to decide but you're not. If human beings were born genderless and got to choose their own gender at puberty it would be a whole lot easier. But Biology is a part of who we are. It is not the same as Sexuality, which I think is what these parents are trying to do for their kids, but a child still needs to know their biology. It's not a matter of casting society's views on what gender roles should be, it's for the child's own sanity that they understand what gender roles are. If they identify with one gender and discover they are the other, they will be in a heap of trouble. It will be interesting to see if this experiment continues or if Storm just finds out on their own long before then. Maybe we can do a case study and Jazz, Kio and Storm in twenty years to see how they turn out.
So in Summary, what am I trying to say here? Being Genderless is fun and all, as a kid. There is no such thing as a genderless teenager. I know. I tried to be one. It didn't work, and this is from somebody who's Nature is Genderless with a parent that was Nurturing me as a girl. It just led to confusion and depression. Save the kid a lot of trouble, just tell them what they are and then let them be themselves. If they are truly genderless, you will probably know in time. If you think as a parent that you should condone their genderlessness, that is up to you. But chances are, Baby Storm is going to act on their own Nature and if they are a boy, chances are he's going to just be a boy. If she's a girl, she'll act like a girl. If Storm falls into their gender role, it's not going to make much of a difference to tell them what they are at that time. For the kid's sake, I hope that's what happens for them.
Rambly much? Probably. Remember, I'm pregnant, a lot of what I write doesn't make much sense.
5.25.2011
Blogging Ills
So, what have I been up to for the last month or so?
Yes, I know, I haven't blogged in a while, and if you're still reading this, it's probably because you follow my feed. Well, I have been up to a lot. And really, I've been up to a whole lot of nothing.
My husband, who is in the Air Force, is away at school at present, he comes back this week and it will be nice to have him back. While he was gone, I had all sorts of things planned out on what I would do. This included building a chicken coop for my twelve chicks I bought, planting a garden, organizing my studio space, getting my website up to date and republished, working on my webcomic that has been largely neglected, fine tuning my zombie plan, Yoga, and a host of other little odds and ends.
What did I end up accomplishing? Well, I did a whole lot of writing, and napping. I nap almost every day. What can I say, my energy levels are bleh. But I do have a valid excuse, you see.
Back in March, I kind of suspected something was up, though it was still quite early. Being newly wed and having few distractions other then the interwebs kind of leads to other things. However, seeing how last year went when I spilled the news after a week of knowing, this time I held onto it for a little bit longer. My horse friends found out quite soon, seeing as I wasn't doing much riding, but i waited until the eight week mark to tell the family.
Yep, pregnant again. I'm at fifteen weeks today, due for an early birthday baby in November. So yeah, when i do blog, it might be mommy related. I just hope I'm not as annoying as some moms I have seen.
So far everything is going smoothly, except for the come and go energy levels. seriously.
Yes, I know, I haven't blogged in a while, and if you're still reading this, it's probably because you follow my feed. Well, I have been up to a lot. And really, I've been up to a whole lot of nothing.
My husband, who is in the Air Force, is away at school at present, he comes back this week and it will be nice to have him back. While he was gone, I had all sorts of things planned out on what I would do. This included building a chicken coop for my twelve chicks I bought, planting a garden, organizing my studio space, getting my website up to date and republished, working on my webcomic that has been largely neglected, fine tuning my zombie plan, Yoga, and a host of other little odds and ends.
What did I end up accomplishing? Well, I did a whole lot of writing, and napping. I nap almost every day. What can I say, my energy levels are bleh. But I do have a valid excuse, you see.
Back in March, I kind of suspected something was up, though it was still quite early. Being newly wed and having few distractions other then the interwebs kind of leads to other things. However, seeing how last year went when I spilled the news after a week of knowing, this time I held onto it for a little bit longer. My horse friends found out quite soon, seeing as I wasn't doing much riding, but i waited until the eight week mark to tell the family.
Yep, pregnant again. I'm at fifteen weeks today, due for an early birthday baby in November. So yeah, when i do blog, it might be mommy related. I just hope I'm not as annoying as some moms I have seen.
So far everything is going smoothly, except for the come and go energy levels. seriously.
4.13.2011
Government Funding
So, apparently we averted mass chaos and the government can run once more. But then again, I look at all of the wasteful spending done by the government and think to myself, if I was in charge, what would I fund and what would I cut? Being an average ordinary citizen with no political aspirations, I'm not corrupted by special interests, so I can write about what I would do in a perfect world.
So if I had my way, what would be funded by the government? Well, first, everything will be locally funded as much as possible, when it is to big for the city, it is funded by the county, then the state, then federal. Federal should not be funding pet projects.
Military / Defense: It is one area that can't be funded any other way. Of course, it is nice when the big whigs up top decides to invade another country or send us to war, that they do it with the intent of letting us finish the mission. Really is a shame, we are becoming more of a police force and peace keepers across the world then what our primary mission should be, which is defense of our great nation. That said, the military must remain funded, but how we use our military could probably save us a few bucks. Unfortunately, when we go to war, it is usually not funded and has to be paid for later, which was the case with WWII. Also, Police and general security fall under this category as well, though that should be locally funded as much as possible. Don't forget the FBI and CIA, though sometimes you wonder about them.
Infrastructure: This too is the job of the government, to pave roads and maintain public use areas. This is best done as locally as possible, but some of it can be federally funded, specifically freeways and the like across the great plains states.
Social Security: Unfortunately, this boondoggle is here to stay. It needs to be reformed like crazy, because back in the thirties when it was created, people didn't have the lifespans they did and ten workers supported one person on the program because people had a jillion kids back then. After the baby boom of the fifties, birth control came into play and well, now the average family has 2.5 children (though I don't know any average families). Now three workers support one on SS, and they are living a lot longer these days. People have been paying into this program for years, you can't just nix it and tell them 'screw you, bub'. In the long run, it would be nice if society was like it had been before and never introduced this program, as a family unit supports themselves and your children were your social security but that is a thing of the past. This is a safety net and it's not going anywhere. Unfortunately, the program is broke. I'll be honest, I'm not counting on it being there for me.
Public Land/National and State Parks: I'm a big fan of these program, even with it's socialist roots, I know. As long as it remains accessible to the public and cared for (because sometimes the public can be a bunch of assholes and tear things up because they wanted to take a piece of that petrified tree or dump shit everywhere), I love visiting places like Yosemite, Yellow Stone, the Adirondacks, Mt Rushmore, the Redwoods, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Shenandoah Forest, the Smokey Mountains, etc etc. These are our national treasures (and some state treasures too) and in truth, they probably could be privatized but I feel the government is probably the best choice to care for them. I don't mind paying a little fee to go visit them either, because let's be honest, most people don't want you walking around on their private land, even if they've meticulously cared for it. Also, the Smithsonian Rocks. You can keep funding that too.
Border Control: I don't mind immigrants, but dude, come here the legal way. Becoming a citizen is hard work and something people born in this country take for granted. I don't care who you are or where you come from, if you want to be a part of the American dream and earn your right to be a US citizen, I welcome you with open arms. If you just want to come here, mooch off our government, work for a pittance and then collect a welfare check while you use our hospitals and schools and then send the money back home to your family while you hold no allegiance to our land and laws, get the hell out of my country. I don't want you. And the border should be the first enforcement to that.
Schools/ Primary Education : This is an important tasking that gets our children on the right foot in life. Unfortunately, the Teacher's Unions are more concerned about keeping crappy teachers then educating kids properly. This should be funded as close to the local level as possible, get rid of the Department of Education, it has done nothing for our schools and just added to the bloated bureaucracy that is our government. Schools and the teachers need to be held accountable, and Physical Education should be a requirement until graduation.
Welfare: I am not a fan of Welfare, have never been and will never use it if I can help it. Once upon a time there was a shame in being on welfare, but it appears that has gone away and people seem to think it is their right to mooch off of other people, and that really does piss me off. Welfare should be a net to assist people down on their luck to get back on their feet and that's it. This program should be strictly regulated so people do not abuse it. If they need more, charities and churches can provide further assistance, and when able, people often donate to these institutions generously. But I do see a need for a welfare system available in government. This should be a state program, and should work more along the lines of unemployment insurance then a give me.
WIC: in line with the above, this is a fantastic program and I would highly encourage participation.
Environmental and Safety Regulation: I am a believer in the free market, but I also believe in protecting our environment and sometimes business can be greedy and sacrifice health and safety in the name of profit. During the industrial age, people didn't give a lot of thought to what they were doing to the environment with the pollutants and what not. I do believe all businesses do need to have some oversight when it comes to safety and the environment to make sure they do not abuse it. That said, the Environmental Protection Agency needs to back off because it is becoming a joke. Carbon Dioxide is not a pollutant, it's tree food.
NASA: Ok, this is a pipe dream project that we have sunk billions into, but it is such an awesome program that spurred countless dreams and has led to so much innovation that I can't help but suggest it needs to continually be funded. if we are going over budget, unfortunately, it is also one of the first on the list to face cuts. I love NASA.
Public Health: caveat, I don't believe the government should be telling everyone how to live their life. However, it can make recommendations, and that includes educating the public on healthy life style choices. Public Health is 90% education and prevention. You prevent somebody from getting sick, it saves a lot of costs in the long run. There is also some lifestyle choices some people make that require some assistance on the part of the government to help in the long run. For instance, STD screenings. Mostly STDs are preventable, but people are people and people are dumb. You know, if you're partner looks a little funky down below, you might not want to get to comfortable with them, but some people don't think about that when they are thinking with their reproductive organs, and some people are absolute whores. That's just one example.
These are some examples of things I would fund if I were in charge of the government. However, there are countless of programs and things that are funded by the government that probably don't need to be. Yes, I am a member of the Tea Party for it's original intent, to downsize the scale of the government and keep spending down. I believe I know how to spend my money better then my congressmen does (though I do admit I got a great Congresswoman) and if my taxes are low, I have more money to spend on things I want to spend them on, to include organizations that are partly subsidized by the government that might not need to be, if people were allowed to choose where to donate their money. Sure, some people would keep all of their money if allowed, but you know, that's their right as well.
I think a lot of things in the government has their hands in needs to be reformed (badly) like healthcare and entitlements and the such, as it is a giant money pot that is eating away at our finances and budget. The intentions may be noble, but the purpose has run it's course. We need to downsize or we're going to go the way of Greece.
Anyway, my thoughts. There might be a few other things I would fund as well if I was ruler of the universe, but what would YOU fund if you had the power to choose?
So if I had my way, what would be funded by the government? Well, first, everything will be locally funded as much as possible, when it is to big for the city, it is funded by the county, then the state, then federal. Federal should not be funding pet projects.
Military / Defense: It is one area that can't be funded any other way. Of course, it is nice when the big whigs up top decides to invade another country or send us to war, that they do it with the intent of letting us finish the mission. Really is a shame, we are becoming more of a police force and peace keepers across the world then what our primary mission should be, which is defense of our great nation. That said, the military must remain funded, but how we use our military could probably save us a few bucks. Unfortunately, when we go to war, it is usually not funded and has to be paid for later, which was the case with WWII. Also, Police and general security fall under this category as well, though that should be locally funded as much as possible. Don't forget the FBI and CIA, though sometimes you wonder about them.
Infrastructure: This too is the job of the government, to pave roads and maintain public use areas. This is best done as locally as possible, but some of it can be federally funded, specifically freeways and the like across the great plains states.
Social Security: Unfortunately, this boondoggle is here to stay. It needs to be reformed like crazy, because back in the thirties when it was created, people didn't have the lifespans they did and ten workers supported one person on the program because people had a jillion kids back then. After the baby boom of the fifties, birth control came into play and well, now the average family has 2.5 children (though I don't know any average families). Now three workers support one on SS, and they are living a lot longer these days. People have been paying into this program for years, you can't just nix it and tell them 'screw you, bub'. In the long run, it would be nice if society was like it had been before and never introduced this program, as a family unit supports themselves and your children were your social security but that is a thing of the past. This is a safety net and it's not going anywhere. Unfortunately, the program is broke. I'll be honest, I'm not counting on it being there for me.
Public Land/National and State Parks: I'm a big fan of these program, even with it's socialist roots, I know. As long as it remains accessible to the public and cared for (because sometimes the public can be a bunch of assholes and tear things up because they wanted to take a piece of that petrified tree or dump shit everywhere), I love visiting places like Yosemite, Yellow Stone, the Adirondacks, Mt Rushmore, the Redwoods, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Shenandoah Forest, the Smokey Mountains, etc etc. These are our national treasures (and some state treasures too) and in truth, they probably could be privatized but I feel the government is probably the best choice to care for them. I don't mind paying a little fee to go visit them either, because let's be honest, most people don't want you walking around on their private land, even if they've meticulously cared for it. Also, the Smithsonian Rocks. You can keep funding that too.
Border Control: I don't mind immigrants, but dude, come here the legal way. Becoming a citizen is hard work and something people born in this country take for granted. I don't care who you are or where you come from, if you want to be a part of the American dream and earn your right to be a US citizen, I welcome you with open arms. If you just want to come here, mooch off our government, work for a pittance and then collect a welfare check while you use our hospitals and schools and then send the money back home to your family while you hold no allegiance to our land and laws, get the hell out of my country. I don't want you. And the border should be the first enforcement to that.
Schools/ Primary Education : This is an important tasking that gets our children on the right foot in life. Unfortunately, the Teacher's Unions are more concerned about keeping crappy teachers then educating kids properly. This should be funded as close to the local level as possible, get rid of the Department of Education, it has done nothing for our schools and just added to the bloated bureaucracy that is our government. Schools and the teachers need to be held accountable, and Physical Education should be a requirement until graduation.
Welfare: I am not a fan of Welfare, have never been and will never use it if I can help it. Once upon a time there was a shame in being on welfare, but it appears that has gone away and people seem to think it is their right to mooch off of other people, and that really does piss me off. Welfare should be a net to assist people down on their luck to get back on their feet and that's it. This program should be strictly regulated so people do not abuse it. If they need more, charities and churches can provide further assistance, and when able, people often donate to these institutions generously. But I do see a need for a welfare system available in government. This should be a state program, and should work more along the lines of unemployment insurance then a give me.
WIC: in line with the above, this is a fantastic program and I would highly encourage participation.
Environmental and Safety Regulation: I am a believer in the free market, but I also believe in protecting our environment and sometimes business can be greedy and sacrifice health and safety in the name of profit. During the industrial age, people didn't give a lot of thought to what they were doing to the environment with the pollutants and what not. I do believe all businesses do need to have some oversight when it comes to safety and the environment to make sure they do not abuse it. That said, the Environmental Protection Agency needs to back off because it is becoming a joke. Carbon Dioxide is not a pollutant, it's tree food.
NASA: Ok, this is a pipe dream project that we have sunk billions into, but it is such an awesome program that spurred countless dreams and has led to so much innovation that I can't help but suggest it needs to continually be funded. if we are going over budget, unfortunately, it is also one of the first on the list to face cuts. I love NASA.
Public Health: caveat, I don't believe the government should be telling everyone how to live their life. However, it can make recommendations, and that includes educating the public on healthy life style choices. Public Health is 90% education and prevention. You prevent somebody from getting sick, it saves a lot of costs in the long run. There is also some lifestyle choices some people make that require some assistance on the part of the government to help in the long run. For instance, STD screenings. Mostly STDs are preventable, but people are people and people are dumb. You know, if you're partner looks a little funky down below, you might not want to get to comfortable with them, but some people don't think about that when they are thinking with their reproductive organs, and some people are absolute whores. That's just one example.
These are some examples of things I would fund if I were in charge of the government. However, there are countless of programs and things that are funded by the government that probably don't need to be. Yes, I am a member of the Tea Party for it's original intent, to downsize the scale of the government and keep spending down. I believe I know how to spend my money better then my congressmen does (though I do admit I got a great Congresswoman) and if my taxes are low, I have more money to spend on things I want to spend them on, to include organizations that are partly subsidized by the government that might not need to be, if people were allowed to choose where to donate their money. Sure, some people would keep all of their money if allowed, but you know, that's their right as well.
I think a lot of things in the government has their hands in needs to be reformed (badly) like healthcare and entitlements and the such, as it is a giant money pot that is eating away at our finances and budget. The intentions may be noble, but the purpose has run it's course. We need to downsize or we're going to go the way of Greece.
Anyway, my thoughts. There might be a few other things I would fund as well if I was ruler of the universe, but what would YOU fund if you had the power to choose?
Priorities
So, we made $600 million in cuts to Community Health Centers and 0 cuts to Planned Parenthood. Nice priorities, government. Especially when PP refers its patients to Community Health Centers for those cancer screenings it was toting.
Oh that's right. Community health Centers provide healthcare, not abortions. And PP are big backers of democrats so we will make NO cuts to them.
We're in debt up to our eyeballs. I think everything should be slashed, because you can tax the snot out of the richest americans and it is still not going to cover the 1.5 trillion we overspend and the 14 trillion debt we have. But Obama has a plan, to decrease the deficit by 4 trillion over the next ten years by, well, spending more.
Damn, we're surrounded by idiots.
Oh that's right. Community health Centers provide healthcare, not abortions. And PP are big backers of democrats so we will make NO cuts to them.
We're in debt up to our eyeballs. I think everything should be slashed, because you can tax the snot out of the richest americans and it is still not going to cover the 1.5 trillion we overspend and the 14 trillion debt we have. But Obama has a plan, to decrease the deficit by 4 trillion over the next ten years by, well, spending more.
Damn, we're surrounded by idiots.
3.30.2011
Adventures In Dog Sitting
One of my husband's coworkers is out of town for the week, and kind of a last minute thing they needed to find somebody to watch their dog. Gus can't blame me for accepting, since he asked me if I wanted to do it and I said sure. She's cute and all, and I like dogs, but my adventures in watching a young Golden Retriever has me contemplating getting a dog of my own, something I've been considering for the last few months, if we can find the right dog.
Abby, the dog, is an adorable little snot that loves attention. She also likes to be outside and enjoys running around on five acres of property while I go about my errands of feeding the horses, where she harasses the chickens and hasn't quite figured out that the cats do not like her. I'm waiting for her to get that lesson down, but to save her face from being mauled, I try to intervene. Of course, I also intervene when she decides to take a dump in the hay barn, NOT the place for her to do her duty.
So, we go to the trials of dog sitting, and the reason I'm kind of mum on the idea of getting a dog. See, she's young, still a puppy, and it turns out, not entirely housebroke. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't poop in the house, but when she gets excited, like when she meets a new person, she starts wagging her tail and piddling on the floor. That gets annoying. She could have just peed outside and she will still piddle on the floor if she gets super excited. I don't know if that's something that will go away in time or if she's just a nervous dog with an uncontrollable bladder.
Then there is the play bites, which I think I'm getting into her head is not ok. She tries to jump on the couch with me and I push her off, she thinks its a game and she puts my arm in her mouth. Not breaking the skin, but I have had to work with her that no body part goes into a dog's mouth, ever (unless somebody is breaking an entering with the intention of harm, then go right on ahead!) But the most disgusting thing I have seen her do is eat horse manure. It almost made me vomit the last time she did it. Dang dog.
But she is cute, in her I'm not quite a puppy anymore but I'm not a full grown dog sort of way. Still, it has made me realize with the constant craving of attention (thankfully we have a kennel for her at night) that I really am a Cat Person at heart.
As long as the Cat is halfway sane and not a murderous fiend of course. Anyway, I think I'll let a future kidling try to talk us into getting a dog when I actually look at getting one. I'm glad petsitting is only a week.
Abby, the dog, is an adorable little snot that loves attention. She also likes to be outside and enjoys running around on five acres of property while I go about my errands of feeding the horses, where she harasses the chickens and hasn't quite figured out that the cats do not like her. I'm waiting for her to get that lesson down, but to save her face from being mauled, I try to intervene. Of course, I also intervene when she decides to take a dump in the hay barn, NOT the place for her to do her duty.
So, we go to the trials of dog sitting, and the reason I'm kind of mum on the idea of getting a dog. See, she's young, still a puppy, and it turns out, not entirely housebroke. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't poop in the house, but when she gets excited, like when she meets a new person, she starts wagging her tail and piddling on the floor. That gets annoying. She could have just peed outside and she will still piddle on the floor if she gets super excited. I don't know if that's something that will go away in time or if she's just a nervous dog with an uncontrollable bladder.
Then there is the play bites, which I think I'm getting into her head is not ok. She tries to jump on the couch with me and I push her off, she thinks its a game and she puts my arm in her mouth. Not breaking the skin, but I have had to work with her that no body part goes into a dog's mouth, ever (unless somebody is breaking an entering with the intention of harm, then go right on ahead!) But the most disgusting thing I have seen her do is eat horse manure. It almost made me vomit the last time she did it. Dang dog.
But she is cute, in her I'm not quite a puppy anymore but I'm not a full grown dog sort of way. Still, it has made me realize with the constant craving of attention (thankfully we have a kennel for her at night) that I really am a Cat Person at heart.
As long as the Cat is halfway sane and not a murderous fiend of course. Anyway, I think I'll let a future kidling try to talk us into getting a dog when I actually look at getting one. I'm glad petsitting is only a week.
3.26.2011
Style Blogging, Like Only I Can
Don't know what I've got my nose up in the air for. Sun must be in my eyes. I've never been much of a modeler.
This is about what I wear every day. It's damn near surprising I don't have a couple pieces of hay sticking out of my outfit in random places because hay always completes the look of living in the boondocks and working out in the yard tending to the livestock. Today I raked the front area of the millions of pine needles that gets dropped every year from our trees and makes me contemplate how nice it would be if there were NO trees anywhere to be found on our property. But then I say, no, I like the trees, they provide shade and wind blockage, and then I keep raking.
But Damn, they are called Evergreens, aren't they? Aren't they supposed to keep their ever greenness, not shed them all over the place?
So basically, my style says practical, and I don't give a flying rat's behind if I mess this up by getting something on it. Because dealing with moldy hay, riding horses and driving riding lawn mowers while doing spring cleaning in the front yard screams for a chance to show off my pizazz. Hah! Like I ever had any.
3.22.2011
A Year Ago Today
Well, now that I think about it, a year ago today I wasn't posting a lot on my life, because I had a lot going on. But a year ago today I was in the City of Sin, Las Vegas, enjoying Red Rock Rendezvous with my then boyfriend where afterwards we stayed in the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino and walked the strip and went sight seeing all of the crazy sites of Vegas. It was a fun time, and definitely blog worthy, but life was just really crazy and blogging really wasn't a priority for me.
I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what really happened, as though guys don't really put much sentiment into dates, apparently girls do, and March 22, 2010 was an important date for me.
It was kind of funny actually, we had been planning on going to this Climbing Conference for a couple of months (we were hoping to go back this year) and had an absolute blast. We had only been officially dating for a little over a month, but had been hanging out for longer then that. So anyway, we decided to head to Vegas for the weekend plus a few extra days, enjoy the sites and each others company, and let me tell you, Vegas is the same damn thing over and over again. We did the roller coasters, and the casinos, and the slots, and the casinos, and the more casinos, and what, this one has a Mideivel theme? That one over there is french? Wait, they all have the same freakin' slots and games!
That got old after a while, in truth, I liked the old strip better, it has more character.
It was kind of funny actually, we had been planning on going to this Climbing Conference for a couple of months (we were hoping to go back this year) and had an absolute blast. We had only been officially dating for a little over a month, but had been hanging out for longer then that. So anyway, we decided to head to Vegas for the weekend plus a few extra days, enjoy the sites and each others company, and let me tell you, Vegas is the same damn thing over and over again. We did the roller coasters, and the casinos, and the slots, and the casinos, and the more casinos, and what, this one has a Mideivel theme? That one over there is french? Wait, they all have the same freakin' slots and games!
That got old after a while, in truth, I liked the old strip better, it has more character.
Visiting the old strip, the new strip, and the wedding strip, well, we're in Vegas, what else would a couple who people back home would speculate might elope do but pose in front of the Little White Wedding Chapel?
Reactions back home when we posted this gem on facebook? Hilarity abounded, but my mother was skeptical. Her reply 'Yah, right.' I think at the ripe old age of 29 and avoidance of the dating issue had most people believing that, me? Getting married? Ain't going to happen, way to stubborn, independent, and stuck in my ways to give my life to another person. Right? RIGHT???
Well, I had to do homework holed up in our hotel room and he left to do whatever it was he wanted to do, and afterwards we decided to have dinner. He made reservations for dinner at the top of the Stratosphere. That should have been a clue, but I was all thinking, 'ok, guess you live once. Are you sure we can afford dinner where you pay by the portion? Ouch!'
Could somebody knock some sense into my head that we might have been setting a mood? And for dinner at a nice restaraunt, we probably could have dressed a little nicer for the occasion, but being the people we are, what you see is what you get with us both. Before desert, he looked at me with that twinkle in his eye. "well, now for the reason why I brought you all the way up here."
My first thought was 'duh, why didn't I figure this out sooner? Am I really that oblivious?' My words were, of course, 'You're proposing, aren't you?'
He just smiled at me and then brought out the ring, which was a little heart felt nicknack he had made while I was doing homework. I had told him before, don't get me a ring unless it means something special (ie, he got the diamond himself, it's a family heirloom, etc), and going to DeBeres and buying a ring for three months worth of pay is to me a serious waste of money, especially since I will likely never wear a diamond due to the fact that I'm a chronic loser of Jewelry. The ring he gave me had a little heart etched out between a G and a K, and I loved it. it's sweet, simple, practical and totally fits our relationship.
"So, will you marry me?"
The next question out of my mouth was, "you know what you're getting yourself into, right?"
Apparently he knew, well, I hope he knew what he was getting himself into, because I said yes.
So a year ago today, Gus transitioned from being my boyfriend to being my fiance. In a whirlwind rush of things, barely a month later we tied the knot. I kind of knew if I got married, things would go quickly. I'm not a girly girl, and planning a wedding is not my forte. Good thing I have the family I do, because I don't think I would have survived if I hadn't, and I don't know if Gus would have stuck around if we took any longer.
3.17.2011
Style Blogging!!?!
Oh My GOSH, you guys, I know you have been wanting to hear from me and everything and I've been horribly neglecting my poor blog but I have figured out what I'm going to blog about!
Fashion! Because I am the Fashion Queen of Fashion and all of the cool house wife bloggers are doing it so I think it's time I fell into sync with what is hip in the blogging world. And holy cow it's going to be EPIC!!!
(please note there is not an ounce of sarcasm in the tone of this entire post)
Fashion! Because I am the Fashion Queen of Fashion and all of the cool house wife bloggers are doing it so I think it's time I fell into sync with what is hip in the blogging world. And holy cow it's going to be EPIC!!!
(please note there is not an ounce of sarcasm in the tone of this entire post)
2.15.2011
Stuffs Unrelated
Just when I think the snow has all melted, it's snowing again. Bleh.
I don't mind if it would stick around for a bit, I kind of like it when it dumps two feet on the ground and everything is bathed in white. It's kind of pretty. I just don't want to go anywhere when this happens.
Dexter, the television series, is fantastic. So fantastic that I'm going to use my amazon associates account to promote it for once. Although right now the first and second season are available on Netflix (or were the last time I checked). Something about a serial killer that only kills bad people, and just his entire psychosis and how he thinks, the show is brilliant.
I don't mind if it would stick around for a bit, I kind of like it when it dumps two feet on the ground and everything is bathed in white. It's kind of pretty. I just don't want to go anywhere when this happens.
Dexter, the television series, is fantastic. So fantastic that I'm going to use my amazon associates account to promote it for once. Although right now the first and second season are available on Netflix (or were the last time I checked). Something about a serial killer that only kills bad people, and just his entire psychosis and how he thinks, the show is brilliant. I'm working on getting a photography business up and running, I'll do joint stuff with my sisters when it comes to weddings, because my crazy life often times doesn't allow for it, but I took family pictures for one friend and am slowly learning what works and what doesn't. i've created a blog, but haven't posted to it yet, and I think my website will be revamped eventually to go in this more commercial direction. blog is Risawn Studios, I'm going to spend the rest of this month getting up and running, and then next month I'm going to actually work at making a few bucks from it. It will highlight both Art and Photography, but I'll most likely show off my photography more, because it's more commercial and can make more money. But I'm not giving up on my art just yet.
I have the best hubby in the world. I feel quite blessed to 
have found the perfect guy for me. I don't know how he puts up with me.
have found the perfect guy for me. I don't know how he puts up with me. Snowmobiling = lot's of fun. But it is an expensive motor sport to get into, and I still haven't quite developed a knack for it. I like to turn my snowmobile over when trying to turn on a hill, and I can see if I am not to careful, this sport may just end up killing me.
Why is it taking my two cats to the vet is more expensive then taking my three horses? I would think by size that a 10 pound animal should be cheaper then a half ton animal. But cats will be vaccinated for rabies, I am not going to go through that question again.
I am actually learning how to cook. I've made a few meals from scratch already. Anybody who knows me knows that any development of my domestic skills is a huge accomplishment. I now need to work on maintaining the house.
That's all for now.
2.08.2011
A Matter of Contention
There appears to be two kinds of people in this world. There are those who would never use a gun to kill a cat that mauled someone, and those who damn right would. I have also come to discover that the first groups appears to be very intolerant of the second group. It seems to me that they would consider this cruel and inhumane and would seek other methods to deal with the cat short of shooting it. When others from the latter group band together in unison to call for the death of the face mauler, those from the first group are quick to get appalled.
What is the difference between using a bullet to shoot a house cat (and not just any ordinary housecat, but one with a record of violence towards people) and using a bullet to shoot a deer or some other game animal? This is perfectly legal, though i'm not sure if cats are ever in season and if they are even legal to shoot in some jurisdictions.
So the cat hasn't been seen. This can be both good and bad news, good that the said kitty may be far away and if I never see him again, I'm perfectly content with that. Bad in that if it was rabies (highly unlikely, btw) what is the chances of something else coming across the kitty's rotting carcass and injesting the rabies virus itself? Then before you know it, full out rabies outbreak, minus myself of course, I'm vaccinated.
Anyway, back to the original topic of conversation, the question of the type of people who think that others who call for violence towards aggressive cats are apparently intolerable. I state things about politics from time to time, that doesn't seem to bother these people, but a call to death by .22 toward the face mauling psycho cat seems to cause all sorts of reactions, so much that one of my friends (a quite liberal friend in fact, who I've had debates with in the past on matters of political discourse in a friendly matter) defriended me over it. You can get a lot of people's hearts pounding over this topic. But what got my gile was the fact that people seem to want to understand the motives for dangerous animals. When a cat lunges at a person's face and leaves them permanantly scarred (yep, that's going to leave a mark), what do you propose you do with such an animal?
If it stays gone, good. I don't have to deal with it. But if it comes back here, seeing as the cat trap worked so fabulously well, I think I'll grab the 10-22, sit outside and observe the kitty's behavior. Any sign of that former aggresion it showed to me before, kitty is going to be a bullet catcher. If he turns and darts off, well, no harm there, if he doesn't let people get close to him, then I've got no problem with him. If he comes to me and shows signs of the former sane kitty, I might actually let him live.
But apparently, according to one 'friend' on the internets, (term used loosely, I barely know this person) I should have caught him in a cat trap, and because I have decided not to keep my other two sane cats locked in the tack room until the cat shows up again, (which, btw, may be never) that I shouldn't have any cats. Brilliant. My cats do have a job, they aren't just there for my amusement. Furthermore, believe it or not, I'm more of a cat person and actually am quite fond of my sane cats. I can differentiate sane from insane, unfortunately, my fondness is not unconditional.
That being said, i have discovered that along with politics and religion, animal rights can cause tempers to flare, and so if you are all for gunning a cat down that attacked you, to save some friendships you might want to keep that info to yourself.
Or do tell, and see the tempers flare. It can cause some interesting debates!
What is the difference between using a bullet to shoot a house cat (and not just any ordinary housecat, but one with a record of violence towards people) and using a bullet to shoot a deer or some other game animal? This is perfectly legal, though i'm not sure if cats are ever in season and if they are even legal to shoot in some jurisdictions.
So the cat hasn't been seen. This can be both good and bad news, good that the said kitty may be far away and if I never see him again, I'm perfectly content with that. Bad in that if it was rabies (highly unlikely, btw) what is the chances of something else coming across the kitty's rotting carcass and injesting the rabies virus itself? Then before you know it, full out rabies outbreak, minus myself of course, I'm vaccinated.
Anyway, back to the original topic of conversation, the question of the type of people who think that others who call for violence towards aggressive cats are apparently intolerable. I state things about politics from time to time, that doesn't seem to bother these people, but a call to death by .22 toward the face mauling psycho cat seems to cause all sorts of reactions, so much that one of my friends (a quite liberal friend in fact, who I've had debates with in the past on matters of political discourse in a friendly matter) defriended me over it. You can get a lot of people's hearts pounding over this topic. But what got my gile was the fact that people seem to want to understand the motives for dangerous animals. When a cat lunges at a person's face and leaves them permanantly scarred (yep, that's going to leave a mark), what do you propose you do with such an animal?
If it stays gone, good. I don't have to deal with it. But if it comes back here, seeing as the cat trap worked so fabulously well, I think I'll grab the 10-22, sit outside and observe the kitty's behavior. Any sign of that former aggresion it showed to me before, kitty is going to be a bullet catcher. If he turns and darts off, well, no harm there, if he doesn't let people get close to him, then I've got no problem with him. If he comes to me and shows signs of the former sane kitty, I might actually let him live.
But apparently, according to one 'friend' on the internets, (term used loosely, I barely know this person) I should have caught him in a cat trap, and because I have decided not to keep my other two sane cats locked in the tack room until the cat shows up again, (which, btw, may be never) that I shouldn't have any cats. Brilliant. My cats do have a job, they aren't just there for my amusement. Furthermore, believe it or not, I'm more of a cat person and actually am quite fond of my sane cats. I can differentiate sane from insane, unfortunately, my fondness is not unconditional.
That being said, i have discovered that along with politics and religion, animal rights can cause tempers to flare, and so if you are all for gunning a cat down that attacked you, to save some friendships you might want to keep that info to yourself.
Or do tell, and see the tempers flare. It can cause some interesting debates!
1.31.2011
Update On Cat Fiasco
So, I've had some calls for some updates on my status in regards to the potentially rabid kitty and likely my health.
Well, good news and bad news.
bad news? I may have seen Justin the potentially rabid cat a week ago, but it was to dark to make a positive identification and the mysterious cat sort of disappeared. And because cat could not be identified, they had to take precautionary measures and so now I have been vaccinated for Rabies.
Good News? Rabies vaccines are not as painful as they were before. I got three shots of Immuno Globulin in my thighs and arm and the rabies vaccine in my other arm, and then I have to go back three more times to get the rabies vaccine once more. I've gone back twice now, next monday and I will be completely vaccinated for Rabies for a year. So if I can handle potentially rabid animals with less of a risk to my health then other people. Will I? Well, I still want to avoid animals frothing at the mouth that can potentially attack me, but it is nice to have that extra safety precaution.
Also, my other two barn cats, the sane ones, have now been fully vaccinated. The vet complimented them on how well they behaved, especially considering they are barn cats, saying that they were better then a lot of other housecats that come through. I then learned that for a couple free barn cats, they are expensive in their own way. So no more free cats for me.
I'm still keeping an eye out for Justin, but I got sick of locking the cats in the tack room where they were just crapping wherever. I was hoping that perhaps they would learn to stay out of the cat trap but I have found Tim more then once eating the tuna I was using to catch the other cat. The last time he was stretched out on his back calmly waiting for me to open the door. He knows I'll let him out eventually. Crazy cat.
If I ever do catch Justin, or see him again, I don't know what I'm going to do with him. If he's still alive, he definitely does not have rabies, but if he just stays out of my way and doesn't attack people, whatever. Kind of sad, somebody was suggesting he could have been abused and reacted out of fear, which frustrates me.
If Justin ever does come back, I'll be sure to let you all know. My guess I'll see him after my rabies series is complete.
Well, good news and bad news.
bad news? I may have seen Justin the potentially rabid cat a week ago, but it was to dark to make a positive identification and the mysterious cat sort of disappeared. And because cat could not be identified, they had to take precautionary measures and so now I have been vaccinated for Rabies.
Good News? Rabies vaccines are not as painful as they were before. I got three shots of Immuno Globulin in my thighs and arm and the rabies vaccine in my other arm, and then I have to go back three more times to get the rabies vaccine once more. I've gone back twice now, next monday and I will be completely vaccinated for Rabies for a year. So if I can handle potentially rabid animals with less of a risk to my health then other people. Will I? Well, I still want to avoid animals frothing at the mouth that can potentially attack me, but it is nice to have that extra safety precaution.
Also, my other two barn cats, the sane ones, have now been fully vaccinated. The vet complimented them on how well they behaved, especially considering they are barn cats, saying that they were better then a lot of other housecats that come through. I then learned that for a couple free barn cats, they are expensive in their own way. So no more free cats for me.
I'm still keeping an eye out for Justin, but I got sick of locking the cats in the tack room where they were just crapping wherever. I was hoping that perhaps they would learn to stay out of the cat trap but I have found Tim more then once eating the tuna I was using to catch the other cat. The last time he was stretched out on his back calmly waiting for me to open the door. He knows I'll let him out eventually. Crazy cat.
If I ever do catch Justin, or see him again, I don't know what I'm going to do with him. If he's still alive, he definitely does not have rabies, but if he just stays out of my way and doesn't attack people, whatever. Kind of sad, somebody was suggesting he could have been abused and reacted out of fear, which frustrates me.
If Justin ever does come back, I'll be sure to let you all know. My guess I'll see him after my rabies series is complete.
1.15.2011
To Kill or Not to Kill
That is the question in regards to pet overpopulation.
I have been in the market for a dog for a few weeks now, and going to the pound I see all of the cats looking for a home of their own. Before I had my horse fascination, I was a cat person through and through. I loved cats, I had a cat that put up with me named Kaita as a kid that I absolutely adored. She was an outside mouser, and she was a good one. Seeing as I was such an enormous animal lover, when it was time for Kaita to be put down, my parents were worried I wouldn't be able to handle it. I went through a very severe depression at nine years old when our dog Brandy got hit by a truck. I think it was my first real encounter with death.
Eventually I got older and more mature, and although I consider myself still an animal lover, I've become a little more practical about my love of furry creatures. Right now I have three chickens, three horses, and three (sort of) cats. I want to get a dog, which I mentioned earlier, but that is for another post. This post is about my current assortment of critters.
I'm still a bit of a cat person I admit, but I have a few specifications for any kitty that wants to consider me their person. One, they are strictly outdoor barn cats. due to family allergies, and the hair issue, i just discovered that I don't do indoor cats. Two, they can't be insane. I know, I know, I'm talking about cats here. By their nature cats are insane. And after tonight, I would be inclined to agree with this assessment.
This is Tim, trying to help me sell my truck
Bob, when he was more of a kitten and less of a fat cat
Bob, the resident furball, is a fluffy fat kitten that is quickly approaching cat size. He has instapurr mode and is quite content with being in your lap. Of course, he's a cat, and therefore content to be independent as well, but he definitely still has a kitten mode and his favorite game is to torment Tim. I call him Bob because of his tufted ears that remind me of a bob cat.
The coolest picture of Stewie that I possess
Stewie was a cat that originally came with Tim. She was quite a love of a cat too, but when Bob was introduced, she made her displeasure known and then disappeared for a few days, reappeared, disappeared again, and did this game for a few weeks before she disappeared altogether. I haven't seen her since about September. She either got eaten, or found a new home.
I should have known, Justin acted cute, but he certainly has an evil eye here
A few weeks ago, I met Justin while hauling a horse for a girl. He was super friendly, i reached down and gave him a pat and he looked like all he wanted was a little love. I picked him up and he was just content to purr in my arms. The lady who owned him asked me 'do you want him?' Apparently, he was a barn cat with two full sisters, and being barn cats, they have a tendency to not get fixed. To prevent inbreeding, I went ahead and took him home. He was just as calm as he could be in the car, purring and perched on the back seat. He really did like people.
Of course, being the new cat, Bob and Tim appeared to have other ideas, and the cats didn't seem to get along at first. Justin liked people alright, but he didn't like the other cats. He stuck around for about four days, and then one day I didn't see him anymore. I was disappointed, he was a cool looking and quite lovable barn cat. But I guess two male barn cats was to much, and Stewie got chased away by the other two (I think Bob and Tim are gay.)
Did I mention cats are insane? Well, they are.
The last few nights I've been hearing a cat meowing, a really strange meow. I thought it might be Justin, but I wasn't so sure. Then this afternoon, I see him out in the yard, he looks nice and fluffy and fat, and it is unmistakeably him. I call for him, he looks a little skittish and fluffs his back, goes under the car. That seems odd, he came right up to you before, so I call to him again, seeing if he'll come. He doesn't.
I go feed the horses and come back and find him now under the horse trailer, meowing his strange meow. I have a piece of bailing twine, thinking I just need to calm him down and let him feel nice and at ease again. I call for him and try to use the bailing twine to get him to come out (it certainly worked with Bob when he first arrived) Justin just hides behind the tire of the trailer and meows at me, I'm about three feet from him, trying to get him to come toward me when before I know it, he lunges at me. All fur and claws and teeth, and tears me a new one.
My first instinct is to kill the cat. This is why.
About ten minutes after my encounter with Justin
I actually posted this picture on Facebook (I am a facebook junkie, the website is evil) with the caption: "Remember Justin, the 'huggable' barn cat I told you about? Well, he's got a bounty on his head, which will have a .22 round through it. And the carcass will be taken to animal control and tested for rabies. How quickly can a cat go feral?"
I got quite a few comments, most of which were in league with me saying 'Yes, Kill it!' because let's be realistic. Would you keep a cat that did this to your face? Of course, I had several people commenting 'what are you doing, go to the doctor NOW' (and yes, I did, four stitches and ten days of antibiotics coupled with a tetanus shot and they don't like to stitch cat bites because of infections).
But then one commenter, a friend of a friend, seemed horrified by the prospect of everyone gunning for this poor cat's life. Others were suggesting perhaps a more humane way to go is to have it euthanized, while Animal Control straight up told me to trap it and bring it in so they could quarantine it for ten days. Back to the cruel inhumane treatment of threatening to shoot a cat, hell, I had my .22 locked and loaded but alas, the cat ran into the neighbor's property and it was getting dark. Yes, my first thought was vengeance, on cat, shoot it and have it's brain tested for rabies. Because how this cat acted now versus how it acted when I first brought it home, it was like two totally different cats! One that was all 'give me love!' and the other all 'murder death destroy!'
Let's face facts here, whether it's by lethal injection or lead injection, this cat is most likely going to meet its fate on hell's side of the rainbow bridge. I am an animal lover, but the last thing we need is to waste time on a cat that acts like a lunatic. People were trying to make excuses for this beast, 'oh, why do you have to immediately resort to killing it?' kind of mentality, that all we have to do is understand the cat's motives and then come to an understanding.
Here's my understanding, cat. You're a barn cat, your job is to eat mice. I will provide a little extra food for you so if mousing is limited, you have something to eat. You have a barn you can make yourself at home in. All I ask, is that you don't go apeshit insane and attack me. I have no use for a cat that attacks me and forces me to get stitches and antibiotics for a catbite. Most cats, if they didn't want to be messed with, would have ran off. Not sit there meowing at me before lunging with tooth and claw. I have no use for crazy cats, there are thousands of other nice sensible cats that want a loving home, I am not going to steal the chance at one of them getting a place to live to rehome this cat, I'm not going to even bother wasting another person's time. Once a cat does something like this, they are done. Would you trust a cat that did this with your kids? What are the cat's motives? Does a cat even need a motive to be crazy? Or is it sick? Even better reason to put it down with a bullet.
I usually like cats, a lot. I really love having a cuddly cat in my arms that will let me pet and love on it as they purr in contentment. Bob (and Stewie) are like this, and Justin used to be. Well, not anymore. Crazy cat is going down!
My goal is still to catch the feline and hand it over to animal control, unless they charge me for turning the cat in, which is when I'll take matters into my own hands and make sure it doesn't get the opportunity to lash out at another human being. Which brings me to another question. exactly how long does it take to turn an extremely friendly cat into a feral nutcase?
Whatever, tuna in the live trap, let's hope that I can catch a cat.
I have been in the market for a dog for a few weeks now, and going to the pound I see all of the cats looking for a home of their own. Before I had my horse fascination, I was a cat person through and through. I loved cats, I had a cat that put up with me named Kaita as a kid that I absolutely adored. She was an outside mouser, and she was a good one. Seeing as I was such an enormous animal lover, when it was time for Kaita to be put down, my parents were worried I wouldn't be able to handle it. I went through a very severe depression at nine years old when our dog Brandy got hit by a truck. I think it was my first real encounter with death.
Eventually I got older and more mature, and although I consider myself still an animal lover, I've become a little more practical about my love of furry creatures. Right now I have three chickens, three horses, and three (sort of) cats. I want to get a dog, which I mentioned earlier, but that is for another post. This post is about my current assortment of critters.
I'm still a bit of a cat person I admit, but I have a few specifications for any kitty that wants to consider me their person. One, they are strictly outdoor barn cats. due to family allergies, and the hair issue, i just discovered that I don't do indoor cats. Two, they can't be insane. I know, I know, I'm talking about cats here. By their nature cats are insane. And after tonight, I would be inclined to agree with this assessment.
This is Tim, trying to help me sell my truck
What I mean about a cat being sane, is that it serves its purpose by catching mice (because having a barn, cats are a necessity) and being somewhat friendly to their humans. My two cats, Tim and Bob, by and large fall under this description. Yes, Tim doesn't like to be held for long periods, he mostly likes a quick scratch behind the ears, once you understand that Tim isn't a cuddly holding type cat, then you'll do just fine with him. He is overall approachable, a little shy with strangers, and just comes up for a quick pet and perhaps a chance to come inside (which he is promptly shooed back out).
Bob, the resident furball, is a fluffy fat kitten that is quickly approaching cat size. He has instapurr mode and is quite content with being in your lap. Of course, he's a cat, and therefore content to be independent as well, but he definitely still has a kitten mode and his favorite game is to torment Tim. I call him Bob because of his tufted ears that remind me of a bob cat.
Stewie was a cat that originally came with Tim. She was quite a love of a cat too, but when Bob was introduced, she made her displeasure known and then disappeared for a few days, reappeared, disappeared again, and did this game for a few weeks before she disappeared altogether. I haven't seen her since about September. She either got eaten, or found a new home.
A few weeks ago, I met Justin while hauling a horse for a girl. He was super friendly, i reached down and gave him a pat and he looked like all he wanted was a little love. I picked him up and he was just content to purr in my arms. The lady who owned him asked me 'do you want him?' Apparently, he was a barn cat with two full sisters, and being barn cats, they have a tendency to not get fixed. To prevent inbreeding, I went ahead and took him home. He was just as calm as he could be in the car, purring and perched on the back seat. He really did like people.
Of course, being the new cat, Bob and Tim appeared to have other ideas, and the cats didn't seem to get along at first. Justin liked people alright, but he didn't like the other cats. He stuck around for about four days, and then one day I didn't see him anymore. I was disappointed, he was a cool looking and quite lovable barn cat. But I guess two male barn cats was to much, and Stewie got chased away by the other two (I think Bob and Tim are gay.)
Did I mention cats are insane? Well, they are.
The last few nights I've been hearing a cat meowing, a really strange meow. I thought it might be Justin, but I wasn't so sure. Then this afternoon, I see him out in the yard, he looks nice and fluffy and fat, and it is unmistakeably him. I call for him, he looks a little skittish and fluffs his back, goes under the car. That seems odd, he came right up to you before, so I call to him again, seeing if he'll come. He doesn't.
I go feed the horses and come back and find him now under the horse trailer, meowing his strange meow. I have a piece of bailing twine, thinking I just need to calm him down and let him feel nice and at ease again. I call for him and try to use the bailing twine to get him to come out (it certainly worked with Bob when he first arrived) Justin just hides behind the tire of the trailer and meows at me, I'm about three feet from him, trying to get him to come toward me when before I know it, he lunges at me. All fur and claws and teeth, and tears me a new one.
My first instinct is to kill the cat. This is why.
I actually posted this picture on Facebook (I am a facebook junkie, the website is evil) with the caption: "Remember Justin, the 'huggable' barn cat I told you about? Well, he's got a bounty on his head, which will have a .22 round through it. And the carcass will be taken to animal control and tested for rabies. How quickly can a cat go feral?"
I got quite a few comments, most of which were in league with me saying 'Yes, Kill it!' because let's be realistic. Would you keep a cat that did this to your face? Of course, I had several people commenting 'what are you doing, go to the doctor NOW' (and yes, I did, four stitches and ten days of antibiotics coupled with a tetanus shot and they don't like to stitch cat bites because of infections).
But then one commenter, a friend of a friend, seemed horrified by the prospect of everyone gunning for this poor cat's life. Others were suggesting perhaps a more humane way to go is to have it euthanized, while Animal Control straight up told me to trap it and bring it in so they could quarantine it for ten days. Back to the cruel inhumane treatment of threatening to shoot a cat, hell, I had my .22 locked and loaded but alas, the cat ran into the neighbor's property and it was getting dark. Yes, my first thought was vengeance, on cat, shoot it and have it's brain tested for rabies. Because how this cat acted now versus how it acted when I first brought it home, it was like two totally different cats! One that was all 'give me love!' and the other all 'murder death destroy!'
Let's face facts here, whether it's by lethal injection or lead injection, this cat is most likely going to meet its fate on hell's side of the rainbow bridge. I am an animal lover, but the last thing we need is to waste time on a cat that acts like a lunatic. People were trying to make excuses for this beast, 'oh, why do you have to immediately resort to killing it?' kind of mentality, that all we have to do is understand the cat's motives and then come to an understanding.
Here's my understanding, cat. You're a barn cat, your job is to eat mice. I will provide a little extra food for you so if mousing is limited, you have something to eat. You have a barn you can make yourself at home in. All I ask, is that you don't go apeshit insane and attack me. I have no use for a cat that attacks me and forces me to get stitches and antibiotics for a catbite. Most cats, if they didn't want to be messed with, would have ran off. Not sit there meowing at me before lunging with tooth and claw. I have no use for crazy cats, there are thousands of other nice sensible cats that want a loving home, I am not going to steal the chance at one of them getting a place to live to rehome this cat, I'm not going to even bother wasting another person's time. Once a cat does something like this, they are done. Would you trust a cat that did this with your kids? What are the cat's motives? Does a cat even need a motive to be crazy? Or is it sick? Even better reason to put it down with a bullet.
I usually like cats, a lot. I really love having a cuddly cat in my arms that will let me pet and love on it as they purr in contentment. Bob (and Stewie) are like this, and Justin used to be. Well, not anymore. Crazy cat is going down!
My goal is still to catch the feline and hand it over to animal control, unless they charge me for turning the cat in, which is when I'll take matters into my own hands and make sure it doesn't get the opportunity to lash out at another human being. Which brings me to another question. exactly how long does it take to turn an extremely friendly cat into a feral nutcase?
Whatever, tuna in the live trap, let's hope that I can catch a cat.
1.12.2011
A Note About Commenting
I like to encourage people to comment on my blog, whether they disagree with me or not, because it makes me feel good that somebody at least cares enough about what I have to say to leave a short message to me about it.
That said, PLEASE don't choose the option of Anonymous when commenting on my blog. It is annoying. Call yourself something, ANYTHING but Anonymous. You can choose the name/url option and put anything there that you want, you don't even have to put in a URL. Because I like to encourage commenting and don't want people to feel pressured into having to register for something to leave a comment. Unfortunately, allowing that option also allows for people to choose to click Anonymous. Please do me a favor and just use the Basic Name Option. If people keep choosing to use Anonymous, I'll just force everyone to register.
Bleh!
That said, PLEASE don't choose the option of Anonymous when commenting on my blog. It is annoying. Call yourself something, ANYTHING but Anonymous. You can choose the name/url option and put anything there that you want, you don't even have to put in a URL. Because I like to encourage commenting and don't want people to feel pressured into having to register for something to leave a comment. Unfortunately, allowing that option also allows for people to choose to click Anonymous. Please do me a favor and just use the Basic Name Option. If people keep choosing to use Anonymous, I'll just force everyone to register.
Bleh!
1.11.2011
Arizona Shootings, Some Good News from this Tragedy
So some good news in all of this discourse about who is to blame for the tragedy that occurred in Arizona this last weekend. First, that it appears that Representative Giffords will survive and I wish her a full recovery and pray for the best.
Secondly, it appears that the narrative of 'blame Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, the tea baggers and all of this negative rhetoric about bulls eyes and cross hairs for causing this' is starting to fall apart. It's coming out that Jared Loughner is a lunatic. He's a crazy that did it on his own, and my first thought when reading up on his description is this guy was an anarchist nutjob.
Meanwhile, as the smear campaign (thankfully) falls apart, we are getting commentary on it from Mark Halperin on Morning Joe, which makes you go, huh?
My favorite line is from the comments at Hot Air.
'Hey, why did Obama insist he was born in Hawaii when all those birthers said he wasn't?'
Secondly, it appears that the narrative of 'blame Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, the tea baggers and all of this negative rhetoric about bulls eyes and cross hairs for causing this' is starting to fall apart. It's coming out that Jared Loughner is a lunatic. He's a crazy that did it on his own, and my first thought when reading up on his description is this guy was an anarchist nutjob.
Meanwhile, as the smear campaign (thankfully) falls apart, we are getting commentary on it from Mark Halperin on Morning Joe, which makes you go, huh?
Really? Really? So you are suggesting when you get smeared, you just stay quiet, bend over and take it? Now that the facts are coming out this is really starting to bite those on the ass who were driving it, isn't it? And I hope it does. This was pure exploitation of a national tragedy by those on the left by politicizing it to demonize conservatives like Sarah Palin and the Tea Party. And the fact that the narrative was driven by so many in the media and on the left appalled me. And people wonder why I don't bother watching TV anymore. I don't trust a single word any of those asshats have to say."I just want to single out one thing. I think the media and the politicians have behaved pretty well so far. I'm worried about the anger of the right-wing commentariat," Halperin said. "Fox and George Will and other conservatives are in some cases justifiably upset at liberals, but they’re turning this back into the standard operating procedure of 'all this is war and fodder for content' rather than trying to bring the country together."
"Wait a second," Scarborough responded. "I think they would say that you have that backwards, that a shooting was turned into fodder to attack conservatives."
Halperin: "And, I already made that criticism, as well. they're right, but rather than seizing on it and turning the other cheek, they're back at their war stations. that’s not going to help us."
My favorite line is from the comments at Hot Air.
'Hey, why did Obama insist he was born in Hawaii when all those birthers said he wasn't?'
1.10.2011
The Latest Attack on Free Speech
When somebody uses imagery, many times it is figuritive wouldn't you say? It helps paint a picture by using metaphores and symbolism to help drive a message you want to bring out. Imagery has been used for centuries.
Sarah Palin comments to Glenn Beck on this tragedy, and everyone's hasty connection of her to it. Really, where do we draw the line?
The Boyz at Hillbuzz have done an excellent job at showing the hypocracy in this incident and how the media and various people are trying to pin it on Sarah Palin. A must read for anybody remotely interested in the story.
So apparently, Sarah Palin used crosshairs on several different states during the 2010 election. Anybody with half a brain would understand what was going on here. Because she put certain districts in crosshairs, did she really mean for people to take up arms and shoot up these districts? Um, no, I think it's quite clear what she was saying. She was suggesting that those districts specifically should be targeted by a strong Republican Challenger because they are held by Democrats who voted for the healthcare bill in traditionally conservative states and therefore a good possibility that if they played their cards right (oh look, another analogy!) they could win these districts
Now obviously this isn't the case, as Giffords won reelection. From what I understand she was a moderate democrat that voted for the Healthcare Bill but also voted against Pelosi (who is an idiot I must say, or a crafty woman who has no care what the citizens of this country think and has the mentality that she knows better then anyone) as Minority Leader.
First and foremost, what happened was a great tragedy, what appears to be a lone gunman shot into a crowd of innocent bystanders and took the lives of six people and wounded dozens more. He alone is responsible for his actions, he's the one that made the decision to take a gun to a public place and open fire on a woman who he disagreed with. There is nobody to blame here but this man and any possible accomplices to this murder he may have had.
What really bothers me the most about this was how quickly people were jumping to conclusions on the matter. Palin used crosshairs so she was inciting violence and now she is to blame. Don't be ridiculous, crosshairs in political imagery has been used countless times before, by both sides of the aisle. Democrats and Republicans both do it, how about this map, which I was shown originally by a commentator about this topic that was actually used by the Democrats in 2004?
I don't know, that looks pretty inciteful to me! What's more, they actually use the term 'behind enemy lines' to target states that went to Bush.
You know, I think myself and people like me can probably figure out for ourselves that the democrats didn't mean to incite actual violence in those states. Those are contested states, and any lame brain can probably figure that out.
Of course, go to any website featuring this story prominantly and Sarah Palin's alleged connection to it and you can see the insanity as people are quick to blame somebody, ANYBODY, especially if it is politically convenient, except for the actual person who did the shooting. People, the only person to blame is Jared Loughner. They list a series of acts of violence towards people who supported the health care bill and link it to Sarah Palin. You know what? I bet, if you are in public office, death threats are actually pretty common. Take a quick look, there are over 300 million people in the United States, a good majority of them are good decent hard working people. And then there are some that are a little loose in the head. You take an unpopular bit of legislation like the Healthcare Bill and I wouldn't think it uncommon after any unpopular act that some politicians get a few death threats or vandalism by some people who decide to take matters into their own hands. Are these people wrong in their actions? Yes, but let's get real here, the only person to blame here are the people who act on it. Whatever happened to personal responsibility and accountability?
Besides, with this shooting, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that Loughner even liked Palin, chances are if he got inspiration from this shooting from anywhere, it seems in line more from a regrettably titled Daily Kos article (My congresswoman is now Dead to me, in referreing to Congresswoman Giffords, no link since story has been scrubbed from the website) then from a call to arms by Sarah Palin. It is quite humorous (in a terribly unfunny sort of way) how quick people were to pin this action on Sarah Palin and put the blame on her. Quite crazy actually, that people have to jump to conclusions by trying to figure out why and place the scape goat on somebody for their own political needs.
Of course, during the Ft Hood shooting, when it quickly came out that the mastermind behind that monstrocity was a Psychiatrist that got promoted to his station because nobody wanted to hurt anybody's feelings by the obvious conclusion anybody could have made that he was a radical islamist, it seemed like everywhere you looked people were falling over themselves trying to explain to people that it was so important not to jump to conclusions. Well, sorry, this is my conclusion on that story. Now everyone is rushing to conclusions to blame this on a convenient political scapegoat and saying somebody else's imagery influenced a person to shoot into a crowd at a grocery store. Stop trying to figure out the whys of why somebody did something an accept that we all have influences in every part of our lives. We, the individual, are ultimately responsible for our own actions. There is one person to blame here in this incident, and that person is a man by the name of Jared Loughner. Last I saw, he was an adult.
People are talking about being civil in talk, but man I hear the hate flowing toward Sarah Palin on this when there is no connection. Stop drawing conclusions!
And what do I see this as? This is a blatant attack on free speech. What, anybody who says anything about using figures of speech and imagery to drive their point is now guilty of inciting violence? The means some people go to connect Sarah Palin (a private citizen I might add) to other people's actions is absolutely insane. Yes, Sarah Palin has a lot of influence, a lot of people see her as bold, fresh and a source of common sense. Other people, for whatever reason, can't stand the sight of her. Because of her polarizing nature and a few other reasons, I don't think she could ever be President, though if the choice is between Palin and our current President, I'm willing to give Palin a shot, but that aside, people are trying to paint her as a scape goat in this, saying that she has blood on her hands or what not. I call Bull. As in shit, not eye. If you want to go down that slippery slope of a person's words and rhetoric as the means of inciting action in another individual, and then holding the person accountable for their words, then i would suggest that every person that Jared Loughner knew and was influenced by during his entire life, his parents, teachers, friends, coworkers, the media, etc, is accountable for his actions. And that is simply not the case. This man made his choice, he acted upon it, and he alone is responsible.
When we stand in front of those pearly gates and St Peter decides whether or not we are going to enter into the kingdom of heaven or be cast into the fiery pits of hell, I would suggest that we will be judged according to our own actions and not given a pass because we may or may not have been influenced by the words of someone else.
Another excellent blog post describing other examples of the use of the crosshairs or bullseye imagery by politicians other then Sarah Palin. Both sides are guilty if one is.Sarah Palin comments to Glenn Beck on this tragedy, and everyone's hasty connection of her to it. Really, where do we draw the line?
The Boyz at Hillbuzz have done an excellent job at showing the hypocracy in this incident and how the media and various people are trying to pin it on Sarah Palin. A must read for anybody remotely interested in the story.
1.09.2011
Preparing for a Revamp
Well, other than the blog, which will probably stay right here. I'm talking about my website, which still exists but is rather neglected over at risawn.com. I'm actually planning to use the com in .com for what it's intention is, I'm going commerical.
Actually, I'm going to redub the site Risawn Studios, and am trying to come up with a nifty logo to use with it, and then I think I'm going to showcase my art and photography, and then go into freelance work and perhaps try something with taking pictures and portraits for people or what not. So it's a way to showcase my work and hopefully profit a little on the side. I would be content for this to just be a side job to make a little extra money along with any other odd jobs I do. The key being, of course, is working from home is my goal. If I can keep myself motivated.
Also, I need a new computer. My husband is a mac, but I can't picture myself buying a desktop mac with all of the software I have, and paying so much for one, when I've stuck on PC.
Meanwhile, completed my first month of P90X. Pics to come, although I'm debating on showing pictures at the end of it all.
Actually, I'm going to redub the site Risawn Studios, and am trying to come up with a nifty logo to use with it, and then I think I'm going to showcase my art and photography, and then go into freelance work and perhaps try something with taking pictures and portraits for people or what not. So it's a way to showcase my work and hopefully profit a little on the side. I would be content for this to just be a side job to make a little extra money along with any other odd jobs I do. The key being, of course, is working from home is my goal. If I can keep myself motivated.
Also, I need a new computer. My husband is a mac, but I can't picture myself buying a desktop mac with all of the software I have, and paying so much for one, when I've stuck on PC.
Meanwhile, completed my first month of P90X. Pics to come, although I'm debating on showing pictures at the end of it all.
1.01.2011
New Years Resolutions - 2010/2011
Alright, New Year means New Resolutions, and a check to see how I did.
Knock off some states off my States I haven't Visited Yet list - Got Michigan, Wisonsin, Michigan and North Dakota. That just leaves five, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alaska and Hawaii.
Read and Finish at least one book a month - I used to be a bookworm, but other things kept my mind off of reading this year.
Run Bloomsday under an Hour Thirty - Ran Bloomsday, I think my time was 1:20 or something. Definitely accomplished.
Operation Zombie Plan - I completely forgot to do it. It's a joke I want to do. I have to enlist some help of some siblings or my husband. We'll see.
NanoWriMo - I did it twice successfully, this year I had other things occupying my time. November was a crazy month.
Write and Publish a Short Story - I didn't do a lot of writing this year in general, again, lot's of other things on my mind. That's a good thing probably.
24 Hour Comic - I still want to do this, best do it when my husband is not home. Because he would undoubtedly get bored with it.
Give Comic an Ultimatum - Continue it or Kill it. This will be a green regardless. Haha! It's a yellow. I didn't give it an ultimatum yet, I haven't done much with it, but I don't want to give up on it yet. It is leering towards killing it unfortunately.
Work on Social Life - still a huge homebody, but my social life is immensely better this year. We being newlyweds don't do a lot of going out on the town, but I would say I am much more social then before.
Be More Active - Immensely more active, I am still a bit of a homebody and like to lounge around the house surfing the internets, but with P90X, horses, and everything else, I am staying pretty active and feel great. Also, ran a half marathon, insanely slow, but I did it!
Employment - marriage killed the initiative to find a job, and when I did find one, I got pregnant and it wasn't a good combo. I do want to get a real job, perferably working from home because I would love to be a stay at home mom.
Concealed Weapon's Permit - Damn. Bite the bullet and get it I guess.
So how did I do? 7 reds, 1 yellow and 4 greens. Not great, but not awful, considering I had three that were writing related and 2 comic related. So, how goes this year?
1. Run Bloomsday at close to an hour - I'm trying to get back into running, I'm working at P90X and as soon as the weather clears up I'm going to squeeze in some running as well. I would like to run a possible half marathon.
2. Leadman - it's a triathlon that is ski/snowboard, bike and run in Idaho. Takes place on our wedding anniversary. We would have done it last year, but, well, marriage happened instead :)
3. Pattern Racing - I am so going to do this more this year! Take a horse and run patterns on them, and I've got a horse that is awesome at patterns! She loves to run, and I'm going to do more of this.
4. Trail Challenge, Ride and Ties - More horse related items, the Trail Challenge is just riding on a trail with obstacles and getting rated on it. Same horse as above. The ride and tie is two people and a horse racing and switching off. Trail challenge is local, ride and tie not so much.
5. Concealed Weapons Permit - I am going to do this, I am going to do this.
6. Motorcycle License - I just want one, so I think I'm going to take a class and learn how to ride a motorcycle. Then my hubby and I can ride together.
7. Finish P90X - at the end of week 3 and so far so good! Since we got the right weights, it has shown to be more of a workout then before. I've only missed one day, Yoga, two days ago, and one Ab Ripper workout, yesterday, due to lower back pain. Hopefully we can continue and finish this thing out. I feel great already!
8. Go Canyoneering - we got this slotted for this year sometime. Probably in the spring, heading for Southern Utah.
9. Start writing a children's book - I want to write, illustrate and publish a children's book. It's a time consuming process, I don't expect it to get done in one day, but it would be pretty cool if I can get it going.
10. Employment - I need a job. In this economy it isn't great. Maybe something stay at home, on my own hours. That way I can continue taking care of the house, get things organized, and if somebody comes along, I don't have to change my schedule that much.
11. Learn to cook at least one new meal every month, if not every week - I need to diversify my domestic skills, and men I learn, love to eat.
12. 24 hour comic - hold over from last year, still want to do it.
13. Get back into painting - My plan from last year didn't work. I have a studio now, so I don't have any excuses. Hmm, well, maybe one.
14. Organize my studio space - it is currently a disaster. I need to get things set up in there so I can actually use the space.
15. Get Pregnant - Depending on when this happens, this might but make a lot of my other resolutions go red.
2010 was actually a fantastic year for me. Here's to an even better 2011!
Knock off some states off my States I haven't Visited Yet list - Got Michigan, Wisonsin, Michigan and North Dakota. That just leaves five, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alaska and Hawaii.
Read and Finish at least one book a month - I used to be a bookworm, but other things kept my mind off of reading this year.
Run Bloomsday under an Hour Thirty - Ran Bloomsday, I think my time was 1:20 or something. Definitely accomplished.
Operation Zombie Plan - I completely forgot to do it. It's a joke I want to do. I have to enlist some help of some siblings or my husband. We'll see.
NanoWriMo - I did it twice successfully, this year I had other things occupying my time. November was a crazy month.
Write and Publish a Short Story - I didn't do a lot of writing this year in general, again, lot's of other things on my mind. That's a good thing probably.
24 Hour Comic - I still want to do this, best do it when my husband is not home. Because he would undoubtedly get bored with it.
Give Comic an Ultimatum - Continue it or Kill it. This will be a green regardless. Haha! It's a yellow. I didn't give it an ultimatum yet, I haven't done much with it, but I don't want to give up on it yet. It is leering towards killing it unfortunately.
Work on Social Life - still a huge homebody, but my social life is immensely better this year. We being newlyweds don't do a lot of going out on the town, but I would say I am much more social then before.
Be More Active - Immensely more active, I am still a bit of a homebody and like to lounge around the house surfing the internets, but with P90X, horses, and everything else, I am staying pretty active and feel great. Also, ran a half marathon, insanely slow, but I did it!
Employment - marriage killed the initiative to find a job, and when I did find one, I got pregnant and it wasn't a good combo. I do want to get a real job, perferably working from home because I would love to be a stay at home mom.
Concealed Weapon's Permit - Damn. Bite the bullet and get it I guess.
So how did I do? 7 reds, 1 yellow and 4 greens. Not great, but not awful, considering I had three that were writing related and 2 comic related. So, how goes this year?
1. Run Bloomsday at close to an hour - I'm trying to get back into running, I'm working at P90X and as soon as the weather clears up I'm going to squeeze in some running as well. I would like to run a possible half marathon.
2. Leadman - it's a triathlon that is ski/snowboard, bike and run in Idaho. Takes place on our wedding anniversary. We would have done it last year, but, well, marriage happened instead :)
3. Pattern Racing - I am so going to do this more this year! Take a horse and run patterns on them, and I've got a horse that is awesome at patterns! She loves to run, and I'm going to do more of this.
4. Trail Challenge, Ride and Ties - More horse related items, the Trail Challenge is just riding on a trail with obstacles and getting rated on it. Same horse as above. The ride and tie is two people and a horse racing and switching off. Trail challenge is local, ride and tie not so much.
5. Concealed Weapons Permit - I am going to do this, I am going to do this.
6. Motorcycle License - I just want one, so I think I'm going to take a class and learn how to ride a motorcycle. Then my hubby and I can ride together.
7. Finish P90X - at the end of week 3 and so far so good! Since we got the right weights, it has shown to be more of a workout then before. I've only missed one day, Yoga, two days ago, and one Ab Ripper workout, yesterday, due to lower back pain. Hopefully we can continue and finish this thing out. I feel great already!
8. Go Canyoneering - we got this slotted for this year sometime. Probably in the spring, heading for Southern Utah.
9. Start writing a children's book - I want to write, illustrate and publish a children's book. It's a time consuming process, I don't expect it to get done in one day, but it would be pretty cool if I can get it going.
10. Employment - I need a job. In this economy it isn't great. Maybe something stay at home, on my own hours. That way I can continue taking care of the house, get things organized, and if somebody comes along, I don't have to change my schedule that much.
11. Learn to cook at least one new meal every month, if not every week - I need to diversify my domestic skills, and men I learn, love to eat.
12. 24 hour comic - hold over from last year, still want to do it.
13. Get back into painting - My plan from last year didn't work. I have a studio now, so I don't have any excuses. Hmm, well, maybe one.
14. Organize my studio space - it is currently a disaster. I need to get things set up in there so I can actually use the space.
15. Get Pregnant - Depending on when this happens, this might but make a lot of my other resolutions go red.
2010 was actually a fantastic year for me. Here's to an even better 2011!
2010 - Year in Review
It's January first, and you know what that means?
I post my end of year in review questions and answers. This has become a theme for me, one that I think I'm going to try to keep up with. One that I am ditching (because I think I may have seen four current movies this year) is my best and worst movies of the year review. No point really when a former movie buff no longer really watches movies.
Anyway, onto the questions!
01. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
This is a doozy of a question, this was quite a wild and crazy year for me! Let me see, I went jeeping, got engaged, got married, went rock climbing on actual rock and not a rock wall, did Pattern Racing on Horseback, got pregnant, (had a miscarriage), went snowmobiling, among other things. Kind of an exciting year.
02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I think I did pretty good this year on resolutions. That will be detailed in the next post.
03. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I don't think so, but as soon as I say that, somebody close to me is going to say 'hey, what about me? How did you forget me?' and I will feel like a doofus.
04. Did anyone close to you die?
Again, can't think of anyone.
05. What countries did you visit?
No countries this year. However I did see four more states, which brings my total of states visited to 45. The states I visited this year that I hadn't visited before was Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. I did visit Minnesota in 2009, but I flew through it and am not sure if I counted it or not.
06. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
I don't think I was lacking much in 2010, this has been, for the most part, a fantastic year for me. But I can think of one thing, a steady job :P Married life has not been conducive to my productivity.
07. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
There is a few. March 22, the date I was engaged. April 24th, the day I got married. (yes, we had a quick engagement). October 24th, the date I realized I was pregnant. November 10th, the date I miscarried.
08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting married! I didn't think this would ever happen, and it is a huge achievement for me.
09. What was your biggest failure?
I don't know if I could count it as a failure, but it was a big blow for me (fortunately, I've moved past it) but losing my pregnancy.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Should I state it again? I had a miscarraige. I've learned it can be a big deal.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My horses, Jet and Breezy. We also just purchased snowmobiles, but they are still relatively recent (like two days ago)
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I'm thinking next year this question needs to be rewritten. But I will say my hubby's :) He is quite an awesome guy!
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Hmm, not sure. I know a few people I got frustrated with, but I wasn't appalled and depressed by them. Another question worth rewriting for next year?
Ok, there is one person, but granted, he's six. I discovered upon this that I can't do roommates.
14. Where did most of your money go?
This year, it seems to have gone toward horses.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting Married!
16. What songs will always remind you of 2010?
Marry Me by Train
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
I am doing awesome right now. I was doing pretty good this time last year as well.
ii. Thinner or fatter?
About the same. Right now I'm working out pretty regularly and feel pretty active, but a month ago I wasn't.
iii. Richer or poorer?
Financially, it's a draw. In many other ways, I think I'm richer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I had discovered Pattern Racing earlier then I did, but then again I didn't have the means of transportation to get my horse to the pattern races. But this year, if possible, I would love to do it again!
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Played Farmville, Mafia Wars, Vampire Wars, etc. Browser Games are addictive and completely pointless. I've milked myself off most of them, just a handful left.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Spent Christmas Eve with my parents and family and opened a few presents, had a quite christmas morning with my husband, went to his parent's place and had more christmas, and then went back to my parent's and even more christmas. And we also had lot's of snow.
22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
This was something I didn't think would ever happen but YES! Hell froze over!
23. How many one night stands?
I have them all the time, with my husband :P
24. What were your favourite TV programs?
We didn't watch much TV, finished Lost, saw the only season of Flash Forward, and I got my husband into Avatar, the Last Airbender. But overall, didn't watch much TV
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
This is a very juvenile question. Maybe next year I will completely come up with a completely different list of questions. I did have a small falling out with somebody I knew, but I wouldn't call it hate. I haven't heard from them in months.
26. What was the best book you read?
I can't think of any books I read in 2010 other then How to Train Your Dragon (quick read, nothing like the movie). I wrote mostly, and was doing a lot of other things. Didn't have time to read.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Oh gosh, I don't listen to the radio much. There was a couple though. I'll admit to liking Kei$ha, though her music can sometime remind me of the imaturity of a 14 year old and she can sound a little snobbish. But it's kind of catchy. I discovered Parmore the year before but I really really REALLy like this group!
28. What did you want and get?
Horses, a husband, a great house out in the country.
29. What did you want and not get?
A job. I did have a small one for a couple months, but it was kind of bad hours for me, threw off my entire day, I have decided I won't do graveyards.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
I didn't see much, but Inception was fantastic. I love quirky mind bending movies though.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30. There was a blizzard, I ended up trading a snowboard for something else and then had to prep the stalls to take a couple horses for the evening. Then I stayed at home and chilled until my husband got off work.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not losing my pregnancy. (I feel like a broken record, this was the worst thing that happened to me this year though)
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
T-shirt, jeans and muck boots. Hay sticking out in random places.
34. What kept you sane?
Horseback riding! And my husband. This was a pretty sane year for the most part.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most?
Never really been into public figures and celebrities. But Chris Christy is a fantastic no nonsense politician. I love the guts this man has!
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Not a whole lot really, I kept current on politics but mostly the economy was my biggest concern. Obamacare is a disaster in the making. But I didn't really get to caught up in things this year, I had my mind on a lot of other things.
37. Who did you miss?
My husband :( He deployed three weeks after we got married, but he was only gone for four months, thankfully :)
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I've met a ton of great people this year, my sis in law Jessica could be potentially one of my best friends (if only we lived closer together!) Also one of my new racing buddies. I married into a great family. Also, many of my new 'horse' friends.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
It's not about me anymore.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"You are the only exception."
I post my end of year in review questions and answers. This has become a theme for me, one that I think I'm going to try to keep up with. One that I am ditching (because I think I may have seen four current movies this year) is my best and worst movies of the year review. No point really when a former movie buff no longer really watches movies.
Anyway, onto the questions!
01. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
This is a doozy of a question, this was quite a wild and crazy year for me! Let me see, I went jeeping, got engaged, got married, went rock climbing on actual rock and not a rock wall, did Pattern Racing on Horseback, got pregnant, (had a miscarriage), went snowmobiling, among other things. Kind of an exciting year.
02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I think I did pretty good this year on resolutions. That will be detailed in the next post.
03. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I don't think so, but as soon as I say that, somebody close to me is going to say 'hey, what about me? How did you forget me?' and I will feel like a doofus.
04. Did anyone close to you die?
Again, can't think of anyone.
05. What countries did you visit?
No countries this year. However I did see four more states, which brings my total of states visited to 45. The states I visited this year that I hadn't visited before was Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. I did visit Minnesota in 2009, but I flew through it and am not sure if I counted it or not.
06. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
I don't think I was lacking much in 2010, this has been, for the most part, a fantastic year for me. But I can think of one thing, a steady job :P Married life has not been conducive to my productivity.
07. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
There is a few. March 22, the date I was engaged. April 24th, the day I got married. (yes, we had a quick engagement). October 24th, the date I realized I was pregnant. November 10th, the date I miscarried.
08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting married! I didn't think this would ever happen, and it is a huge achievement for me.
09. What was your biggest failure?
I don't know if I could count it as a failure, but it was a big blow for me (fortunately, I've moved past it) but losing my pregnancy.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Should I state it again? I had a miscarraige. I've learned it can be a big deal.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My horses, Jet and Breezy. We also just purchased snowmobiles, but they are still relatively recent (like two days ago)
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I'm thinking next year this question needs to be rewritten. But I will say my hubby's :) He is quite an awesome guy!
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Hmm, not sure. I know a few people I got frustrated with, but I wasn't appalled and depressed by them. Another question worth rewriting for next year?
Ok, there is one person, but granted, he's six. I discovered upon this that I can't do roommates.
14. Where did most of your money go?
This year, it seems to have gone toward horses.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting Married!
16. What songs will always remind you of 2010?
Marry Me by Train
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
I am doing awesome right now. I was doing pretty good this time last year as well.
ii. Thinner or fatter?
About the same. Right now I'm working out pretty regularly and feel pretty active, but a month ago I wasn't.
iii. Richer or poorer?
Financially, it's a draw. In many other ways, I think I'm richer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I had discovered Pattern Racing earlier then I did, but then again I didn't have the means of transportation to get my horse to the pattern races. But this year, if possible, I would love to do it again!
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Played Farmville, Mafia Wars, Vampire Wars, etc. Browser Games are addictive and completely pointless. I've milked myself off most of them, just a handful left.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Spent Christmas Eve with my parents and family and opened a few presents, had a quite christmas morning with my husband, went to his parent's place and had more christmas, and then went back to my parent's and even more christmas. And we also had lot's of snow.
22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
This was something I didn't think would ever happen but YES! Hell froze over!
23. How many one night stands?
I have them all the time, with my husband :P
24. What were your favourite TV programs?
We didn't watch much TV, finished Lost, saw the only season of Flash Forward, and I got my husband into Avatar, the Last Airbender. But overall, didn't watch much TV
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
This is a very juvenile question. Maybe next year I will completely come up with a completely different list of questions. I did have a small falling out with somebody I knew, but I wouldn't call it hate. I haven't heard from them in months.
26. What was the best book you read?
I can't think of any books I read in 2010 other then How to Train Your Dragon (quick read, nothing like the movie). I wrote mostly, and was doing a lot of other things. Didn't have time to read.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Oh gosh, I don't listen to the radio much. There was a couple though. I'll admit to liking Kei$ha, though her music can sometime remind me of the imaturity of a 14 year old and she can sound a little snobbish. But it's kind of catchy. I discovered Parmore the year before but I really really REALLy like this group!
28. What did you want and get?
Horses, a husband, a great house out in the country.
29. What did you want and not get?
A job. I did have a small one for a couple months, but it was kind of bad hours for me, threw off my entire day, I have decided I won't do graveyards.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
I didn't see much, but Inception was fantastic. I love quirky mind bending movies though.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30. There was a blizzard, I ended up trading a snowboard for something else and then had to prep the stalls to take a couple horses for the evening. Then I stayed at home and chilled until my husband got off work.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not losing my pregnancy. (I feel like a broken record, this was the worst thing that happened to me this year though)
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
T-shirt, jeans and muck boots. Hay sticking out in random places.
34. What kept you sane?
Horseback riding! And my husband. This was a pretty sane year for the most part.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most?
Never really been into public figures and celebrities. But Chris Christy is a fantastic no nonsense politician. I love the guts this man has!
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Not a whole lot really, I kept current on politics but mostly the economy was my biggest concern. Obamacare is a disaster in the making. But I didn't really get to caught up in things this year, I had my mind on a lot of other things.
37. Who did you miss?
My husband :( He deployed three weeks after we got married, but he was only gone for four months, thankfully :)
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I've met a ton of great people this year, my sis in law Jessica could be potentially one of my best friends (if only we lived closer together!) Also one of my new racing buddies. I married into a great family. Also, many of my new 'horse' friends.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
It's not about me anymore.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"You are the only exception."
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