Roll on, katamari

Anyone who has ever played the video game Katamari Damacy knows the plot: the prince is on a mission to rebuild the stars, constellations, and moon, which were accidentally destroyed by his father, the King of All Cosmos. This is achieved by rolling a magical ball called a katamari around various locations, collecting increasingly larger objects, ranging from thumbtacks to people to mountains, until the ball has grown great enough to become a star or planet.  Lately, I have felt very much like the katamari, blowing around, wherever life takes me, collecting bits and pieces of things and sticking them to myself, creating a large ball of facts, but no depth of information.  I have opinions, but mostly my opinions are quotes from other people who have said what I wanted to say much better than I could have ever gotten my point across. Teller of stories, I am not.  I don't consider myself to be very witty or clever, as it's usually hours after an encounter when I realize what I could have said at a certain point.  You can't rewind the day and edit a conversation, unlike a blog post or Facebook status. 
I am a nice person, and I genuinely try to get along well with everyone.  I suppose that's easy to do, when one is a social chameleon, with little bits of information to start a conversation, if one is lucky to be around for the beginning, but as the conversation crescendos, I fade into the background, unnoticed.  Sometimes it's just nice to be noticed.  I wonder if I had more to contribute, if I was wittier and more clever I'd be more important to the conversation than just another face in the group.  I feel as though I need to take root in something, to find something worthwhile to contribute to, be an important member of a group, at least enough to be noticed. 

T-Rex and I went on a road trip this week.  A short little jaunt, down to visit the in-laws.  Mother-in-law had gotten us tickets to see "Stomp."  It was really fun and neat, though a little over-priced to see folks talented at stomping their feet, clapping their hands, and incorporating found items into routines.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it.  It's always nice to go visit the in-laws.  I got lucky when I married my T-Rex.  He's got a great family.  Short post today, I'm tired.

my first attempt at a video slideshow

I have been feeling very nostalgic lately.  Perhaps it is because Spring has finally come, with budding trees and beautiful flowers and warmer weather.  Perhaps it is because today, April 22, would be my grandfather's birthday, and I miss him terribly.  Whatever the reason, I found myself looking back at old photographs.  I came upon the idea that I would make a slideshow out of some of our Disney honeymoon pictures.  I had the perfect song in mind, called "Remember When."  It took me the better part of two hours, mostly because I had never done anything like this before, and also, I have a lot of Disney vacation photos!  I did it, though, and the finished product is quite good, for my first try. 

It's a love-hate relationship

Oh Facebook.  I hate to love you.  I have met some really cool people through you.  I get to keep up with family, friends, and former classmates.  Well, at least the ones who want to keep up with me.  The problem comes when I start putting too much emphasis on the importance of who is following me, who likes or comments my posts, or who doesn't.   About a year ago, a cousin of mine didn't agree with some of the political posts I was making.  She said she couldn't be friends with me because of the things I was saying.  I was crushed.  I know you're supposed to be careful with what you post online, and I was so upset that I had crossed the line somehow.  I didn't know what I had done to make my cousin unhappy with me.  I started assuming that because she didn't agree with my political beliefs, she didn't like me anymore.  Sometimes I have to catch myself when I start taking things on Facebook personally.  I commented on my sister's page, and she immediately deletes her account.  My uncle "unfriended" me.   Friends "clean up" their friend lists, and I get cut.  It hurts.  What do I say, or do, or not do, to lose touch with those people over Facebook?  The truth is, Facebook is just a medium.  In real life, not everyone is going to agree with the things you say, believe, or do with your life.  The nice thing with family is that despite it all, they will still love you and be there for you when it really matters.  My sister and I still see each other and care about each other.  We just find other things to talk about.  My cousin gave me a hug the last time I saw her, and we were able to chat amicably.  My uncle still keeps in touch.  Friends who cut me off their list probably weren't close friends anyway, and usually we haven't talked much more than a casual hi now and then.    It's just so easy to get sucked in to the belief that what's on Facebook matters.  5 people liked my funny status, that must mean I'm really funny and people like me!  3 people commented on something I said, I must be really witty and clever, and people like me!  10 people wished me a happy birthday, I have friends!  It goes the other way, too.  Only 3 people wished me a happy birthday, I must not matter to anyone.  Only 1 person liked my funny status, that must mean I'm not funny.  No one commented on something I said, I must not have anything worthwhile to contribute.  It's really easy to get depressed this way.  The trick is to remember that Facebook isn't real life, and what happens there doesn't really matter.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.  Excuse me while I go drown my sorrows with some milk and cookies. 

Machine gun fun

On Saturday, April 13, 2013, T-Rex and I attended our first Knob Creek Range machine gun shoot.  In a word, it was amazing!  I had a really really great time, and I didn't even get to play with any of the big guns.  That's ok though, gives me something to go back for.  Here are some of my pictures from the day.  Warning, there are quite a few.

 

The above photos are from early morning, the view down range as they were setting it up with targets.

 It was neat watching this guy load bullets onto the belt to be fed into his gun.

Don't ya just love a good explosion?

 Nothing like the smell of gun powder in the morning!

 I found what I want for Christmas!

 The fuse is lit...

...BOOM!

 That used to be a nice fiberglass fishing boat. 

Front side of the truck.

 Back side of the truck.  Check out the huge exit holes!

 One of the cars that was on fire early in the morning.

T-Rex enjoying surveying the damage.

 The firing line.

 

 The evening shoot was really spectacular with the explosions.

Updated...for history.

Wow, my first post of 2013.  Um, Happy New Year...in March. 
T-Rex and I have added a few new guns to our arsenal.  My newest toy is a lever action .357 rifle.  I love it, and I'm a pretty decent shot.  The nice thing is that it can also shoot .38 special, which is what my revolver uses, and that's just awesome.  I was instrumental in T-Rex getting his newest toy - most girls eagerly spend money on new purses, new shoes, expensive jewelry - I can eagerly spend money in a gun store.  Anyway, he loves his Ruger Blackhawk Convertible .357 Magnum.  Now we're talking about getting into Cowboy Action shooting.  We even have our names picked out!
Last month, I joined the Dayton area chapter of The Well Armed Woman.  We've only had one meeting, but I met a really nice group of ladies, and I look forward to our next meeting at the end of this month.
This April, if all goes well, T-Rex and I will be attending the Knob Creek machine gun shoot.  It will be the first time we will be attending, and I'm really excited, even if I'm not doing any shooting! There's been talk of a bloggers breakfast meet, and that would be awesome if it happens, because I'd really like to meet some of the folks I've gotten to know through blog posts and Facebook. 
I'll try to do better about remembering my own blog and update more frequently than I do...of course, I say that, but we'll see what really happens.  Months later and I'll be coming back, going, "Oh yeah, I should update."  Though I've never found myself to be terribly interesting and I'm sure there isn't anyone who does think so, I'll keep up with it, because maybe someday scholars will be looking through archives and come across my notes of some historical item and I'll get a footnote reference for some obscure thing.  Yeah, right.  

Liberty and freedom to feel the way you do

This morning I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, and listening to the news at the same time.  The thought occurred to me that it has become increasingly difficult to have a good philosophical discussion without someone becoming defensive, instantly turning the argument into something personal.  Why does this happen?  Have we become so selfish that we have closed our minds to any perspective than our own?  How dare someone challenge our beliefs!  Frankly, I like the challenge.  It allows me to see different perspectives, it forces me to reinforce my argument and  strengthens my beliefs.  I tend to prefer to listen to people from all sides of an issue, then I formulate my own opinions based on the arguments and facts I have gathered.  I am not a sheep - I don't blindly throw myself into a cause without knowing all the facts, all the arguments.   The biggest cause I support?  Defending life. 
By dictionary definition, I am a humanitarian.  I am interested in the welfare of others. I am interested in their quality of life.  I believe that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being. I believe that life begins at the moment of conception, and there is a right to life before birth as humans have after birth.  I believe that we have a right to defend one's own life or the lives of others, including, in certain circumstances, the use of deadly force.  I have studied, researched, trained, and formed my arguments to support my beliefs.  I will passionately speak out about these topics. 
The beauty of it is, if you don't agree with my beliefs, that's ok!  I don't judge anyone for the opinions they have, and ask that you extend me the same right.  I will discuss these issues with you, and listen and respect your responses.  I don't feel threatened by your beliefs, unless you threaten to destroy mine.  That is the beauty of a philosophical discussion, no threats, no judgment, using facts and arguments to arrive at solutions for issues surrounding the discussion.  When we react out of fear and emotion, we tend to react irrationally, and that is when we get defensive and personal, and selfishly close ourselves off to any other thoughts than our own.  It's a sad state of affairs, really.