Saturday, May 18, 2013

Apparently, I've been Potterized

Fans of the Harry Potter series know he is referred to as "The Boy Who Lived."  According to Linoge, I have a similar cognomen: The Girl Who Says Things.  That I am flattered to be named thus is an understatement, to be sure, because if I had to pick the one person responsible for my involvement with the gunblog community, it would be him.

Put briefly, the chronology of events would look something like this:

2009:

  • Became interested in prepping; started reading Survivalblog. 
  • Noticed many links to Tamara's blog; started reading that too. 
  • Noticed many recurring commenters, like Weerd Beard. 
2010:
  • Worked for Census. Used some of that money to buy my first gun (a .22 bolt-action rifle) to complement bug-out bag. 
  • Started posting about shooting.
  • Started reading other gun blogs.
  • Used last remaining Census money to buy Mosin-Nagant, because after reading these blogs I realized I wanted something boomier. 
2011:
  • Took my friend Chris Bridges to the range and let him shoot both rifles. 
  • He wrote a post about it.
  • I wrote a follow-up to his post. 
  • Linoge, using means unknown to me, found Chris' post and followed a link to this post of mine. 
  • He wrote a post linking to mine. 
  • For the first time EVER, I am noticed by the gunblog community, and despite being an outsider he makes me feel welcome by telling me that my rifle is cool. 
  • I start reading more gun blogs, commenting on same, and writing more about shooting. 
  • Somewhere between here and 2012, I pick up my identity as the little sister of the gunblog community. 
2012:
  • Oleg Volk notices me somehow. 
  • He talks to me on Skype, and the first question out of his mouth is "So, what's with all the ponies?"
  • We become friends. 
  • He helps me raise funds to buy a pistol and a carry permit. 
  • Because of this, my mother decides to get her permit and pistol too. 
  • Linoge puts me in touch with Iain Harrison at Crimson Trace, and I get my first T&E product. 
  • This puts me on a path of doing product reviews
  • Now fully invested in the gunblog community, I try to give back to it as well. 
  • For some reason I still can't fathom, you folks find me likable. You help me out and stick up for me and make me feel so welcome that for the first time in YEARS, I contemplate meeting people face to face. 
  • I meet Oleg. He doesn't hate me, and makes me feel comfortable in my own skin. 
2013:
  • Writer. Reviewer. Kinda-sorta Internet Famous, at least in gunnie circles. 
  • I have tons of people who like me and say they want to meet me. 
  • The thought of meeting them at a blog shoot doesn't terrify me like it used to. 
Linoge didn't start me on the road to blogging, but he helped me get where I am today. I guess you could call him my god-blogfather. If it weren't for him, I doubt I would be doing more than reading a handful of blogs. I probably wouldn't be a gun-rights activist. I certainly wouldn't be a product reviewer!

So while I am saddened to learn that in ten or so posts, he will be giving up blogging, I am flattered that he chose to honor me thus. In a way, I feel like he has passed his mantle on to me. I hope I am worthy of this honor. 


8 comments:

  1. So, you never did answer, "Whats with all the ponies?"

    ReplyDelete
  2. I dont know what to call a female Brony :(
    ...Briannie?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I see you more as Liara from Mass Effect, but so be it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Most fans of the show agree that "brony" is gender neutral, as the adult fandom started on the /br/ (for BRoadcast television) channel of 4chan. Ponies on /br/ = brony.


    However, some subscribe to the understandable-if-wrong conclusion that brony means "bros who like ponies", and those folks refer to their female counterparts as "pegasisters".


    I tried to get "eunuch-corns" going for hermaphrodite, gender neutral and genderqueer fans, but that never took off -- probably because it sounds awful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How did I find Mr. Bridges' post? I read him :). Have ever since the days of "Save Hiatus".

    That said, I am honored to have been the person to forcibly shove... er... welcome you into the gunblogging community, and I have absolutely no doubt that you will be able to hold up (one of) my mantle. Just keep doing what you are doing, and things will proceed swimmingly :).

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sherman Potter?

    I'm more of a fan of Bill Gannon.

    ReplyDelete

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