This is a story, about a boy and a girl, and one determined little kid.
See, this boy and girl met each other, hung out together, found themselves compatible and decided to begin dating. They did things the old fashioned way when he finally popped the question and she said yes. They were married in a quaint backyard wedding with a few friends and family present.
The boy and girl, seeing as they were only briefly engaged, decided to take their time in starting a family. They had many plans, they wanted to travel together and see the world, get to know each other a little better, encourage each other to stay active by participating in different races and relays, they were already planning on what they wanted to do, thinking perhaps ‘next fall’ would be the perfect time to begin their family. There was a lot on their plate, girl had some jobs coming up soon that she was looking forward to, boy had things he wanted to buy, things were well for the two of them as they completed their house and were starting their life together.
The kid had other plans. Though the boy and girl decided to be careful, tracking the time of month and their fertility calendar and arranging their unions around that and using some contraceptives (girl was a little weary of using hormones in her birth control), the kid had apparently waited long enough as the boy and girl were entering their thirties and decided ‘nope, sorry mom and dad, I’m coming now.’ The girl was a little bit frazzled when she realized the kid decided to come a year ahead of schedule, trying to wrap her head around the thought of becoming a parent, but alas, her original plans were thwarted with new ones.
One determined little kid was entering their lives come June or so.
Moral of story? Condoms aren’t foolproof.
PS – I’m pregnant. . .
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. . .
10.27.2010
10.21.2010
Westboro Baptist Church in town
So Westboro Baptist Church, the one entity that both the Left and the Right can agree on is a rabid bunch of idiots, is coming to town today. I'm torn, on one hand, I want to go and counter protest because I think they are idiots, but on the other hand, I think they need to be ignored and just go away, unfortunately that is likely not to happen because they thrive off the attention.
What a despicable group of people. I might just check out some things and take a few pictures, see how the counter protest goes. There's talk of traffic congestion where they go. One thing for sure, they don't know how to schedule a protest, because they are going clear across town from one location to the other. From Whitworth to Ferris? That is like polar opposite sides in this city.
Morons.
Update: Seven. That's how many people were protesting, seven. They were each holding two to four signs that said inflamatory comments like "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers," and other insightful comments. But these didn't really get me one bit when I realized that the counter demonstration was what they were after. And it was impressive, at one point I would have guestimated between 2-400 people showed up to counter protest. Lot's of rainbow flags and signs expressing of unity, I'll get some pics of those in a minute. And while the counter demonstration was big, and it was impressive to see all these people of different stripes come together to offer their support, I get the impression that the WBC measures how successful their demonstration is by how many people show up to counter protest.
In other words, if you want to make an impact on these peope, ignore them. Treat them like they don't exist. They say mean and hateful remarks for the attention they recieve, and for a mediocre group of seven people to show up and protest sites like Gonzage because they want to 'remind this generation of rebels that there is a God and that all things unfold according to His divine plan', and because 'college students spend more time pursuing their drunken sins than their academic studies'.
I actually find it amusing why they chose to picket Moody Bible Institute. 'The instructors at Moody Bible College prefer the praises of men to the praises of God and thus they will not teach their students the truth, that God Hates Fags, Fag Doom Nations, America is a Fag Nation ergo, God Hates America!' In other words, they picket places because they don't teach what Wesboro thinks they should teach. Unless a church decries that God Hates America, then they are blasphemous and allowing their followers to go to hell, apparently.
Which brings me to my original dilemma that I faced this morning. Do I go and counter protest which adds fuel to the fire, or do I leave them be? And I've come to the conclusion that if you are ever unfortunate enough to have these fools show up in your home town, leave them be. in fact, go out of your way to not even drive near them, what would do more for counter protesting these imbeciles is if nobody showed up to their demonstration.
Like I mentioned, there were seven of them holding signs. Seven. They were there specifically to antagonize people and the big crowds probably made them feel powerful, that they were able to get that many people to care about what they had to say. It doesn't matter what they had to say, they could say the most offensive thing in the world, but the fact that people showed up to counter them meant that they had our attention. There will always be people like this, all you can do is ignore them, which will derive them of their power base.
The exception to this? I would say funerals, and in situations like this, all you have to do is place yourself between these idiots and the grieving family, and once you have blocked the view, turn your backs to them as if they weren't there.
Violence will do nothing against these people, all one needs to do is ignore them.
That said, here are some pictures of the demonstration.
What a despicable group of people. I might just check out some things and take a few pictures, see how the counter protest goes. There's talk of traffic congestion where they go. One thing for sure, they don't know how to schedule a protest, because they are going clear across town from one location to the other. From Whitworth to Ferris? That is like polar opposite sides in this city.
Morons.
Update: Seven. That's how many people were protesting, seven. They were each holding two to four signs that said inflamatory comments like "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers," and other insightful comments. But these didn't really get me one bit when I realized that the counter demonstration was what they were after. And it was impressive, at one point I would have guestimated between 2-400 people showed up to counter protest. Lot's of rainbow flags and signs expressing of unity, I'll get some pics of those in a minute. And while the counter demonstration was big, and it was impressive to see all these people of different stripes come together to offer their support, I get the impression that the WBC measures how successful their demonstration is by how many people show up to counter protest.
In other words, if you want to make an impact on these peope, ignore them. Treat them like they don't exist. They say mean and hateful remarks for the attention they recieve, and for a mediocre group of seven people to show up and protest sites like Gonzage because they want to 'remind this generation of rebels that there is a God and that all things unfold according to His divine plan', and because 'college students spend more time pursuing their drunken sins than their academic studies'.
I actually find it amusing why they chose to picket Moody Bible Institute. 'The instructors at Moody Bible College prefer the praises of men to the praises of God and thus they will not teach their students the truth, that God Hates Fags, Fag Doom Nations, America is a Fag Nation ergo, God Hates America!' In other words, they picket places because they don't teach what Wesboro thinks they should teach. Unless a church decries that God Hates America, then they are blasphemous and allowing their followers to go to hell, apparently.
Which brings me to my original dilemma that I faced this morning. Do I go and counter protest which adds fuel to the fire, or do I leave them be? And I've come to the conclusion that if you are ever unfortunate enough to have these fools show up in your home town, leave them be. in fact, go out of your way to not even drive near them, what would do more for counter protesting these imbeciles is if nobody showed up to their demonstration.
Like I mentioned, there were seven of them holding signs. Seven. They were there specifically to antagonize people and the big crowds probably made them feel powerful, that they were able to get that many people to care about what they had to say. It doesn't matter what they had to say, they could say the most offensive thing in the world, but the fact that people showed up to counter them meant that they had our attention. There will always be people like this, all you can do is ignore them, which will derive them of their power base.
The exception to this? I would say funerals, and in situations like this, all you have to do is place yourself between these idiots and the grieving family, and once you have blocked the view, turn your backs to them as if they weren't there.
Violence will do nothing against these people, all one needs to do is ignore them.
That said, here are some pictures of the demonstration.
There's the whole group in one shot at Gonzaga. Morons. Unfortunately, the sizeable demonstration against them was probably exactly what they were after.
The counter demonstration at Gonzaga. This was the first stop, it was just getting started, so the counter protest was still smaller.
Love this!
Indeed, it should have been on a lighter sign, but the sentiment is awesome
This wasn't the counter demonstration, but a demonstration for Gonzaga students in regards to hate groups.
Some of the signs (um, seeing that 8 has a 't' in it already, there's an extra t in that sign)
The front of the sign
and the back, excellent message
I would say that this was the most offensive sign on this side of the demonstration. "Jesus is gay", well, considering that this is a counter protest that involved anyone who disagrees with Westboro Baptist Church, and that's pretty much everyone, this is inflammatory to just about any Christian.
Snicker. . .
WBC at Moody Bible Institute. To the left there, behind the cop car. Yeah, same seven. The right side in the back is a counter protest.
This doesn't do the counter protest justice, this was just a fraction of it.
That was one benefit of the counter protest, how it unified groups that generally didn't normally get together.
:)
"Thank You for Bringing Our Community Together"
The Patriot Guard Riders
I followed them to Whitworth, because part of me wanted to actually talk to them, on tape if I could get it, but I didn't see Wesboro there, and like I mentioned, I didn't want to give them the benefit of my attention. Ignoring these guys is the best way to deal with them.
10.20.2010
Graveyards
Whenever I'm at work I can come up with a million and one things to blog about, mostly because I have a lot of time on my hands. I am by my nature a night owl, at least I was when I was younger but I do realize that graveyard shifts are not the most conducive thing to my social schedule. It is kind of nice that I can choose to sleep in the morning or in the evening, thus freeing my day for other events if they should come about, but still, well, I have to say that Grave Yard Shifts kindof suck.
I've never worked a job consistently on graveyard before (there is a first for everything) but the work is rather easy in the scheme of things. I can just go into autopilot and let my mind wander. It's not a retail job afterall (which I was dreading the possibility of going back to retail, Nooo!) but in the long run I would rather be doing other things.
However, it does keep me humble, as I need to do something productive to contribute to the household, and this job kind of found me (long story). If left to my own devices, I would go strictly housewife routine, and my husband would probably tell you I'm not a very good housewife. See, I lack domestication, being super independent before and addicted to the internets. But I vow to get better, starting with learning to love how to cook. My husband likes food, and is old fashioned in that regard. He'd probably like it better if I didn't work graveyard shifts too, but alas, until I find another source of income for me to contribute (preferably from the home) I'll keep working this shift. That's motivation for me.
I just have to find the right job.to do. Anything to get off the graveyard at this point. Aside from retail. And fast food. I draw the line somewhere.
I've never worked a job consistently on graveyard before (there is a first for everything) but the work is rather easy in the scheme of things. I can just go into autopilot and let my mind wander. It's not a retail job afterall (which I was dreading the possibility of going back to retail, Nooo!) but in the long run I would rather be doing other things.
However, it does keep me humble, as I need to do something productive to contribute to the household, and this job kind of found me (long story). If left to my own devices, I would go strictly housewife routine, and my husband would probably tell you I'm not a very good housewife. See, I lack domestication, being super independent before and addicted to the internets. But I vow to get better, starting with learning to love how to cook. My husband likes food, and is old fashioned in that regard. He'd probably like it better if I didn't work graveyard shifts too, but alas, until I find another source of income for me to contribute (preferably from the home) I'll keep working this shift. That's motivation for me.
I just have to find the right job.to do. Anything to get off the graveyard at this point. Aside from retail. And fast food. I draw the line somewhere.
10.16.2010
Chickens
I have five chickens. I used to have six. One has recently disappeared. I think some critter got to it. Probably the same place one of my barn cats went too. . .
My task is to get them to lay eggs. They were laying when I first got them, and then they stopped. It might have been dog related (dog's gone), not enough space (they're pretty much free range now) and they just finished molting (shouldn't they start laying again?). I guess that leaves me putting a light (and heat) on them.
But anyway, this is my latest quest. To get my chickens to lay eggs again, and perhaps to get a few more chickens to join them. Chickens are amusing creatures I have discovered, they make the funniest noises, and it's interesting how a bunch of birds have different personalities.
But if they aren't laying eggs, why do I have them? I guess they make a good food disposal, they'll eat just about anything I throw at them, to include chicken.
My task is to get them to lay eggs. They were laying when I first got them, and then they stopped. It might have been dog related (dog's gone), not enough space (they're pretty much free range now) and they just finished molting (shouldn't they start laying again?). I guess that leaves me putting a light (and heat) on them.
But anyway, this is my latest quest. To get my chickens to lay eggs again, and perhaps to get a few more chickens to join them. Chickens are amusing creatures I have discovered, they make the funniest noises, and it's interesting how a bunch of birds have different personalities.
But if they aren't laying eggs, why do I have them? I guess they make a good food disposal, they'll eat just about anything I throw at them, to include chicken.
10.15.2010
The Horses
One of my latest things is Horses. I've got three (plus a boarder) so I might as well write about them and introduce you to them so you know who I am talking about when I start talking about them.
Jet is my skinny old Tennessee Walking Horse that's coming about 23 years old. She is my tride and true throw anybody on her that is a reasonable weight horse. She does great with kids in that she tests them just enough to see what they know and if they give her conflicting commands she doesn't do anything. But if you prove that you know what you're doing she responds as well. She is old and therefore lazy, but still has some go to her. I've also been in the process of working to keep her weight on, as she is my bossy dominant mare in the pasture and tells the other horses what for.
I purchased her in April, but not really for her. It was a two for deal, but she's grown on me.
The horse I purchased her with is Breezy.
Breezy was kind of thin here for whatever reason, but she's porked up recently. She's a quarterhorse lineback dun, and I have to get her age confirmed officially because I originally thought she was eighteen and then I was told she was fourteen or fifteen. This little girl has go, she LOVES to run. She's also a gaming horse, I just did a bit of pattern racing on her recently and holy crap have I found a new love! So much fun! This horse knows more then I do and she is very well trained, take her out on the trails and she just wants to go. She also allows a confident beginner to ride her, she is not hot, though once she starts going she is difficult to slow down, and she does these super tight turns that can take you by surprise if you aren't ready for them. Everyone who rides this horse loves her.
Magic is the boarded horse.
Approximately 15 year old Morgan Mare that has a nervous habit of immediately starting to sweat as soon as you get on her. She is actually a great trail horse, if she doesn't know the trails she listens a lot better. However, the trails near our house she knows and therefore she just wants to go and prances a bit. She's not a bad horse, but she has a profuse amount of sweat that can get a little disgusting. And all she wants to do is eat.
She belongs to a friend, but I have been riding her more then she does, mostly because when I go out with people, I tend to put them on Breezy and Jet and I ride Magic.
Bo was a trial horse. He turned out to be insane, so he stayed for a grand total of three days.
Ok, he wasn't really insane, but he wasn't rideable due to an injury. He had some other issues going on. It was kind of fun in a scary 'I'm going to die' way when he went into a bucking fit with me.
Then there is Turtle
Turtle is our resident gelding that we got about three weeks ago. The only boy in a field full of girls, poor guy. He is actually quite sweet and cuddly as far as horses go. He's also an off the track thoroughbred, having come off the race track in Portland. No big races though, a couple maidens and when he finally won one of those he went on to win a few claiming races, but nothing big. He's our project horse, can't wait to try him on the trails and see how he does. I kind of have it in mind to teach him how to jump. Don't know if I'll do any serious showing with him, but he is quite calm and mellow for a former race horse. He's only six, coming seven too. He'll go when pushed, but he prefers the leisurely stroll, which is nice and the anti Magic and Breezy, who just want to go go go. He's also going to be a husband horse, because he's so tall, and my husband is a full foot taller then me.
So there are the horses (and one former horse) that I ride. Next year I anticipate that I'll be doing a lot of stuff with them, especially Breezy and Turtle. Jet has become more of the guest horse, when people come to ride I throw them on her.
That's my herd. Unfortunately, I get this idea in mind as soon as I see a horse for sale I want to check it out and perhaps buy it. Husband doing a good job of reining me in on that. I think for now these four are going to be our only horses, but perhaps I can talk him into letting me bring another one in?
First there is Jet.
I purchased her in April, but not really for her. It was a two for deal, but she's grown on me.
The horse I purchased her with is Breezy.
Magic is the boarded horse.
She belongs to a friend, but I have been riding her more then she does, mostly because when I go out with people, I tend to put them on Breezy and Jet and I ride Magic.
Ok, he wasn't really insane, but he wasn't rideable due to an injury. He had some other issues going on. It was kind of fun in a scary 'I'm going to die' way when he went into a bucking fit with me.
Then there is Turtle
So there are the horses (and one former horse) that I ride. Next year I anticipate that I'll be doing a lot of stuff with them, especially Breezy and Turtle. Jet has become more of the guest horse, when people come to ride I throw them on her.
That's my herd. Unfortunately, I get this idea in mind as soon as I see a horse for sale I want to check it out and perhaps buy it. Husband doing a good job of reining me in on that. I think for now these four are going to be our only horses, but perhaps I can talk him into letting me bring another one in?
10.12.2010
Political Season
It's political season. Everyone have their permits?
What is it about election years that gets people's blood boiling anyway? I've been following this election year fairly closely, its been amusing to watch to say the least.
My hopeful outcome, Republicans take the house for sure, put serious gridlock in the senate, and the outcome is similar to 1994 by forcing Obama to tack strongly to the middle. Then perhaps we can have a pretty well flowing government in tune to Clinton's term. I'm no fan of Obama, but if it forces him to tack right, I'll make due with it, even if it gives him a second term.
My problem is that it has become increasingly obvious as of late that all Republicans in charge is about the same as all Democrats in charge. Checks and balances work a lot better when everything is not run by one party, and it keeps the government small. It also helps when you have a strong president like, say Reagan instead of one named Bush or Clinton or Obama. Maybe I'd give the Republicans another chance at running everything if they pulled their heads out of their butt and acted like Conservatives. That's one reason why I'm a fan of the Tea Party movement, which I got involved with (on a mild basis), mostly due to the explosion of the government and the extreme debt. I love how they have really shaken up the establishment and I'm rooting for them to keep at it. Social issues need to be largely left to the individual with only limited government interference. I know how bloated bureaucracies work, the larger they are, the more inefficient they are. And the government is huge, if you want to see an example of waste, look no further then the people running this country.
Looking at different republicans that are potential Presidential Candidates, I like Palin but feel she has a long way to go to prove she's capable of leading to the country when at the moment she has a polarizing affect much akin to Hillary. I think she has what it takes and would vote for her if she ran, but at the same time, I'm not sure if she'll make it past the primary election if it were held today (or maybe she could, but could she defeat Obama right now?) I'm still learning of the other candidates as they come onto the scene, maybe I should do more research on them before I make an opinion? I guess as 2012 nears, I'll be able to make a better judgement on that.
What is it about election years that gets people's blood boiling anyway? I've been following this election year fairly closely, its been amusing to watch to say the least.
My hopeful outcome, Republicans take the house for sure, put serious gridlock in the senate, and the outcome is similar to 1994 by forcing Obama to tack strongly to the middle. Then perhaps we can have a pretty well flowing government in tune to Clinton's term. I'm no fan of Obama, but if it forces him to tack right, I'll make due with it, even if it gives him a second term.
My problem is that it has become increasingly obvious as of late that all Republicans in charge is about the same as all Democrats in charge. Checks and balances work a lot better when everything is not run by one party, and it keeps the government small. It also helps when you have a strong president like, say Reagan instead of one named Bush or Clinton or Obama. Maybe I'd give the Republicans another chance at running everything if they pulled their heads out of their butt and acted like Conservatives. That's one reason why I'm a fan of the Tea Party movement, which I got involved with (on a mild basis), mostly due to the explosion of the government and the extreme debt. I love how they have really shaken up the establishment and I'm rooting for them to keep at it. Social issues need to be largely left to the individual with only limited government interference. I know how bloated bureaucracies work, the larger they are, the more inefficient they are. And the government is huge, if you want to see an example of waste, look no further then the people running this country.
Looking at different republicans that are potential Presidential Candidates, I like Palin but feel she has a long way to go to prove she's capable of leading to the country when at the moment she has a polarizing affect much akin to Hillary. I think she has what it takes and would vote for her if she ran, but at the same time, I'm not sure if she'll make it past the primary election if it were held today (or maybe she could, but could she defeat Obama right now?) I'm still learning of the other candidates as they come onto the scene, maybe I should do more research on them before I make an opinion? I guess as 2012 nears, I'll be able to make a better judgement on that.
What is a Conservative? Small Government and Free Enterprise
Lately I've gotten to know Bill Whittle, mostly through Instapundit really, and every video I've seen is great. If you want to figure out a way to articulate what exactly a conservative is, this video is fantastic. If you are of a liberal persuasion and can't understand conservative thought, this video sums it up. This pretty much is right in line in regards to my thoughts on small government and free enterprise (I believe there should be some regulation, yes, but our current government over does it). Heck, i couldn't have said it better so if you have some time I highly recommend you take a look.
Life Happens
So I guess I should give a full update of what I've been up to these last few months, should I? I gave one a while back, but it was kind of rushed and then I kind of left it to the wayside.
Let's start off with this year. I started the year off at home, as I was on leave from the military. I hooked up with a good friend and we were hanging out, mostly at his place, going snowboarding, riding go-carts and ATVs and basically getting to know each other better. Then I had to go back to Fort Knox and finish off my orders there.
I was home again in February. My time in Fort Knox pretty much killed my blogging last year, which was why I didn't blog. So much happened this year that I never really got back to it (and blogger killing FTP didn't help either but in the long run that's probably a good thing since it took so long to upload my blog). So anyway, back to February. We hooked up again and continued hanging out. Went to Bend OR and went snowboarding at MT Bachelor.
We decided when we got back that we might as well say we're dating.
Oh, and he's Active Duty Air Force. Meaning he deploys.
Without going into a lot of detail with that, he had a deployment this year, which we thought would be in the fall but got bumped to late spring. Things got a little rushed after that. Being as old as we both are, with not to much emotional baggage and very little physical baggage (neither of us married before) in March he asked me to marry him. In Vegas of all people. Many people thought we would actually elope there, but we're both still caught up in the old fashioned way of things.
When he asked me to marry him, we had to set a date. It ended up being a small wedding, very little fanfare, in his backyard. A month after we got engaged. I don't recommend a rushed wedding to anyone, but I guess it worked for us, and to be honest if it took any longer I would have been a worse Bridezilla then I turned out to be.
We were married three weeks. Then he deployed and I went to being single again (ok, not really, but I didn't feel like I was married)
I spent all summer tending to the property and the house (in only a way that a newly wed non-domestic can), and in the time of our engagement to present our family has expanded from the two of us to two and a half cats (one disappeared, but I won't write her off as completely gone yet), six chickens which don't lay eggs, and four horses, one of which isn't mine and will thusly be called Boarded Horse Uno (Dos will be showing up here soon, bringing the full count to five). I spent the summer traveling around, bonding with his family, riding horses, and working for the army. I kept busy, but didn't get a lot of things for my house done. That included, well, blogging. It didn't help that my desktop crashed and I sold my truck.
Anyway, he came back and we're back to wedded bliss, or at least trying to work out the kinks of married life and get used to being around one another. It is definitely a different experience then I am used to, but in a good way. I just have to let go of my independent streak and embrace it. Sharing a life with another person can be a good thing.
So where do we go from here? Well, like I said, we both like to travel, we have some vacations plotted, as we are waiting at least a year before we start a family (but if things happen before then, we'll take them as they come). I have three horses, one is my ol' plug of a kids horse that shows a bit of spunk now and then, the second is my speed demon gaming horse that I have discovered pattern racing on (and yes, I will be blogging about this!) and the last being our project, the tall retired race horse that is a big giant love. I might acrue some more chickens too.
Right now I'm looking for ways to earn some money from home (hey, AdSense, even if it's only a few bucks a month!) and domesticate myself by learning how to be a house wife, something I really never saw myself as being until recently. But it's a good thing! We're painting the house (already a vast improvement from the horrid brown of before) and trying to plan trips to other continents besides this one.
Lot's to do, things to see. And maybe I'll remember to blog about it.
Let's start off with this year. I started the year off at home, as I was on leave from the military. I hooked up with a good friend and we were hanging out, mostly at his place, going snowboarding, riding go-carts and ATVs and basically getting to know each other better. Then I had to go back to Fort Knox and finish off my orders there.
I was home again in February. My time in Fort Knox pretty much killed my blogging last year, which was why I didn't blog. So much happened this year that I never really got back to it (and blogger killing FTP didn't help either but in the long run that's probably a good thing since it took so long to upload my blog). So anyway, back to February. We hooked up again and continued hanging out. Went to Bend OR and went snowboarding at MT Bachelor.
We decided when we got back that we might as well say we're dating.
Oh, and he's Active Duty Air Force. Meaning he deploys.
Without going into a lot of detail with that, he had a deployment this year, which we thought would be in the fall but got bumped to late spring. Things got a little rushed after that. Being as old as we both are, with not to much emotional baggage and very little physical baggage (neither of us married before) in March he asked me to marry him. In Vegas of all people. Many people thought we would actually elope there, but we're both still caught up in the old fashioned way of things.
When he asked me to marry him, we had to set a date. It ended up being a small wedding, very little fanfare, in his backyard. A month after we got engaged. I don't recommend a rushed wedding to anyone, but I guess it worked for us, and to be honest if it took any longer I would have been a worse Bridezilla then I turned out to be.
We were married three weeks. Then he deployed and I went to being single again (ok, not really, but I didn't feel like I was married)
I spent all summer tending to the property and the house (in only a way that a newly wed non-domestic can), and in the time of our engagement to present our family has expanded from the two of us to two and a half cats (one disappeared, but I won't write her off as completely gone yet), six chickens which don't lay eggs, and four horses, one of which isn't mine and will thusly be called Boarded Horse Uno (Dos will be showing up here soon, bringing the full count to five). I spent the summer traveling around, bonding with his family, riding horses, and working for the army. I kept busy, but didn't get a lot of things for my house done. That included, well, blogging. It didn't help that my desktop crashed and I sold my truck.
Anyway, he came back and we're back to wedded bliss, or at least trying to work out the kinks of married life and get used to being around one another. It is definitely a different experience then I am used to, but in a good way. I just have to let go of my independent streak and embrace it. Sharing a life with another person can be a good thing.
So where do we go from here? Well, like I said, we both like to travel, we have some vacations plotted, as we are waiting at least a year before we start a family (but if things happen before then, we'll take them as they come). I have three horses, one is my ol' plug of a kids horse that shows a bit of spunk now and then, the second is my speed demon gaming horse that I have discovered pattern racing on (and yes, I will be blogging about this!) and the last being our project, the tall retired race horse that is a big giant love. I might acrue some more chickens too.
Right now I'm looking for ways to earn some money from home (hey, AdSense, even if it's only a few bucks a month!) and domesticate myself by learning how to be a house wife, something I really never saw myself as being until recently. But it's a good thing! We're painting the house (already a vast improvement from the horrid brown of before) and trying to plan trips to other continents besides this one.
Lot's to do, things to see. And maybe I'll remember to blog about it.
10.11.2010
Liberal Advisory, Conservative Content
This is just a blog that I might post back to in the future, especially towards anybody who comes and reads my blog who may be of a liberal persuasion. I have several friends and acquaintances who are far more liberal then I am. I don't want them to think that just because of our political differences that I think differently of them. I disagree, but generally I avoid talking politics with these people. I value our friendship more then my right to alienate them due to a difference of opinion.
Do I think I am right? Well, yes and no. I don't know everything, but being conservative it is a cornerstone of what I believe. It is right to me. May not be right to you, but that's just what I believe. I have always been conservative, but how conservative I am has fluctuated through the years. When I was younger I was more liberal then I am now. I am somewhat liberal on some topics. But overall, I would call myself a fiscal conservative and social moderate, in that I believe largely in the idea of live and let live. I would prefer if the government would get out of the business of ruling our lives.
Now, if you disagree with my postings, feel free to post and debate on the topic. If you keep it civil, I will respect your opinion and enjoy a friendly conversation back and forth. Who knows, you may even persuade me on a certain topic. It's been known to happen before. I am opinionated though, and I am usually knowledgeable on the topic before I opine on it. But I'm always looking for another viewpoint.
However, if you are here to troll, speak in a deragotory fashion, and resort to flaming and name calling (and I've had plenty of that on my site), you will not win any arguments here. I love eating trolls for breakfast, and over the years I've grown a pretty thick skin. Ad Hominem attacks have little use here. Most people who know me know i am mostly a pretty reasonable person, but if you are out to set me off, I'll berate you back and move on with my life. Waste your time all you want. I really don't care.
Do I think I am right? Well, yes and no. I don't know everything, but being conservative it is a cornerstone of what I believe. It is right to me. May not be right to you, but that's just what I believe. I have always been conservative, but how conservative I am has fluctuated through the years. When I was younger I was more liberal then I am now. I am somewhat liberal on some topics. But overall, I would call myself a fiscal conservative and social moderate, in that I believe largely in the idea of live and let live. I would prefer if the government would get out of the business of ruling our lives.
Now, if you disagree with my postings, feel free to post and debate on the topic. If you keep it civil, I will respect your opinion and enjoy a friendly conversation back and forth. Who knows, you may even persuade me on a certain topic. It's been known to happen before. I am opinionated though, and I am usually knowledgeable on the topic before I opine on it. But I'm always looking for another viewpoint.
However, if you are here to troll, speak in a deragotory fashion, and resort to flaming and name calling (and I've had plenty of that on my site), you will not win any arguments here. I love eating trolls for breakfast, and over the years I've grown a pretty thick skin. Ad Hominem attacks have little use here. Most people who know me know i am mostly a pretty reasonable person, but if you are out to set me off, I'll berate you back and move on with my life. Waste your time all you want. I really don't care.
Apologies in Order
If you follow my feed, and you were spammed by a bunch of juvenile posts that were backdated for 2002, my apologies.
I'm in the process of merging all of my blog posts into one blog, and if you were to go back and read my posts at the time, you would find that my posts were rather incoherent and a little rambly, hence the title of my blog.
You have been warned if you go back and read them. Why you would, I don't know. Why I'm putting them on the internet for people to read, I don't know either. I had some interesting rants back then, but when I started blogging, I was rather juvenile at it. But I got better with time.
I'm in the process of merging all of my blog posts into one blog, and if you were to go back and read my posts at the time, you would find that my posts were rather incoherent and a little rambly, hence the title of my blog.
You have been warned if you go back and read them. Why you would, I don't know. Why I'm putting them on the internet for people to read, I don't know either. I had some interesting rants back then, but when I started blogging, I was rather juvenile at it. But I got better with time.
Relaunched Ramblings
I really like to blog. I miss it. I'm going to try to get back into it.
The big difference is now I have to do blogging through Blogspot (though I'm going to try to direct it through my website so at least its on my domain, hmm).
So anyway, as you can see, the blog looks a wee bit different. I'm still in the process of updating my blog links and appearance and all of that fun stuff, so this will be a work in progress.
That being said, what else has changed about the blog? Actually, not much in regard to content, I'm still going to write about whatever I want to write about, the key difference being that I'm older and a bit more mature then my earlier blogs, and hopefully not so narcissistic. However, this is an opinion blog and I pretty much write about whatever I want to write about.
The exception is military matters. Unless it's related to current events or what not, I probably won't write much about my life in the military, because it's a headache producer and I don't want to deal with the drama. The other exception is going into a lot of detailed with my personal life, being that I'm married now. I might post a little bit about married life and all, but posting about my significant other is going to be minimal. I don't really see this as being a mommy blog or one of those.
What else has changed? The obvious is the comments, I've just changed to Blogger's default comments, which sucks because I lost all of the comments from my previous blog, which are actually archived on my website and direct linked there. Up until May, this blog is actually mirrored on my site, just getting to those posts is a hassle. Some of the more popular blog posts I might actually take the comments off of, but overall, everything is starting off from scratch.
I also added advertisements, because I decided to sell out, but not only that, because being a lowly house wife these days, I'm trying to figure out ways to make money. I had a successful blog at one point, maybe I'll get it again? Maybe not, but whatever, why not try to make a little bit of an income with it? Doesn't hurt to try, does it? Will it be successful or not, only time will tell. But I love blogging enough, I had some kind of early freakish success with it at one time, that I thought I should do something to profit off of it somewhat, even if it's only a few bucks a month.
Might as well get paid doing something I love.
So that's about it. Hopefully everything runs smoothly with the transition and I can get the blog appearance to grow on me.
The big difference is now I have to do blogging through Blogspot (though I'm going to try to direct it through my website so at least its on my domain, hmm).
So anyway, as you can see, the blog looks a wee bit different. I'm still in the process of updating my blog links and appearance and all of that fun stuff, so this will be a work in progress.
That being said, what else has changed about the blog? Actually, not much in regard to content, I'm still going to write about whatever I want to write about, the key difference being that I'm older and a bit more mature then my earlier blogs, and hopefully not so narcissistic. However, this is an opinion blog and I pretty much write about whatever I want to write about.
The exception is military matters. Unless it's related to current events or what not, I probably won't write much about my life in the military, because it's a headache producer and I don't want to deal with the drama. The other exception is going into a lot of detailed with my personal life, being that I'm married now. I might post a little bit about married life and all, but posting about my significant other is going to be minimal. I don't really see this as being a mommy blog or one of those.
What else has changed? The obvious is the comments, I've just changed to Blogger's default comments, which sucks because I lost all of the comments from my previous blog, which are actually archived on my website and direct linked there. Up until May, this blog is actually mirrored on my site, just getting to those posts is a hassle. Some of the more popular blog posts I might actually take the comments off of, but overall, everything is starting off from scratch.
I also added advertisements, because I decided to sell out, but not only that, because being a lowly house wife these days, I'm trying to figure out ways to make money. I had a successful blog at one point, maybe I'll get it again? Maybe not, but whatever, why not try to make a little bit of an income with it? Doesn't hurt to try, does it? Will it be successful or not, only time will tell. But I love blogging enough, I had some kind of early freakish success with it at one time, that I thought I should do something to profit off of it somewhat, even if it's only a few bucks a month.
Might as well get paid doing something I love.
So that's about it. Hopefully everything runs smoothly with the transition and I can get the blog appearance to grow on me.
8.10.2010
So, what Now?
Do I feel like I'm fooling anybody?
Truth is, once upon a time I loved to blog. It was a way to vent my frustrations in a somewhat public way and let anybody who cared to read to opine on my feelings, or share in them.
However, in the last five or so years, I have discovered that the military and blogging don't mix. The military hates blogging, so every time I have been on active orders the blog comes up. It never fails. Even since the popularity has died on my blog and my readership has shrunken quite a bit, my blogging has still been an issue, so in the last two years, I just really didn't do it anymore. Which is a shame really, after I got the exposure I did, I had a potential to really go somewhere with it, as it is something I really enjoy doing. Or at least, I did enjoy it.
So where am I now? Currently I'm living away from my husband (who's deployed) on a piece of property that always has something going on that needs tending too. I've got two horses, I care for a third for a friend, three barn cats, six chickens, and a skunk that I swear that as soon as I see it I'm going to send some buckshot in its direction. My desktop computer has kicked the bucket and my laptop has questionable internet connectivity at best. I stare at my webcomic and wonder if I'll ever revive it again. I need to look for a job and somedays I just babysit the neighbor's kids just to remind myself why I don't have kids yet myself and I waited so long to get married in the first place. In other words, my life is busy, I can only opine on current events, and I'm so busy that I read blogs like Hotair, Rightwingnews and Instapundit to keep up to date on what's going on in the real world. I don't feel like I have time to really blog to a point where I can really do much with it.
If it wasn't for the army killing it for me, maybe I would have a decent blog that was profitable for me that I could work at (because that would seriously be awesome if I could get paid for blogging, or writing period. I love to write and it sucks so much of my life away already that I might as well get paid to do it) that I don't know if it is worth the effort to get the blog going again. What do I really have to write about other then life on the farm, what's going on in my world, and why Barack Obama can't seem to do anything right (well, I'll give him kudos for the basketball game he played for the wounded troops or something along those lines, give credit where credit is due).
So that's it, isn't it? Besides, in the next few months I really need to work on my domestic skills and I don't think to many people are interested in another mom blog, which when I start having rugrats, that would undoubtedly be what this turns into. That's why I have facebook.
Truth is, once upon a time I loved to blog. It was a way to vent my frustrations in a somewhat public way and let anybody who cared to read to opine on my feelings, or share in them.
However, in the last five or so years, I have discovered that the military and blogging don't mix. The military hates blogging, so every time I have been on active orders the blog comes up. It never fails. Even since the popularity has died on my blog and my readership has shrunken quite a bit, my blogging has still been an issue, so in the last two years, I just really didn't do it anymore. Which is a shame really, after I got the exposure I did, I had a potential to really go somewhere with it, as it is something I really enjoy doing. Or at least, I did enjoy it.
So where am I now? Currently I'm living away from my husband (who's deployed) on a piece of property that always has something going on that needs tending too. I've got two horses, I care for a third for a friend, three barn cats, six chickens, and a skunk that I swear that as soon as I see it I'm going to send some buckshot in its direction. My desktop computer has kicked the bucket and my laptop has questionable internet connectivity at best. I stare at my webcomic and wonder if I'll ever revive it again. I need to look for a job and somedays I just babysit the neighbor's kids just to remind myself why I don't have kids yet myself and I waited so long to get married in the first place. In other words, my life is busy, I can only opine on current events, and I'm so busy that I read blogs like Hotair, Rightwingnews and Instapundit to keep up to date on what's going on in the real world. I don't feel like I have time to really blog to a point where I can really do much with it.
If it wasn't for the army killing it for me, maybe I would have a decent blog that was profitable for me that I could work at (because that would seriously be awesome if I could get paid for blogging, or writing period. I love to write and it sucks so much of my life away already that I might as well get paid to do it) that I don't know if it is worth the effort to get the blog going again. What do I really have to write about other then life on the farm, what's going on in my world, and why Barack Obama can't seem to do anything right (well, I'll give him kudos for the basketball game he played for the wounded troops or something along those lines, give credit where credit is due).
So that's it, isn't it? Besides, in the next few months I really need to work on my domestic skills and I don't think to many people are interested in another mom blog, which when I start having rugrats, that would undoubtedly be what this turns into. That's why I have facebook.
7.01.2010
Blog Info and Technicalities
So, I've been busy, as I have been lately. It's easy to post a quick update on Facebook and leave it at that. But I do want to get back into blogging, mostly about life and opinions on different things, going back to different things. You may have noticed the blog has been changed a wee bit, yes, I do intend on freshening things up, but I noticed a tremendous lag in it before, and I'm tempted to renew my original webspace and move it to a different server.
So the look is temporary until I can get things looking the way I want them to again.
So the look is temporary until I can get things looking the way I want them to again.
5.28.2010
Arizona and the Oil Spill
I've got a confession to make.
Other then what I've read in the few blogs I do visit, I haven't been really following the whole Oil Disaster in the Gulf Coast. I've heard of it, but I guess I don't realy comprehend how big of a problem it is. This might be because I don't watch news or maybe because the news hasn't really been reporting that much on it.
Whatever the case, what I do hear about it is that they are comparing the Gulf Oil Spill for Obama as Hurricane Katrina was for Bush. Well, I didn't really follow that much either, I had other things going on at the time when that disaster hit too (I was overseas in Kosovo at the time).
I've been following it a lot more since then, but i still honestly don't know a whole lot about it to really inject my own opinion on the whole debacle. Other then, if you could blame Bush for Katrina, where the people of New Orleans had plenty of notice to get out of the area and in all actuality it could be seen as a local disaster (and FEMA was probably more to blame then Bush), then you could definitely pin this on Obama. Not the initial damage of course, that's all BP, but the reaction to it and the slow moving to correct it from the executive level, yeah, I think I'll have to say that his reaction has been far from extraordinary. In fact, it's kind of difinitive of his actions as president so far, so to speak. I find it interesting how he's doing everything he can to pin the blame on somebody other then him. Has this guy taken blame for anything in this presidency?
Which brings me to Arizona (which i've heard a lot about). I think I want to take a trip down there sometime this summer. It's actually quite a beautiful state, one of these days i'd like to actually go to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and hike around down there.
Isn't it interesting how people who oppose Arizona's new law always refer to it as an anti-immigration bill? But they leave an important detail of what kind of immigration the law is against. yeah, that's right, illegal immigration. Hmm. I think if you come into the country lawfully the State of Arizona will still be happy to have you. Get your facts straight, people, illegal immigration happens to be a serious problem in Arizona and there is nothing racist about it, being a border state, Arizona just happens to get a lot of Illegal Aliens that happen to be Mexican decent. Put the two and two together, it's a coincidence, not racist. I hope these boycotters get a huge fallout from their boycotts.
Yep, Arizona sounds like a nice place to visit sometime this year.
Other then what I've read in the few blogs I do visit, I haven't been really following the whole Oil Disaster in the Gulf Coast. I've heard of it, but I guess I don't realy comprehend how big of a problem it is. This might be because I don't watch news or maybe because the news hasn't really been reporting that much on it.
Whatever the case, what I do hear about it is that they are comparing the Gulf Oil Spill for Obama as Hurricane Katrina was for Bush. Well, I didn't really follow that much either, I had other things going on at the time when that disaster hit too (I was overseas in Kosovo at the time).
I've been following it a lot more since then, but i still honestly don't know a whole lot about it to really inject my own opinion on the whole debacle. Other then, if you could blame Bush for Katrina, where the people of New Orleans had plenty of notice to get out of the area and in all actuality it could be seen as a local disaster (and FEMA was probably more to blame then Bush), then you could definitely pin this on Obama. Not the initial damage of course, that's all BP, but the reaction to it and the slow moving to correct it from the executive level, yeah, I think I'll have to say that his reaction has been far from extraordinary. In fact, it's kind of difinitive of his actions as president so far, so to speak. I find it interesting how he's doing everything he can to pin the blame on somebody other then him. Has this guy taken blame for anything in this presidency?
Which brings me to Arizona (which i've heard a lot about). I think I want to take a trip down there sometime this summer. It's actually quite a beautiful state, one of these days i'd like to actually go to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and hike around down there.
Isn't it interesting how people who oppose Arizona's new law always refer to it as an anti-immigration bill? But they leave an important detail of what kind of immigration the law is against. yeah, that's right, illegal immigration. Hmm. I think if you come into the country lawfully the State of Arizona will still be happy to have you. Get your facts straight, people, illegal immigration happens to be a serious problem in Arizona and there is nothing racist about it, being a border state, Arizona just happens to get a lot of Illegal Aliens that happen to be Mexican decent. Put the two and two together, it's a coincidence, not racist. I hope these boycotters get a huge fallout from their boycotts.
Yep, Arizona sounds like a nice place to visit sometime this year.
Milblogging
From this point on, I guess I probably should admit that my milblogging (when i do it) will more likely be related to current events and the military and my opinion related to those rather then my personal experiences within the military, as I have come to realize over the course of the last five or so years that me and Milblogging don't really mix. Because of that, I can relate my personal opinion on current issues such as DADT, any lame awards that they are kicking around, and issues such as women in the military or what not. Though i like to get political, one thing I will not do is criticize President Obama's role as Commander in Chief. I'll criticize his other policies and agendas, but this is one area I will not get into.
That said, getting ready to leave over Memorial Day Weekend to get the next stage of my schooling out of the way and then I can continue on with life. Now that I'm gettng back into blogging, I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to comment on over the next few weeks. Um, I guess we'll see?
That said, getting ready to leave over Memorial Day Weekend to get the next stage of my schooling out of the way and then I can continue on with life. Now that I'm gettng back into blogging, I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to comment on over the next few weeks. Um, I guess we'll see?
5.27.2010
My Opinion on Don't Ask, Don't Tell
I originally wrote this post in february, but for some reason, didn't post it. Oh well, I'm just going to post it now.
Ok, so there is a lot of haroohaha going on about Don't Ask Don't Tell right now. It was stated as one of President Obama's goals to rescind this year, so that gays can serve openly and honorably in the military.
My feelings on this are mixed, and I will tell you why.
Gays can serve in the military now, Don't Ask Don't Tell allows them to serve, they just can't be open about it. It forces them to just remain quiet about a certain aspect of their person.
Now there can be something said for and against this, for one, people shouldn't have to lie about who they are, though in my opinion it isn't a lie, it is just withholding of certain aspects of a person's identity.
So we get into my opinion on Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Actually, I did a report on Don't Ask Don't Tell when I was in college. I took it more from a preventive medicine perspective then, but in truth, soldiers by their very nature are a horny group of individuals so I don't think it really stands up. So what's my basic opinion of Gays in the Military?
You know, it really depends on the person. I have known people in my experience in the military who are fantastic soldiers, and though they didn't come out and declare it, I'm pretty certain they swung that way. It was only a little obvious, with some people it is. I know more then one soldier who if they had come up to me and told me, "Sergeant, I'm gay," I'd have looked right back at them and said "that's nice, get back to work." Unfortunately in the Basic Training Environment, coming out is a quick way out of the military for those privates who made a realization that perhaps this whole military thing is a mistake, and I can't make that same judgment call based on the soldier. If they come out, we have to tell the commander and it falls on him on what to do with these 'out' soldiers. Frankly, I don't want any soldier in the army that doesn't want to be there and is only going to waste my time getting out.
There has been a lot of mention of how many gay people the military kicks out each year, the number is apparently 13,500 since 1994 or so, but I would like to know how many of those were discharged during their initial entry training period, basically the ones who got in and promptly found a way to get out. I'm guessing about 80% fall under that category, but until I see the numbers, guess we'll never know.
Because with only a few exceptions, most people I have worked with don't really care about a soldier's orientation as long as they can soldier up and keep their personal affairs largely to themselves. In affect, as a matter of courtesy, most people just don't really want to know about your intimate affairs in the bedroom. Basically, if you can do your job and work with the team, that's all people really care about. If you need to make your sexual identity the focus of your interactions with other people, you need to find another job. The military is to intimate of a workforce to throw that in the mix.
My main issue of rescinding the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy is the influx of people enlisting who make their sexual orientation the main focus of their identity. Basically the flamboyant gays. Lesbians by and large do just fine in the military setting, I wouldn't be surprised if thirty percent of females currently serving are gay. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if fifty percent were, military service draws this personality type and they do well. Most people in the military are more then willing to work with lesbians.
But the flamboyent ones that want to join the military because they are attracted to a man in uniform, I'm not looking forward to this type joining the military (and yes, though there may not be a huge number, they will join for this very reason, and I'm sure there are gays in the military who fit this discription now, they are probably the ones most likely to get discharged under DADT) and watch the harrassment charges begin when they get their asses kicked. Seriously.
Most soldiers probably agree with this assessment, and there are plenty of soldiers serving now who are out amidst their command, who have retained them because they are good soldiers and they need bodies, and the gay soldiers aren't making it a huge issue. People know they're gay, and they keep it professional at work.
So basically, it boils down to this. There are gays currently serving in the military, they are serving admirably, and as long as they serve admirably, I don't really care if they are there and they are gay. As long as when they are in uniform they are a soldier first. You soldier up and do your job and work with the team, we can use you. You're gay? Fine, leave that in the bedroom and get to work. Don't bring it to work with you.
Ok, so there is a lot of haroohaha going on about Don't Ask Don't Tell right now. It was stated as one of President Obama's goals to rescind this year, so that gays can serve openly and honorably in the military.
My feelings on this are mixed, and I will tell you why.
Gays can serve in the military now, Don't Ask Don't Tell allows them to serve, they just can't be open about it. It forces them to just remain quiet about a certain aspect of their person.
Now there can be something said for and against this, for one, people shouldn't have to lie about who they are, though in my opinion it isn't a lie, it is just withholding of certain aspects of a person's identity.
So we get into my opinion on Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Actually, I did a report on Don't Ask Don't Tell when I was in college. I took it more from a preventive medicine perspective then, but in truth, soldiers by their very nature are a horny group of individuals so I don't think it really stands up. So what's my basic opinion of Gays in the Military?
You know, it really depends on the person. I have known people in my experience in the military who are fantastic soldiers, and though they didn't come out and declare it, I'm pretty certain they swung that way. It was only a little obvious, with some people it is. I know more then one soldier who if they had come up to me and told me, "Sergeant, I'm gay," I'd have looked right back at them and said "that's nice, get back to work." Unfortunately in the Basic Training Environment, coming out is a quick way out of the military for those privates who made a realization that perhaps this whole military thing is a mistake, and I can't make that same judgment call based on the soldier. If they come out, we have to tell the commander and it falls on him on what to do with these 'out' soldiers. Frankly, I don't want any soldier in the army that doesn't want to be there and is only going to waste my time getting out.
There has been a lot of mention of how many gay people the military kicks out each year, the number is apparently 13,500 since 1994 or so, but I would like to know how many of those were discharged during their initial entry training period, basically the ones who got in and promptly found a way to get out. I'm guessing about 80% fall under that category, but until I see the numbers, guess we'll never know.
Because with only a few exceptions, most people I have worked with don't really care about a soldier's orientation as long as they can soldier up and keep their personal affairs largely to themselves. In affect, as a matter of courtesy, most people just don't really want to know about your intimate affairs in the bedroom. Basically, if you can do your job and work with the team, that's all people really care about. If you need to make your sexual identity the focus of your interactions with other people, you need to find another job. The military is to intimate of a workforce to throw that in the mix.
My main issue of rescinding the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy is the influx of people enlisting who make their sexual orientation the main focus of their identity. Basically the flamboyant gays. Lesbians by and large do just fine in the military setting, I wouldn't be surprised if thirty percent of females currently serving are gay. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if fifty percent were, military service draws this personality type and they do well. Most people in the military are more then willing to work with lesbians.
But the flamboyent ones that want to join the military because they are attracted to a man in uniform, I'm not looking forward to this type joining the military (and yes, though there may not be a huge number, they will join for this very reason, and I'm sure there are gays in the military who fit this discription now, they are probably the ones most likely to get discharged under DADT) and watch the harrassment charges begin when they get their asses kicked. Seriously.
Most soldiers probably agree with this assessment, and there are plenty of soldiers serving now who are out amidst their command, who have retained them because they are good soldiers and they need bodies, and the gay soldiers aren't making it a huge issue. People know they're gay, and they keep it professional at work.
So basically, it boils down to this. There are gays currently serving in the military, they are serving admirably, and as long as they serve admirably, I don't really care if they are there and they are gay. As long as when they are in uniform they are a soldier first. You soldier up and do your job and work with the team, we can use you. You're gay? Fine, leave that in the bedroom and get to work. Don't bring it to work with you.
Courageous Restraint
Somebody made mention that I should post my (belated) thoughts on the new proposed medal for Courageous Restraint (because we all know there isn't enough junk to throw on our uniform!)
Alright, this is my thought on medals in general. Medals are given out like Candy. Civilians can look at a military uniform and see all those pretty ribbons and think 'wow, that person is pretty well decorated!' I can tell you bull crap. Case in point, here's my uniform.
I've got four rows, FOUR ROWS of freakin ribbons. You know what they are? Nothing. they don't mean shit in the long run. They are just a pat on the back and an 'atta boy, er, girl' and if I had anything worth anything on there, you wouldn't know the difference because it's just getting obscured by the rest of the 'bling'. In other words, what I'm basically saying is, How Many Freakin' Ribbons do we need? There's even a medal for VOLUNTEERING!!! While we're at it, why don't we give out medals for showing up to work on time, oh wait, we got one of those too.
My thought on the whole thing, we got to many damn medals. They are losing their luster and the whole point behind them. Which brings me back to the original question of a medal for Courageous Restraint.
now granted, I probably shouldn't be voicing my opinion on this to the whole world, being a highly decorated Non Commissioned Officer *snort*. Hell, I'll voice my opinion on the matter anyway.
Ok, you can tell I'm already annoyed by the sheer numbers of medals and ribbons they throw at me already. Now look at the principal behind this type of medal.
First, i want to know where it goes in the heirarchy of giving out medals. Is it more prestigious then a Bronze Star? Because you know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like some politician that is trying to earn brownie points by creating a medal to show a kinder and gentler military but doesn't understand the whole nature behind the purpose of the military to begin with. But apparently it's being proposed by a British General, which makes me wonder if he's ever served in Combat or if he's spent his years commanding from a staff position.
See, the purpose is to encourage soldiers to put themselves in danger to prevent collateral damage. See, the reason why you give soldiers guns is to protect themselves and kill the enemy, because without a gun, the soldier is basically just cannon fodder. You see, in a time of war, when a soldier is getting shot at, it's his job to shoot back. If you are giving him an award for not shooting back, you're going to end up giving out a few purple hearts along with it, probably awarded posthumosly. There is nothing courageous about restraining from pulling the trigger to prevent civilian casualties. The reason why there are civilian casualties is because the enemy is in the area. The only reason why this award would need to be given out is because soldiers allowed themselves to be blown to bits for fear of fighting the enemy due to civilian casualties. How many times can I rephrase this? It is a STUPID AWARD! You aren't going to give it to soldiers who just walk around doing their patrols and don't fire on the population (because that is a war crime). Yes, the only reason why this award would be given is because a soldier didn't fire back when he came under fire with a civilian population was present. Courageous Restraint might be confused with cowardace. Who's to say the poor soldier came under his first gunfight and ended up in the fetal position sucking his thumb? Well, he didn't shoot any civilians, give that kid a medal!
Yeah, sounds dumb to me.
So, what's the latest news on this award anyway? Please tell me NATO changed their minds on the whole thing. But probably not. No wonder Afghanistan is such a mess. Can we keep political correctness out of wars and just let us do our job by eliminating the enemy? Oh yeah, the whole hearts and minds thing. Got it. Before you know it, the military will be deployed without their weapons because it looks to aggressive to the civilians.
War is a dirty and ugly thing. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you really come to think about it. But we got people out there who want to kill us. They will use our rules of engagement against us and hide out where they know the Laws of War won't allow us to go and shoot us from their mosques and hospitals and use innocent children for their dirty work. The whole region is a mess and these people are not like combatants we've seen before. My thoughts on the whole issue, Obama should have just pulled us out of there so we don't risk more lives or let us actually fight this war and bomb the crap out of it and kill those bastards. Because how we're fighting it now is completley ineffective. And a medal for Courageous Restraint isn't going to be helping matters anytime soon.
Maybe it's time for me to put my hat up and get out of the army? It's going to hell in a handbasket quick.
Alright, this is my thought on medals in general. Medals are given out like Candy. Civilians can look at a military uniform and see all those pretty ribbons and think 'wow, that person is pretty well decorated!' I can tell you bull crap. Case in point, here's my uniform.
I've got four rows, FOUR ROWS of freakin ribbons. You know what they are? Nothing. they don't mean shit in the long run. They are just a pat on the back and an 'atta boy, er, girl' and if I had anything worth anything on there, you wouldn't know the difference because it's just getting obscured by the rest of the 'bling'. In other words, what I'm basically saying is, How Many Freakin' Ribbons do we need? There's even a medal for VOLUNTEERING!!! While we're at it, why don't we give out medals for showing up to work on time, oh wait, we got one of those too.
My thought on the whole thing, we got to many damn medals. They are losing their luster and the whole point behind them. Which brings me back to the original question of a medal for Courageous Restraint.
now granted, I probably shouldn't be voicing my opinion on this to the whole world, being a highly decorated Non Commissioned Officer *snort*. Hell, I'll voice my opinion on the matter anyway.
Ok, you can tell I'm already annoyed by the sheer numbers of medals and ribbons they throw at me already. Now look at the principal behind this type of medal.
First, i want to know where it goes in the heirarchy of giving out medals. Is it more prestigious then a Bronze Star? Because you know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like some politician that is trying to earn brownie points by creating a medal to show a kinder and gentler military but doesn't understand the whole nature behind the purpose of the military to begin with. But apparently it's being proposed by a British General, which makes me wonder if he's ever served in Combat or if he's spent his years commanding from a staff position.
See, the purpose is to encourage soldiers to put themselves in danger to prevent collateral damage. See, the reason why you give soldiers guns is to protect themselves and kill the enemy, because without a gun, the soldier is basically just cannon fodder. You see, in a time of war, when a soldier is getting shot at, it's his job to shoot back. If you are giving him an award for not shooting back, you're going to end up giving out a few purple hearts along with it, probably awarded posthumosly. There is nothing courageous about restraining from pulling the trigger to prevent civilian casualties. The reason why there are civilian casualties is because the enemy is in the area. The only reason why this award would need to be given out is because soldiers allowed themselves to be blown to bits for fear of fighting the enemy due to civilian casualties. How many times can I rephrase this? It is a STUPID AWARD! You aren't going to give it to soldiers who just walk around doing their patrols and don't fire on the population (because that is a war crime). Yes, the only reason why this award would be given is because a soldier didn't fire back when he came under fire with a civilian population was present. Courageous Restraint might be confused with cowardace. Who's to say the poor soldier came under his first gunfight and ended up in the fetal position sucking his thumb? Well, he didn't shoot any civilians, give that kid a medal!
Yeah, sounds dumb to me.
So, what's the latest news on this award anyway? Please tell me NATO changed their minds on the whole thing. But probably not. No wonder Afghanistan is such a mess. Can we keep political correctness out of wars and just let us do our job by eliminating the enemy? Oh yeah, the whole hearts and minds thing. Got it. Before you know it, the military will be deployed without their weapons because it looks to aggressive to the civilians.
War is a dirty and ugly thing. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you really come to think about it. But we got people out there who want to kill us. They will use our rules of engagement against us and hide out where they know the Laws of War won't allow us to go and shoot us from their mosques and hospitals and use innocent children for their dirty work. The whole region is a mess and these people are not like combatants we've seen before. My thoughts on the whole issue, Obama should have just pulled us out of there so we don't risk more lives or let us actually fight this war and bomb the crap out of it and kill those bastards. Because how we're fighting it now is completley ineffective. And a medal for Courageous Restraint isn't going to be helping matters anytime soon.
Maybe it's time for me to put my hat up and get out of the army? It's going to hell in a handbasket quick.
Life
I want to really get back into blogging. About what, i'm not sure. But seeing my blogging is sporadic at best, and my life is in chaos at present, I'm not sure how long it will be before I find the time to pull myself away from Mafia Wars and state my opinion on different things. Because I think for the most part that's what I really did enjoy about blogging is just stating opinions.
So what is up with me? I'm married now, crazy I know. Getting married has shaken things up in the personal life quite a bit. I'm enjoying married life so far, and I'll give some info on my significant other in time, but I probably won't be blogging a lot about him mostly because private life should probably stay somewhat private and I probably tell to much about myself anyway.
What is keeping me from blogging? Well, I've got a busy life! I've got two horses, I've moved all of my crap into his place and in the process of downsizing ten years worth of accumulation of various stuff being I'm a pack rat, and trying to get ready to go to BNCOC/ALC phase 2 for the army (one of those schools you have to go too). That's a fun one, seeing I just found out an 'eight week' course I'm supposed to have done before I go to school and I have to get it done in three days. Fortunately, it is completely doable.
One of these days, I'll post pictures.
So what is up with me? I'm married now, crazy I know. Getting married has shaken things up in the personal life quite a bit. I'm enjoying married life so far, and I'll give some info on my significant other in time, but I probably won't be blogging a lot about him mostly because private life should probably stay somewhat private and I probably tell to much about myself anyway.
What is keeping me from blogging? Well, I've got a busy life! I've got two horses, I've moved all of my crap into his place and in the process of downsizing ten years worth of accumulation of various stuff being I'm a pack rat, and trying to get ready to go to BNCOC/ALC phase 2 for the army (one of those schools you have to go too). That's a fun one, seeing I just found out an 'eight week' course I'm supposed to have done before I go to school and I have to get it done in three days. Fortunately, it is completely doable.
One of these days, I'll post pictures.
5.13.2010
New URL?
So my life has settled down over the last few hectic months, and I think I want to get back into blogging again. The problem is, well, Blogger disabled their FTP service, of which was how I was blogging before. Apparently .5% of blogs wasn't good enough reason for them, and I am apparently to stubborn to make the switch. Dang it all.
Anyway, the blog up until this pointstill resides on the original domain of www.risawn.com/blogger.html is archived on my original site, however from this point on, I have to choose a new domain name and have it hosted by blogger. So the new domain name?
iratblu.blogspot.com
What's a iratblu? It's kind of a funny word, is that what my blog is going to be known as now? risawn.blogspot.com was taken however, that was a blog idea that I quickly abandoned for various reasons, and you only need so many blogs. Anyway, we'll see if this move works well as planned, or if it doesn't. We'll see.
Anyway, the blog up until this point
iratblu.blogspot.com
What's a iratblu? It's kind of a funny word, is that what my blog is going to be known as now? risawn.blogspot.com was taken however, that was a blog idea that I quickly abandoned for various reasons, and you only need so many blogs. Anyway, we'll see if this move works well as planned, or if it doesn't. We'll see.
4.12.2010
Probably Should Say the Latest
I haven't been blogging much lately, and me saying that is getting a bit redundant, but I thought perhaps I should give you all an update on my personal life.
I'm getting married! Yes, for reals. I didn't think it would ever happen, but the planets aligned just right or something because I was beginning to think it would never happen! Now it is! I don't know what I'll post about my wedding on my blog, but I do have a facebook account I use frequantly (feel free to friend me, just put incoherent ramblings or blog in a message so I know why you're friending me)
I also have a couple projects aligned for the Summer. I plan on building a Chicken Coop and getting some chickens. Got all sorts of ideas running around in my brain. :)
One of these days I'll write up the story of how me and my fiance met. People comment on it all the time. :)
I'm getting married! Yes, for reals. I didn't think it would ever happen, but the planets aligned just right or something because I was beginning to think it would never happen! Now it is! I don't know what I'll post about my wedding on my blog, but I do have a facebook account I use frequantly (feel free to friend me, just put incoherent ramblings or blog in a message so I know why you're friending me)
I also have a couple projects aligned for the Summer. I plan on building a Chicken Coop and getting some chickens. Got all sorts of ideas running around in my brain. :)
One of these days I'll write up the story of how me and my fiance met. People comment on it all the time. :)
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