Sunday, January 01, 2006
1 day, 16 hours, 56 minutes ago
I say ... and you think ... ?
Celebrate:: Birthday
Resolve:: New Year's
I need to:: pay bills
Call:: waiting
Token:: white
Brand:: new
Comparison:: shop
Far away:: and long ago
Artful:: Dodger
Fantastic:: Four
Get your own word list and leave a link to the answers in your blog at La Luna Niña's web site. Joy will spread throughout your being and those annoying popcorn farts will slowly subside when you do.
Are New Year's Resolutions made to be broken? Perhaps.
While you ponder that issue, I want to send a pat on the back to Wil of "The Daily Snooze" was first to answer last week's question! Congratulations, Wil!
On to the challenge!
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Don't think of them as Resolutions. Think of them as Goals or even just "Things You'd Like." But list up to seven things you hope to accomplish before 2006 draws to a close.
Either answer the question in a comment 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.)
Things I'd Like (because we all know that resolutions rarely happen):
Lose some weight. Oh, a hundred pounds would be wonderful, but I'd settle for 50 or so...
Get this Diabetes thing under better control so i don't have to take four shots a day. Jabbing yourself with needles and lancets constantly gets old quickly.
Finally resolve this sleep thing to the point where I could go back to work. I do miss having an income.
I'd like to finish a book. I've started so many and none have been brought to fruition due to the fat they were utter crap. Still...
Get the roof repaired. Dodging drips sucks.
Get the model railroad layout design completed so I can start building the thing.
Complete a Last Will & Testament.
And what do YOU think you'd like to happen in 2006? Tell us about it in the comments at Patrick's Weekender or in your own blog. But do tell us. You'll be glad you did and that halitosis will evaporate with a puff of minty freshness ... or was that lemony goodness?
By Patrick
|
| ||
| Well, You Know What a Blog Is... | ||
|
You got 4/8 correct! But, truthfully, most blogs probably bore you. | ||
| How Much Do You Know About Blogging? Actually, I know quite a bit about the mechanics of blogging, but not being a teenager nor a Mommy, most blogs, indeed, don't attract me. Then again, I have a hard enough time keeping up with the ones I do like, so no worries, mate. | ||
Tick, tick, tick... time is running out on 2005, and as we look toward 2006, we have a few things we would like to achieve for ourselves in the new year. With that in mind, your (very timely) Weekend Assignment:
Weekend Assignment 92: Do you Have New Year's Resolutions for 2006? If so, share one (or more, if you like).
Extra Credit: How did you do on your resolutions for 2005?
You're up: Think about what resolutions you have for yourself for 2006, write them up in your blog or journal, and then come back here to leave a link. Good luck with you resolutions, whatever they are!
~~%~~
My personal resolution for 2006: I'm going to try to avoid dying this year ... more on that later.
I don't do resolutions very well. Otherwise, it might have been only 3.5 years of smoking, instead of three and a half decades.
On Domestic Tranquility: Like Monsieur Scazi, I desperately need organization. But to set it in type as a resolve? Let me put it this way – I'm already up to my ass in alligators. There's no way I want to be caught French kissing some ol' 25 footer come next New Year's!
On Personal Relationships: I need to start building the bench work for my train layout before the better half takes the Dremel tool in hand and whittles away on me a new one, if you catch my drift – she wants trains to play with!
On Domestic Harmony: The garage, cellar and attic need to be cleaned out, straightened up, and organized. So does every part of the house in between. This is just fact – not something I am proud of. Despite nearly seven years of marriage, SWMBO has failed to tame this old bear with furniture, doilies, or new dishes. I resolve to do better in 2006 in the Domestic Engineering Department.
On Mortality: My health is deteriorating rapidly, my driving is becoming faster and faster in this pell mell, helter skelter world, I haven't anyone available who can go kayaking when I can, so I am forced to go alone or forgo my chief pleasure in life, something I am unwilling to do (before you think me too selfish, I've already given up cigarettes, booze, and skirt chasing. The previously cited activities are all I have left. All are activities or situations fraught with peril and the potential for fatal consequences if mistakes are made. I do know the risks). So, as I indicated when I started this piece, I resolve to try to avoid dying this year. Not for me, but to avoid causing grief for others.
Finally, I resolve to be nicer to others this year. I'll try to use the signal before I cut them off. I'll only give a slowpoke two flashes of my “Halogen High Beams of Death” before passing on the inside of the curve, instead of simply “love tapping” them off the road and out of my way. I'll refrain from going for the extra points at the school crossing, letting the pregnant teacher waddle all the way back to within three feet of the curb instead of jack rabbiting the start after the last munchkin has stepped up to the sidewalk.
When I shoot two-legged reporters, Seventh Day Adventists and other annoyances that wake me from a sound sleep at 11 AM varmints, I resolve to try to go for a clean kill, rather than the messy stomach shot that so often leaves them writhing on the ground in agony for five or six minutes as they bleed out.
I'll try to be kinder and more tolerant of Democrats I may have dealings with; instead of always lighting the fuse to the dynamite without warning, I'll suggest they vacate the premises first.
I resolve to exercise greater restraint with the doctors, nurses and other “good health practitioners” I deal with. They can't help being pussies – it's genetic.
I'll belay that order for a new hood-mounted laser cannon for the Rolling Deathmobile of Doom. After all, the tourists do bring in significant economic benefits along with the total bullshit they serve up.
But, I refuse to be nice to all of the flaming asswipes driving around talking on real or imaginary cell phones. They're dead meat and I'm the cleaver!
Laser Cannon locked and loaded, all pigs ready to fly ... goodbye, 2005. So long and good riddance.
And so it goes...
In between dodging bullets and the slings and arrows inherent to the job of a TV advertising producer, intrepid Patrick has been exposing himself to mayhem on Virginia's roads during the holidays. Stuck in a massive tie-up on I-95, Patrick was heard to sputter...
“So last week I let Tuesday go by without even realizing it. This week, I'm making up for it with a double edition of the Tuesday Two.
First, though, it's time to recognize the person who was first to answer last week's special challenge edition. That distinction goes to Hoppers of "Hoppers Happenings." Congratulations!
The rules, for those of you who are visiting for the first time, are simple: I offer you two questions related to a single topic. Choose one question (and only one) and answer it in your blog and leave a link to your post in a comment here. (Or, you can simply choose your question and answer it entirely in a comment here.) Be sure to specify which question you're answering.
THIS WEEK'S FIRST TOPIC: CHRISTMAS AFTERMATH
Question A:
When is the last time you had to return or exchange a Christmas gift at a store, and how much of a hassle was doing it?
or
Question B:
Now that another Christmas is behind us, what holiday song will you be happiest to no longer have to hear for another eleven months?
THIS WEEK'S SECOND TOPIC: MONEY
Question A:
You see your worst enemy drop a $20 bill. Would you tell him or her, or would you quietly pocket the money.
or
Question B:
What is your own definition of being "rich" from a monetary standpoint?
Remember, pick question A or question B (and in this week's case, pick one question each from both topics). Don't answer all four questions!
Well, I'm running behind again, so am going for the fast and not-so-furious answers to be had by choosing “A” both times. In the first instance, I had to return a gift that I discovered was missing a crucial piece, rendering it unsuitable for giving to one of my wife's employees. So on Christmas Eve, about 3:00 PM, after dropping SWMBO off at her job, it was across town and over the river to the distant shopping center I went. The driving was miserable. There was light mist and the roads were getting icy. The store was packed. I stood in line and waited fifteen minutes. Arriving at the cashier I had to say “Whoa” as she attempted to scan the new item. I waved the receipt, showed her the old item and explained the problem. No problem for me – she waved me through. And then promptly put the defective item back on the shelf!
Second question is easy enough. I may hate your guts, but I know how hard it is sometimes to come up with $20. So regardless of the way I felt about them, if there is a direct connection between person A and Bill B, I will tell them they have dropped it.
Have a great week, peoples!
The day after Christmas, the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is better known as Boxing Day. The term may come from the opening of church poor boxes that day; maybe from the earthenware boxes with which boy apprentices collected money at the doors of their masters' clients.
Nowadays, we often see, in certain families, gifts (boxes) given to those who provide services throughout the year.
"Boxing Day" is listed in the Canada Labour Code as a holiday.
Image source: "Elaine's Boxing Day Page"
By Patrick
|
|
A small (1” square) glass paperweight with a pair of lovebirds laser-etched inside.
A gift subscription to Model Railroader magazine.
An antique 35mm range finder camera in need of TLC after going through a fire
Those were my xmas presents. Mostly, I'd had another year on this ball o' mud when that isn't always a sure thing, so am always glad to have it. Here's hoping you have had a great year and will continue to do so in future.
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.
I say ... and you think ... ?
Patrick blearily rose from his pallet, disentangling sheets, blankets, dogs and the odd (very odd!) remote control for the cable box to make his way to the loo to answer the frantic urgings of his bladder. On his way, he was heard to mutter:
“Wil of "The Daily Snooze" asked if he'd missed a note about this week's Tuesday Two being postponed. Until he asked, it had completely slipped my mind, which should give you an idea of the kind of week I've had. But, at least I remembered the Saturday Six!
“For those who'd like to join in on the fun, playing is simple: you can either answer the questions in this journal or you can answer them in your own blog and leave a link. It is strongly recommended that you answer the journals in your blog and post the link...since several of the people who are playing have relocated away from AOL, it's important that everyone knows where your new (or temporary) blogging homes are, so if you don't mind, leave a first name and your journal's link, just so we can find you easier!
“But before the questions, the tradition of the "Saturday Six" is to recognize the first one to play the week before. Carly, of "Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly" was the first person to play last week, which is especially appropriate since she had the Reader's Choice Question! 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. Which of the following generally costs you more: a normal trip to your barber/hairstylist, your usual lunch at your favorite restaurant, the most recent amount you paid to fill up your gas tank, or your biggest single contribution to a single charity in 2005?
I haven't seen a barber in almost two years. Back then it was costing $10 a pop. Lunch averages $8 plus tip in these parts. A fill-up yesterday was only $22 and my largest contribution to a single charity this year would go for many times the largest amount cited if sold on the open market.
2. What drink -- alcoholic or not -- do you drink entirely too much of?
Diet Soda. Decaf Diet Coke, to be specific. Although, I do drink a pot of decaf coffee most days, so the answer is a toss-up, actually.
3. Did you receive a Christmas card from anyone you didn't send one to? Did you send them a belated card in return?
I don't send cards, so all the cards received go unrequited. There were about a half dozen this year.
4. Take this quiz (if you haven't already!): What is most important in your life?
| Family is most important in your life. |
5. Before taking the quiz, which of its categories (career, love, money, health, family or fun) would you have said would be your answer?
Money & Work, about dead even.
Do you believe in soul mates? Do you think that there are at least one out there for every person, that there is a single "true" soul mate for every person, or that there aren't soul mates for everyone?
You have to believe in “souls” to believe in “soul mates” No, I don't believe in soul mates, although I do find that some people fit together more readily than others. In my opinion, it isn't a 1::1 ratio.
If you have a Reader's Choice question you'd like to see asked (and answered), click the e-mail link on the About Me bar at Patrick's Weekender and send it to him.
| Greed: | Medium | |
| Gluttony: | Medium | |
| Wrath: | Very High | |
| Sloth: | Medium | |
| Envy: | Medium | |
| Lust: | Medium | |
| Pride: | Medium |
| Things will get busy |
My entry:
Now here comes the Eve
that sorely tries men's souls:
“Some assembly required.”
Extra Credit (NOT!):
Freestyle verse has no rhyme nor reason,
save conveying emotion -- the feelings of the season.
So this holiday, be it Hanukkah, Kwanzaa,
Christmas or Yule,
May your dreams all be merry and your wishes come true.
Want to play along?
Just visit Blogmeister Johan Sebastian Scalzi's demesnes and copy the chore.
Then put it on your site and answer once more.
Leave a link in the comments or two or three,
or leave your responses, if no blog hath thee.
TAGGED
Shelly tagged me for this meme over on her Cyber Chocolate blog. Hmmm...
Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so (and since I suspect they're supposed to be links, I've restored them):
Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to so they can do this meme, like so:
What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was working 16-18 hour days as a Code Enforcement Officer and spending my off-time online in an AOL chat room.
What were you doing 1 year ago?
Same thing I do now – not much. I write, I read, I watch TV.
Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Chocolate – M&M's – Yummy! Forbidden!!
2. Pretzels
3. Cheese
4. Corn chips – Fritos! Fritos! Fritos!
5. Herring Bits and Onions in Sour Cream
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
None. I have a horrible memory for song lyrics. I used to use “crib sheets” when I sang in a folk group. It is embarrassing. Really.
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Officially retire (instead of this no-man's land I inhabit now).
2. Move to a warmer climate in the winter.
3. Buy or build a home on the Maine coast for summertime use.
4. Give some money to my family.
5. Give some money to people in need.
Five bad habits:
1. Chewing my beard.
2. Substituting food for emotions.
3. Driving aggressively.
4. Impatience.
5. Twiddling my thumbs during boring conversations.
Five things you like doing:
1. Paddling a kayak.
2. Eating.
3. Reading.
4. Sleeping.
5. Watching TV.
Five things you would never wear again:
1. Tails.
2. Gaucho boots.
3. Coat and tie on a daily basis.
4. Tie-dyed t-shirts
5. Speedos.
Five favorite toys:
1. My PC.
2. GPS.
3. Model trains.
4. Boats.
5. Table Saw.
You don't need to be tagged to play along. Just blame it on me...
| Solar X-rays: Geomagnetic Field: |
|
| adopt your own virtual pet! |
My blog is worth $34,436.94.
How much is your blog worth?
moon phases |
<>
Save the Planet
Kill
Yourself
Church
of Euthanasia
The One Commandment:
"Thou
shalt not procreate"
The Four Pillars:
suicide
· abortion
cannibalism
· sodomy
