MEME: Monday Music Mambo - Week 114

This just in from the home office in Mamboville…

Greetings, everyone! It’s time for another mambo. I don’t have a theme this week. I’ll give two choices for the question. You can do one of them or both of them, whatever you wish.

1. Name a musician/band or two connected with your state. They could be from your state, have a member born in your state, played a famous show in your state - you get the idea. If you’re not from the U.S., pick a musician or band from your own country.

Hmmm, I'm really not up on the local band scene at all. The Moody Blues have a tenuous connection to me and Maine through the father of one of the performers who lived up the road and used to “borrow” an island I used to manage for TMB when they played concerts in the area. Turns out they love to “rough it” - sleeping in tents on the ground, cooking over wood fires, shitting with bears in the woods. The most incongruous image, though, is of their limousines pulling up and dropping them all off to pile in little motor boats to head off to the island. They'd go play for a couple of days or three, recharging their batteries, and then head back out on tour.

2. What’s your favorite place to see a concert? Is it a small club, a large sports arena, a concert hall, an outdoor amphitheater? Tell us why you like to see music in that place.

A small club. I HATE crowds. I'm not all that fond of humanity, either. So the fewer, the better. That limits who I get to see; unknowns on the way up and has-beens barely clinging to life. And so it goes...

MEME: Monday Madness – Head Noise Edition

Otto raves, “This week's questions are coming off the top of my head; hope you enjoy! Hope you all have a great week, and thanks for playing!” =)

1. Do you do dishes by hand or do you use a dishwasher? I do dishes, when I do dishes, by hand.
2. How many people have your cell phone number? Two, and one of them is dead.
3. Do you shower in the morning or at night? My “morning” is your midday, but that's when I shower.
4. Do you ever have a song 'stuck' in your head? Yeah. Annoying, aren't they, those nasty ear memes...
5. Do you pay your bills when they arrive, or do you wait until closer to the due date to pay them? More like pay them when funds are available, hopefully before they file a small claims action against you.
6. Are you obsessive about anything in particular? No. I am particular, though.
7. What one thing would you say you have a zero tolerance for? Fools.

Play along. Click the banner above to get an unanswered set of the questions and a link to the comments where all players leave a link to their answers. Have a good week.

MEME: Sunday Seven -- Episode 52

Here's the 52nd edition of the Sunday Seven, which means that we've wrapped up a full year's worth of questions. No, I'm not expecting any gifts on such a big occasion, but if you've a mind to hit the mall, anyway, you'll be ready for this week's question!

But first, Donna, of "My Country Life" was first to play last week! Congratulations, Donna!

On to this week's question!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name seven stores no good shopping mall should be without.

1. Sears

2. J.C. Penney's

3. Brookstone

4. The Gap

5. Victoria's Secret

6. A good bookstore, e.g. B. Dalton's, Booksmith, Border's, etc.

7. Spencer Gifts

Unconscious Mutterings -- Week 186

Unconscious Mutterings

Free association is described as a "psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content." Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

That's an admirable goal, but for the purposes of this excercise, we're just hoping to have a little fun with the technique. Each week I'll post ten words to which you can respond to with the first thing that comes to mind.

"Rules are, there are no rules." There are no right or wrong answers. Don't limit yourself to one word responses; just say everything that pops into your head. AND you don't have to have your words up on Sunday. Take all week if you want! Read the FAQ for more information.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Week 186

13 hours, 28 minutes ago

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Visit :: connubial

2. Cake :: walk

3. Period :: Fini

4. Triumphant :: return

5. Screen :: saver

6. Neglect :: rust

7. Guitar :: acoustic

8. Loathe :: adore

9. Sugar :: glucose

10. Montage :: video

Quick Takes: In Her Shoes (2005)

Comedy/drama.

Principals: Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, Shirley MacLaine

Self-destructive party girl Maggie Feller Diaz runs away to live with her grandmother (MacLaine) after she pulls the figurative rug out from under her spinster/lawyer sister, Rose (Collette), by sleeping with her new boyfriend & boss. Rose is shattered, quits her job and becomes a dog-walker by day and wallower in self-pity by night loser, then finds a man, becomes engaged, detaches, reattaches to self, sister and her Simon (Mark Feuerstein). Predictable results, but a tear-jerker, never the less. I enjoyed it, losing a couple of hours of sleep to watch it; SWMBO managed all of fifteen minutes before turning over and snoring. Perhaps I'm just overly-sensitized to sibling issues, having just lost my last living brother, but I found the sister-sister interaction to ring true and some of it was very funny. I shed some tears, both happy and sad, but a full box of tissues isn't needed – one or two will do the trick. I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

Keywords: High Heels Law Firm Affair With Boss Sushi Deceit Retirement Home Shoes High School Reunion Vomit Scene Makeover MTV Supermarket Party Card Party Girl Rumor Bridal Shower Unemployment Dog Grocery Store Train Station Dyslexia Lawyer Audition Blind Man Learning Disability Book Reading Senior Citizen Business Trip Poetry Sex In Bathroom Drunk Visually Impaired Person Pennsylvania Foot Fetish Nursing Home Stepmother Miami Beach Family Values Shopping Professor Jew Wedding Disgruntled Customer Pub Widow Florida Pet Shop Job Seeking Auto Impound Lot Dysfunctional Family Reconciliation Swimming Pool Jewel Case Sleeping On Couch Grandmother Class Reunion Based On Novel Grandmother Granddaughter Relationship Philadelphia Pennsylvania Sister Sister Relationship

John M. Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #126: Where You Live

Your Weekend Assignment #126: What is the most interesting thing about where you live? "Thing" in this case would be a famous landmark, a famous current celebrity or historical personage from your home town or county, a notable celebration or sports event -- basically, anything that makes where you're from interesting an unique.

Extra Credit: Are there any books that feature your home town (or someplace nearby) in any way?

Dear John,

As I live in Bangor, Maine it's likely you and many of your readers already know what we're currently famous for, so I won't keep you waiting.

Stephen King.

Horror author extraordinaire.

Philanthropist.

Rabid Boston Red Sox fan.

Myopic, opinionated, multi-millionaire.

Piss-poor singer and musician.

Devoted husband and father.

Not a bad bloke to work for, all things considered.

All that and more...

Yep, he lives here. At least part of the time, but it is “home” when he discusses his life. I've written about him before, back when this blog was on AOL. Millions of articles in newspapers, magazines, fan-fiction, blogs and other cyber-sites have extolled his virtues and castigated his weaknesses – no need for me to rehash here.

We're proud he's here. We appreciate his largess. We appreciate being mentioned in passing in his books and advertisements for American Express (that's the Bangor Public Library he was checking books out of for the AE advertisement). I, for one, admire his ability to make a living as a writer and celebrity on the far side of coke bottle lenses and horrendous demands on his time. For the most part, we try to give him and his family the same space and respect the rest of us demand. Mostly, we succeed. Sometimes we fail miserably.

Such is life.

Aside from King, many other writers have used Bangor, Maine as a prop in their stories – sort of natural as it was the second largest city (until recently) and has the largest airport north of Boston – we host all the Muslim crazies and soccer hooligans when they get yanked off their international flights from Europe, being the first airport in the U.S. that a plane can land at coming from Europe, Great Britain or Ireland. We're the gateway to Acadia National Park and Downeast Maine, the last bit of civilization worth discussing until you reach St. John, New Brunswick when driving east. So it makes sense to use Bangor as a place in a story involving activities on the New England coast or Atlantic Canada.

It was even mentioned in a popular country song from the '60's. That's Bangor for you ... a caricature of a city in a Roger Miller tune...

Third boxcar, midnight train
Destination...Bangor, Maine.
Old worn out clothes and shoes,
I don't pay no union dues,
I smoke old stogies I have found
Short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 124

Welcome back to the "Saturday Six." Glad you stopped by and I hope you find some interesting blogs to visit.

But first, Donna of "My Country Life" was first to play last week. Congratulations, Donna!

Here are this week's "Saturday Six" questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal...but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! To be counted as "first to play," you must be the first player to either answer the questions in a comment or to provide a complete link to the specific entry in your journal in which you answer the questions. A link to your journal in general cannot count. Enjoy!

1. Pluto has been demoted from planet to "dwarf planet." Are you willing to give up everything you've been taught all these years and begin referring to our solar system as having eight planets, or will you continue thinking about it having nine?
I was never too concerned with Pluto – impossible to pick out without a telescope most of the time. But I suspect my brain's damn close to a fossil itself, so I suspect I'll be confusing the nurses aides at the funny farm with my allegations of “nine planets and enough ice for the Super Bowl.”

2. Where is the last store you visited? What was your last bill there?
It was yesterday at the grocery and the bill was fifty seven dollars and change.
3. What new television show are you most looking forward to seeing this season?
None, so far. I am looking forward to the new season of House, though.
4. Take the quiz: Which greek God are you? Save yourself some time and space by listing the name of the God, the description it gives you and the famous people you're like. (Don't worry about the graphical information and all the rest unless you just want to!)

Prometheus 33% Extroversion, 66% Intuition, 27% Emotiveness, 47% Perceptiveness

You are most like Prometheus, and you probably knew that before you even took this test. You probably aren't deliberately altruistic, but you still tend to do things that benefit everyone, even at great expense to your health and personal relationships. You aren't ruled by your emotions, but you still have a strong sense of justice. You make good descisions, but they can sometimes backfire (and this isn't due to a flaw in your reasoning, but due to faulty premises instead). You are very reasonable, you understand systems, you can quickly pinpoint flaws and you know how to correct them. You pride understanding and knowledge above everything else, and your greatest fear is to appear to be incompetent. You tend to be contemptuous of authority, but you don't accept leadership roles yourself until everyone else has demonstrated their own incompetence. You've built a very specific skill set. You know exactly where your strengths and weaknesses are, and you pride yourself on this kind of self-knowledge. You distrust tradition, which you see as arbitrary, and you rely instead on your own judgements. You also pride yourself on your pragmatism. You're also a very private person. Most of all, people think you're arrogant, but screw them! They're the ones who benefit from your ideas and discoveries, and if they took the time to understand why it is that you say and think the things you do, they'd realize that you only appear arrogant because you are exactingly precise when it comes to your area of specification, and most of all because, when you don't know something, you don't have an opinion about it (unlike most of the loudmouths that you have to deal with on a day-to-day basis). Relationships are your kryptonite. It isn't that you don't want them -- in fact, you would very much like a very close relationship with someone who understands you. They're just the one thing in the world that you're naturally bad at. Famous people like you: Niels Bohr, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Werner Heisenberg, Issac Newton, John Maynard Keynes, Erwin Schrodinger Stay Clear of: Apollo, Icarus, Hermes, Aphrodite Seek out: Atlas, The Oracle, Daedalus

Link: The Greek Mythology Personality Test written by Aleph_Nine on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

5. Of the famous people it lists like you, which is the scariest?
Bob Oppenheimer – hands down.
6. You decide to bring candy to keep on your desk. If you could only pick one kind of candy, which would it be? Been there; done that: Werther's Original Hard Caramels. If I had to do it over again, the only difference would be the choice of sugar-free over the originals in deference to my diabetes.

Oh well, I'm going to Hell...

The wretched King Minos has decided your fate. His tale (sic) wraps around his body 7 times.

The sweet light no longer strikes against your eyes. Your shade has been banished to... the Seventh Level of Hell!

Seventh Level of Hell

---

Guarded by the Minotaur, who snarls in fury, and encircled within the river Phlegethon, filled with boiling blood, is the Seventh Level of Hell. The violent, the assasins, the tyrants, and the war-mongers lament their pitiless mischiefs in the river, while centaurs armed with bows and arrows shoot those who try to escape their punishment. The stench here is overpowering. This level is also home to the wood of the suicides- stunted and gnarled trees with twisting branches and poisoned fruit. At the time of final judgement, their bodies will hang from their branches. In those branches the Harpies, foul birdlike creatures with human faces, make their nests. Beyond the wood is scorching sand where those who committed violence against God and nature are showered with flakes of fire that rain down against their naked bodies. Blasphemers and sodomites writhe in pain, their tongues more loosed to lamentation, and out of their eyes gushes forth their woe. Usurers, who followed neither nature nor art, also share company in the Seventh Level.

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Seventh Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	Very High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

I blame it all on WitNit...

MEME: Wednesday Mind Hump – XXX

MEME: Wednesday Mind Hump – XXX

No, I'm not reviewing the latest porn movie. It seems, according to Rfduck, mememeister of the WMH, that it's time to get very strange, to wit:

Hi everyone! It's time to mind hump again. Today is Hug Day.

What I want you to do is go to someone's blog, website, myspace, etc. and leave them a hug! Instead of linking to your mind hump, you can leave a hug for me and our MIA mememistress Friday in the comment section.

I'm posting this as a public service. But frankly, I think M. C. Quacker has gone 'round the bend, if'n ya ask me...

The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've humped. Be sure your hump is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can hump too.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination!

If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to hump right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Wednesday Mind Hump you can hump on any day.

Until next time, this is your music-loving mememeister wishing you a happy hump day!

Log Off NOW, Dammit!

Via Abandoned in Pasadena. Thank you, dahlink!

TUESDAY TIRADE: A Very Disturbing Meme...

Would you rather:

1. Watch a porno with your parents OR starring your parents?

I vote for watching the P's do the dirty on the silver screen. My mother was a fox in her younger years. She died over forty years ago ... it'd almost be like watching a stranger.

2. Lick the handle on a public restroom toilet OR eat a wad of toilet paper from the stall floor?

Hmmm, I don't think there's any greater chance of catching something nasty from licking the handle on a public restroom toilet than there was from taking lunch at the narthex of all those women for all those years...

3. Be MC Hammer OR Vanilla Ice?

MC Hammer is a rapper, right? Wasn't Vanilla Ice a movie that Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz were in with that sky-pilot, Tom Cruise?

I don't understand the question.

4. Be able to fly OR read people's minds?

Man, I'd like an FAQ on what these abilities would entail. How fast can I fly? Is the ability to land safely included. Can I shield myself from others thoughts when I need a respite? Can I focus on just one individual or must I hear them all, all the time? Assuming safe landings and a rate of speed greater than a walking pace, I suspect that flying would be the better part of the deal.

5. Have whatever you want for one year then die OR be paralyzed for life?

Easy. Have that slot at the crematory ready for yours truly next year at this time.

6. Have a permanent smile OR a permanent blank stare?

A permanent smile – makes people wonder what you've been up to. I already creep the vast majority of civilians with my stare.

7. Be burned alive OR drown?

Drown, hands down. As a former firefighter, I have a horrendous fear of burning alive. I've come close several times.

8. Be known worldwide as a racist OR a child molester?

Child molester – someone will off me in short order. No sense prolonging the pain.

9. Eat three pounds of hair OR drink a gallon of shampoo?

Can I choke to death on my own penis, instead? Hair, I guess – I've probably consumed that much over the years, anyway. Hasn't killed me yet.

10. Be God OR the devil?

I prefer the role of Devil's Advocate. Does that make me God or just a lawyer?

I look forward to what Paul, Simon, Carly, Kas and Marti make of these. V, I suspect you'd have some great answers, too. All of you, if you want to play along, grab them and start answering for your sins...

Credit to Pammy at Lollygaggin for exposing me to this.

MEME: Sunday Seven - Episode 51 - Future Fun

Perhaps someone spiked the cyber punch? I dropped by the anniversary edition of AOL's Journals ("J-land") chat room and visited briefly with some old friends. It's hard to believe that AOL's Journals software is already three years old. Three years doesn't seem so long when you're looking back, but it seems a lot longer when you look into the future. Leave it to me to find a way to work that up into a question!

But first, Cdmmw, of "I've Got a Fever, and the Only Prescription is More Cowbell" was first to play last week and answered the questions in one of the comments! Congratulations!

On to this week's question!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name seven things you'd like to do in the next three years.

Either answer the question in a comment at Patrick's Weekender or answer it in your journal and include the link in a comment. (To be considered "first to play," a link must be to the specific entry in which you answered the question.)

My answer, not ordered by priority:

1. Rebuild the camp

2. Publish a novel or two or three...

3. Visit ALL of the grands at least once.

4. Find a German Shepherd and do some obedience competition with him (must be a him this time, I have too many dominatrices in my life as it is)

5. Get my model train layout started

6. Get organized

7. Get rich in a job I love

As a practical matter, the only ones that have a snowball's chance in hell of happening are items 1, 3 and 5.

An aside: Patrick, when did you REALLY post this Sunday Seven? I checked on Monday morning around 3AM when I was doing my other Monday stuff and there was no sign of this entry...

MEME: Monday Music Mambo - Week 113

I SEE ANGELS...

Happy Monday, everyone! It's time to mambo again. Today's theme is Scrape The Bugs Day, but I don't like that one. So, as the mememeister, I can change it to something else! The next day's theme is Angel Day, so we'll do that one instead.

1. Who sings like an angel? Give me one male and one female.
That Church girl from Wales. And the Buckley kid, what's his name? (Yes, I know it's Jeff Buckley and Charlotte Church – I'm just pulling rfduck's pin feathers)

Jeff Buckley's video – Forget Her
Charlotte Church's video from the Enchantment Lyrics album -- Carrickfergus
2. Name three songs with the word "angel" in the title.
Johnny Angel by Shelley Fabares, Angels Would Fall (Melissa Etheridge), and Roy Orbison's “Blue Angel” are three that come immediately to mind.
3. Many musicians over the years have died and gone to the big concert hall in the clouds - or the firey backstage lounge downstairs. Who is your musical guardian angel (or, um, demon, as the case may be)? Jerry Garcia, Frank Zappa, Moondog, Janis Joplin, Richard Farina, Jean Pierre Rampal, John Lennon – all dead, they have all influenced me musically. I don't classify as to “angel” or “demon” as I don't believe in such things.

The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've Mamboed. Be sure your Mambo is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can dance too.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination and dance like crazy!

If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to Mambo right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Monday Music Mambo you can Mambo on any day.

Until next time, this is your music-lovin' Mememeister saying have a good Monday and a good Mambo!

MEME: Monday Madness -- Would you?

Otto, sole proprietor of this Salon, was heard to gush, “This week's fabulous questions came in an email to me from one of our faithful participants (and my younger sister), Jan (aka Bug)! Thank you so much, Jan!” =)

1. Would you shave your head for any amount of money? If yes, how much? While I'd prefer to do it in the spring rather than with autumn less than a month away, yes, I would. I'd have the local beauty school do it as they participate in the “Locks of Love” program and my hair is long enough to qualify (I'd hoped I'd be able to donate it to Pamela). Money? Name your price and I'll see if I'm willing...
2. What "wacky" thing might you do for a large sum of money? I might stroll in the nude across the field of play of a sporting event. I might even appear on stage to sing a rap song, so long as I could rehearse ahead of time. If the offer was large enough, I might let someone “off” me for the thrill of it, but not before I've finished the chores before me.

3. What do you think is a "large sum of money?" Something with nine zeros in front of the decimal point meets my criteria for “large”...
4. Do you watch "reality" tv shows? Yes, one.
5. If so, which do you watch and in what order do you prefer them? If not, are there any you may consider watching? Only “Survivor” thank you very much. The rest bore me.
6. Which reality show have you thought about participating in? Why? None. I'm too old and too fat.
7. Share one thing you would like to do in life but have not yet done..... think about why you haven't done it and share if you wish. I'd like to visit Europe as a tourist, take in the great art museums and the architecture of Western Civilization; I'd like visit Alaska on a cruise / rail / kayaking trip of about a month or so... Money has always been the sticking point. I just haven't had the money to make that kind of a trip. Nor does it look like I'll have it any time soon.

If you'd like to play, just visit the Ethereal Bells and Incense Shoppe where, per chance, you too can obtain enlightenment, or at least the weekly questions.

Unconscious Mutterings -- Week 185

Unconscious Mutterings

Free association is described as a "psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content." Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

That's an admirable goal, but for the purposes of this excercise, we're just hoping to have a little fun with the technique. Each week I'll post ten words to which you can respond to with the first thing that comes to mind.

"Rules are, there are no rules." There are no right or wrong answers. Don't limit yourself to one word responses; just say everything that pops into your head. AND you don't have to have your words up on Sunday. Take all week if you want! Read the FAQ for more information.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Week 185

16 hours, 45 minutes ago

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Cruel :: joke
   
2. Jive :: Honky
   
3. Weak :: knees
   
4. Understand :: nothing
   
5. Bum :: knee
   
6. Stairs :: Up the down staircase...
   
7. Tone :: muscle
   
8. Quickly :: fleet
   
9. Moment :: passing
   
10. Beating :: mugging
    

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 123

This week's "Saturday Six" is up sooner than last week's. Of course, that's not saying all that much. The first question, about comment volume, came up in a conversation earlier this week with a fellow blogger. I'm curious to see what your observations are.

But first, Selene of "Aesthetic Vibes" was first to play last week. Congratulations, Selene!

Here are this week's "Saturday Six" questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal...but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! To be counted as "first to play," you must be the first player to either answer the questions in a comment or to provide a complete link to the specific entry in your journal in which you answer the questions. A link to your journal in general cannot count. Enjoy!

1. Would you prefer being a small fish in a large pond or a large fish in a small pond?
I think I'd prefer to be a small fish in a big pond. I've been both, and actually, being a big fish wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
2. If you could change one thing about the climate where you live right now, what would it be and why?
Personally, I've had it with winter. Snow, ice, bone-chilling cold – they all suck. Yeah, I know, I should move. Can't afford to – I wouldn't be able to afford a house anywhere else. I don't have so many years left, but enough that being homeless is just not very attractive to me.
3. Do you consider yourself more or less normal than those around you?
Well, look at it this way – if I'm the normal one, then the world is in really serious trouble.
4. Take the quiz: Are you right or left brained?

You Are 55% Left Brained, 45% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

5. Consider the last meal you ate: was the primary course beef, chicken, fish or vegetables? How often is this your primary course?
The last meal I ate on Saturday was a combination of beef and chicken in the form of wieners. This is something I have once in a great while these days. Back when I was raising kids, money was very tight. Beans and beef franks were a Saturday night staple. Every Saturday night. My kids can't stomach the thought of beans and franks now. Oh, well. And so it goes...
6. Should men who belong to a religion which permits it be allowed to have more than one wife? In other words, should polygamy be legal on religious grounds?

NO. Why stop there? Why not address the more extreme aspects of religious belief? Child marriage – haw soon is too soon? Eight? Eleven? Surely before menarche is reached. Polyandry – how many husbands is too many? Given that women are capable of multiple orgasms and men only one, sometimes two per session, how many men will it take to keep a woman in the style to which she'd like to become accustomed to? Three? Six?

How about the extreme Muslim practices involving mutilation of the genitalia? Or the superstitious practices evidenced by extreme Judaism – ritual separation of menstruating women, for instance? Just how far should a modern, egalitarian society go when confronted by practices and beliefs outside of the norm that are espoused by an admittedly fringe element of that society. A return to slavery, perhaps? Live sacrifices of virgins on national TV? Headhunter societies advocated for ritualistic cannibalism – is that too far? Or perhaps, insomuch as over half the populace of this country attends no church nor evidences any formal attachment to religion in any form, it is time to abolish all religious practices in this country. Yeah, that's the ticket. Let's disenfranchise a substantial portion of the hoi polloi – it serves them right for believing in fairy tales.

MEME: Weekend Assignment #125 -- Funny Face

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #125: Funny Guys (and Gals)

Weekend Assignment #125: Who is the funniest person you know in your real life [as opposed to an actor or stand up comic] and why? As the assignment says, you can't pick people who are professionally funny (unless you personally know someone who is, in fact, an actor or a comedian). We're looking for the friends or relatives or other people you know who crack you up every single time you see them.

Extra Credit: Well, duh: Pictures of Mr. or Ms. Funnypants would be nice.

Dear John,

A sad state of affairs – no one in my acquaintance meets that description. It says volumes about me, doesn't it?

Have a good weekend, anyway. Summer is coming to an end for parents with children; the rest of us can enjoy the next four weeks without the rug rats underfoot.

wil

True Romance Is A Female Moth

Hello again! It's time for the Mind Hump, everyone's favorite blog meme. Today is True Love Day!

1. Do you have a true love? If so, tell us a little about him or her.
I've loved several people in my life but none I would describe as a “true love.” In point of fact, it's a notion I don't subscribe to – merely wishful thinking on the part of smarmy romantics. Having said all of that, there is SWMBO. Not only must I obey, I also respect, enjoy her company (most of the time) and love her dearly. Yes, I love my wife and am not afraid to say it. But “true love”? Poppycock.
2. If you don't have a true love person, I'm sure you have a true love hobby. What's your favorite activity?
Reading. Really. Cooking (and eating) is a distant second. Sea kayaking is my favorite non-sexual physical activity...
3. What's your favorite romantic movie?
Pretty Woman

What's a "Myth" -- A female moth...

The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've humped. Be sure your hump is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can hump too.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination!

If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to hump right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Wednesday Mind Hump you can hump on any day.

Until next time, this is your music-loving mememeister wishing you a happy hump day!

MEME: Monday Madness – Shut-ins Division

Otto wakes, stretches, yawns, then sheepishly admits, “I meant to post these questions before midnight Sunday, but fell asleep instead! I hope you still have time to play! And thanks so much for your participation!” =)

1. How many "people" pictures do you have displayed in your house? Maybe a dozen or so, mostly of grandkids. My signed portrait of Robert J. Lurtsema still hangs over my desk, but the portraits of Mozart and Beethoven have been banished by SWMBO¹.
2. How many times a month/year do you rearrange your furniture? Huh? Once a decade is soon enough for me. SWMBO tries for twice a year, though.
3. Do you check your email every day? If so, how many times a day? Yes, several times a day, depending on what else I'm doing, what the day of the week is, depending on whether I am expecting a reply or a specific newsletter.
4. How often do you generally look at a clock/watch on any given day? Lots. Tempus Fugits and all that, and I try to capture as much as I fleetingly can. Then again, I rarely wear a watch these days unless I am going out.
5. How do you handle telemarketer phone calls? I don't, the answering machine and its announcement does. Usually, they hang up before my admittedly long-winded introduction to the wheres and whyfores of telephony practices in this household has completed. Heh.

¹ SWMBO= “She Who Must Be Obeyed.” My wife. Queen of the Castle. Lady of the Manor. The Boss.

MEME: Monday Music Mambo - Week 112

RFDuck, the Monday Music Mambo Mememeister, regales us all again, thusly:

“Hello all! It's time to mambo again, so get your dancing shoes on.”

“Today is Chew The Fat Day.”

“Huh?”

“OK, then.”

“Tomorrow is Woodstock Day, so we'll do that one instead.”

1. If you were old enough to go to the original Woodstock, would you have gone? If you are old enough, did you want to go or did you go? (If you DID go, you better tell us a good story about it).

I was old enough, alright. But, I had to work. My girlfriend went, and she had a great time dancing naked in the rain, waiting hours for the use of a Porta-Potty, having her wallet and camera stolen while she waited in said line (her friend just sort of wandered off with some guy and forgot all about watching their stuff), starving after the vendors ran out of food and damn glad she lived close enough that it only took twelve hours to get the 130 miles from Wallkill, New York to Cheshire, Connecticut (the State Police had closed the NY Thruway). I'm still jealous!

2. Other than Jimi Hendrix, what group or artist would you have absolutely not missed at Woodstock? If you need help, go here.

I'd have wanted to see Janis Joplin and The Grateful Dead.

3. If you were in charge of the lineup of an all new Woodstock, name at least two acts for each day of a three-day event.
I think I'd shoot myself first – I can't think of a less rewarding job in pop music today. OK, let's see – Wolfstone, Black-eyed Peas and their big band, Lyle Lovett and his big band, Coldplay, Gnarls Barkley, and for all the wannabe hippies, I'd invite back Joni Mitchell, Taj Mahall, The Rolling Stones, the remaining members of The Grateful Dead and whoever else I could find who'd work cheap and put up with all the bullshit that goes along with an outside venue...

Really, suicide would be preferable.

The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've Mamboed. Be sure your Mambo is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can dance too.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination and dance like crazy!

If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to Mambo right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Monday Music Mambo you can Mambo on any day.

Until next time, this is your music-lovin' Mememeister saying have a good Monday and a good Mambo!

MEME: Sunday Seven - Episode 50

My friend Rick, of "Mmmm, That's Good Coffee" did this topic of things people inexplicably become obsessed with as his "Thursday Top Five" feature, so I thought I'd re-ask it here as a way to promote his blog.

But first, Jude, of "My Way," was first to play last week for the second week in a row! Congratulations, Jude!

On to this week's question!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name seven things -- fads, controversies, beliefs, institutions, whatever -- that you just don't "get."

Either answer the question in a comment there or answer it in your journal and include the link in a comment. (To be considered "first to play," a link must be to the specific entry in which you answered the question.)

And a special note: in two weeks, we'll have the first anniversary of the "Sunday Seven!" Do you have a question you'd like to see asked? If so, click the email link in the profile and send it to me! Thanks for playing.

1. Rap

2. “Gangsta” clothes, particularly the carpenter's jeans thirty sizes too big.

3. “Anal floss” underwear, particularly on men. And the women who prefer it.

4. Most of the popular shows on TV today. What is the fascination with watching folks with no talent compete to become “somebody”? How many shipwreck situations can you imagine where the survivors would team up and compete with other survivors? Screw that, I wanna fish to eat.

5. Where can I get a morgue job like the one depicted on CSI? When I was a morgue attendant in college, the place was small, cramped, with bodies on gurneys awaiting examination in a 50° room that had a permanent reek. Who has millions to spend on a morgue?

6. Why are North Americans so absolutely pig-headed stupid when it comes to energy consumption? Where did this misbegotten sense of entitlement come from? Where will it end?

7. Why not?

MEME: Weekend Assignment #124 - Drive Time

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #124: Learning to Drive

Fasten your seatbelts because this week's Weekend Assignment (suggested by BeYankee) puts you behind the wheel: Your Weekend Assignment #124: How did you learn how to drive? How many tries did it take? What was the first car that you bought? Extra credit: Got a picture of that first car? Dear John, Hope that summer, with all it's myriad demands, hasn't truly left your environs just because school is starting for the wee bairn. If it has, well, fheh on the school system! It was 1963, spring vacation. My mother's arthritis was kicking her hard, but we had committed to meeting my father at a resort in Hampton Roads, Virginia. She managed to make the first 150 miles, but the prospect of having to sit in basically one position while pounding across the joints in the concrete segments of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel system was too daunting for contemplation (Turns out she had the flu coming on, on top of the other health issues plaguing her). So I was designated as “the driver” and put behind the wheel at the age of 12. Aside from developing an acute awareness of the “suckage” of concrete walls, the 23.1 miles passed without incident. That was my first over-the-road driving experience. Two years passed before I would have another. September, 1965 saw us move to Guadalajara, Mexico. We flew down, a story in and of itself. My father drove the car down during a break in commitments to his work in early October. Shortly after he left, my mother once again suffered ill health compounded with the need to visit my brother Richard in hospital on a daily basis. Once again, I was designated driver. Only this time, it was on city streets, with city traffic. And I had to stop every block or so. Long story short, I eventually ended up driving my poor mother all over the State of Jalisco that spring on break while she pursued her research. It was during that period that I also discovered I needed glasses. I could see road signs better with her sunglasses on. Who knew the world could be so sharp? Fast forward two years later, back in the States. My mother had died September, 1965. I'd been shipped off to a boarding school with my brothers. I was over the minimum age to get a license. I finally persuaded my father to let me get a Learner's Permit. He enrolled me in a private Driving School taught by a tough divorceé, Chris Ruby. She thought I was too big for my britches and promptly showed me the error of my ways, putting me into slide after slide during driving practice until I understood you brake before the turn. She terrified me. She taught me a lot. But really, truly, my father taught me most of what I know about driving over the next year. He insisted I drive for thousands of miles that year while looking at colleges, going on vacation, and through it all, he managed to keep his cool (no mean feat, that. I suspect I'd have been dead twenty times over if he'd released any of the rage and frustration he bottled up on my account). He had me drive in all conditions: rain, torrential downpours in Florida; ice in Maine and Michigan; snow, all over New England. I even did a dust storm in Texas and a twister in Kansas. That cost him a paint job, but I suspect he was secretly pleased (and relieved) I didn't panic and run us off the road into a wash. I passed the State exam first try. I didn't pass my father's muster until the following spring. He had me drive a car down to Florida for him – by myself. Not any old car, his “Black Beauty” - a Ford LTD convertible with the big block V-8 and 4 barrel Holley. By myself, nearly two thousand miles. I knew I'd “graduated” then. Your turn is coming – it won't be that many years before Athena is clamoring to drive. I hope you will consider preparing her by having her chauffeur you around to book signings and conventions for a year, just “because.” Give my best to both of your gals. I'll be thinking of you. wil

P.S. The first car I ever bought was a 1960 SAAB 95 Wagon. It had a 3 cylinder, two-cycle engine that you mixed the oil and gas in the tank for during a fill up. It sounded like a popcorn popper when idling and screamed louder than you can imagine, able to rev into the 15,000 RPM range without breaking. It was front-wheel drive when the only other car with FWD was a Studebaker, and had over 100,000 miles on it. I drove it for nearly 50,000 miles. I loved it. It had a wide, blue racing stripe that ran up the hood (hinged on the front and tipped forward to access the motor – something one did rather frequently in those days), over the top and down the back door. It was way cool but sadly, no pictures survived the fire. I replaced it in 1970 with the new, improved model with a 4 cylinder, 73 HP, four cycle, Ford industrial engine taken from the Tucker Sno-Cats line. It could only rev to 5600 RPM safely. But it did 90 MPH without threatening to fall apart in the middle of the Interstate. My little workhorse hero!

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 122

This week's "Saturday Six" is up sooner than last week's. Of course, that's not saying all that much. The first question, about comment volume, came up in a conversation earlier this week with a fellow blogger. I'm curious to see what your observations are.

But first, Carly of "Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly" was first to play last week. Congratulations, Carly!

Here are this week's "Saturday Six" questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal...but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! To be counted as "first to play," you must be the first player to either answer the questions in a comment or to provide a complete link to the specific entry in your journal in which you answer the questions. A link to your journal in general cannot count. Enjoy!

1. Has your blog received more comments, less comments, or about the same number of comments this summer?
Fewer.
2. What do you think best explains your answer from the last question?
I am writing less original material. People are busier. My blog only appeals to a select few...
3. With the latest terror alert about liquid bombs on airplanes, are you any less likely to schedule a flight somewhere?
No. Actually, the small seats -- the potential for an airline to rule arbitrarily that I must purchase two seats, midway through a trip, keeps me from simply going off to visit the grandmonsters. And the expense, of course.
4. Take the quiz: What color flower are you?

You Are a Purple Flower

A purple flower tends to represent success, grace, and elegance. At times, you are faithful like a violet. And other times, you represent luxury, like a wisteria. And more than you wish, you find yourself heartbroken like a lilac.

What Color Flower Are You?

5. What was the last occasion in which you sent someone flowers?
An illness requiring hospitalization.
6. A hypothetical science question: A couple has a young child that they love very much. He has a rare genetic disorder that will be fatal unless doctors can use embryonic stem cells, and the only way to get them is for his parents to donate eggs and sperm so that a lab can create another embryo. Should the parents and the doctors be allowed to create an embryo to save the child's life? Of course, it is only a zygote.

Unconscious Mutterings

Free association is described as a "psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content." Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

That's an admirable goal, but for the purposes of this excercise, we're just hoping to have a little fun with the technique. Each week La Luna Niña posts ten words to which you can respond to with the first thing that comes to mind.

"Rules are, there are no rules." There are no right or wrong answers. Don't limit yourself to one word responses; just say everything that pops into your head. AND you don't have to have your words up on Sunday. Take all week if you want! Read the FAQ for more information.

Week 184

6 hours, 48 minutes ago

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Kim :: Novak
   
2. Designate :: driver
   
3. Liner :: notes
   
4. Weed :: killer
   
5. Infusion :: tea
   
6. Nutritious :: expeditious
   
7. Favorites :: bookmarks
   
8. Transform :: transmogrify
   
9. 42 :: Summer of
   
10. Sunday afternoon :: Nextel Cup Racing
    

SkyTonight.com - Homepage Observing - Moonlight Perseids

SkyTonight.com - Homepage Observing - Moonlight Perseids

Just a reminder that tonight and tomorrow night (Friday and Saturday) are the best nights for viewing the Perseid Meteor Showers, particularly Saturday night on the East Coast if it's clear.

A tip of the hat to Antonette for reminding me...

10 toilets you have never seen!

10 toilets you have never seen! - The Monkeys Toybox

Thanks to a link at the J-walk Blog

Signs of the End Times: Caterpillars Go Amuk

Dagen då larverna kom till Flogsta

Via The J-Walk Blog

MEME: Wednesday Mind Hump - Email Day

Hello all! Ready for a mind hump? Today is Send An Email Day!

1. Do you use email much?
I send about three emails a day and receive about 30 a day – mostly junk mail and newsletters.
2. When did you start using email?
In 1981.
3. How many email addresses do you have?
Currently, about a half-dozen, but only two actually get used on a daily basis.
4. If you could send an email to your favorite actor or musician, who would it be and what would you say to them?
I'd wish Leonard Cohen a good day and ask whether he's met any interesting women lately...
The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've humped. Be sure your hump is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can hump too.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination!

If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to hump right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Wednesday Mind Hump you can hump on any day.

Until next time, this is your music-loving mememeister, rfduck, wishing you a happy hump day!

Sony Ericsson - Picture blogging

Combine Blogger, BlogSp*t and Sony Ericsson and what do you get? - Picture blogging

Tres Cool.

MEME: Monday Madness – Tempus Fugits

Are we having fun yet?

Monday morning, August 07, 2006 and Otto bubbled forth with “Good Monday morning to you all! Let's get on with this week's questions...”

Cheerful people should be shot in the head. Staked in the heart. Then drawn and quartered. Painted in tar. Feathered. And rode out of town on a rail...

1. Are you working on any big projects around your house right now? Sort of.
2. If so, tell us about it; if not, do you have any plans to do so in the near future? Trying to sort the wheat from the chaff at my brother's place.
3. How do you generally pay for merchandise at your local store? Debit, credit, check, or cash? These days it's still a toss-up between cash and debit, but debit is winning the race.
4. Which month of the year seems to go by the fastest? July! Where'd it go?
5. Which day of the week seems to go by the fastest? There's days of the week? Is that what that blur is?
6. Have you taken up any new hobbies lately? “Lately” is relative. My newest hobby is model railroading. I am starting very slowly with it, feeling my way into the hobby. I started this about three years ago. Seems like only yesterday.

So you want to play along, m'hearty? Just get that bag of chips you call a computer over to Miss Otto's Emporium for Retired Virgins and snag ye some of those questions. They're pretty good with a ration of Rum...

Today is August 7, 2006

That makes it one of those fun days that only roll around every hundred years or so... abbreviated notation (US) for today is 08-07-06

Just in case you hadn't noticed yet... :D

Arithmancy

The Sorcerer's Companion Arithmancy Calculator

Today's A.Word.A.Day. word is "arithmancy"

In 1959, Arthur Summerfield, Postmaster General of the United States, said, "Before man reaches the moon, mail will be delivered within hours from New York to California, to Britain, to India or Australia by guided missiles. We stand on the threshold of rocket mail."

These words of the chief mailman sound ludicrous now, but at the time they made perfect sense. And his words did come true though not in the sense he had imagined. Email does get delivered across oceans within hours (or seconds) and we do have Rocket Mail (as in rocketmail.com).

On June 8, 1959, the US Post Office joined with the US Navy to conduct a test run of missile mail. The nuclear warhead of a Regulus cruise missile was replaced by post office containers carrying 3000 envelopes. The submarine USS Barbero carried the missile offshore and fired it towards its Florida destination. The test was successful, but cost and other factors pulled the plug on the idea of missile mail.

Predicting the future is fraught with hazards, whether it's the trajectory of a hurricane, the trends in a business, or the medal tally in Olympics. But that doesn't stop us from trying. This week we'll see words about forecasting, prediction, and divination.


arithmancy (AR-ith-man-see) noun

Divination by numbers.

[From Greek arithmos (number) + -mancy (divination).]

Arithmancy is also known as arithmomancy and numerology. It is one of the subjects taught at Hogwarts School where Harry Potter studies the art of wizardry. You don't need to go to Hogwarts to know the numbers related to your name and to find out what they reveal. Try it at:
http://sorcererscompanion.net/arithmancy.html

-Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)