MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 129

This week seemed to go by quickly, despite the fact that it had a very slow start. I hope all of my friends on the east coast are drying out after Ernesto's heavy rains. I'm just glad that it wasn't worse than it ended up being!

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. You're arranging to move. If money were no object, would you hire movers to come in and pack your belongings as well as drive them, or would you prefer to do the packing yourself?
Get me the number for the movers, Bunky!
2. Of the new shows that have premiered so far this season, which were you most looking forward to seeing?
What new shoes?
3. Did the show live up to your expectations?
There's new shows? Where? When? How come I don't know what the heck you are talking about? Why are you moving? I hates me some changes...
4. Take the quiz: What type of lunatic are you?

What Type of Lunatic are You?

'Sadistic Bastard' PLEASE VOTE!!!Take this quiz!

Quizilla

| Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

5. What habit of yours would you say is the craziest?
Biting the heads off newborn kittens and sucking out the juices...

6. What do you own more of VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs or Books? Books, by far.

666 -- Number of the Beast MEME

Go to your 6th journal entry: Congrats to the AOL Beta Testers

Take the sixth sentence: “Assume that about 3% or around 1 million of those customers opt to give AOL Journals a try.”

Now, give 6 links which have something to do with this journal entry and/or sentence:

Why CRM Doesn't Work: How to Win by Letting Customers ... - Newell - Cited by 4

Access to the Internet: Regulation Or Markets? - Kopel - Cited by 5

Mobile Commerce: Opportunities, Applications, and ... - May - Cited by 47

BeConnected

Then, bring those conversations with customers into your company so the ... Wall Street Journal: Former AOL Official Pittman Puts Web Firm Daily Candy Up ...

May 2005 · MarketingVOX

After five months of beta testing and 1 million downloads, the release of ... At that rate, the very last subscriber will argue with AOL's customer service ...

Jeremy Zawodny's blog: December 2005 Archives

Advertiser #1 said "we're outta here!" and pulled their link. Advertiser #2 said "we're with you man!" And advertiser #3 said, "hey, give us a nofollow on ..

It's all Paul Little's fault!

Dis 'n' Dat...

This story has been the big excitement around here. More state troopers and sheriff's deputies crawling the roads and woods and running roadblocks. Bloody helicopters hovering overhead while I took my outdoor shower yesterday (58 degrees with a 15 mph breeze then add the downwash from the helicopter– can you say nippley?). It's been a nuisance and a caution, for sure. Nothing to it but to wait them all out. Willow the Wunderhund was thoroughly unimpressed with all the commotion, only giving a desultory bark when a deputy pulled in and got out to search the parked truck and car. She did get excited about her supper, though. That's her on the “Test Video” down below playing with the snowstick last Christmas Eve.

I've been daily sorting crap out at my brother's place. It hadn't been cleaned or otherwise disturbed by anyone than him in the past ten years. He was basically a bear with furniture, and not much of that, either! It's actually been about 25 years since a woman set foot in the place. It's a bit ghastly, made much worse by the remains of a tree falling and collapsing the roof over the kitchen a few years ago!

I come home in the evening tired and discouraged and not much in the mood to write original entries. So if you've wondered what's up with me, that's it in a nutshell. I hope I can get back to being creative and writing fun stuff once snow flies, but no promises. Got my name in to a big name mail order/retailer of all things wonderful to do seasonal work as a telephone customer service representative for the xmas season and that will hopefully get me enough money for gifts and kerosene for the winter. Otherwise, its going to be a cold winter, indeed. Of course, I suppose I could generate a little heat by rubbing two kittens together...

MEME: Monday Madness – Potpourri

This week's questions come from our fellow participants! If you don't see the question you came up with this week, look for yours in the upcoming weeks! And thank you to everyone who offered suggestions! AND, thanks to all of you who participate! =)

1. From jstar: Holiday in Europe or Asia?

If you insist. I'd like to visit Europe before my legs go out on me completely, riding the rails and staying at hostels and campgrounds along the way. Likewise, I'd love to trek in Nepal and the Himalayas, but the missing nerves for half of my diaphragm mean I can't take altitude anymore. Oh well...
2. From sherle: How do you try to change a behavior pattern you don't like about yourself... whether it's chewing fingernails, overeating, smoking, or picking your nose?

Through imagining the desired outcome and consistently practicing the desired behavior for at least a month. If I can't make the change in that period of time, it isn't happening.
3. From tricia: Have you ever successfully completed a Sudoku puzzle? No.
4. From caylynn: What website do you visit the most often?

Toss-up between The Bangor Daily News (I use it as a homepage) and Paddling.net.
5. From michael morgan: What was your favorite thing about high school or college?

The freedom to be myself. Something I was prevented from being in high school. And so it goes...

MEME: Monday Music Mambo - Week 118

2006 MTV Movie Awards - Gnarls Barkley

The duckmeister took a moment from his perusing the latest issue of “Duckbill Bored!” to say, “Hello! Shall we mambo? Yes, we shall! Today is New Horizons Day.”

1. Name one new band/artist (with a debut album released within the last three years) who you enjoy a lot.
I, like many, found the release of Gnarls Barkley's “St. Elsewhere” and it's catchy, captivating song “Crazy” to be my newest cuppa joe. Give a listen and a look at their live performance of the song at this year's MTV Movie Awards Show above.
2. How do you discover new music?
By listening to Radio Paradise and some of the locally produced shows on WERU
3. Name a band or artist who you'd love to experience for the first time back when they first made a name for themselves. In other words, what band would you time-travel to see perform?
Most beginning rock musicians and bands have three cords, three original songs and thirteen covers to their repertoire. However, some new bands come fully formed from experienced musicians and experienced performers. Cream, rock's first “supergroup, is the epitome of that description. As I was “away” -- stuck in a boarding school during the period, owing to the untimely death of my mother, there was no way I could participate in their birth overseas. Now that's a band I'd be willing to travel back in time to see...
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, rfduck, saying have a good Monday and a good Mambo!”

MEME: Sunday Seven - Episode 56

As I continue to pack things up, I've been tossing some old magazines that I had saved for reasons that aren't all that clear. But that led me to this week's question.

But first, Antonette, of "Jottings From Jersey" was first to play last week! Congratulations, Antonette!

On to this week's question!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name up to seven magazines that you either have subscribed to, currently subscribe to, or would subscribe to if money were no object.

1. National Geographic

2. Sea Kayaking

3. Wood

4. Fine Homebuilding

5. Fine Woodworking

6. Off-Lead

7. German Shepherd Quarterly

Unconscious Mutterings - Another Brain Farts

Free association is described as a "psychoanalytic 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 exercise, 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, September 24, 2006

Week 190

8 hours, 7 minutes ago

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

1. Bell :: tower

2. Abuse :: self

3. Relief :: Rolaids®

4. List :: phone

5. Concern :: area of; false

6. Absolute :: zero

7. Cling :: wrap

8. Dump :: trip

9. Terminate :: with extreme prejudice

10. Wine :: tasting

MEME: Saturday Seven - Episode 128

This week seemed to go by quickly, despite the fact that it had a very slow start. I hope all of my friends on the east coast are drying out after Ernesto's heavy rains. I'm just glad that it wasn't worse than it ended up being!

But first, Frida of "I Really Hate Blog Names" was first to play last week! Congratulations, Frida!

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. You find out that you've just gotten a new job in a different state. Which room of your home will be the most difficult to get packed and why?
The library – which books come and which find new homes?
2. Which room is most likely to contain the greatest number of items that you should throw away, but haven't, yet?
Probably the bedroom closet. Not a room, but between that and the dresser, there's clothing that could go that hasn't...
3. What is your single greatest strength and single greatest weakness if you were to enter the dating scene tomorrow?
My experience and my cynicism. I see another long, dry spell ahead...
4. Take the quiz: What are your dating strengths and weaknesses?

Dating Strengths	Dating Weaknesses
1. Intelligence - 71.4% 2. Adventurousness - 66.7% 3. Open-Mindedness - 63.6% 4. Varied Interests - 57.1%	1. Appearance - 77.8% 2. Insecurity - 76.9% 3. Shyness - 70.8% 4. Financial Issues - 63.6% 5. Selfishness - 54.5%

Dating Strengths Explained
Intelligence - Your sharp intellect is a valuable asset. Use your intelligence wisely; avoid condescension. Quiet, confident intelligence is very attractive. Adventurousness - You are willing to try new things and be spontaneous. You want to get out there and really live, and you will attract people with a similar love of life. Open-Mindedness - You are open to trying new things and entertaining new ideas, and this widens your pool of available women. Varied Interests - You don't limit yourself, and that's a dating asset. Your varied interests make you available and interesting to a wider range of women.
Dating Weaknesses Explained
Appearance - Devoting a greater effort at making good first impressions is a must. Try to be fit and develop a style if you want to catch a woman's attention. Insecurity - Your insecurity makes you doubt yourself, but you must learn to love and trust yourself if you want to succeed in dating. Shyness - You know all too well the limits shyness places on you. Putting yourself out there in social situations may be difficult, but essential to your dating success. Financial Issues - Your financial situation is not in good shape, and this does not bode well for you on the dating scene. Try to get on top of your financial difficulties. Selfishness - You think too much of yourself and your needs. You must learn to put your partner first and tend to her needs.
Dating Strengths and Weaknesses Quiz

5. What's the biggest surprise from this quiz's findings?
How much emphasis is placed on superficial matters.
6. Would you ever go out on a blind date with someone you'd met online if you'd never talked to them through any other method than email? Sure, why not? Although, I'd really prefer to have developed a relationship via telephone rather than just email.

Want to play along? The banner at the top of the entry will lead you to Patrick's Weekender place where you, too, can expose your foibles to the world at large.

MEME: Baseball Becomes Athena

Athena Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #130: From Athena

This week we have guest assigner for the Weekend Assignment: Athena! To recap: Tell us if you like or don't like baseball (which is Athena's favorite sport), and (as extra credit) if you played it as a kid (or would play it, if you were a kid now). Write it up in your blog or journal and then come back here and leave a link. Athena thanks you for your cooperation.

Dear Athena,

Heck of a week, what with frost and pretty sunsets and the start of Autumn and all. Had one of my least favorite things happen this past weekend – a mosquito hatch! We have lots of the buzzing bugs here, in fact they're on the State of Maine Seal as the “State Bird” because that's how big they are. most of us look like bleeding pin cushions after an afternoon out in the garden or on the water in our kayaks. Or when playing baseball or softball. Got to be careful with those pop flies, for instance. Sometimes they just fly off into the sunset. (Its a mosquito, the ball is at the batter's feet.)

So, as you might have guessed, I'm sort of partial to baseball. We played it a lot when I was a kid, my brothers and I, along with the rest of the kids on the farm. We played in the pasture across from the calf barn and used cow chips for bases! Not much fun sliding into one of them, but it kept the dirty clothes complaints from Mom down to a dull roar. There wasn't any kind of organized sports until you got to junior high school back then, so we ALL played baseball. It was just expected. There were only 9 or 10 kids, total, on the farm, so in order to field a “team” it took all of us. It used to be pretty fast-paced with so few players, so I was surprised at how slow and b-o-r-i-n-g playing on a real team at school was! Although, it was sure was exciting the day I broke my third grade teacher's finger with a drive right up the center that she tried to stop barehanded!

I was always a good hitter and a fair fielder, but I really shone when I played as catcher! As least it gave me something to stay busy with when we played at school. So I guess you can say I like to play baseball. However, watching a game, in person or on TV is excruciating, unless I'm in the right frame of mind, sort of tired and ready to just veg. Then again, my home team has always been the Boston Red Sox and they're known for crapping out at the end of a game (and the end of the season) so perhaps that is why I don't much care to watch. Baseball. There's other things I like watching just fine.

You tell your daddy that he needs to get back to work dreaming up these assignments as you have better things to do. Like playing baseball. And watching the playoffs. And the World Series, too. Even if it IS past your bedtime (not that THAT will sway your mother-- it didn't work with mine, back in the dark ages, either).

Say Hi! To your folks for me. And riddle me this: Does your chewing gum lose it's flavor, on the bed post overnight?

wil

TV Show MEME

Blame it on Paul Little, he challenged me (and you). What a terrible monument to a life mis-spent in front of the freaking tube...

The instructions are simple: change the color and/or boldface the shows you've watched at least three complete episodes of, and Bold and Italicize a show if you're certain you've seen every episode of it. You can add up to three shows to the list, but keep them in alphabetical order.

24

3rd Rock from the Sun

7th Heaven

Adam-12

Aeon Flux

A.L.F

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Alias

Alice

Alien Nation

Allo Allo

American Idol/Pop Idol/Canadian Idol/Australian Idol

America's Next Top Model/Germany's Next Top Model

Angel

Arrested Development

Babylon 5

Babylon 5: CrusadeBattlestar

Ballykissangel

Battlestar Galactica (the old one)

Battlestar Galactica (the new one)

Baywatch

Batman

Beauty & the Beast

Beavis & Butthead

The Ben Stiller Show

Beverly Hills 90210

Bewitched

Bonanza

Bones

Bosom Buddies

Boston Legal

Boy Meets World

Brady Bunch

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Bug Juice

Chappelle's Show

Charlie's Angels

Charmed

Cheers

China Beach

Columbo

Commander in Chief

Coupling

Cowboy Bebop

Crossing Jordan

CSI

CSI: Miami

CSI: NY

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Dallas

Dancing with the Stars

Danny Phantom

Dark Angel

Dark Skies

Davinci's Inquest

Dawson's Creek

Dead Like Me

Deadliest Catch

Deadwood

Degrassi: The Next Generation

Designing Women

Desperate Housewives

Dharma & Greg

Diff'rent Strokes

Doctor Who (new Who)

Doctor Who (series 1-26)

Dragnet

Due South

Dungeons and Dragons

Dynasty

Earth 2

Earth - Final Conflict

Emergency!

Enterprise

Entourage

ER

Escape From Planet Earth

Everwood

Everybody Loves Raymond

Facts of Life

Falcon Crest

Family Guy

Family Ties

Fantasy Island

Farscape

Fawlty Towers

Felicity

Firefly

Flamingo Road

Frasier

Friends

Full House

Futurama

Get Smart

Gilligan's Island

Gilmore Girls

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Green Wing

Grey's Anatomy

Growing Pains

Gunsmoke

Happy Days

Head of the Class

Hercules

Highlander

Hill Street Blues

Hogan's Heroes

Home Improvement

Homicide: Life on the Street

House

I Dream of Jeannie

I Love Lucy

Invader Zim

Invasion

Iron Chef (Japan)

Iron Chef (USA)

Ironside

JAG

Jackass

Jeopardy

Joey

John Doe

Kath and Kim

Knight Rider

Knots Landing

La Femme Nikita

LA Law

Laugh-In

Laverne and Shirley

Law & Order

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Law & Order: SVU

Little House on the Prairie

Lizzie McGuire

Logan's Run

Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

Lost

Lost in Space

Love, American Style

M*A*S*H

MacGyver

Magnum P.I.

Malcolm in the Middle

Married...With Children

Melrose Place

Miami Vice

Millenium

Mission Impossible

Monk

Moonlighting

Mork & Mindy

Murphy Brown

My Family

My Favorite Martian

My Life as a Dog

My Mother the Car

My So-Called Life

My Three Sons

My Two Dads

Mysterious Cities of Gold

NCIS

Night Court

Nip/Tuck

Northern Exposure

Numbers

One Tree Hill

Oz

Parker Lewis Can't Lose

Perfect Strangers

Perry Mason

Picket Fences

Pirates of Darkwater

Pokemon

Power Rangers

Prison Break

Profiler

Project Blue Book ("Project UFO" in UK)

Project Runway

Psyche

Quantum Leap

Queer As Folk (US)

Queer asFolk (British)

Queer Eye For The Straight Guy

ReGenesis

Remington Steele

Rescue Me

Road Rules

ROME

Roseanne

Roswell

Samurai Jack

Sanford & Son

Saved by the Bell

Scarecrow and Mrs. King

Scooby-Doo Where Are You?

Scrubs

Seinfeld

Sex and the City

Six Feet Under

Sliders

Slings and Arrows

Smallville

Small Wonder

So Weird

Sonny Spoon

South Park

Space 1999

Spaced

Spongebob Squarepants

Sports Night

Square Pegs

St. Elsewhere

Star Trek

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Enterprise

Stargate Atlantis

Stargate SG-1

Superman

Supernatural

Surface

Survivor

Taxi

Teen Titans

Teletubbies

That Girl

That 70's Show

That's So Raven

The 4400

The Addams Family

The Andy Griffith Show

The A-Team

The Avengers

The Beverly Hillbillies

The Bionic Woman

The Book of Daniel

The Colbert Report

The Cosby Show

The Daily Show

The Dead Zone

The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dukes of Hazard

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Flintstones

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

The Golden Girls

The Greatest American Hero

The Jetsons

The L Word

The Love Boat

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

The Mighty Boosh

The Monkees

The Munsters

The Mythbusters

The O.C.

The Office (UK)

The Office (US)

The Outer Limits

The Pretender

The Prisoner

The Real World

The Shield

The Simpsons

The Six Million Dollar Man

The Sopranos

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

The Twilight Zone

The Waltons

The West Wing

The Wild Wild West

The Wonder Years

The X-Files

Third Watch

Thirtysomething

Three's Company

Top Gear

Twin Peaks

Twitch City

Upstairs, Downstairs

"V"

Veronica Mars

Wings

What Not To Wear (US)

What Not To Wear (UK)

Whose Line is it Anyway? (US)

Whose Line is it Anyway? (UK)

Witchblade

Will & Grace

Wonderfalls

Wonder Woman

Xena: Warrior Princess

Young Hercules

If you wish to play along -- and if you're reading this, consider yourself so challenged -- the easiest way to do so is to copy the list above to TypePad or NotePad so that the boldface or italicized formatting will not copy with it, then you can adjust as necessary on your own blog.

In case you are wondering, the three I added were Ballykissangel, Sonny Spoon, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

Red Neck Dogs

So sad. So very, very sad:

MEME: Wednesday Mind Hump -- Piratical Games

Hi everyone! The Hump is back again. Today is Board Game Appreciation Day.

1. Are you a fan of board games?
I've whiled away a few hours here and there playing board games, but now that the kids are grown and the grandbrats are all living far away, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often.
2. What's your favorite board game and why?
Scrabble is still my favorite, followed by Monopoly.
Yesterday was Talk Like A Pirate Day, so lets answer a few questions about that. I can't think of any more board game questions.

3. Blackbeard, Hook, Sparrow - who's your favorite pirate?
Cap'n Hook be my favorite, except when I have an itch and he volunteers to scratch it...
4. If you were a pirate, what would you name yourself?
Bloody Sam Read be my name, matey, and don't be forgetting it -- there's seven men in Hell that won't!
5. Uh oh! Someone's gotta walk the plank! Choose a celebrity you want to throw overboard (all in good fun, of course. We're not actually advocating for the tossing of celebs in the ocean).
William Shatner, dressed up as T.J. Hooker... just to see if he sinks, heh, heh, heh.

You, too, can join in the pirate games, matey. Hie thyself off to the Home of de Hump and get a copy of the questions for yerself. Just tell 'em Bloody Sam sent ya...

Test Video

Aaargh, Matey - It Be International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Avast Me Hearties, "Bloody Sam Read" here. Mad Cap'n Tom sent me this here missive; I thank'ee kindly if you'd be reading it and paying attention and all. Have a nice day. Yo, ho, ho, she's got three men on her chest...





Arr, ahoy me hearty! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day -- at least, if ye be east o' the Atlantic -- an' that mean it be time fer swashbucklin', pluderin', an' talkin' like the buccaneer that ye be!

In this email: I be possibly makin' me debut TV appearance today, an' there be pirate parties an'all...


HELP ME OUT, ME HEARTY!

If ye know o' any local radio station, email or call 'em an' tell 'em it be Pirate Day! Their phone an' email be on their web site, mos' likely, an' the more messages they be gettin', the more likely that ye be hearin' 'em talk like pirates later! (Yon breakfast shows be rather 'appy to do such.) This year, I be presentin' the whole thing from the Southampton Boat Show, an' so the best way fer folks t'be gettin' in touch is by emailin' capntom@yarr.org.uk !


RADIO... AN' TV!

P'raps ye can be tunin' in already: I be on BBC Radio Essex at 0730 London time, BBC Sheffield at 0745, Q103 Cambridge at 0835, BBC Suffolk at 0850, Quay Radio West at 0900, BBC Derby at 0945, and BBC Scotland at 1040. Me vocal cords be gettin' a workout tomorrow, an' no mistake!

But the most startlin' part is that it be most likely that I be on CBBC Newsround tomorrow, bein' interviewed from the Southampton Boat Show! It be me first TV appearance, an' I be rather nervous t'say the least...!


CHARITY PLUNDERIN'

Don't be forgettin' that this be in aid o' charity this year, me hearty - fer the Jubilee Sailin' Trust's Eye Patch Day, an' fer me mateys at Marie Curie!

www.eyepatchday.com
www.mariecurie.org.uk/pirate


PIRATE PARTIES: LONDON AND BRADFORD

I be knowin' of a couple'o pirate parties! First, fer tonight, Orriebell be sendin' this signal: "I be tryin to mass an amount o' pirates on
the tattershall castle. This is a lubberly free boat pub which resides on the river thames between embankment and westminster. no idea how many people will come, but please be invitin' anyone you care to mention it to!"

Cap'n Zanner be sayin': "Delius in Bradford is avin' a shindig to celebrate International Talk like a pirate day. We be a small inn for the thirsty pirate and we be offerin' free grog to those who dares to venture into Delius Tavern and speak in ways beffiting non-land lubbers. www.myspace.com/deliuspub be our site!"

Cap'n Mowger be writin': "Myself and some mates are holding a pirate day in London on the 23rd of September. Details are at www.myspace.com/garrlikeapirate. Come along if you can! And if you could mention it on your site, it'd be much appreciated!!"

(O'course, the standard warnin's apply: I not be checkin' the veracity o'these, an' fer all I know they be lies spread by scurvy privateers - but they prob'ly be true!)


AND FINALLY

Have a great, grand, wondrous Pirate Day, me hearties! Best o' luck on the high seas!

Yaaaaaaaarr!

-- Mad Cap'n Tom

Miss Otto took time off from tickling Farmer John to say, "Sorry about being late posting these questions. I had a busy day on Sunday (throwing a bridal shower) and fell asleep early. Anyway, on to this week's challenge..."

1. How do you eat an oreo cookie? (from tricia).

I just eat it. Sometimes, rarely these days, I'll separate the cookies and eat the icing first.
2. How long does it take you to eat lunch?

Not long. Maybe 15 minutes, unless I'm dawdling.
3. Caffeine or decaf?

I loves me the caffeine, bean, but the medic says “no go, decaf joe, Bocephus.”
4. Chicken or beef?

Where's the beef?
5. Pen or pencil?

Pen – these days a gel point, but I do love the feel of a quality nibbed point and the look of the ink on paper is “simply mahvelous, dahlink!”.
6. Autumn or spring?

Autumn is the best, no bugs, but sad because winter is on the way.
7. Baseball or basketball?

Baseball, the sport of the Yanks.
8. 'Survivor' or 'The Amazing Race?'

I have to admit that I find this whole division by races into small teams to be a mite disconcerting, however.
9. Come up with one question I can ask our Monday Madness participants in the weeks to come.

What are you driving these days? What's it's (their) good and bad points? Would you buy another one, and why or why not?

Want to play along? Get yourself over to Miss Otto's Parlor of Pain and sign up for your very own email notification. Who knows, Miss Otto might favor you with thirty lashes if you're a particularly good, bad boy or girl...

MEME: Monday Music Mambo -- Plays Long

Rfduck has his feathers in a fluff -- see for yourself:

“Greetings! Let's do another Music Mambo. Today's theme is LP Record Day! How convenient.”

1. Do you own any L.P.s? If so, how many?
Yes, being an old phartoid from the flower-power dimension, I do own a few LP's. Like, maybe, 350 or so. Mostly rcok, folk, jazz and classical.
2. Do you own any rare or special L.P.s? Tell us the story behind how you got them.
The rarest I own is a two disk set of the National Symphony of China I purchased at a concert of theirs when they were touring the US just after Richard Nixon's historic visit. That was the beginning of the end for Red China, as I knew it growing up. My most special LP is “Moondog Is!”-- a Columbia Music disk sent me, again in the early 70's, because I was a disk jockey for an “Alternative” music station (in addition to my paying gig as the voice of the news at WVMT-FM which broadcast only easy listening and news in those days).
3. Are there any original-copy L.P.s that you'd absolutely love to have?
Lots and lots, but frankly, I'd be happy with good quality CD's as they are easier to pack around. I have my LP's on 3' wide shelves and they take up four of them. Damn near to two hundred pounds of plastic and cardboard. They're going to have to go before I can move, dammit.
4. What do you think the future holds for the L.P.?
I think the future for the LP is the same as that for the Edsel and the Dodo bird...

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 55

I've been making more arrangements for the big move, but I remembered to actually write the question before midnight in my own time zone! So get ready to take a tour of one room of your home to get the answers for this week's quiz.

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

On to this week's question!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Take a walk through your kitchen. Come up with at least seven appliances or electric gadgets that you'd hate to be without when you have kitchen duty for any reasonable length of time.

1. 6” Santoku knife

2. 8” Nakiri vegetable knife

3. 12” French Chef's Knife

4. Whisks

5. Cast-Iron pots and pans

6. cook stove

7. coffee maker

   Give me knives, pots, pans and a few basic tools with good ingredients in sufficient quantities and enough coffee to keep ME going and I can feed people for days ... and have. For over forty years I have cooked for as few as one and as many as thousands of ravenous college kids (no joke – I ran a soup kitchen during the Kent State aftermath at the University of Vermont). You can keep you fancy appliances – give me the basics that don't need electricity and I'm right at home ... sort of the story of my life in a nutshell, I suppose.

MEME: 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, September 17, 2006

Week 189

4 hours, 28 minutes ago

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

1. Running :: wild
   
2. Alternative :: fuel
   
3. Cope :: Failing to
   
4. Lots :: of love
   
5. Sympathetic :: ear
   
6. Barn :: collapsing
   
7. Totally :: Awesome, dude and dudette!
   
8. Baby :: cakes
   
9. Undeniable :: guilty
   
10. Watermelon :: Man
    

How insignificant are you?

Hubble Heritage

I spent a half hour tonight, until the dog's whimpering became too annoying, just staring at the skys of the dead of night (3AM). Here's a hint of what lies beyond what may be seen with the naked eye, preserved online for future generations in anticipation of the eventual death of Hubble and the soon-to-be-eliminated governmental support for the project.

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 127

Saturday Six - Episode 127

This week seemed to go by quickly, despite the fact that it had a very slow start. I hope all of my friends on the east coast are drying out after Ernesto's heavy rains. I'm just glad that it wasn't worse than it ended up being!

But first, De of "De's Thoughts" was first to play last week! Congratulations, De!

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. You find out that you've just gotten a new job in a different state. Besides your spouse, who is the first person you tell?
It used to be my brother. Now, I suppose, It'd be my stepson and stepdaughter.
2. With the money in your pocket, wallet or purse right now, could you make change for a $20 bill? Could you make change for a $1 bill?
No to both. There isn't a sou, farthing nor haepenny in my pockets – but if you need 59¢, it's all yours.
3. Is this ability (or lack of ability) to make change a typical reflection of how much cash and coins you regularly carry?
It has gotten to be the case that I typically have only a few dollars cash on me and most purchases are via a debit card. A sad state of affairs.
4. Take the quiz: What mythological character are you?

You Are a Pegasus

You are a perfectionist, with an eye for beauty. You know how to live a good life - and you rarely deviate from your good taste. While you aren't outgoing, you have excellent social skills. People both admire you - and feel very comfortable around you.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

5. Are you typically the "heart breaker" or the "broken-hearted" in your relationship history?
I've typically been the “broken-hearted” sumovabitch.
6. Considering your answer to #5, would you rather be the opposite?

Yes. I'm tired of being the leavee, rather than the leaver. I'd much rather love them then leave them, but, sadly, I'm not the one who falls out of love...

Time To Dump The (Bagged) Spinach

It's an attack of the killer spinach: Multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections from bagged spinach September 15, 2006| CDC Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch

Beyond This Point There Be Monsters...

This epitomizes my life of late ... one big Oops!

Photo used without permission -- but it's just more Free Advertising for the humble farmer Bed & Breakfast.

Wx: Autumn's around the corner

A nippy 37°F. when I got up this morning at 4:30. A hard freeze won't be far away now - both Western and Northern Maine have had them. Almost lit a stove -- it was down around sixty inside, but seeing as I run around in shorts and a T-shirt in sixty degree weather, I thought better of it. And $3.79 for a gallon of kerosene had something to do with it, too. (I admit to wearing a fleece sweater as I sit here, however -- not generating too much heat reading blogs).

Geese are all pretty much gone from the lake now. It's quieter, too. Songbirds aren't mating, so their calls a few and far between. Crows are active as are the Herring Gulls that fly in late every evening to float out in the middle of the lake in relative safety from predators ... Saw the nesting pair of loons with their sole surviving youngster. S/he has fully fledged now, and sports a "mature" juvenile fletch with almost all of the flight feathers full grown. Won't be long now before they head South, or at least out to the offshore islands.

Any bets on the first white stuff? I have a feeling it'll be early this year. October 12th or so. Just a gut feeling (and I have a gut, let me tell you). I'll let you know when it happens.

MEME: Wednesday Mind Hump – Junk In The Trunk

Hello all! Ready for another Wednesday Mind Hump? This week's theme is Junk Drawer Day.

1. What's in your junk drawer, and how many junk drawers do you have?
Actually, my whole garage could be considered a “junk drawer” -- that's they way it is on a old farm. Junk happens. Life works around it, over it, ignores it as it becomes part of the landscape until that day, hour, minute when THAT piece of junk isn't junk anymore – it's a part to fix the mower, or the snowplow, or a pump handle...
2. How often do you clean or rearrange your junk drawers?
Never – who'd want to louse up the disorganized organization of it all?
3. Name one celebrity whose junk drawer you'd love to go through.
Kevin Kelley's junk drawers must be truly marvelous. Not celebrated enough? OK – I'd like to play with the junk in the trunk of Sandra Bullock... she has an old family farm in Texas. Of course that was what I meant...

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!

Pussy Cat Lanes

Cat Bowling -- who'd a thunk it?

Via my stepdaughter, Lana. I don't do any better in cyberspace than I do in real life - sub-100 scores...

Great little time-eater, though.

Monday Music Mambo - Week 116

Rfduck extracted his beak from his tail feathers long enough to observe, “Hello mamboers! I'm back again with questions for your amusement. Today is Important Things Day according to americangreetings.com, my source for daily themes. Yeah, I'd say some important things happened today! So what I want you to do . . .”

“Name five songs that celebrate what's great about America. Songs about cars, songs about freedom, songs about food, songs about being independent. Anything that you think sounds like or speaks about what it means to be American, no matter how trivial.”

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!

My answer goes something like this:

1. This Land Is Your Land -Woody Guthrie

2. The Happy Wanderer – author unknown

I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.

Chorus:
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.

I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
"Come! Join my happy song!"

I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev'ry green wood tree.

High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o'er the world we roam.

Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath the clear blue sky!

3. When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again – traditional, author unknown

4. You're a Grand Old Flag - George M. Cohan

5. When The Caissons Go Rolling Along – Major (later Brig.Gen.) Edmund L. Gruber, 1907

   Have a good week, folks. Don't let the bastards grind you down...

Otto came out of her Tantric Trance long enough to exclaim, “Good day to you! Again, questions right off the top of my head! Here goes...”

1. How long have you been blogging? About 3½ years, although only three of those have been steadily.
2. How many times have you taken a break from blogging? I've only taken one long break.
3. How long is the longest you've gone, so far, without posting on your blog? About three months – I went into a purple funk after the last election that lasted a month, followed by two months of sporadic posts. It's been about three months since I last did an original post (as opposed to memes and quizzes).
4. How many fellow bloggers do you keep in touch with, through your blogs, on a regular basis? Not as many as I used to. What with my brother's death in July and Pam's death in April, I've sort of withdrawn into my shell a bit.
5. Have you ever met, in person, a blogger on your blogroll? No. I used to do that sort of thing when I was single. Marriage definitely puts a cramp in the ability to galivant around the countryside...
6. How often do you update/change the 'extra' stuff on your blog? Only when the mood strikes...
7. Do you think you'll be blogging for years to come? Hard to say. I find that I'm not really blogging now; just doing memes. I may come back to it, I might not.

So you want to play along? Sure thing, Tinker. Just visit Otto in her Grotto and soon you'll be blotto. Or something like that...

MEME: Unconcious Mutterings - Week 188

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

1. True love :: Wishful thinking

2. Age :: old

3. Stern :: Issac

4. Elastic :: dancer

5. Rustic :: cabin

6. Enhance :: modify

7. Jackson :: Janet

8. Inherit :: trouble

9. Devious :: cunning

10. Scapegoat :: patsy

Visit La Luna Niña's site to participate.

MEME: Sunday Seven - Episode 54

Sorry about the name of yesterday's meme. Saturday's is called the "Saturday Six," and Sunday's is called the "Sunday Seven." Okay, I think I've got it now! Now that I've mastered that, it's time for a nice treat.

But first, Cdmmw2, of "A Day in the Life" was first to play last week! Congratulations!

On to this week's question!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
You're chosen to open a mini-version of Baskin-Robbins. Instead of thirty-one flavors, you're limited to seven. Which favorite flavors would you choose?

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.)

1. Chocolate Chip

2. M&M

3. Moose Tracks

4. Chunky Monkey

5. Vanilla

6. Chocolate

7. Strawberry

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 126

This week seemed to go by quickly, despite the fact that it had a very slow start. I hope all of my friends on the east coast are drying out after Ernesto's heavy rains. I'm just glad that it wasn't worse than it ended up being!

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. How do you feel about a National ID card to replace individual state driver's licenses?
“Just Say No...” -- It was good enough for the so-called “War On Drugs” and it had better be good enough for this so-called “War on Terrorism.” There is no excuse, whatsoever, for requiring a National ID card internally. Further, it is a “States' Rights” issue and the amount of time and money that would be expended adjudicating the matter will be in the trillions. SO let's all take a deep breath and somebody, anybody, get George Bush's head out of Karl Rove's ass.
2. Where's the most embarrassing place you've ever fallen asleep?
On a dais, waiting my turn to address the issue of the hour. I even snored. It was pre-CPAP.
3. How long does it take you, when looking at someone for the first time, to determine whether or not you are really attracted to the person?
Not long at all. But the view that sticks their face in my memory banks with their name associated is generally the third time I meet them.
4. Take the quiz: What kind of drunk are you?

Before taking it, I will say that I am a mean, pugnacious bastard when I get well and truly drunk. According to the quiz:

You're An Angry Drunk

Ever wake up with sore knuckles and a black eye? Thought so.

What Kind of Drunk Are You?

5. When is the last time you were really drunk?
Sometime around the last time I had a drink in 1988.
6. What caused the condition: Alcohol or something else?

Too much alk in my incohol. Yeah, it didn't make any sense then, either.