Space Truckin’

Space exploration has been a fascinating journey. A milestone comprised of an unknown astronaut by the name of Neil Armstrong who took “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” as he stepped onto the moon. Then to think almost twenty years later we would witness no small disaster as the space shuttle Challenger exploded before our very eyes.
 

Perhaps that might have something to do with my fear of flying?
 

I am really quite content to keep my two feet planted on the ground, although I have flown countless times via liquid courage, with many flights crossing the North American continent and oceans to far away places. Yet I’ve never thought to grasp the concept of flight into space.
 
 

Until now.
 
 

I present to you, the Stratolaunch plane!
 


 

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen (Money) is combining forces with maverick aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan (Brains) to build a space vehicle that will be able to transport passengers and cargo commercially into the atmosphere by the year 2016.
 

Why that’s only four years away. Ah, but that’s never going to happen, right?
 
 

You want to bet?
 

Though they have been talking about this for years, it is the amalgamation of the right set of circumstances that in this instance might just make this dreamlike fantasy become an incredible reality.
 

Money + Brains = Reality. That almost sounds scientific, like E=MC2.
 
 

Yeah right Karen. Get over yourself!
 
 

Okay, okay.
 
 

Most of us know who Paul Allen is right? But who is Burt Rutan?
 

This man is a Rocketstar super genius with five planes that hang in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum that include the Voyager, which in 1986 became the first airplane to fly around the world without refueling and SpaceShipOne that became the first private rocket plane ever to put man into space in 2004.
 

“There aren’t many names that are bigger within the aviation industry than Burt Rutan,” said British Billionaire Richard Branson who is behind Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Galactic, his own spaceline based on Rutan’s rocket design. “He’s a larger than life character that brings a room to silence when he walks in.”
 

Well, that’s quite an endorsement!
 
 

So what will the Statolaunch be able to do?
 

One of the cool things that the Stratolaunch will be able to do is liftoff without the required launch pad. Instead, it will ascend to a predetermined elevation, then fire its rocket, blasting the plane into space.
 

Watch this…
 


 
It will be powered by six 747 engines that will be far more fuel efficient than traditional shuttle launches, since it will bypass the expense of standard rocket fuel needed to propel current shuttles up from the earth.
 

The new craft will be enormous, with a wingspan of 385 feet, making it larger than a football field, weighing in at 1.2 million pounds. And it will not be restricted by the many factors that normally dictate the space shuttle when it launches into space.
 

So are you ready to go? Are you ready to take off into space?
 

Because it’s going to happen. Allen and Rutan are competing with other private companies in a race to deliver people and goods to the International Space Station now that NASA has cancelled its space shuttle program and if all goes well, the plan is for the Statolaunch program to be involved with satellite transportation while promoting space tourism.
 
 

So come on…
 

Come on…
 

Come on…
 

Let’s go space truckin’.
 
 

So what do you think? Are you ready to go space truckin’? Can you imagine yourself on the ride of your life? The advantage of seeing the earth from out in space? To experience the feel of weightlessness? To boldly go where you’ve never gone before?
 
 

If you enjoyed this, I encourage you to follow by email for future posts!
 
 

Thank you for your many thoughts and fine comments everyone!
Karen
 
 
 

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ROW80: Kicking and Screaming!


The dreaded Check-in
 
 

Has it been a week already? Wow! Where did the time go?
 
 

I don’t know about you, but last week was so busy, especially with the WANA1011 Blogfest Awards.
 
 

Wasn’t that amazing? I just want to thank everyone for their wonderful participation that helped make it such a great success!
 
 

Well, let’s take a look at how I did last week…
 
 

Goals for Round 1:
 
 

1– Work on my current WIP five days a week.
 

2– Check in with Donna Newton at WWBC once a week.

Well, unfortunately I can’t say that I worked on my WIP for five days. I did check in with Donna more than once. I’m still trying to narrow down a few more plot ideas before jumping back into writing the remainder of the first draft.
 

3– Participate in my online class to help authors balance writing and business with Bob Mayer.

The class just received our first assignment on Friday, so there wasn’t any participation except for our initial introduction into the class. All I can say is this is going to be an incredible class.
 

4– Blog at least once a week.

I’m happy to say that I did achieve this goal. In fact I posted three blogs if my ROW80 check-in counts as a blog. Whew. Back to my original plan this week.
 

5– Visit and support 5 bloggers per day.

Check. Did that and more. And found some wonderful blog posts by the way.
 

6– Tweet at least once per day.

Check. Did that more than once per day.
 

7– Exercise on my elliptical twice a week.

Well, uh…Nada. That didn’t happen. I didn’t even get a walk in last week. Say what?
 

I know, I know. I am so disappointed. Every time I turned around there was something demanding my attention.
 

So I’m now looking forward to a fresh new week.
 

Whew, okay I did it. That wasn’t really so bad. And I’m not alone. There are others that are right beside me to help me along the way. So that I don’t irritate my wonderful supportive subscribers, feel free to delete my ROW80 posts if they start to irritate you. They probably won’t be all that interesting, unless…
 

Unless I can temp you all to join us over at the party at ROW80! Feel free to jump in anytime. See you there! 🙂
 

So what do you think? How did I do? I wasn’t able to meet all my goals, but are you all still behind me? Can I still count on your support?
 

Awe, thanks guys! I knew I could count on you!
Karen.

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The WANA1011 Blogfest Awards!


 
Today is a special day. A Party like no other event! Not only has a special group of people just graduated from a very unique class, taught by a very unique person, but it is a day that has been chosen in order to celebrate the specific achievements of this exceptional class!
 

In the last sixty days, 100 people were literally thrown together to learn the most up to date marketing techniques that would help build their “Brand” and prepare them for the great big world of Social Media. It was a remarkable task, but somehow Kristen Lamb pulled it off and in the end they came out all the better for having taken the class.
 

But what may you ask is this Blogfest all about?
 

In the spirit of WANA1011: Fabio Bueno, Ginger Calem, Louise Behiel, Jansen Schmidt (aka Patricia L. Rickrode) and myself are sharing the “Blog Love” by giving out Awards to different people today, all interlinked to one another!
 
 

So let’s get this party started!
 
 

First of all I want to take this opportunity to thank all three people who gave me the awards that you now see on your right. I’m not going to name names because you already know who you are!
 

What?
 

Okay, okay you caught me. With everything going on lately I actually forgot who gave them to me. LOL! But let’s move on shall we?
 
 

I would like to bestow an award to the next five WANA1011 Bloggers:
 

1– Jeffery Rowan
 
2– Jennifer L. Oliver
 
3– Julia Whitmore
 
4– Laura Sherman
 
5– Lisa Geichman Prosek
 
6– Kinley Baker
 

I am giving each of you the opportunity to choose from one of the blogging awards you see listed in the column on your right. I really don’t care which one you pick as long as you have fun!
 

Sincere congratulations to each one of you and all the WANA1011 class members!
 
You’re fantastic bloggers and deserve all the “Blog Love” and recognition!
 
 

Now to share seven random things about myself.
 

1– I am Dopey because people say I’m sweet and silly, but I’m not into the lime green tunic and the purple hat.
 
2– I am Grumpy because I can be grouchy and curmudgeonly when provoked (especially when someone wakes me up at an ungodly hour), though I can be extremely loyal and devoted.
 
3– I am Doc because I feel that when I say the right words, they can be both healing and therapeutic.
 
4– I am Happy because it gives me great joy to tease, taunt and torment close friends and family.
 
5– I am Bashful because I tend to exhibit a shy and reserved demeanor when in the presence of a large crowd.
 
6– I am Sneezy because I have allergies that when aggravated (pollen and furry animals) make me sneeze.
 
7– I am Sleepy because I enjoy the gentle peacefulness of slumber that comes after surviving a hectic and tiring day.
 
 

Last but not least there is something else that makes this event even more special.
 

On behalf of our fellow WANA1011 classmates, we are presenting an additional blogging Award.

This exclusive accolade is being bestowed just once upon a very unique, irreplaceable person!
 

And that person is…
 

Nope, I’m not going to tell you.
 

In order to find out you will need to visit these other fine posts: Fabio Bueno, Ginger Calem,

Louise Behiel and Jansen Schmidt (Patricia).
 
 
But before you go take a guess, because I know you’ll also want to leave an encouraging comment here for all your fine classmates!
 
 

Thank you everyone for your participation in this awesome event!
 
Karen
 
 
  

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Hush, Hush…Voices Carry

After just writing a post about kicking and screaming, you can imagine how dumbfounded I was when I learned of a woman who had lost her voice for almost thirty years. Okay, I guess it’s true—you could communicate by written word or sign language, yet have you ever thought of what it would be like to not have a voice?
 

Most times when we think of someone with a sensory disability we immediately assume it has to do with loss of hearing or perhaps blindness. But think how frustrating it would be to lose the ability to use one’s own voice.
 

Now I know to some, like my Husband or my two sons, they probably would’ve loved for me at some point in my life to have lost my voice. LOL!!! Ah, the thought of no one to argue with, no one to tell my two son’s to get up in the morning, to get ready for school, to brush their teeth, to clean their rooms, to do their homework, to feed the dog. Well you get my point.
 

But can you imagine that one day after a year of marriage you suddenly lose your voice? You lose the ability to hear yourself speak, to hear yourself sing, to hear your own laughter.
 

However that is what happened to a woman named Betty Lou Trufant, a resident of Westbrook, Maine in 1982 after contracting a strange virus. It was the virus that had caused her vocal cords to become paralyzed, thus her inability to speak, laugh or sing.
 

This brings to mind the tragic story of Julie Andrews and how her beautiful ability to sing was affected or more recently country music singer Shania Twain or British soulful songstress Adele.
 

Think about it. A voice is one instrument you cannot purchase at a music store!
 

Betty Lou was resigned to live this way for the rest of her life until she watched a segment of the news about a woman in a similar situation who had regained her voice after four months by getting throat massages at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
 

Encouraged by this news, Betty Lou travelled to the clinic to see if doctors could also find a remedy for her. Once there, she was told that a massage wouldn’t be enough to cure her, but there was an operation that would enable her to speak again and that she could even sing!
 

The decision was made, and after an hour and twenty minute procedure, she was back to full health able to talk, laugh and sing at full volume for the first time in over 29 years and now has a new lease on life with her voice restored to its former glory!
 

How might we relate to this? Well as writers we might liken it to being stricken with writer’s block. Like a virus, our writer’s voice suddenly disappears. Some may scoff at this idea saying there is no such thing. But like a virus, our minds can become infected by negative thoughts that can leave us paralyzed if unattended. Yet we can be thankful this is only a temporary condition, for our voices carry.
 

So what do you think? Many of us may have had at one time or another a form of laryngitis, but could you ever imagine living without a voice or as a writer being paralyzed, not able to put down all your thoughts onto the page? What would you do? Would you allow a disability to inhibit your enjoyment out of life and just give up or would you be able to have the mindset to push forward?
 

If you enjoyed this, I encourage you to follow by email for future posts.
 

Thank you for your many thoughts and kind comments everyone!
Karen
 

A big thanks to all my new WANA friends and all others that may grace my presence by visiting this post. Take care and make it a great day!

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ROW80: Kicking and Screaming!

Why do I say Kicking and Screaming?
 

BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS!
 

I’m way out of my comfort zone here! But okay, I’ll do it!
 

You see, I need to kick my rear into gear. I need to get back to novel writing and put some balance back into my life. My life—after Kristen Lamb.
 

Now don’t get me wrong. Kristen Lamb has my utmost respect as the Super Social Media Queen of the Universe. She really knows her stuff and I really loved her class. But…
 

I’m way out of sync and it’s time to whip myself into shape!
 

This sounds way too much like exercise. Do I really have to do this?
 

Okay, okay. Here it goes!
 

Here are my goals for round 1:
 

1- Work on my current WIP at least 5 days a week. In saying this I mean work at it like it’s my job. Do I want to put a word count on this? Uh, well…no. I know what’s normal for me and I’m happy with that. I think it’s a quality verses quantity thing. So this being my first Round of Words in 80 Days, I’m keeping it simple. Low pressure sounds good to me.

2– Check in with Donna Newton over at WWBC once a week. If more often I’m afraid I would drive poor Donna nuts. lol
 
3– Participate in an online class for authors taught by Bob Mayer. This should be good. I’ve taken a class by Bob before and I learned a lot from him. He’s teaching authors the business side of writing and how to balance both.
 
4– Blog at least once a week. (If I can post a blog twice a week, that’s great. But I know that I can at least post one blog. I’ve got Hubby’s spinal surgery coming up in two weeks and rehab, so I’m cutting myself some slack.
 
5– Visit and support 5 bloggers per day. I consider this a priority. I want to support the success of other bloggers!
 
6– Tweet at least once per day. Helping promote others on Twitter is another priority.
 
7– And because I mentioned exercise at the beginning of my post, this has to be an important goal. I’ve been walking a few times a week, but staring at my elliptical isn’t cutting it. So I’m making it a goal to get on that machine at least twice per week. This way I can whip myself into shape in more ways than one! Not that I’m in bad shape, but I know Hubby will certainly like this and I’ll feel better about myself!
 

Whew, okay I did it. That wasn’t really so bad. And I’m not alone. There are others that will be right beside me to help me along the way. So that I don’t irritate my wonderful supportive subscribers, feel free to delete my ROW80 posts if they start to irritate you. They probably won’t be all that interesting, unless…
 
Unless I can tempt you all to join us at the party over at ROW80. See you there! 🙂
 
 

So what do you think? Can I do it? Will I be able to meet my new goals with renewed zeal and exuberance? Are you all behind me? Can I count on your support?
 
 
Awe, thanks guys! I knew I could count on you!
Karen.

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