30 Days To Christmas!!!

So, those who know me, know that I'm really into Christmas. Like, I count down from St. Stephen's Day, I'm that pathetic.

But guys... It's only a month til Christmas! HOOT HOOT! Isn't that exciting? We actually got a little bit of snow for Thanksgiving Weekend, which was really good for the tourists. And in about a week and a half, it'll be St. Nicholas' Day. That's when you get chocolates and little gifts in your shoes, and drink Bishop's Wine later. :)

Also, a little bit on Front Sight.

The first day we had to get there so early - like, the gates opened at 6:30 a.m., and that's when you had to be there, to do a weapons check and all that jazz. Then once we got all our weapons and ammo approved, we went to our range and we got a whole day of "info-dumping, while we tested out the techniques on a "cold" range - meaning, we didn't ever holster a loaded weapon. The next day (when the gates opened at 7:15 am, and we would get there in time to do some dry fire drills before the actual lessons started) was a lot of the same, but we started firing more ammo, and by the middle of that day we finally got to put loaded guns into our holsters! That was really cool. (We couldn't leave the range with our weapons loaded, but while we were on the range, our guns were loaded. Sweet Lord of the Rings.)

The third day, we transferred to a larger range, and we did a lot of the same, practicing controlled pairs to the thorax with head shots when the instructors called them, and worked on clearing malfunctions. Then we were shuttled to a place they called Monsters Inc., because it is literally a space of doors. Like, five doors lined side by side about 10 lanes deep.  We had had a lecture on tactical entry the night before, so we all got these "red" guns (heavy plastic guns usually made of red or orange polymer) and practiced entry through the doors. Then we were shuttled BACK to the range, did some more shooting, and were shuttled off to a shoot house, where we got to make entry through a house that had targets and hostages set up. We got  to clear the house, practicing controlled pairs to the bad guys and head shots to those who had hostages, and that was intense and scary and fun.

Then we went back to the range and started working on the skills test, which is basically a "final" to see how much you've improved since day one.

The next day, we did the skills test first thing in the morning, after doing some dry practice, and I did really well - all my shots were in the thoracic cavity and the head box. Yay! But then, then, then!

WE HAD FUN!!!!!

The instructors put up targets that looked like actual thugs - like bad juju thugs - and we got to shoot at those, and since some of the thugs were angled differently, you had to judge where would be best to shoot them. Then the instructors marked the thugs off in groups of four, and we stepped up in relays and on the go we did a single shot to two thugs in our line, then to three, then to four, and then we had to take head shots as the instructor called them. It was tons of fun! (My accuracy improved when the targets were thugs and not simple grey targets - which is either really good, or really disturbing.) At the end of the day, we had a "Steel Competition" where we went up in pairs and had to shoot at hostage takers (metal targets) and whoever did it fastest and in the right order, moved on to the next round. That was the best!

Honestly, by the time we headed home, we were all having Front Sight withdrawal. I absolutely love my Glock-19. I like the way it fits in my hand, the weight of it, and the fact I now know how to clear its little issues.

I LOVE MY GLOCK!

So that's my Front Sight story. I want to look for a smaller semi-automatic, for concealed carry, and if I can find a small Glock, I think I'd like that. (I'm willing to look at others, but I totes love Glock.)

Last, guys.

Anime...

I started mildly with Avatar, The Last Airbender.
Then I did Voltron.
Then I watched Fullmetal Alchemist.
I'm almost done with Pandora Hearts.
I'm into season 2 of Noragami.
I'm going to start D.Gray-man.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

Like, I want to get the manga for the anime that isn't finished - like, Pandora Hearts. When did I become this weird?

But that's all for now!

God bless!

Cat

She's ALIVE!

So let me see... what has happened since Easter?

Hmmmm

Well, first of all, we made fabulous ravioli for Easter.  Like, handmade, beautiful ravioli.  Like, check out Treskie's blog to see HOW beautiful this ravioli really was. (And you can enjoy the overall post, anyhoozle.  If you want.  Don't feel pressured or anything.)

Intense Glare

Then....

                              Theeeeeennnn.....

Thhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.............

Source

I apparently have a boring life, because I can't recall much of what has happened between then and now.

Well, I take that back.  I had a jury summons, for which I HAD to appear (which, by the way, is one of the few things that can put me into a state of hysterical panic), and then, for 1-1/2 days, I got to sit in court while the judge and attorneys made up their minds who they really wanted as their jurors and alternates.

Just CHOOSE someone! Not me, but SOMEONE!

They didn't even choose jurors the first day.  The first day, all of us potential jurors got to complete a hardship form if we wanted to (Like, if you miss three out of five days of work for five weeks, can you survive on what little pittance of money you WILL be making?).  Then we got to fill out a 30+ page questionnaire of random questions, like WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?  HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HEALTHCARE?

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The second day, by 10:30 a.m., eighteen people were chose for jurors plus six alternates, and I WASN'T ONE OF THEM! Praise God.   But then none of the rest of us could leave, and we had to sit in the courtroom while the attorneys took turns asking jurors "pertinent questions" from their questionnaires, and the judge told us to make sure and pay attention because they would be "winnowing" their jurors and choosing new people to take their place.

Joy.

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We had to adjourn for lunch, and we came back to the courtroom at 1:30, at which point eight people were excused from the jury box and eight more people from the audience were chosen to take their place.  Again, I was not one of them.  Praise God.

After endless questioning, three people were excused and three more chosen (none of them me).

Then SEVEN people were excused and seven more chosen! (Thankfully, again not me.)

Then three more people were excused and three more chosen.  (At this point, I'm still safe.)

Then two were excused and two more chosen. (I'm still not a juror.)

Then two more people were excused, and THIS time my name was called.  At this point, it was 4:00 in the afternoon and I had been in a state of constant panic that my name WOULD be called.

Source

But God had not abandoned me, because over the course of the loooooong day and the questions, questions, questions, I had realized my job as a medical transcriptionist would conflict with some of the rules regarding the case, and when I pointed this out to the attorneys they seemed to agree with me and I was excused from jury duty.

PRAISE GOD.

So THAT wasn't the most fun I've ever had, but I survived.

On a happy note, prom for the high school was last night, so this week at the flower shop was busy making corsages and boutonnieres, so I had tons of fun doing those.

I was just about this giddy, too.

Also, I signed up for singing class.  Hollah! I haven't gone to singing class in something like 2-1/2 years, so I'm super excited.  I've missed it so much!

Da Da Da Da DAAAAAA!

Speaking of the Phantom of the opera, we've also been binging quite a lot on musicals - Phantom of the Opera, Pirates of Penzance,  H.M.S. Pinafore, and sometime in the near future we are going to watch Oklahoma!  We are also listening to a lot of musicals - the best parts of Jekyll and Hyde... the Anthony Warlow version; Phantom (Duh); and we will be listening to Jane Eyre (tolerated because of Mr. Rochester. Amazing voice!); Secret Garden, and Tale of Two Cities.

     

A lady I know, the Amazing Jan Fields (better known as the Ghost in the Machine and Administrator of the Institute of Children's Literature chat boards, the Writer's Retreat) is having a drawing to win an autographed copy of her two books, The Wellspring of Magic and The Emerald Dragon.  Plus, you can also win a super cute doll who represents a character in the book, and she is holding a bear.  Check it out here.  Isn't that fantastic?

Source

I haz also been drawing a little.

First, I did dis dragon for my brother, who requested it:

Then I did these two character sketches for the two characters in a book I'm actively/passively working on:

Aliry Thyme

Dragon

And I KNOW there has been other stuff happening, but for the life of me I cannot think of them.  So, until la'ers, I shall leave you with this thought:

There is that.

Bye!
 

Gigglygigglygiggly

~Cat