Sunday, September 30, 2007

MEME: Sunday Seven - Episode 109

It’s 25 Comments Day, so I thought this week’s question should at least relate to that.

(No, I haven’t done mine, yet…but I will!)

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

On to this week’s question!

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name seven blogs on which you last left comments. -- Links are available in My Blogroll on the lefthand column.

  1. Just Dot Christina

  2. Dribble by Chuck Ferris

  3. So, this is a treadmill...

  4. Cyber Chocolate By Shelly

  5. From Engineer To Lawyer

  6. Messages from Mâvarin

  7. Unhinged

John M. Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #185: Bad Clothes! Bad!

Weekend Assignment #185: What's the worst clothing ensemble you can recall wearing? I expect we'll get a lot of bridesmaid and prom night nightmares in this one, but anything's up for grabs, and in deed, if it was something you thought was fashionable at the time and now have come to regret, so much the better. Confess! You'll feel better.

Extra Credit: Are you kidding? Pictures, people!

Dear John,

Short and sweet – you're out of town, fighting a wonky hotel wifi. My mother had the obnoxious habit of dressing my two brothers and I in matching outfits whenever my grandmother was visiting. While I have no pictures to document this travesty, I recall a truly horrendous sailor's suit, with bib overall front shirt, bell bottom pants and red bow ties. Hideous.

If I ever hear of you and Krissy perpetrating such an outrage upon Athena, you'll be expunged from my Christmas list. For real.

wil


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!

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. 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.


MEME: Unconscious Mutterings -- Week 243

Words Posted 9 hours, 17 minutes ago

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

  1. Crook :: Scoundrel

  2. Career :: failure

  3. Freckles :: red-head

  4. Scramble :: Rally

  5. Mistake :: Costly

  6. Telephone :: bill

  7. Thank you :: notes

  8. Obstruction :: temporary

  9. 24/7 :: Open

  10. SciFi :: Author

Do the clickety thing on the title to be swept away to a place of serenity where you, too, can find blank words to trigger your imagination.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

This Bird Walks Into A Shop...

A seagull in Scotland has developed the habit of stealing chips from a neighbourhood shop.

The seagull waits until the shopkeeper isn't looking, and then walks into the store and grabs a snack-size bag of cheese Doritos.

Once outside, the bag gets ripped open and shared by other birds.

The seagulls shoplifting started early this month when he first swooped into the store in Aberdeen , Scotland , and helped himself to a bag of chips. Since then, he's become a regular. He always takes the same type of chips.

Customers have begun paying for the seagulls stolen bags of chips because they think its so funny.


US States I've Visited (so far)



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

MEME: Wednesday Mind Hump – A Capitalist Tool



Greetings, humpers! Today is Tool Day on the Mind Hump. Tools are all around us, so tell me your favorite or most used . . .

1. Kitchen tool – It's a toss-up between a can opener and a cast iron frypan.
2. Computer/internet tool – Google, no question.
3. Relaxation tool – The TV, with music via stereo a close second.
4. Organizational tool – Paper and pencil to create a “list”.
5. "Tool" tool (things you'd buy at a hardware store). -- Measuring tape, and if that isn't 'toolish' enough for you, screwdrivers.

Click the picture to get to a place where you can acquire the latest Mind Hump questions and leave a link to your answers.


Monday, September 24, 2007

MEME: Monday Music Mambo


Rfduck must be a busy fellow these days. Note the short intro this week:

Hello everyone! Today is Kiss Day on the Mambo, so pucker up and name me . . .

1. A KISS (the band) song.
“Psycho Circus” was their only International #1 hit.
2. A song with the word 'kiss' in the title.
“Besame Mucho” as sung by Andrea Bocelli (a 1940's Mexican tune, btw), “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” by U2 come to mind, too.
3. A song performed/sung by someone you want to kiss.

Well, Nora Jones would be one of those. Another would be Maria Muldaur. Thirdly, I've had the hots for Janis Ian since she was 17...

MEME: Sunday Seven - Episode 108

This week I updated the look of this blog and the graphics for the Saturday Six and Sunday Seven. It took me several weeks of searching to find a template that I liked and felt would be relatively easy to customize.

But I had to search through a lot of blog themes. And that got me thinking about what makes some themes better than others. Some have lots of extra features, some are bare-bones. But what if you had the chance to work with a theme designer to build your own “perfect” theme? What would you require?

That’s this week’s topic.

Before first, Kelly, of “In My Opinion,” was also first to play last week. Congratulations, Kelly!

On to this week’s question!

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name seven “must haves” for your ideal blog design.

  1. Ease of amendment.

  2. A bloglist

  3. A weather widgit

  4. A comment system that works

  5. A music or video widget

  6. RSS and atom feeds

  7. CSS templates that are adequately commented by their creators so dummies like me can figure them out

    Click the title above to get yourself a blank question and the venue to leave a link to your answers. That is all.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

MEME: Unconscious Mutterings - Week 242


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.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Week 242

3 hours, 47 minutes ago

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

  1. Singles :: bar

  2. Blaze :: Orange

  3. Sandwich :: Shoppe

  4. Outside :: Magazine

  5. Gooey :: Cinnamon Buns

  6. Industry :: Mogul

  7. Exclusive :: Contract

  8. Warranty :: Forfeiture

  9. Magical :: Beans

  10. Heels :: Manolos

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!

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 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.


Saturday, September 22, 2007

John M. Scalzi's Weekend Assigment #184: From the Top of Mount TBR

Anyone who does a lot of reading know about "Mount TBR": That's the pile of books you have just waiting To Be Read -- the books you want to get to, but haven't yet. This brings us to this week's Weekend Assignment:

Weekend Assignment #184: What books do you want to read - but haven't yet? These could be new books, classic books you've just not gotten around to, books you've bought but haven't cracked the spines of, or a book you want to get but for some reason haven't. The salient characteristic is that you want to read it, but just haven't yet.

Extra credit: Do you usually prefer the book or the movie?

Dear John,

While nowhere near as popular as you on oh, so many levels, I still manage a formidable TBR , in my case, list, as I am too poverty-ridden to be able to purchase too many books ahead. Still, there are a few.

Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series, Books 3,4,5 and 7 – I've actually acquired these, after reading Book 6, Thin Air, which I'd picked up off the rack at Wal-Mart and loved from the beginning.

Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars Revised & Updated

The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution (Both recommended by several PWD's I trust)

Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan

You Don't Love Me Yet: A Novel by Jonathan Lethem

Hell's Belles (Hell On Earth: Book 1) by Jackie Kessler

Twilight (Twilight, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer

Magic or Madness (Magic or Madness Trilogy) by Justine Larbalestier

Pretties (Uglies Trilogy, Book 2) by Scott Westerfeld

Peeps (Bccb Blue Ribbon Fiction Books (Awards)) by Scott Westerfeld

The Pacific Between by Raymond K. Wong

Deadly Errors by Allen Wyler

End in Fire (Roc Science Fiction) by Syne Mitchell

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith by Cordwainer Smith

Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith

The Crazy Years: Reflections of a Science Fiction Original by Spider Robinson

The Counterfeit Heinlein (Gerald Knave Science Fiction Novels) by Laurence M. Janifer

The Robert Heinlein Interview and Other Heinleiniana by J. Neil Schulman

Fat White Vampire Blues by Andrew Fox

Paddling in Paradise: Sea Kayaking Adventures in Atlantic Canada by Alison Hughes

Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak: One Woman's Journey Through the North West Passage by Victoria Jason

And that's just the books on my Amazon “Wish List”... there are many magazines, catalogs, newsletters and the like that weren't included but are amongst the daily or weekly "must read" piles.

Have a great weekend. All my love to your lovely wife and daughter. Good luck on your progress towards meeting the dread deadlines. I feel for you ... or is that just my iced tea glass I'm feeling for?

wil

Post Scriptus: I almost always prefer the book over a movie made therefrom. However, in the (thankfully rare) case of books made from movies, I have found the books to be sadly lacking. Little more than screenplays stripped of the script formating.

[AUTHOR NOTE: Just click on the link at the top to get a blank copy of this week's question and to have the link to the venue where you post your link to your answers. Don't post it here as only the rarest of cognoscenti ever read the Weekend Assignment here. Too much of an acquired taste, I fear. Something like stewed Monkey's Balls, I'm told...]

Friday, September 21, 2007

MEME: Friday Fill-In #38

fridayfillin.gif

1. I think _therefore I am_.
2. I desire _breakfast_.
3. What if _we say we did, but then don't really do anything_?
4. The best thing about _life is chocolate_.
5. When will _it ever end?_
6. The best thing that happened to me so far this week _was the check cleared_.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _some peace and quiet_, tomorrow my plans include _undecided_ and Sunday, I want to _watch the race_!

Sleeping Arrangements

Here's a new joke from this morning's mailbag:

Sleeping Arrangements

A man and a woman who had never met before, but were both married to other people, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train. Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly ... him in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1:00 AM, the man leaned over and gently woke the woman saying, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold.

I have a better idea,” she replied. “Just for tonight, let's just pretend that we're married.”

Wow! That's a great idea!” he exclaimed!

Good,” she replied... “Get your own fucking blanket.”

After a stunned moment of silence, he farted.

Monday, September 17, 2007

SUNDAY MEMES

Unconscious Mutterings <--- click me to play along

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 16, 2007

Week 241

23 hours, 55 minutes ago

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

  1. Rita :: Skeeta

  2. Comedy :: of Errors

  3. Polar :: opposites

  4. Idiots :: thrive

  5. Perception :: altered

  6. Infected :: wounds

  7. Fake :: I.D.

  8. Relating :: storytelling

  9. Distraction :: Delightful

  10. Gamble :: life



Sunday Seven - Episode 107 <--- click me to play along

This week’s edition of the Sunday Seven is fairly basic. So basic, in fact, that there’s no real introduction necessary.

But I will offer this website, that might inspire you to find your answers a little easier.

Before the question, Karen, of “A Georgia Angel,” who played for the first time last week, was also first to play last week. Congratulations and welcome, Karen!

On to this week’s question!

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name your seven favorite jelly bean flavors.

  1. Licorice

  2. Baked Beans

  3. cherry

  4. lemon

  5. tutti-fruiti

  6. bubble gum

  7. cinnamon



John M. Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #183: Make a Poll <--- click me to play along


Weekend Assignment #183: Make up a poll for people to play with. The poll can be on any subject you want -- it can be serious or funny or silly or whatever (although funny's always, you know. Funny). If you're not on AOL Journals or for some reasons you don't want to use AOL's poll function, there are other poll options for your blog; here's one, for example.

Extra credit: Have you ever participated in a political poll?


Dear John,


Short and sweet – here's my poll. Do give my best regards to your personal Lord and the satellite unit. Keep them safe and happy and you will continue to reap the riches you've become accustomed to.


wil


P.S. Yes, I get hit up by the telephone pollsters frequently. I like to mess with their heads a bit...




Your title
What's your favorite season of the year?


Winter shivers me timbers!
Spring and my sap is rising!
Summertime and the living is easy!
Autumn's colorful leaves and it's a bit nipply, ain't it!
I like every day as it comes - no favorite.
I like Christmas - that's a season, isn't it?
I like pie -- to hell with the seasons.




Have yourself a great week!

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!

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. 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.


Friday, September 14, 2007

MEME: Friday Fill-In #37

fridayfillin.gif

1. Chips or chocolate? _Chocolate, for sure_.
2. Pickles on your hamburger?
_eh – take 'em or leave 'em, I don't really care one way or t'other_
3. Baked potato: with everything or
_sour cream or broccoli and bleu cheese sauce_.
4. The perfect meal
_doesn't exist but some come close_.
5. Martinis, wine, beer or
_iced tea (unsweetened)_.
6. Your favorite pirate is (technically not food, but still yummy):

.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to
_sleep_, tomorrow my plans include _the laundromat (washerteria for the Southerners amongst us)_ and Sunday, I want to _watch the race_!

You can play along, too, just by clicking on the title above to get a clean copy of the questions.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Send Melanie To The Hall Of Fame


Here's a worthwhile petition drive to request the induction of Melanie into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If you'd like to sign the petition, go to LetHerIn.org

Who is Melanie, you ask? Oh ye of little musical knowledge, you janey-come-lately, you. Give this a looksee and see if it doesn't ring a bell or two:




OK, so you are too young to have ever heard of her. So it goes. Still, these are her accomplishments and she is most deserving in many ways.


1). MELANIE HAS SOLD MORE THAN 80 MILLION RECORDS !

2). MELANIE'S "BRAND NEW KEY" WAS A #1 HIT IN THE U.S. ~ CANADA ~ SOUTH AFRICA ~and~ AUSTRALIA IN 1971 !

3). MELANIE WAS THE TOP SELLING RECORDING ARTIST IN THE WORLD IN 1971 !

4). MELANIE WAS AWARDED BILLBOARD'S #1 TOP FEMALE VOCALIST IN 1972 !

5). MELANIE WAS AWARDED TWO GOLD ALBUMS !

6). MELANIE WON AN EMMY IN 1989 FOR TELEVISION'S "BEAUTY & THE BEAST" !

7). MELANIE WAS THE FIRST SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST EVER TO APPEAR BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS !

8). MELANIE WAS THE FIRST SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST EVER TO APPEAR AT CARNEGIE HALL.

9). UNICEF APPOINTED MELANIE AS THEIR OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON AND AMBASSADOR IN 1972 !

10). MELANIE WAS THE FIRST SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST EVER TO APPEAR AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE !

11). MELANIE WAS THE FIRST SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST EVER TO APPEAR AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE !

12). MELANIE'S APPEARANCE AT THE 1969 WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL PROMPTED THE NOW COMMON PHENOMENON OF SIGNALING AN ARTIST FOR AN ENCORE BY HOLDING UP SOME FORM OF LIGHT: (Then it was with a candle, which emerged into lighters, now it's cell phones)! (The Song was "Candles In The Rain")

13). MELANIE WAS THE ONLY ARTIST TO BRAVE THE COURT INJUNCTION AND PERFORMED AT THE POWDER RIDGE ROCK FESTIVAL IN 1970 !

14). MELANIE WAS THE SECOND ARTIST (after The Beatles) TO HAVE THREE SEPARATE SINGLES ON BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S HOT 100 CHART AT THE SAME TIME <> ("BRAND NEW KEY", "RING THE LIVING BELL" ~and~ "THE NICKEL SONG") !

15). MELANIE WAS THE YOUNGEST FEMALE SOLO/POP/ROCK ARTIST TO SELL-OUT THE CONCERTAGEBOUW IN AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS !

16). MELANIE'S SONGS HAVE BEEN COVERED BY: CHER ~ DOLLY PARTON ~ MACY GRAY ~ THE NEW SEEKERS ~ RAY CHARLES ~ BILLIE JO SPEARS ~and~ MOTT THE HOOPLE !
There! I think I'm caught up. Except for John M. Scalzi's Weekend Assignment, whose time has come and gone, like an over-ripe Brie. All the rest for your delectation are up. I may even post the links to their respective sites one of these days, too.

Oops! I forgot Monday Madness - I'll squeeze that in where it belongs in a jiffy.

No excuse, really. Just my wife's days off and too much going on at home to be bothered with posting. Silly me, I forget how easy it is to get behind and then have to dig out of the big hole. Carpe Diam. Or Carpet We, um... Whatever!

MEME: Wednesday Mind Hump

RFDuck had this to say about that:

“Hello everyone! Today's theme is Video Game Day, but I suspect most of my readers don't play video games. So, instead, I'll choose a theme from some other day. The theme will be . . . 15 Minutes Of Fame Day!”

1. Have you ever been famous for anything? If so, what did you do to become famous?
No. I am a shy, retiring wallflower. No fame for me, no sirree!!
2. Have you ever met anyone famous?
Yes.
3. Are you related to anyone famous (anywhere on your family tree)?
Yep, Samuel Morse of “Morse Code” and an excellent portrait painter who went crazy from syphylis. He was a great-great uncle or something.
4. Whose 15 minutes of fame should be taken away? Paris Hilton.

You can get a spanking clean set of questions for your very own and a place to leave your answers or a link thereto right here at Blogdrive Insanity.

MEME: Monday Music Mambo – We Don't Need No Steenken Ideas

Mememeister RFDuck is on a roll: “Hello mamboers! Today is Ideas Day. We just did something like that! So let's talk about the blues:”

1. Who is your favorite blues guitarist?
Hmm – it's a toss-up between Jeff Beck, Muddy Waters and B.B. King.
2. What is your favorite blues song?
The Irish Blues
3. What gives you the blues?

Lots of things – I'm one of those dumb German-Irish slobs who is too sensitive for his own good.

Get your own copy of the week's questions and leave a link to your answers at Blogdrive Insanity.

MEME: Monday Madness



Mistress Otto has been dealing with her weird offspring and things have just gone to hell in a hand basket around the Monday Madness Bordello and Barbershop lately. Here's what she has to say THIS week:


Since around here, school has just begun again after summer vacation, my questions this week will be based on school and education... Thanks for playing and I hope you all have a great week! =)

1. Do you have children in school? No, our kids are all grown up with families of their own.
2. Are YOU currently in school (any level)? Nope, not this year. I sometimes take a class to keep my brain working. ;)
3. Did you (or your children) attend a public or private school? Public school.
4. As far as formal education, what level have you completed? Some college and extensive self-directed study beyond college. I'm somewhere close to a doctorate level these days, if my education were to be judged in light of academic levels. In reality, all I can point to is a high school diploma.
5. Do you, or did you have loans out for your (or your children's) education? No, that was a personal choice each child made on their own and for which they're entirely responsible (thank goodness for pointy heads!) I, on the other hand, worked my way through three years of college and have paid for all additional courses taken over the years. Working to pay for college really isn't an option with tuitions what they are today, sad to say.
6. What are your thoughts on the cost of tuition for colleges and universities?
It is sadly out of reach of most deserving students and the situation is worsening. I really wouldn't be surprised to see a return to the elitism of the past, driven by the widening gulf between the haves and the have-nots.

MEME: Sunday Seven - Episode 106

Have you ever listened to someone play music and think to yourself how much you wish you had the same talent? Maybe you do. I don’t.

You’ve heard the old saying about not being able to carry a tune with a bucket? For me, I couldn’t carry one in a wheelbarrow.

But I guess that’s no reason to complain, since it is fueling a question for this week’s edition!

But first, Tina, of “Refine Me,” who played for the first time last week, was also first to play last week. Congratulations and welcome, Tina!

On to this week’s question!

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name the seven musical instruments you most wish you could play.

  1. Piano

  2. Guitar

  3. Violin (both classical/concert and bluegrass “fiddle”)

  4. Flute

  5. Tenor Sax (jazz)

  6. Bass

  7. Harmonica

I, too, can't play a tune in a barrel with the whole of a blues band backing me ... And so it goes.

MEME: Unconcious Mutterings -- Week 240

Sorry I'm late this week. So it goes...

3 days, 18 hours, 33 minutes ago

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

  1. Dork :: Bob (a friend who used the word incessantly)

  2. Refurbished :: badly damaged

  3. Basket :: case

  4. Mousse :: Chocolate

  5. Studio :: 8

  6. 8 ball :: Scratch

  7. Masking tape :: painting

  8. Love :: overused

  9. Wilder :: Davis

  10. Lindsey :: Mayor

Go visit La Luna Niña for a copy of the words and a link location, ok?

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!

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 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).

Friday, September 07, 2007

MEME: Friday Fill-In #36

By Janet on Friday Fill-In

fridayfillin.gif

1. I admire _those who stand defiant in the face of overwhelming odds_.
2. I crave _cigarettes and bourbon_.
3. I dislike _religion_.
4. I enjoy _fresh melon, cut warm in the field_.
5. I wonder _when it will happen_.
6. I want _oh yes, I want... _.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _sleep_, tomorrow my plans include _hanging out at the lake_ and Sunday, I want to _get something accomplished – I'm just not sure what_!

Do the clickity on the radio button up there to acquire a clean copy of the questions and leave a link there to your answers so we all can enjoy them. Ciao!

Death of a Lady

This shows you just how out of touch I am with the real world. Seems the "Fruitcake Lady" passed away months ago and I didn't even know. A woman after my own heart. Keep Miss Puss clean, y'hear y'all?



95-year-old Marie Rudisill, known as "the fruitcake lady" on regular segments of Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show." She was indeed the aunt in Alabama who raised Capote, and the woman he wrote about in his famous story, "A Christmas Memory." After Rudisill was featured as a guest in December 2000 on Leno's show, demonstrating to the host and actor Mel Gibson how to make fruitcake, she was asked to appear in regular segments beginning in 2002 called "Ask the Fruitcake Lady."

It's with sadness that I report Rudisill died in Hudson, Fla, last November, just before the publication date of her latest book "Ask the Fruitcake Lady: Everything You Would Already Know If You Had Any Sense" (2006 Hyperion Press $14.95), which was released on Nov. 7. -- BY PHILIP POTEMPA, nwi.com

Thursday, September 06, 2007


Luciano Pavarotti
October 12, 1935 - September 6, 2007

We have lost one of the world's greatest tenors and a delightfully warmhearted bear of a man. Few approach life with the gentle gusto Luciano did; fewer, still, risked heart and soul to love as he chose to love. We are all richer for his existence and instantly poorer upon his death.

REST IN PEACE

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Rubiks Cube Generator

As seen on the J-Walk Blog:


Rubiks Cube Generator

MEME: Wednesday Mind Hump – What's The Bright Idea?



Once again, RFDuck, intrepid mememeister and musicologist to the stars, has failed to fire a synapse or two. See what I mean:

“Greetings, mind humpers! Today's theme (Be Late Day) is lame, so let's go with yesterday's theme - Bright Idea Day. Today's meme is really simple. Just . . .”

Tell us your bright idea.

Hrumph.

As if a “bright idea” has ever emerged fully formed and able to be articulated from these neurons! Not bloody likely, that.

Even assuming I was capable of such a feat, who in his right mind would share such a thing without having patented it first?

I'm still waiting for “cold fusion” and the “hundred miles to the gallon carburetor” to make their appearance. And they're both patented. As is the Roomba, which can't navigate it's way out of anything but a nearly empty room. Introduce it to a real room with real obstacles and it can't scurry back to it's charging base fast enough.

Alright, enough stalling. My bright idea is...

Last one out, turn off the lights.”



Want to play along? Everything you need to know is to be found at Blogdrive Insanity.



Tuesday, September 04, 2007

This 'n' That

I had a quiet weekend. Spent most of Saturday on the road with SWMBO on a quest to look at a camper trailer we might buy - it was just what I wanted, but the owner is asking almost double what the NADA Blue Book says it is worth, so doubtful that it'll become ours -- too expensive.

Sunday I hung out at camp after taking the better half to work. Just enjoyed the cooler temps at the lake.

Monday, I went to camp after dropping my wife off at work, watched the boats go by, soaked up a little Vitamin D, made a Cajun-spiced salmon fillet and some rock shrimp on the barbie for supper, watched the sun set and hightailed it back home before the skeeters could carry me away. Part of the afternoon was spent in the company of a Bald Eagle who was hanging out in the tall pine over by my old camp hunting for fish and terrorizing the area squirrels, woodpeckers, ducks, Canada geese and the loons, from the sounds of the protests I heard over the afternoon. I was afraid the sound of a car door slamming would drive him away, so couldn't get the camera from the moosemobile.

Dad to say, it appears that Bush and Company aren't satisfied with fucking up things in Iraq. With the continued ratcheting-up of the rhetoric over the weekend and yesterday in Iraq by Bush and Cheney, it appears they really are going to provoke a war with Iran. Assholes, every last one of them. They simply refuse to learn from their mistakes...

I hope y'all had a good weekend and the return to work wasn't too traumatic this morning. I'm off to visit Bar Harbor tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you.

Really.

Monday, September 03, 2007

John M. Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #181: Two Truths, One Lie Redux

The Assignment:

Weekend Assignment #181: Present three facts about yourself. Have two of them be true. Have one of them be false. Encourage people to guess which one is the false one. When do you reveal the false one? On Monday, in a new entry (I'll be linking to your original post). You'll get two visits for the price of one!

The Reveal: Number 3. was the lie. Rest assured I am not going in for a heart transplant (after all, I haven't got a heart, what would I do with one now?) nor am I dying (at least no faster than I was anyways). Thanks for your concern, though, it is touching. And to anyone I did worry, my sincere apology - it was all in good fun.

Click the link above at the original entry to see a whole bunch of these -- some are quite amusing.

Labor Day Humor for 2007

For many years it was customary for workers to rally on Labor Day to commemorate the sacrifices made by previous generations viz. Big Business and the rights they'd wrested therefrom. Often, the politicos, particularly candidates for national election, would take the time to get in touch with their labor base, make some speeches, do a little campaigning, eat a rubber chicken or two - you get the idea. In that vein, I offer the following for your consideration:

A man walked into a very high-tech restaurant in a fancy hotel. As he waited to be seated, he noticed that the Maitre D' was a robot. The robot clicked to attention and said, "Sir, there is a one hour wait. And I am programmed to converse with you until a table is ready, If you please."

Intrigued, the man said, "OK."

The robot clicked a couple more times and then asked,Sir, what is your IQ?"

The man answered, "Oh, about 164."

The robot then proceeded to discuss the theory of relativity, Interstellar space travel, the latest medical breakthroughs, etc.

The man was most impressed. The next day he returned, But thought he would try a different tack.

The robot again asked, "What is your IQ, sir?" This time the man answered, "Oh, about 100".

So the robot started discussing NASCAR racing, the latest baseball scores, and what to expect the Red Sox to do this weekend.

The guy had to try it one more time. So the next day he returned. Again the robot asked the question, "What is your IQ?"

This time the man drawled out, " Uh... 'bout 50."

The robot clicked, then leaned close and very slowly asked, "A-r-e y-o-u-r p-e-o-p-l-e g-o-i-n-g t-o n-o-m-i-n-a-t-e H-i-l-l-a-r-y?"

MEME: Monday Music Mambo – Musical Mayhem


Our mememeister, Rfduck, is either working on his fantasy football team roster or he got hit on the beak during a game of touch football. Either way, he's got the game on the brain...

“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to BDInsanity Bowl I. Today is Football Day! Hut-Hut-HUT!”

1. The quarterback is the most important player on a football team. He controls the action, and the responsibility for the team's success is on his shoulders. Which musician is your choice for musical QB?
Bob Dylan and Paul Simon both come to mind. They both know intuitively how they want the song to look, sound and feel for the audience – always. They're uncompromising and yet musicians would often willingly give their left foot (except drummers) for the right to perform for them.
2. What album scores a touchdown for you (i.e. it's just the best)?
Modern Times is doing it for me right now.
3. What song needs a game ejection?
There are simply too many to count. Fortunately, the marketplace is a great leveler in that regards – poor songs quickly sink to their appropriate level. Except rap and hip hop, which haven't an appropriate level to begin with...
4. Football is about intense, bone-crushing excitement. What song or artist gives you that same feeling?
Hmmm, “Sympathy For The Devil” does it for me -- your mileage may vary, of course...




MEME: Sunday Seven - Episode 105



Patrick explains, “Sometimes, I’ll come up with a topic for the weekly Sunday Seven question far in advance, even making lists of potential questions for upcoming weeks. Then there are days like today, when something I’m doing at the moment inspires a quick and easy question.”

“But first, The Bluest Butterfly, of “A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Shop” was first to play last week. I’m pretty sure this is Butterfly’s first time at being first to play. Congratulations!”

“On to this week’s question!”

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name the designs, characters or messages depicted on your seven favorite coffee mugs.

  1. The University of Vermont seal

  2. Multiple moose fornicating in various positions

  3. United States Light House Service

  4. Dale Porter – Contractor

  5. One BBSCON

  6. A Dali-esque zoo drawing

  7. Blueberries – lots and lots of blueberries

There you have it – have a safe week. Look out for the rugrats, they're all going to be back in school this week and they are pretty stupid when it comes to looking before leaping into the road. Although, you'll get ten extra points if you can get their pregnant mother at the same time when they're in a crosswalk with a guard!

Sunday, September 02, 2007

MEME: Unconscious Mutterings -- Week 239

9 hours, 11 minutes ago

say ... and you think ... ?

  1. Scrabble :: game

  2. NyQuil :: cold dope

  3. Roadtrip :: California

  4. Idiot :: Savant

  5. Bandages :: treatments

  6. Series :: Concert

  7. Summer :: camping

  8. Prompt :: soonest

  9. September :: Morn

  10. Chicken :: fry

    Play along? Sure you can – just click the banner above to be whisked away from these low demesnes to a fantasy world where questions are answered and lists are available. Go ahead, you always had trouble resisting the flic of a Bic!