500!

I'm not sure what I thought I'd accomplish when I started blogging.  I initially did it to keep my girls in the loop as my life was rapidly changing (betcha didn't know that Robs and Staci).  I had met RCC, traveled down south to be on Horse Master with Julie Goodnight, and life was moving super fast.

I had no idea the blogosphere was its own community when I started.  I never expected to meet so many amazing people who I now consider friends. I certainly never intended to branch out into having so many different blogs.

People who don't blog, don't get it.  They don't understand how bloggy friendships are every bit as real as "real life" friendships.  But they are.  The community is as strong as any neighborhood community; we draw together to celebrate successes and mourn losses.  There's not a "support group" out there any stronger than the blogging community.

I can't imagine not blogging, not checking in on my friends, so I was a little surprised to see my number of posts hit 500.  For this blog.  Not quite there on my other ones.  And 500 over a three-year period of time isn't that many.  There are far more dedicated bloggers who post almost every day and have a whole lot more posts than I do, but this is a hell of a milestone for me.

So...I thought I'd look back over the last 500 posts and my life as a blogger.

• My first non-family followers were: T!nk (he doesn't run a blog anymore, but I still love him and talk to him ocassionally), Shepherd K, and Momma Fargo.
• My first blog post was about my experiences at Horse Master.
• Post number 100: Busy Day and A Big Goal Met, written during my very first NaNoWriMo
• Post number 200: Winners!, I gave away a copy of each of Tara's CRAZY/LOOSE books to celebrate my 200th post.  She's since completed the series.
• Post number 300: The Monday Minute, boy, those were fun.
• Post number 400: Perspective, written just last year about my weight battle.
• And of all of my posts, the one that continually gets the most hits and comments is the one about RCC's epiploic appendagitis.  Go figure.
• I was trying to figure out if I had a favorite post and the one that popped immediately into mind was this one.

If this milestone hadn't snuck up on me, I would have organized another give-away.  Sorry about that; I kinda dropped the ball there.  But please know, all of you, that I'm glad you spend a little bit of time with me each day and I'm honored to consider you friends.

Book Review: PARAFAITH WAR

A while ago, K over at Preachers and Horse Thieves won one of my book give-aways and reciprocated by sending me not one, but two, books.  The first review can be found here.

First, a disclaimer.  K is like that super-smart friend whose IQ is light years greater than mine.  You know the kind?  I was by no means a dumb kid in high school, but I always managed to surround myself with people so smart that it made my head hurt.  Guess I was hoping some of their smarts would rub off on me.  When K asked me what type of books I liked to read, I flippantly answered, "ones with words."  You know, you shouldn't say things like that to someone like K.  What does he come up with?  A hard-core sci-fi for me to read.

Now, I read approximately 1,100 wpm.  Usually. 

I can burn through a book in just a couple of days (another reason I love Eloise - when I run out of books, I just download a new one).  Usually.

I gotta tell you, PARAFAITH WAR by L.E. Modesitt kicked my book-lovin' ass.  I enjoyed it, but my speed reading slowed to a crawl.  Heck with 1,100 wpm, I was lucky to get 11 wpm.  It took me two weeks (or more) to finish the book - the only time that happens is when I'm reading an eight- or nine-hundred page book.  This was not an eight- or nine-hundred page book.

It took me a while to get into the book, simply because I wasn't familiar with the vocabulary and I had to make the transition from "my" world to that of Modesitt's.  Once I was able to make the switch in my head and got comfortable with the vocabulary, I really enjoyed the book and looked forward to bedtime so that I could stretch out on my belly and read my ten or twelve pages before my brain started cramping up from thinking so much.

The book is about a turf war, essentially, between two cultures of differing faith (sound familiar?).  One culture is busy planoforming and defending themselves, while the other culture is busy over-populating their world(s) and attacking the planoformed worlds for growth.  Like most wars, this one has dragged on for years and is pointless.  War is just what they do; both cultures have been at it for so long that they've forgotten the reason.

The book follows Trystin Desoll's military career from a border guard to an intelligence agent for an interested third-party.  As he grows in his military career, and with help from the third-party, he starts thinking a little more than an average grunt should and creatively comes up with a way to end the senseless war.

Yes, I've far over-simplified the gist of the book, but that's about it.  It was a good read that flexed my thinkin' muscle, and I enjoyed it, but I think I'm going to leave sci-fi to my smart friend, K.

Thanks, though, K for helping me try out a new genre.

Book Review: NIGHT WATCH by Terry Pratchett

So, in return for winning a book in my Tara Janzen give-away, K. Erickson of Preachers and Horse Thieves suprised me with a couple of his favorite books.

After I slogged my way through (mostly, anyway) FINDING CHARLOTTE, I picked up NIGHT WATCH enthusiastically.  It's not a book that I would have picked for myself - I'm not a big fantasy fan; this world's screwed up enough, why would I want to read about other screwed up worlds?

I actually stopped to look at the page number to see at which point I was totally engrossed and knew I was going to finish the book.  *Drum roll, please* Page sixteen.  In all honestly, I was hooked long before then, but it took me 'til page sixteen to drag my eyes away from the text to look at the number.  Quite a change from the prior book.

I know nothing about the author, Terry Pratchett, I wouldn't have even know how to describe his writing style, so I looked for a little help from the professional reviewers who call him a "comic novelist" and a "master of laugh-out-loud fiction".

The premise of the book is that Sam Vimes, while chasing a bad guy (a really, really bad guy), is caught in some sort of time storm and transported back in time thirty years, along with the bad guy.  He has a chance to make history turn out the "right" way and in the process, meets his younger self at a crucial point in his younger self's life.

I can tell you that this book could have been a disaster, what with traveling back in time and all, but it was masterfully written.  It's not easy to write a book without all of the time-twisting, but to be able to do it as believably as Mr. Pratchett did makes the book a work of art.

I can tell you that I will be ready many more of Mr. Pratchett's book and soon.  Thank you, K. for introducing me to a whole new genre and author.

K. Told Me So (A Zoo Update)

I have to start with an apology to K. Erickson over at Preachers and Horse Thieves (even if he did get to spend the day blowing shit up without me, never mind that I'm in Colorado and he's in Texas).  When I first posted the pictures of the brand new kittens, he told me that the white lab rat-looking ones would probably turn out cute.  To say I was skeptical would be an understatement.

Guess what?

No Name, Paleface, Little Grey Kitten

He's right.  They're kinda cute. 

So, K., I apologize.

They're now three weeks old and all look to be long-hairs.  Ashee-butt is set on keeping Little Grey Kitten and the other two are spoken for, so the kinda cute lab rat-ish kittens have good homes in five weeks.

Dashurie took her first bath today.  We were told just to fill a sink with baby shampoo and warm water and turn 'er loose.  So we did.  It became quickly apparent that the bathroom sink was too small for her, so for her rinse cycle, she got moved to the tub where she did lap after lap.

Who would have thought a hedgehog would turn out to be such a great pet?  In fact, Dashurie's part of this week's True Story Tuesday.

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend.

While I'm On A Roll...

I promised K. Erickson over at Preachers and Horse Thieves a profound post about healthcare.  I'm not sure how profound this will be, but I hope it give you food for thought. 

I've been thinking a lot about President Obama's Proposed Healthcare Reform.  I've heard lots of opinions about it, both pro and con, but I hadn't really paid much attention.  So, since I promised K. I took a look at the President's plan and let me tell you something...it's pretty much the same thing as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1986).  Go ahead, click the link that will take you to Obama's plan, read it, and then compare it to this:

HIPAA, (Public Law 104-191) amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, has several aspects, but the one patients are most aware of is the aspect pertaining to patient privacy and protected health information (PHI). In addition to patient privacy, HIPAA also intends to:



• Improve the portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets by:


o Limiting exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions;

o Prohibiting discrimination in enrollment and premiums against employees and their dependents based on health status;

o Guaranteeing availability of health insurance coverage for small employers and renewablity of health insurance coverage in both the small and large group markets;

o Providing credit for prior health coverage and a process for transmitting certificates and other information concerning prior coverage to a new group health plan or issuer;

o Providing new rights that allow individuals to enroll for health coverage when they lose other health coverage, change from group to individual coverage, or have a new dependent; and

o Preserving, through narrow pre-emption provisions, the states’ traditional role in regulating health insurance, including state flexibility to provide greater protections.


• Combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery;
• Promote the use of medical savings accounts (MSAs);
• Improve access to long-term care services and coverage;
• Simplify the administration of health insurance;
• Create standards for electronic health information transactions;
• Create privacy standards for health information; and
• Create unique identifiers for providers, health plans, employers, and individuals.

Seems to me that Obama's plan and the one already enacted as law are an awful lot alike.  Wouldn't it just be better to enforce what's already in place rather than re-inventing the wheel?  Again.

Now, I know that there are things in Obama's plan that HIPPA doesn't address.  Like healthcare for uninsured Americans.  Hello, Medicaid.  Problem is, Medicaid is broken.  And I mean B-R-O-K-E-N, but that's a post for another day.

Limited Exposure

On Friday, over at Jack Sh*t, Gettin' Fit, he had a guest blogger, Michelle, who started the Exposed Movement in which she "exposed" herself and decided to celebrate her body rather than hate on it.  This is her self celebratory photo...

I, however, am not that brave.  Nor am I that talented at manipulating photos.  I tried to do the whole writing on the photo thing and it didn't work out so well for me, so what you get is "Limited Exposure"; the most recent, fully clothed, full body photo I could find.  I've been avoiding the camera like the plague, and was thoroughly disgusted by these photos until I looked at them with fresh eyes, thanks to Michelle.

Arms, shoulders, and back: Have lifted literally tons of hay and thrown hundreds of saddles.  Have shot handguns and long guns in calibers ranging from .22 to .454 Casull to .50 Beowolf.  Have carried and moved my children, most notably my oldest son, during his paralytic episodes.  Hands:  Completed NaNoWriMo 2009, act as my spell check when I use sign language to remember how to spell hard words.

Belly, Butt and Hips:  Have carried and birthed three healthy children.

Legs and Feet:  Have ridden countless miles both in a saddle and bareback.  Have carried me through cities in England, Scotland, Ireland and Italy.  Have provided me with hours of fun with my friends playing soccer.

I'm constantly telling my kids when they complain that they need to name five positive things, even if it's "the sky is blue today", just so that they get in the habit of looking at things in a more positive manner.  Problem is, I've been guilty of looking at the bad side of my body and forgetting to look at all of the great things it has helped me to accomplish. 

K. Erickson over at Preachers and Horse Thieves will probably reach through cyberspace and slap me upside the head, because he's been telling me ever since I started with LIB that my attitude sucks.  Though he's too much of a gentleman to actually say those words.  So, K., I'm listening.

A Thought-Provoking Post

My friend, K. Erickson, over at Preachers and Horse Thieves had a very interesting post today; one that had me thinking.  Check out A Modest Proposal.  I found the history lesson quite informative and dusted off some brain cells I hadn't been using in a while.

What A Nice Surprise!

Nathanael over at This Is How It Feels has honored me with a bit of blog bling, and what a great surprise it was!  Nathanael and I "met" when he was honored with the Honest Scrap award by Monda over at No Telling, I jumped over to his blog and fell in love.  We were both then honored by Monda when we were included in EasyStreet Prompts' Blog Carnival.

When I think about the people I've "met" via blogging, it's rather mind-boggling.  The internet, I know it's been said before, has opened up whole new worlds.  Where else would I have met a gay solder serving in Baghdad or a Southern gal with a passion for writing or another wickedly funny Southern gal or an endurance rider from California?  There are so many people that I've met through blogging that I would never have had the opportunity to meet before.  It truly is astounding.

The rules, as have been explained to me by Nathanael are:

1.) grab the award (check - see above)
2.) post it on your blog along with five things you love to do (Oh Jeez, just five.  I'll have to think about that.)
3.) five others you want to recognize... (Again, only five?)

Things I love to do: (in no specific order)

1. Ride my horse, Estes.  You can find the story of how I fell in love with her over at my other blog, Tales From The Trail
2. Blog.  Well, write.  I love to write, and blogging is an easy way to connect with people I wouldn't normally get to meet.  I also love my morning blog crawl and can't get through my morning without it; it's my equivalent of reading the morning paper, I guess.
3. Shoot.  Hence the name Gun Diva.  I love the feel of a controlled explosion, which is all shooting really is.  And, hey, I'm pretty good at it.  My friend and fellow Gun Diva, Tara Janzen, is a rifle shooting queen.  Me, I love the handguns.
4. Read.  This kind of ties in with #2; part of blogging is reading.  I get to read small, bite-sized stories daily and look forward to them, but I also love novels.  Really, anything with words.  Hell, I even read shampoo bottles.
5. Work.  I really do love my job and the people I work with; I can't imagine doing anything else.

Recognize Five Others... (again, in no specific order.  Nathanael, you know I'd send this back to you if I could.)

• K. Erickson at Preachers and Horse Thieves.  He was awarded Editor's Pick for the 1st edition of EasyStreet's Blog Carnival.  I jumped over to his blog and immediately followed.  I love his writing and his dedication to his wife.  Here's a man who is head-over-heels in love with his wife and isn't afraid to post it for the whole world.  Oh, and he's got some great stories, too.
• Monda at No Telling and EasyStreet Prompts.  She's a great storyteller and I look forward to her posts everyday.  I'm not sure how I stumbled upon No Telling, but I enjoy it immensely.  And, of course, EasyStreet Prompts has a place in my heart, as my Honorable Mention (posted over at Lyon's Roar) was my first ever blog bling.
• Candance at Crazy Texas Mommy.  I love this woman!  Her posts are guaranteed to make me laugh.  Everyone needs a little CTM in their life.  Imagine my surprise when I was talking to my brother in Arizona one day and he asked if I'd ever read CTM.  We both found her blog at about the same time and fell in love.  Shortly thereafter my step-dad started following CTM, so now it's kind of a family cult thing.  So...that sounds a little creepy.  Didn't mean it to come out that way.
• Roxanne at Pet Blog.  Her stories about Verne the horse trader keep me in stitches.  I love the way she's able to bring his stories to life in so few words.
• Bill and Juanita at It's A Horse Life.  Okay, so there's a bit of nepotism here, they are, after all, my parents.  And I was the one who not only talked them into blogging, but set it up for them.  It started as just a way to share some of their favorite stories and recipes and stay in touch with their guests, but they're really taken it and run and their hits counter is burning up. 
  

That was tough, only choosing five.  Please check them out; I think you'll enjoy them.  And be sure to tell them I said 'hi' when you stop by.