The (not even close to) Daily Snooze: saturday six

Showing posts with label saturday six. Show all posts

Sunday, November 04, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 185

Patrick loves to stir “stuff.” For example: “Here’s a new set of questions based on the ever-popular argument: Mac vs. PC! And I’ll repeat a statement from last week’s set of questions: there are no right or wrong answers…just your own opinions.”

First to play last week: Jude of “My Way.” Congratulations!

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. What was the brand and model (if you remember) of the first computer you remember using? NorthStar Horizon – it was a loaner from my younger brother. He'd built it by hand (literally – thousands of components that needed to be soldered to circuit boards by hand) in 1980 and completed his college thesis with it – the first computer program for calculating ceramic glazes. He sold all rights to it to Corning Glass and it never saw the light of day. The PC world was moving too fast and the standard shifted to IBM PC's shortly thereafter. I'd actually used a computer (IBM mainframe) ten years earlier in college. Lordylordylordy, how I hated punch cards!

2. What year do you remember using a home computer for the first time? 1981

3. Hype aside, which platform do you prefer: Mac or PC? For most people who only need a computer for simple things, for it's ease of use and the quirky nature of its supporters, I prefer a Mac. When I require hardware flexibility, broad (free or inexpensive) software choices the PC + Unix combination is my favorite. What I have and hate is a Micro$oft Windoze PC.

4. Take the quiz: Are you a Mac or PC?

You are a PC

You're practical, thrifty, and able to do almost anything. Appearances and trends aren't important to you. You just like to get the job done.

Are You a Mac or a PC?

5. How fair would you consider the quiz to be based on the responses? I dislike “either/or” quizzes – far too limited a response range. Consequently, it isn't a fair representation of my preferences.

6. If money were no object, what brand of computer would you most likely purchase? A Cray supercomputer.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 184

This week’s questions are a little bit of a departure. For one thing, there’s no quiz. (I may double up next week, but I’ll eventually make up for that.) But the bigger change that makes this set of questions unique is that for each one, you’ll have to choose the greater of two “evils” and explain why you chose that particular one. You might not see both options as an evil; or you might find it impossible to pick one as being significantly worse than the other.

But you should pick which you would find the most offensive, even if you agree with one’s right to take the action, label or position listed.

As always, there are no right or wrong answers…only your own opinions. Let’s give it a try!

First to play last week: Antonette of “Jottings From Jersey.” Congratulations!

1. Which of the following two would you find more offensive if you saw it out in the open in a family restaurant: two men holding hands or a woman breast-feeding a child? Why? The image of the two men holding hands sprang immediately to mind. Probably because this is such a puritanical, straight-laced society here. One just assumes there will be no open displays of emotion by anyone at anytime in a public restaurant. It isn't the affection between men that is shocking, it is the open display of emotion that twists my knickers. It'd be just as bad if it was two women, a man and a woman, a boy and a girl, etc.

2. Which of the following would you find more offensive if you heard someone say it: a blond joke or a racial joke? Why? I take offense to racial jokes. Blonde jokes seem “normal” to me; they were a constant in our all-male household when I was growing into manhood. Even then, despite my father's rabid racism, it was a generally acknowledged rule of the house (between my brothers and I) that one did not joke about race. Once again, this was simply something one didn't do in polite society.

3. Which of these would you generally consider more offensive: An atheist who badmouths Christians, or a Christian who badmouths atheists? Why? Neither offends me – I am an atheist that badmouths Christians on general principles; my only living relative is a born-again Christian who has nothing good to say about Atheists. We agree to disagree. We both hold the other is full of malarkey and deserving of derision. And so it goes ... so forced to choose, why, I'd take offense with the Christian fools who have the temerity to badmouth Atheists in general and me in particular. Just because.

4. Which of the following ideas about a presidential hopeful would you find more offensive: that a woman shouldn’t run for president because a woman doesn’t belong in the White House, or that a black man shouldn’t run for president because a black man doesn’t belong in the White House? Why? As a general rule of thumb, I find women to be more likely to be knee-jerk reactionaries when threatened. If one MUST choose a reason to dislike one or the other exemplars, that'd be mine. I have a particular fondness for my life and peace; I don't need someone in office who is likely to act without careful consideration of the consequences and likely outcomes. We've just had eight years of that form of false bravado. Who needs another four?

5. Which of the following political terms or movements would you find the most offensive: “Pro-Life” or “Defense of Marriage”? Why? The latter strikes me as clutching at straws for the sake of contention for contention's sake. One is about fundamental perception of the so-called sanctity of life. While I disagree, I hold those individuals who do support such a position to have an ethical foundation. The latter is reactionary in the extreme to a perceived threat upon an artificial societal structure with no more importance than the number of leaves on a clover.

6. Which of the following forms of protest are you likely to find most offensive: an animal rights group’s members shedding clothes to encourage people not to buy fur, or a war protest group’s members burning the American flag to criticize war policy? Why? I don't find either offensive. Flag burning I find distasteful, but I recognize it is a protected form of protest. Same with the animal rights group's of removing clothing. I support nudity in general (see below). Given that I must choose for this exercise, I choose the animal rights groups as the most offensive, because they're a bunch of know-nothing liberals who haven't a clue about animal behavior, needs, nor an ethical position to stand on. There, I've chosen. Happy?

Sunday, October 21, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 183

This week, the ayes have it. Make that, the eyes.

But before we begin with the spooky questions, it was BookGal of “Books, Memes and Musings” who was first to play last week. Congratulations, BookGal!

1. When speaking to someone in person, how often do you look them directly in the eye? I make a concious effort to do that, so I suppose my answer would be “frequently.”

2. How likely are you to notice another person’s eye color? I may notice, but I rarely note it (remember it) unless they are out of the norm – say an ethereal, piercing blue iris, for instance.

3. What color eyes does your closest friend have? Brown.

4. Take the quiz: What do your eyes reveal about you? Stupid quiz coming on, I can feel it. Pre-determined by genetics, there's nothing that my eye color will reveal, other than a combination of my mother's blue eyes with my father's hazel eyes. Besides, my eyes used to be hazel – since my heart surgery, they've been brown. Now what does THAT tell you?


What do your eyes reveal about you?(PICS!)Updated created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Anger Your eyes reveal anger, you are likely to blow up over things and over-react. You tend to assume the worst and if it ends up being for the best then well someone else got screwed. I'd advise you to try and find the happier side of things and to remember there is good in this awful world.
Anger								83%

Mysterious								75%

Eyes full of Pain								67%

Passion								33%

Diamond Eyes								25%

5. If you had the chance to permanently change the color of your eyes, and would never be able to change it back to your original color, would you change it? If so, from what color to what color? Maybe. Light blue – less likely to get sunburned from snow and sea exposure.

6. If you were a candidate for Lasik^® eye surgery, do you think you’d have the guts to go through with eye surgery? I am and no, I haven't so far. I hate the thought of anyone messing with my eyes unless there's a medical necessity. Vanity doesn't fit the bill...

Saturday, October 13, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 182

Patrick seems to be fixated on Halloween. An interesting contrast for such a devout Christian, no? Here's his remarks for this week:

We’re quickly approaching Halloween, so I thought another set of questions on this theme would be in order. But before we begin with the spooky questions, it was Otowi of “Otowi” who was first to play last week. Congratulations!

1. If you’re all alone on a dark and stormy night when a particularly scary movie comes on, will you watch it or change the channel? I generally won't watch scary movies of the slasher or Freddy Kruger variety. A good suspense tale is fine and I have a special fondness for vampires and werewolves and other beasties that inhabit the archetypical conciousness of humans' minds.

2. If you could remake any old horror movie, which one would you choose and why? Why remake old films – leave them be. I might be cajoled into offering a new interpretation of such a classic as An American Werewolf in London though, just because it is getting dated.

3. If you had the chance to spend the night in a room that you really believed was haunted by a malevolent ghost, would you? As I don't believe in ghosts, spirits, souls, etc. I am sorry but the answer would be no. The question is null.

4. Take the quiz: What is your Halloween personality?

I don't wear Halloween costumes. Even when required to at work, my sole concession was to wear a half-mask as a walrus. Koo-koo-ka-choo.

What Your Halloween Habits Say About You

The scariest thing on Halloween is you! You definitely don't want any kids in costumes crossing your path - and you're willing to scare away any who do. No one quite understands you, but everyone also sort of worships you. And that's exactly how you like it. Your inner child is stubborn and a bit bossy. You fear people taking advantage for you. You are always worried about protecting your own interests. You're logical, rational, and not easily effected. Not a lot scares you... especially when it comes to the paranormal. You are a traditionalist with most aspects of your life. You like your Halloween costume to be basic, well made, and conventional enough to wear another year.

What's Your Halloween Personality?

5. Who is your favorite horror writer/novelist? Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. Tanya Huff and her Blood... series is a close second. Stephen King is a master, but not always my cuppa.

6. How many years has it been since you last went trick-or-treating? By my best estimate, it has been about 25 years since I last went trick or treating. My kids were 12 and 14 then. Good times.

I'll be sitting at home, minding my own business on All Hallow's Eve. You are welcome to visit – it's the scariest, spookiest house on the road for miles – all year long. My dog, Willow the Wunderhund, will be most happy to greet you. Or is that “eat you”? Hard to tell with a 135 pound Mastiff-Rottweiler cross. Ignore the dog if you must, but beware of the owner. Bwahahahaha!

Sunday, October 07, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 181

Numbers play a big part of daily life. This week’s questions are all related, in one way or another, to numbers.

But before we start counting to six, kudos goes to Jude of “My Way” was first to play last week. Congratulations, Jude!

Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment there, 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. If you were to count to three on your fingers, would you hold up your thumb, index and middle finger, or your index, middle and ring finger?

2. What was the last thing you remember counting in your home? Unmatched socks – I think there were seventeen that the Sock Monster had eaten.

3. When you are listening to someone who uses repetitious phrases when speaking, such as, “you know,” how many of them do you generally need to hear before you begin subconsciously counting the occurrences? I don't count them.

4. Take the quiz: What is your expression number? Boy, does this miss the mark by a mile or what:

Your Expression Number is 3

A natural performer, your destiny lies in writing, speaking, acting, or teaching.
Imaginative and unique, you have a natural creative talent in the arts.
You're also a natural salesperson. You can easily sell your ideas and yourself.

A total optimist, you are enthusiastic about life and living.
You are friendly and social - and people are taken by your charm.
Your role in life is to inspire, motivate, and raise others' spirits.

At times, you can seem a bit superficial.
Sometimes you're a bit unfocused and too easygoing.
You're best off when you don't dwell on trivial matters, especially gossip.

What's Your Expression Number?

5. You’re calling a friend on the telephone and he’s not home: assuming he didn’t have voicemail, do you actually count how many rings go by or do you just hang up after a time you feel is sufficient for him to answer? I have a standing rule to let it ring ten times and then hang up if an answering machine or voice-mail or call-forwarding haven't intervened. It's something they taught us at the Rand Corporation.

6. You go out to eat and you order a plate of twelve chicken wings. Do you actually count them before eating? Sometimes, particularly if they “appear” to be short.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 180

Now that fall has begun, stores are putting up Christmas decorations. This means, of course, that Halloween decorations have been up for weeks now. This week, good old All Hallows’ Eve is our topic.

But first, there are two important orders of business.

The first involves a few reader requests. This week, I am not going to force a “jump” into this week’s edition, meaning that the full post will appear on the front page. I received a couple of comments last week that adding the break that forces readers to go to the full page adds an extra step. I’m not sure that’s true, because regardless of whether the full questions are posted on the front page or not, you still must go to the individual post’s page to leave your comment. But I may well be missing something because I’m this site’s administrator and I see things you don’t…so please let me know if it works any differently this week.

The second order of business is to announce that Cassie of “Memaholic” was first to play last week. Congratulations, Cassie!

1. When do you buy candy for local trick-or-treaters?

At the last minute. I used to buy “the good stuff” earlier, but just found I or my wife would eat it. That's not good for us. Now I buy the cheap stuff. No one ever comes round, anyway, so I just throw it out the next day.

2. When you buy Halloween candy (or if you were to buy it), would you be more likely to buy lower-priced candy that you didn’t particularly care for or candy you like that happened to cost a little more?

Seems I anticipated you with my answer above...

3. If you were in a mood for a scary movie to watch on Halloween night, which would you select?

I'm not into scary movies. At all. Life is scary enough, thank you. So I'd probably choose a suspense film by Hitchcock like Rear Window.

4. Take the quiz: What should you be for Halloween? Stupid quiz alert:

Your Halloween Costume Should Be

Elvis

What Should You Be For Halloween?

5. Should trick-or-treating be regulated so that it is held on non-school nights and during hours that might help children avoid dangerous travel hours?

No. Mrs. Grundy certainly has a bug up her ass if she's lobbying for that nonsense, doesn't she?

6. How do you feel about some churches scheduling “fall festivals” to replace Halloween because of the holiday’s dark origin?

To each their own. I went by one of those this past weekend at the local Baptist “Big Box.” I have to laugh, though, if holding an outdoor gathering in Maine a month before Halloween during the daytime was meant to be a substitute for little moppets in mufti traipsing around the neighborhood in the evening's gloom, screeching “Trick or Treat!” Somehow, I think the kids will be able to discern the difference.

When I was of “trick or treating” age, I was living on a dairy farm in the country at the edge of a small hamlet. That didn't stop a bunch of us from trudging, literally for miles, from 4:30 until our curfew (the latest I recall was 9:00 on a school night) with a pillow case in tow, along with the two younger brothers, seeking delicious swag and a chance to deploy the big brown bag of cow shit and newspapers we'd brought along, just in case someone preferred a “trick” rather than caving into our extortion, er, screamed demands for “treats.” We'd often accumulate a pound or two of candy, fruit, maple sugar popcorn balls, or slices of cake or pie wrapped in foil. This was before the foolishness with inserting pins in apples, etc. Such a shame that my kids missed out on the homemade goodies. Even worse that kids today must be escorted by the candy police, armed adults who scrutinize each piece of plunder for god knows what. Let's see YOU light off a bag of shit on someone's porch with that kind of surveillance on you.

Go ahead, I dare you. Just remember I am armed, dangerous, and have no qualms about shooting children and their limp-wristed mommies or daddies in the gut. I so prefer a gut shot in those circumstances... painfully gooey.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 179

The fall is my favorite time of year, and besides the change of the color of leaves, there is also a few carnivals and fairs to look forward to. So that’s the topic of this week’s set of questions.

Before this week’s questions, my friend BookGal of “Books, Memes and Musings” was first to play last week. Congratulations, BookGal!

1. What is your favorite carnival ride?

The Ferris Wheel, named after Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., who designed a 264 foot (80 meter) wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois in 1893.

2. What is the biggest prize you ever won at a carnival or fair?

A live goldfish, when I was a little kid.

3. What is the most you ever spent at a single carnival game?

I'm not really sure. Certainly no more than a couple of bucks.

4. Take the quiz: What carnival ride are you?

You Are a Ferris Wheel

Deep down, you are a fun, whimsical, and easygoing person.
You often enjoy life for what it is, and the littlest changes in course can be quite thrilling.
In relationships, people tend to feel what you feel. It can be liberating at first...
But after a while, the people closest to you end up feeling a little trapped.

Your life has perfectly normal cycles of ups and downs.
However, you can't help but sometimes feel that you're missing out on the most exciting aspects of life.
You only are happy when you're experiencing the highest of highs.
Your low points just make you feel depressed, restless, and bored.

At your best, you feel on top of the world with a great sense of perspective.
You believe that anything is possible, and that you are happily looking down on everyone else.
At your worst, you feel like your life is going in circles. You often feel like you're not going anywhere.
This is sometimes psychologically disorienting. And sometimes it brings on a sense of hopelessness.

What Carnival Ride Are You?

5. If you went to a typical carnival and realized you weren’t in the mood to ride the rides, what would you be more likely to want to do to amuse yourself?

Find someplace where I can sit and watch the people go by – I like “people-watching”.

6. What job would you least like to have at a carnival or fair?

Animal Keeper would be low on my list of desired employments.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 178

And you thought I had forgotten, didn’t you!

Actually, a bad experience at a restaurant earlier this week ended up inspiring the theme of this week’s questions. I’ll give you specifics of the bad experience in the next post.

Before this week’s questions, my friend Rick of “Mmmm, That’s Good Coffee…” was first to play last week. Congratulations, Rick!

1. As a general rule, how much of a tip do you leave on a normal night of satisfactory service at a restaurant? 15% is where I start. Exceptional food (split tips and yes, I ask) or service will get more.

2. What happens when the service and/or the food is completely unacceptable: how much of an impact does that have on your tip? If it is the service that was unacceptable or slow or inept then the tip is adjusted accordingly. If it was the food that was at fault, I take that up with management. Failure to receive satisfaction is noted in any review I may write about the restaurant. That is usually significant enough to get the management's attention. As you know, Bob Barker was a user and admirer of my reviews, Patrick.

3. What was the last food you picked up from a restaurant and ate at home? Indian spicy/hot lamb curry.

4. Take the quiz: What’s your pizza personality? Stupid quiz alert. If choosing the crust as the most important part, the city of choice was NYC and the fact that I buy my pizza at an old fashioned, indepedently owned pizza shop produces this kind of answer (below), we're all screwed.

Veggie Pizza

Upscale and trendy.
You're the most likely to go for a gourmet pizza.
You have impeccable taste in everything.
You truly enjoy the finer things in life.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

5. What was the last dish you tried to cook yourself based on a dish you sampled at a restaurant? I really don't remember. I think it was philly cheese steak with mushrooms, onions and green peppers. My wife loved it. I am picky about cheese and Velveeta was never a favorite.

6. How close to the original recipe did yours get? It tasted similar to what passes for “cheese steak” around here but I just can't get the kind of beef they use in Philly for these sandwiches up here so I used sirloin flap steak, sliced thin. It was passable – then again, it's been almost 35 years since I had a true Philly Cheese Steak. Time dims the taste bud's memory.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 177

How big a deal is grammar for you? No, that’s not one of the six official questions, but it’s the topic for this week. It seems that for some people, grammar is a dying art. I think that’s sad, because it shows a general lack of effort in communication, and no good can come from putting little effort in communicating with each other.

Okay, okay…I’m off the soapbox. It’s time for the questions.

Before this week’s questions, BookGal of “Books, Memes and Musings” was first to play last week. Congratulations, BookGal!

1. How different is your speech pattern among your friends versus a stranger you’d meet on the street?

Not very different. I am what I am. If anything, my language is cleaner, but I become more loquacious from nervousness. What IS different is the contrast between my writing “voice” and my speaking voice. I write more formally than I speak.

2. How often do you get asked where you’re from based on your accent?

Almost never. I lost my accent for broadcasting nearly 40 years ago and never got it back...

3. What word or phrase said by newscasters is your biggest pet peeve?

“Now this message from our sponsers...” would be better if it was an honest, “OK, you've got 3 minutes and a half to go pee...”

4. Take the quiz: How good at grammar are you?

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

5. How often do you look up a word in a dictionary, either online or print?

Quite often. I highly recommend the use of WordWeb, a little dictionary tool that sits on the taskbar (Windoze only, sorry) and will look up any highlighted word you choose with a single click of your mouse. Also gives synonyms! Very handy, really.

6. How many books or guides on grammar do you currently own?

A couple, I think. Strunk and White's The Elements of Style which has a good, basic grammar section. The Chicago Manual of Style. The Associated Press guide is also around here somewhere (it was last seen a millennium ago).

Sunday, September 02, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 176

A game show called Power of 10 is one of the newest hits on television. It is based on the contestants’ ability to predict the outcome of surveys.

It’s really no surprise that this concept would work for a game show. Family Feud, which premiered more than thirty years ago now, was based on surveys. It was a spin-off of Match Game, whose bonus round was also based on surveys. Card Sharks was another game that too survey results and molded them into a major component of game play.

So it should be no surprise that I decided to work surveys into this week’s edition of the Saturday Six. All statistics come from recent episodes of Power of 10, by the way.

Before this week’s questions, Jude of “My Way” was first to play last week. Congratulations, Jude!

1. Twelve percent of Americans say they have never had someone of a different race in their home. Have you had someone of a different race in your home? Have you been in the home of someone of a different race? Not in a very long time. My first wife had a friend from work who was a Penobscot and she would visit often, but none since. It's pretty much a white-bread world up here. The second part of this question deserves a qualified “yes.” As a code enforcement officer, I have been in the homes of many (thousands) of different people over the years. These are not social occasions nor am I doing much in the way of talking, except to whatever the specific issue might be that brought me to their home. So in the sense you may have meant, no. But in reality, yes.

2. When asked if they think gay people are actually born gay (as opposed to “choosing” to be gay, 51% say that homosexuality is something one is born with. Do you agree? Absolutely.

3. Given our society’’s obsession with the “perfect body,” the number might be expected to be higher, but 33% of Americans say they’d leave their partner if he or she gained 100 pounds. Would you? No.

4. This question was originally asked only of women, and 54% said they’d prefer to watch the Super Bowl over the Academy Awards. Which would you pick and why? I'd pick poking my eyes out ... neither event interests me very much at all. I have a very hard time sitting in front of the TV for that long for anything, including The Wizard of Oz – far more interesting than the previously cited examples..

5. We hear a lot these days about protecting the institution of marriage. Oddly enough, that phrase is generally used in efforts to prevent people who love each other and want a committed relationship from actually getting married. Fifty percent of Americans say that it would be a good idea to require couples eligible for marriage to undergo marriage counseling before they can walk down the aisle. Is this a good idea or a bad idea? Mandatory waiting periods, mandatory classes and counseling, trial periods, mandatory blood tests with DNA analysis so we can identify the pieces ... all should be part and parcel of entering into a marriage contract.

6. A popular potato chip’s ad slogan says, “Once you pop, you can’t stop.” But 39% of Americans claim that they can stop at just one chip. Are you one of them? No. Who the heck are these cyborgs, anyway?

Saturday, August 25, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 175 -- Prejudice

More car troubles this week for Patrick:

To those who have been eagerly awaiting the appearance of this week’s questions, I offer my sincere apologies. It would seem that the car isn’t entirely finished with its “technical difficulties,” and a good portion of the afternoon was spent dealing with this problem.

This week’s questions, though, has little to do with such problems.

Before this week’s questions, Otowi of “Otowi” was first to play last week for the second week in a row. Congratulations!

1. Considering all possible factors about a person that make us different, like age, appearance, religion, race, origin, sexual preference, etc., with 10 being the most prejudiced and 1 being the least, how do you think you would rate yourself?

I'm about a nine.

2. You’re having a problem with a product or service and you call customer service. You are finally connected with someone who has a thick accent that sounds difficult to understand. What is the first thing that goes through your mind?

Damn company is too bloody cheap to pay for good help who speak the Queen's English ... damned Yanks, anyway.

3. A co-worker you like tells you that his or her church is holding an “open house” and is encouraging people of other faiths to visit. You and your co-worker are of different faiths. How likely would you be to attend?

No way ... as I am an agnostic atheist, there won't be any church visiting in my life. I rarely go to funerals and weddings due to the religious malarkey that often is imposed upon the attendees.

4. Take the quiz: Are you prejudiced?

Totally inadequate quiz. First, the result:

You Are Not Prejudiced

Not only are you color blind, but you're also ethnicity blind, gender blind, and sexual orientation blind.
You don't judge someone until you truly know them. And even then, you're probably reluctant to judge.
You try to treat everyone equally. Everyone has a fair chance with you.
Good job - there's not a prejudiced bone in your body.

Are You Prejudiced?

Not one question asked about religion or philosophy. Had there been even one, I'd go zooming off the chart as a rabid, foaming, profoundly prejudiced against all things religious. Short-sighted git that wrote THAT quiz, eh?

No, I really could not care any less about one's race, accent, dating habits, sexual orientation (pro, con, asexual, swinger – who cares?) But I'm a bull with the red flag of religion. Believe what you want, but keep your mouth shut and DO NOT ACT ON ANY OF THE TENETS OF YOUR RELIGION IN MY PRESENCE.

I just might shoot your ass if you try. And that, my friends, is why I gave myself the rating I did in question 1.

5. You lose a big promotion to someone who you considered to be less qualified than you are, despite the fact that you are only going by instinct in making that determination. If your boss later pulls you aside and explains that because of a growing effort to promote diversity, the other person was selected over you. What would your first reaction likely be?

Fine, but did it have to be at MY expense?

6. Your car breaks down in a neighborhood in which everyone is of a different race than you: are you more likely to be uncomfortable?

Depends – can they fix my car? Or am I going to have to walk my tired ass some 25 blocks to a Mexican mechanic who can? ;)

Sunday, August 19, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six -- Episode 174

Karma. It’s a royal pain the rear sometimes. (How’s that for putting it nicely?) Unless you don’t believe in it, in which case it’s just a weird-looking word.

That’s the topic of this week’s questions, in case you hadn’t guessed.

Before this week’s questions, Otowi of “Otowi” was first to play last week. Congratulations!

1. What is the most unlucky thing that has happened to you all week? Fell down some steps and sprained my knee.

2. Do bad things happen more often to good people or bad people? I'd wager there's more “good people” than “bad people” in the world, so the preponderance of “bad things” must, therefore, happen to “good people.”

3. How much do you believe that you can improve your outlook in life (from a “fate” perspective) by doing good deeds and correcting past wrongs? Not being a “believer” I must conclude, “Not at all.”

4. Take the quiz: What will happen to you in the future? Stupid Quiz Alert. I am average. My friends are average. My future is average with a downward trend. Life sucks – go eat worms...

The Quiz of Luck - What Will Happen In Your Future?

Hello average (wo)man. Your future looks not good but not bad. You will have an average job. This job will seem average or good to everybody, but I am afraid that that is the best that I could tell you. If this stuff you are reading is wacko to you, please ignore it and read all possible answers and just pick one you like and take it for yourself. Do not feel disappointed if the stuff you are going to read right now is going to disappoint you. The college you went to or is going to go to was or is going to be above average, and it is known. If you tell somebody that you went to that college at that time they would say that it was good and they have heard of it. You have a number of people that are your friends Not too much and not too little. You may have heard of the word average right? Yes, that is the number of friends you have. I sure hope you have a happy life right now because you will go WEEEEEEEEE down. When you are older, adults and mostly kids will make fun of the baldness of your head even if you are a woman. Sorry. I knew that you were relieved for a moment but too bad now. It seems like you wont ever want to go out because kids will make fun of you. The good thing is that you will have the energy/strength to walk, but you wished that you didnt so you wouldnt have to go out. Sorry little (wo)man. Youll be stuck in a hospital after all of that happens. Youll die when you are 94. You wanted to commit suicide when you were about 92 the year you went to the hospital. How weird. Youll die on your birthday, too. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

5. Do you believe in fate, coincidence, or both? Coincidence, “an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental,” according to the dictionary, I can accept, tenuously, although I place most of the emphasis on “accidental” rather than “fate” or intentional happenstance.

6. Overall, when “bad things” happen, how often do you believe the victim generally “had it coming?” That'd depend entirely on my personal feelings about said individual. Insomuch as I acknowledge no intentional causative force by being or beings unknown, it really can't be said they had “it” coming, going or igniting the New York Times, now can “it”?

Want to play along, Bunky? Want a clean copy of the questions? Never done this before? Just click on the “Saturday Six” banner above. Follow the directions. Don't forget to wear your galoshes...

Saturday, August 11, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 173

Patrick removed his head from the video editor long enough to observe, “I don’t know about anyone else, but with temperatures hovering around 100 for the past week, with heat indices topping out around 118°, I‘m ready for wintertime.”

“I stop short of pointing to “global warming” for this immediate bout of hot weather, since it is August and summer. If you can’t expect unreasonably warm, even uncomfortable weather at this time of the year, then you’ve missed a memo.”

“Before this week’s questions, BookGal of “Books, Memes and Musings” was first to play last week. Congratulations, BookGal!”

1. What is your favorite flavor of chicken wings? How many do you generally order at a time? Tyson's Honey Barbecue are what I get most often. I buy them by the 2 pound bag, there's about three dozen to a bag. I also buy a quart jar of Lighthouse Chunky Bleu Cheese dressing to go with them.

2. How often do you check out a restaurant’s nutrition information before going there to have dinner? Almost never, unless there's a really long wait in line and I have nothing else to read.

3. If you have ever done so, what was your biggest surprise in reading the calorie or fat counts? The actual size of “servings” used to calculate these percentages bear no resemblance to real world practices.

4. Take the quiz: What does your pizza say about you? Warning – pretentious twaddle alert – some twenty-something, wet behind the ears has crafted a bullshit quiz about pizza pie.

What Your Pizza Reveals

Your appetite is pretty average. You don't go overboard - but you don't deprive yourself either.

You aren't particularly picky about pizza. It's so good... how could you be? You fit in best in the Western part of the US.

You like food that's traditional and well crafted. You aren't impressed with "gourmet" foods.

You are dependable, loyal, and conservative with your choices.

You are cultured and intellectual. You should consider traveling to Vienna.

The stereotype that best fits you is emo. You think you're special... and you kind of are.

What Does Your Pizza Say About You?

5. What style of food do you think is generally served at what you’d consider the most romantic of restaurants? A confused, romanticized take on true French cuisine. I have a general aversion to such places – pretentious and silly. The Michelin star restaurants I am familiar with bear no resemblance to the bullshit that passes as romantic here in the USA.

6. What type of food would you be likely to sample first: food that is hot and spicy or food that is more mellow but has a richer taste? I'll sample the hot and spicy first on general impulse and then the more complex offerings after I've jolted the system awake.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

I read a post from a local blogger here in Charleston who asked about a common, albeit improper practice that some believe is supposed to make their credit card more protected from identity theft. That got me to thinking about this week’s question.

But first, Otowi of “Otowi,” was first to play last week. That was appropriate enough, since Otowi also provided last week’s Reader’s Choice Question! Congratulations!

1. If you had to leave your job on Monday, how confident would you feel that you could get another job paying close to the same amount quickly? From personal experience – unless willing to relocate to forsaken parts of the country, not bloody likely.

2. How many different employers have you worked for over the years? About twenty

3. Consider the employer you worked for the longest: how big of a factor was money in determining why you left or would consider leaving that employer? Not a factor at all.

4. Take the quiz: How good are you with money?
Without the quiz, from personal experience -- not very good at all. The quiz has unrealistic expectations – for instance, question 2 about a European vacation. Noticeably absent is a choice not to go nor incur the debt. Likewise when it comes to buying a house. Why not forgo the debt and live under a bridge? Or buy a much smaller house? The questions presume you MUST enter into debt. Bah humbug!

You Are Okay With Money

You're about average with money, which means you probably don't have a lot of it.
Your instincts tell you to stay out of debt and spend wisely...
But you don't always listen to your instincts!
With a little more effort, you could have a nice little nest egg. You just have to control your spending.

Are You Good With Money?

5. When is the last time you actually were told what your credit score actually is? Many moons ago. I have no credit to speak of.

6. Do you think that learning what your score would be would be likely to make you change anything you’re doing with money? Nope. Poverty dictates what I do with money, not arbitrary ratings.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six -- Episode 171

It appears below that Patrick has been hitting the copier fluid again. That, or I've just committed bigamy and married Otowi. Hell, even my real wife hasn't got access to my blog! I must have gone balmy in regards to Otowi, eh, what? See for yourself:

I received a comment this week from one of our regular players who suggested a good quiz that could serve as one of this week’s questions. If you’d like to ask a question here, drop me a line!

But first, Otowi of “The Daily Snooze,” was first to play last week. Congratulations, Otowi!

1. If you could forever save one kind of animal, besides human beings, from extinction, which would you choose and why? Dolphins. Because we need an intelligent, social creature to rule the seas.

2. If you could make a pet out of a wild animal (and could guarantee that it wouldn’t go “wild,” which would you choose and why? I'd like a wolf or two to join my pack...I've always felt a strong attraction to wolves and all canids – even the hyenas.

3. Have you ever believed in the concept of “guardian angels” or “spirit animals”? Which of the two do you think are more likely to be real? No. Neither.

4. READER’S CHOICE QUESTION #97 from Otowi: Take the quiz: What is your spirit animal?

Stupid Quiz Alert. The quiz writer has slanted the ratings so that only deists and other believers in woo can score as honorable or possessing nobility – thus rendering the quiz invalid. I was ranked a Chipmunk.

5. How accurately does your spirit animal’s description fit your personality? Not in the least.

6. If you could make a pet out of your spirit animal, would you want it? No, I don't like rodents as pets. They are vermin which serve as food for other things, in my book.

If you choose to play along, click the banner up above to get a clean copy of the questions and to leave a link to your answers.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 170 - School Daze

Patrick has a new pet peeve this week:

“The annoying emails from services like Classmates.com, which seemed like such a good idea when I first signed up, still come in. “Hey, Patrick, 7 new people did searches for your name.” “Hey, Patrick, 3 new people signed up from your graduating class.”

Of course, the people who searched for my name were looking for a different Patrick, and the 3 new people who signed up as being part of my class are people I’ve never heard of. And I venture to guess that if I break out the old yearbooks, there’d be no mention of them.

And I can’t find out any specifics without paying their monthly membership fee, which is outrageous for what you get.

Anyway, as you might have guessed, this week’s questions may have something to do with high school.

But first, Otowi of “Otowi” was first to play last week. Congratulations!

1. Think about your best friend in high school: how long has it been since you’ve seen him? I think it was 1978 or so. Can't really recall at this point. I recently got back in touch via email.

2. Think of the last time you saw more than one of your high school classmates together at the same time: how did you happen to run into each other? Since I left after graduation, that has never happened. I don't travel in the same social or economic circles they tend to be in.

3. How many of your teachers do you think you would love to visit in person after all the years since you graduated, just to talk about having them as a teacher and catch up: one or two, three to five, five to ten, or more than ten? None. The only teacher I had any feelings for passed away many years ago.

4. Take the quiz: Could you pass high school? These days? I'd probably squeak by. It's been a long time, so I'd want to bone up for the GED before taking it. The quiz, not a representative group of questions, thinks I'd do alright. For the record, I average a B- in my senior year. Not so good, prior to that. I was never a big fan of academia. I could do the work, for the most part, but only excelled when I was truly interested in the subject matter.

You Passed High School with an B

You have the brains of a high school graduate... at least!

Could You Pass High School?

5. What was the best lunch food your high school served? I was fond of their Swiss Steak with onions, gravy and mashed potatoes.

6. Did you participate in any extra-curricular activities in high school, like sports, band, etc? If so, how many? A few, I was on the newspaper, the yearbook, camera club, and I played soccer for a short while until injured. We didn't have a band and I was never an athlete nor all that competitive, truth be told.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 169

Patrick seems to be having the time of his life. Witness these comments he made this week, introducing this episode of the Saturday Six: “Recently, Steven Colbert, of Comedy Central fame, visited his old stamping grounds of Charleston. Colbert was honored by ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s with a flavor created in his honor. “AmeriCone Dream” is a mixture of vanilla ice cream, fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl.”

“Just recently, another Lowcountry resident won a national contest to create her own flavor of Blue Bell Ice Cream. Jae Hegley’s “Southern Hospitality,” features vanilla swirled with pineapple, roasted pecans and a strawberry swirl.”

“Ice cream — and desserts in general — becomes the subject of this week’s questions!”

“But first, Wil of “The Daily Snooze” was first to play last week. Congratulations, Wil!” (Yeah, ME!)

1. What is your absolute favorite dessert? A lemon cheesecake that my first wife used to make. Unlike regular cheesecake, this filling was as light as a feather and simply burst with the flavor of Meyer Lemons.

2. When is the last time you had it? Let's see. We got divorced in 1985 and had been separated for a little over a year. So sometime in 1983, for sure.

3. If you had to give up one of the following for life: cookies, cake, ice cream, pie, or chocolate, which would you choose never to try again? Cookies. I'd miss them, but I'd survive. Whereas, life without chocolate isn't really living, now is it?

4. Take the quiz: What flavor of ice cream are you?

You Are Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

You are kind, popular, and generous.
You tend to be successful at anything you try.
A social butterfly, you are great at entertaining a crowd.

You are most compatible with strawberry ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Not even close, I might add. Although, I do like Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

5. If you attempted to make the dessert you like best, how well do you think it would turn out? I have tried, several times. I don't have the knack. 'Barely edible' would best describe my most brilliant recreation.

6. If you were going to invent your own flavor of ice cream to be carried by a company like Ben & Jerry’s, what ingredients would you require? Hmmm, let's see. Jim Beam Bourbon whiskey, raisins, roasted pecans, cream, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and M&M's chocolate candies. With a vanilla ice cream base, it's a “Rocky Road meets Bo and Luke Duke on a back road” kind of treat. Let's call it “Kentucky Moonshine Rock Slide”, shall we? We'll sell millions of gallons of the stuff to alkies alone!