Thanksgiving...

have a GOOD one, Folks!

:D

---

UPDATE:
Just wanted to add that I'm most definitely thankful for the wonderful readers I have...you make it worthwhile for me to try to come up with my scribblings!

Sorry...

about the lack of posting, but I'm going slightly insane trying to get everything together for my move. Finding a job and a place to stay are high on my priority list as well. Thanks for your patience, I know my blog has been teh suxxor lately.

Awkward...

is glancing down during the scalp massage to find your client's eyes wide open, staring at you...

Overheard in the Spa

Me (in the shower): Maura? Could you hand me a razor, please?

(a few moments later)

Maura (handing the razor over the shower stall door): Did you want me to shave you, too?

Me: ...

Me: Uh, no...it's just my armpits, that's not much fun.

Maura: Okay.

Fear and Loathing

The epiphany I had on my drive back from Blogorado was facilitated by my friend GayCynic, who pummeled me about the head and shoulders with logic.

I'm not happy living in Las Vegas, and haven't been for a long time. Now that my daughter is off to college, I really have nothing holding me here.

So I have decided to move to Texas, home of the bigger and better!

I have many, many blogfriends who live there, who have already been helping me out with information, tips, hints, offers to check potential rentals out, offers to let me stay for a few days when I get there, and the list goes on and on. It's so good to have friends.

I'm moving the week before Christmas, I've already given notice at both of my jobs, and have been assured of receiving letters of recommendation. My application for my Texas massage therapy license went off by certified mail a week from yesterday, and I got the little green postcard in the mail confirming receipt a few days ago.

I've also been applying for full-time jobs at various local hospitals, since I do have a lot of experience in the medical field. I'll need to be making money right off the bat to pay my bills, and while I certainly want to build up a private massage practice, things like that take time (and money), two things I'm not exactly blessed with currently.

So, we'll see how things go. I might have help for my move, I might not. I might rent a truck or trailer, or I might shove all my crap into my storage unit and move bare-bones. Silver will be here on her winter break to help me, but we still have to get her back to Vegas in mid-January to catch her flight back to North Dakota. Maybe I'll do another roadtrip!

Oh, my poor car...;)

Anyway, life is too short to stay somewhere you're miserable, even if you do have a job. Friends are more important. I'm pursuing happiness, Peeps! And it feels great!

And a wee bit terrifying.

Wish me luck.

Two more things I remember about Blogorado:

First, my face getting tired from smiling, nay GRINNING so much.

And second, how much I LOVE the smell of gunpowder.

Another tip for massage clients:

When I tell you before the massage, "Undress to your level of comfort," that doesn't mean you can take your underwear off half-way through the massage. Got it? Good.

Haiku

Don't forget to try your hand at Sparrow's Haiku Contest!

It benefits our military service folk serving in harm's way. So go ahead, participate...what? Are you chicken?!

Bok-bok-bok...

C'mon! Don't be scared! It's EASY!

5syllables
7syllables
5syllables

Piece of cake.

:D

What I Did Last Weekend (with PICTURES!):

Met many imaginary friends, except they were REAL!











One of them was a Man in a Kilt!!



(I'd put more pics of my friends up, but a lot of them are camera-shy...)

Had LOTS of guns in my trunk, and none of them were mine:



Went to a library and a museum:


Yes, that's the most dangerous librarian in the world.









Ate TONS of delicious food, but was too busy eating to get any pictures...:D

Went horseback riding:





Began the process of learning how to shoot (because I have a long way to go, Baby! But it was a very good start.):


I even had ammo in my back pocket in this one, LOL.





Fired an Evil Black Rifle™:


One among many others I fired, Yay!

Told people where to go:


I kid...I don't even remember why I was pointing, but it's a good picture!

Met the cutest little girl I've known since MY girls were little, and my supremely stylish and and always classy friend, Phlegm Fatale:


(She can even make a Porta-John look like an acceptable prop.)

Narrowly avoided hitting a HUGE deer (I was in the vehicle RIGHT behind this truck):



But I still helped desecrate the deer carcass:



And even found the time to blog a little:



Basically, I had the best vacation I've ever had, meeting the nicest people I've ever known.

Thank you all. I'll be there next year, with bells on.

The way to a girl's heart is through the gun range...

This is my AAR (aka "after action report"), and it's gonna be simple, because honestly? I might not be quite as shiny or squeaky, but I'm still a n00b.

Any errors in spelling, etc. are mine, I'm going off smudged pencil on a tiny, spiral notebook. Don't blame my teachers, who were nothing but awesome: patient, kind, thorough.

One of my best memories of being at the range is hitting the half-sized silhouette at 250 yards, turning to LawDog and exclaiming, "I HIT IT!" Only to have him reply with a gentle smile, "Of course you did."

THAT'S the kind of teacher who will make any student shine.

Thanks are due to Aepilotjim, Ambulance Driver, Old NFO, and of course the aforementioned LawDog.

Thanks also to all the cool kids who let me play with their toys! So nice of them to share.

Okay, I'm going to list the firearms I got to shoot, with my own little cryptic notes. I hope this makes sense. And I have no pictures yet, but I will eventually.

At Blogorado, I fired the following weapons:

-Bersa Thunder .380 (yes, the famous one)
Not to blaspheme, but I only felt this was okay, possibly because I have HUGE hands for a woman.

-Springfield 1911 MilSpec (this one was Jim's)

-Ruger 22/45

-Glock 17 (SQUEEEEE! I loved this. :))

-Heritage Arms Rough Rider .22 (fun!)

-Sig Mosquito .22

-Rock Island 1911 .45 ACP

-Smith & Wesson 5 screw .38

-Henry Lever Action .22 (again, FUN!)

-Single Action Rossi

-AR 15 with EoTech Sights (Meh, believe it or not)

-Citori 12 gauge shotgun (this one was FarmMom's, and I actually hit a few clays! w00t! MUCH FUN)

-Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum. (Oh, my GOD. I lurved this gun! Thank you so much, Stingray! I knocked down a popper with each shot.)

-Smith & Wesson model 25 .45 Long Colt (VERY nice)

-Walther PPK (this was FarmGirl's; it was extremely cool to shoot, fit my hands well.)

-Taurus PT 140 Millennium

-Hi Standard HD Military .22 (I loved shooting this, because I finally took down my nemesis who had been taunting me all day: the full soda can. I hit that sucker TWICE.)

-Taurus Judge (shoots either .45 Long Colt or .410 shotgun shells; this is FarmMom's critter killer, and it's a beast! I loved it...maybe I'm a (gun) size queen?)

-Ruger Mark III 22/45 (my notes say I liked it!)

-Bersa .45 (ditto, this one was Gay_Cynic's, thanks, G_C!)

-M14 (kicked like a FUCKING MULE, but I didn't bruise. I was sorta/kinda hitting the target, and that's all that matters to me!)

DUNN, DUNN, DUNN:

-M24 in .308 caliber (hit a barrel that was 970 yards away, 3 out of 5 shots, and it was WINDY. Don't piss me off. ;) Funny thing about this is, so that I wouldn't feel intimidated, Jim told me I was shooting at the one that was 500 yards out. I only found out last night that I was shooting at the FARTHER one. Yeah, he's evil like that, and he admits it!)

Well, that's all, Folks. I'm sure I forgot a few guns here or there, I was so excited it was bound to happen. I'll have you know that I always waited until I was off-range and unarmed to do any squeeing or happy dances. Safety trumps squeeing, always.

I've definitely found a new hobby, certainly an activity I love.

I also have to remind myself to breathe...I was getting a bit out of breath from excitement, and from unconsciously holding my breath while aiming and firing. No worries, I'll get better!

Oh, and I hit the bull's eye on my first target with my third shot. Just sayin'...

(Oh, I know: Beginner's luck!)

All Honor to Them

To all those who've worn our country's uniform and served: Thank you.

Thank you so much for EVERYTHING,

FarmFamily!

I had the best time of my life over this past weekend. Absolutely the best.
FarmGirl and her Mom, Dad, and Mamaw are the kindest, most hospitable and generous people it has ever been my pleasure to meet.

I do not exaggerate when I say that attending Blogorado and meeting all the other bloggers was a life-altering event for me. More info will follow as I process it. I just got back into Las Vegas and I'm trying not to collapse from exhaustion before all my laundry is done.

Pics will be posted and an after-action report of all my shooty goodness as well.

Bear with me, and be patient, please!

Phlegm Fatale

...shows how much she loves fondling balls:



"They're so warm...!"