Preplexed

My dinner out with Melody last night was terrific. I love the conversation. We come from two totally different places and have found ourselves companions in that we are both strangers here. She is an intelligent and insightful person. You just love being with someone who has your thoughts stirred, and your faith challenged.
At one point in the evening our conversation turned to politics. Sometimes I scare myself. I get so engrossed in a topic, that I forget to shut up, chew with my mouth closed, and take a breath. I have to remind myself to stop and listen. I get so passionate about things, or even about the exploration of things, that I am like a train bumping along faster and faster on uneven ground, sure to derail.
While talking with her I realized that two things of importance, politically speaking are diametrically opposed to one another. I want less government on one hand, and yet I want them to foot the bill so that poor or indigent people can have the health care that the middle and upper classes enjoy. (Thank you to my friend Amy who pointed out *duh* that this means more Big Brother! Sometimes I require an iron skillet in the head!) What to do.
I have also stumbled onto some terrific blogs lately that have taken my poor brain to the point of almost melting. I am loving it - and yet, if I spend all day reading blogs, people around here would be eating Fruity Pebbles and running naked in the streets. (I am sure we can stir up some deep thoughts about that!) I thought I'd use that as a lighthearted segue to sharing some linky love:

iamjoshbrown
Josh Brown on Immigration (I loved this post!)
He is also an excellent photographer -
and as he put it in his most recent post he.... . . never misses a chance to be political and antagonistic

Quirky Grace
Quirky Grace a/k/a Jamila Kwon on Lust
and a Poem by a Zen Chic Who is a Christian

Give them a read, and maybe a shout out - and tell 'em Jewlsntexas sent ya!

Google Reader Blast

For those of you who may have my blog on your Google Reader - please bare with me while I attempt to move some of my favorite posts from my old blog to this one. I don't know why - maybe it doesn't matter much, but I feel compelled to do it. When I get those posts all moved over here - I will probably put up a post with links to the "best of Jewls2texas". (I know you can't wait!) I am a "need to have all my eggs in one basket" kind of girl - and I want this blog to be full of the archives of previous posts. I've been blogging for a year and a half now - with very few slumps. It's fun to look back. I just wanted to let you know why when you look at my blog on Google Reader it may look as if there are 20 new posts! Nope - not even I can blog that much! (Although some days I feel like it!)
It's pretty late - but did I use the right form of the word bare/bear in that first sentence? We don't want no nekid bloggers round these parts, ya hear?

Google Reader - Attempted Tutorial

I have seen very fancy schmancy tutorials for things before - and sometimes the words make it much harder than it really is. This morning while attempting to explain how to use Google Reader to my friend Kathie, I think the words were inadequate, so I decided that I would attempt a picture tutorial.

First you go to Google Reader and sign up! You should be able to click the link - but if not you may type in www.google.com/reader. You get a list on the left hand side of the page of all the blogs you've subscribed to - and at the right - you see the posts of whatever blog you are currently viewing.

To add new subscriptions - you simply go to the list at the left and find the button that says "Add Subscription" - and put in the URL of the blog. If the blog you want to subscribe to is on Homeschoolblogger, instead of using the URL address, you will have to go to the blog, and choose the button that says "RSS feed" and when the page comes up - use the URL at the top of that page to add the blog sub- scription. (The blog that I used for the illustration does not have the RSS feed enabled - and so I was unable to actually add it to my reader - so if you encounter that at a friend's blog - you can just leave a comment asking them to enable the feed.)
Here is the coolest thing - you can put your blogs into categories - I have a "Blogs I Enjoy" category with people I don't really know - and then I have a "Family" category with my kids' blogs - and then I have a "Friends" category which is where most of the blogs I read fall. At the top of the page - after you've read the current entries, you can choose "Mark all as read" and the blog will not be highlighted again until the blogger posts something new.
I was so disappointed when I blogged at HSB and they got rid of the friends feature - because that was how I kept up with everybody. However, this is even better - because you can keep up with blogs you like regardless of what blog service the person uses. I think this has revolutionized the ability of bloggers to connect with one another.
COMMENTS: If you want to comment on a post that was insightful or someone took a put a lot of time and thought into (*ahem*), all you have to do is click on the title of their blog at the top, or the title of the post you want to comment on, and presto-change-o, you will be transported in a new window to their blog!
I haven't been using Google Reader for very long - but I preferred it over Bloglines - which is another reader service. I notice there are tons of features there that I haven't attempted to use yet - but I am sure over time I will explore.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me - I am not sure I will be able to answer them - but I have had success at using this reader and enjoyed it very much!
With love ~ Jewls