MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 108

It's been a busy day already. I'm looking forward to a late afternoon nap! But before I go catch forty winks, I've left my usual six questions. But first...

Last week, though Belindin was first to leave a comment, Jude of "My Way" is technically the "first to play" according to the rules, which stipulate that to be considered "first to play," you must leave a complete link to the specific entry in which you answered the questions (or answer them in the comment itself). Congratulations, Jude.

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 do you feel you are most successful at conserving or recycling? What are you least successful at conserving or recycling?
Soda cans and bottles and old newspapers. Tin cans and other glass bottles – I really can't get that excited.
2. What's the most unusual piece of artwork in your home, and what drew you to it?
The most unusual is probably the kids drawings on the refrigerator – they have attached themselves to me over the years, rather than being picked out.
3. You lose a button on a shirt. Do you sew it back on yourself, give it to someone else to sew on, or trash the shirt?
They go into the roundtuit pile. If I really need the shirt, I sew a new button on, provided there's still a spare on the bottom of the placket.
4. Take the quiz: What Pattern is Your Brain?

Your Brain's Pattern

Structured and organized, you have a knack for thinking clearly. You are very logical - and you don't let your thoughts get polluted with emotions. And while your thoughts are pretty serious, they're anything from boring. It's minds like yours that have built the great cities of the world!

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

5. Have you learned how to swim? If so, how old were you when you learned, and when was the last time that you actually went swimming?
Yes, I swim and have since I was six months old. My last swim was last spring, in June while on vacation, in an indoor pool. It wasn't deep enough or long enough to do much more than soak and play with the kids, but it sufficed to keep the grandmonsters occupied in the evenings.

6. What's the last song you heard on a television show that you actually went out and bought?
It wasn't the song, it was the group. Blue Man Group, to be precise. 1997 – first appearance on The Tonight Show.

Have a great week, folks.

MEME: Unconcious Mutterings -- Week 170

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

1. Represent :: lawyer

2. Mumbling :: fools

3. Meetup :: blogmeet

4. Tantalizing :: smell

5. Fake :: nails

6. Dale :: Carnegie

7. Deny :: -ability

8. Calories :: count

9. Roll :: call

10. 44 :: 42

    Wanna play along? Get your words at La Luna Niña's place. She's a cutie and so accomodating.

Why fundamentalists of all stripes must be kept from power in the USA and abroad.

UK Gay News - Iraqi Police Execute “Gay” Child in Baghdad: "According to our contacts in Baghdad, the Iraqi police have been heavily infiltrated by the Shia paramilitary Badr Corps,” Mr Hili said.

“They are seeking to impose a fundamentalist morality on the people of Iraq."

Via Nanovirus.

May Day Boycott -- Another POV

WuzzaDem: Careful What You Thumb Your Nose At The Law And Not Only Demand That You Not Be Punished, But Become Belligerent When You Don't Receive Special Treatment

Atheism Quiz

Via Pharyngula, who got it from Coturnix, who begat ...

The Ardent Atheist The results are in, and it appears that you have scored 80%...

You are an atheist, pure and simple. You think God is just one big lie, and consider religious people to be both annoying and beneath you. Ardent atheists will argue tooth and claw for their position, and have no truck with people that won't listen. You think being an atheist is the only way to lead an honest life, and see no reason to accept the pleas of faith. Ardent atheists are the backbone of atheism. Be proud.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on pentagrams

Link: The Atheist Test written by chi_the_cynic on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Fun fact: I scored even higher than Dr. P!!! WooHoo!

Oh No! Say it isn't so, Mr. Bill...

Photographer and joker N. Mallory pokes some fun at the Avian Flu hysteria and my brother's obsession with flamingos on her blog
The Naked Truth » Bird Flu Strikes Trailer Park In Florida

Dreamscape

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #110: Strange Dreams

Ever have that dream where you're at home, only it's not your home, and some creepy thing is coming at you and you try to run but you just can't move? Or, alternately, you have a dream where you're conversing with Angelina Jolie, and she suddenly turns into a pelican and eats your collection of rare tropical fish? Then this Weekend Assignment will be right up your alley: Weekend Assignment #110: Recount a strange dream you've had recently. Any sort of strange dream is fine except the really explicit sex dreams. Because, you know, we're running a family show, here. Otherwise, they can be as weird as you want them to be. Extra Credit: Name a favorite song with the words "dream" or "sleep" (or some variation of those words). Your turn: Pull up that strange dream you've had recently and write it up in your blog or Journal. Come back here and leave a link so we can all read what's going on in your head. Sweet dreams!

Dear John,

It be dreams you're seeking then, is it? Aye, there's the rub. And a fine kettle of fish you've landed me in. For I am one of those poor souls with a life unexamined, who's dreams are lost in the ether, never to be known. For lo, these many, many years, I have truly slept the sleep of the dead. Each and every night I died a little death, and we aren't talking le petit mort, darling. No, I be having true little deaths, apneas and hypopneas they be; if not careful, the death of me.

Back, back in the mists of distant past, I recall waking, gasping, clawing my way up a slippery black slope after the immobility imposed by the mother ship and her ghostly crew as they released me from another round of (ahem) their nocturnal anal probing and other tortures too gruesome to recount (save to remind you not to squeeze my paw in greeting, the stitches are still a mite tenuous). I recall their appliances – a gleaming black gold reflecting the green gleam of their carapaces, the grotesque odor of their exhalations and my own fecund, frightened contributions to the common atmosphere. Light the full color of the visible spectrum and others I suspect I only sensed unseen, floated as motes across my eye, my retinas burned by their intensity.

And the noise, John, the most terrifying snarls and guttural utterances accompanied their labors as I lay on my side, flopping like a mackerel, newly landed to the bottom of the dory. They force a cringe from me still, years after they ceased.

I have been blessed with the diagnosis and treatment of my obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms; I breathe all night long and no longer be I plagued by visits from the medical ghouls of the mother ship, freezing me in position, then probing against my will. By I am at a loss for dreams my friend, as I truly sleep the whole night through, hardly stirring, awakening rested, but not dreamily.

My best wishes to you and your lovely family. May your sleep be full and restful; may your dreams be untroubled and fulfilling. As Mama Cass once sang, “dream a little dream of me.”

wil

The Mamas & The Papas

Lyrics: Dream A Little Dream

Stars shining bright above you
night breezes seem to whisper
I love you
Birds singin' in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me.

Say "nighty night" and kiss me
just hold me tight and tell me
you'll miss me.
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me.

Stars fading
but I linger on, dear,
still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger til dawn, dear,
Just saying this:

Sweet dreams til sun beams find you
sweet dreams that leave our worries behind you.
But in your dreams whatever they be
dream a little dream of me.

Stars fading, but I linger on, dear,
still craving your kiss.
I'm longing to linger til dawn, dear
just saying this:

Sweet dreams til sun beams find you
sweet dreams that leave our worries behind you.
But in your dreams whatever they be
dream a little dream of me.

Tags: Weekend Assignment, Dreams, Scalzi.

Custom Internet Radio Stations

This needs repeating, in case you didn't see it the first time it made the rounds of the blogosphere™: A new service allows you to make custom radio stations tailored to your preferences in music. Want an all Elvis station? No problem. Leonard Cohen more your speed (and mine)? Pandora.com created it in less than 20 seconds and had me immersed in Cohen and covers of Cohen tunes. Free. Just have to put up with some adverts. No biggie ... after the cornholing that AOL gave me and other AOL/AIM Journals users, advertising fits right in with nary a notice.

Via Sarah at Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

Laughing Out Loud: C For Cookie

Respectful Insolence: Who needs V for Vendetta when you can watch C for Cookie?

BlogdriveInsanity

BlogdriveInsanity: "Wednesday Mind Hump

Rfduck, intrepid thong commando and leader of the merry band of mind humpers was heard to say, "Hi humpers! Today is Tighty Whitey appreciation day. I don't think too many of you wear those, so we'll just do a Cinco De Mayo theme."

1. ¿Como Estás?
Muy bien, gracias. And by the way, I've worn tighty whities for years, as well as other styles.
2. Ever been to Mexico? If so, where? What did you do there?
Si. I lived in Guadalajara in 1964-65 with my mother and brothers the year before she died. I went to high school, chased skirts, learned how to dive and drink and all the other things a 15 y.o. horney guy does.
3. Do you like Mexican food? What's your favorite Mexican dish?
I do, indeed. We had a very young mestiza who cooked for us. My mother taught her how to cook Anglo food and she taught us simple Mexican dishes. But my true favorite was a dish we could only get in some of the higher class restaurants -- Turkey Mole (Steamed Turkey in a dark chocolate sauce). Truly an explosion of delight on the taste buds.

Want to play along? Just visit the World HQ and ask for his blogmeisterness. Long may you overcome the hump...

Spring Has Sprung In The North Country...

And a young girl's thoughts turn to ... toes?

While babies contemplate the greenery as they suck on their tasty ... puppy?

And, after a hard winter dodging snowflakes, the feral cats soak up some rays in the front yard...

Have a good spring, y'all!

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita Floods Killed Fire Ants

WDSU.com - News - Hurricanes Katrina, Rita Floods Killed Fire Ants:

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Finally, a silver lining in all of that salt water that flooded parts of Louisiana during hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- a lot of pesky fire ants died.

Monday Music Mambo - Week 97

Greetings, everyone! Today is May Day, the day we celebrate workers all over the world. Here are some May Day Mambo questions for you:

1. Name three songs about working or the working man
Sixteen Tons, Working On The Railroad, Pussy Willow

2. Name a few artists who champion the working man
Woody Guthrie, Willy Nelson, Bob Dylan, Johnny Paycheck

3. Name one song that gets you through your work day, either by listening to it or having it stuck in your head.
Lonesome Traveler – it's a constant earworm I battle daily.

There you have my mambo for this May Day. Keep the faith, the South will rise again and I'll just pop it with a pin when it does...

PS Get your own copy of the Mambo by visiting the Home Office.

MEME: Monday Madnes -- Blankity-Blank!

So sayeth Otto: “Good Monday to you all! Let's fill in the blanks this week! Thanks for playing!” =)

1. Sleeping in for me means sleeping until _2PM_.
2. Staying up late means I don't go to bed until _after 6:30AM_.
3. I probably spend more time _gathering cobwebs_ than I would like.
4. And I don't spend nearly enough time _being productive_.
5. I have zero tolerance for _imbeciles_.
6. I have a lot of patience when it comes to _foibles_.

Get yourself on the mailing list so you know when this week's questions have been posted. Always have a link to the comments section. It's easy for you to do – just pay a visit to the Monday Madness Bed, Bath & Breakfast. You'll come back smelling like roses and well-rested.

MEME: Unconscious Mutterings – Week 169

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Week 169

Posted 48 minutes ago

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

1. Out of place :: askew

2. Helicopter :: Huey

3. Francis :: Bacon

4. Ryan :: White

5. Wedding :: bells

6. Appalled :: simply

7. Historian :: Antiquarian

8. Powerful :: virile

9. Sex symbol :: vamp

10. Uncomfortable :: painful

Want to play along? Get your fix here. Post them on your web page, as a blog entry or in the comments where you got the words. It's oh so easy and expeditious, just like Buttermilk Biscuits.

MEME: Saturday Six - Episode 107

Here we go with another edition of six questions!

Last week, Carly of "Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly" was first to play last week for the third week in a row! 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. What new piece of technology have you resisted buying and what would it take for you to change your mind?
An iPod. And it's going to take a massive change in the so-called “licensing agreement” before I start buying my music one song at a time.
2. If someone was to go through a closet of your old clothes, what clothing style would you find most embarrassing?
Bell bottoms from the sixties. Mod ties.
3. The movie United 93 opened this week to controversies over whether or not it is too soon or not to deal with the events of September 11th. Do you have any desire to see this movie? Why or why not?
I do want to see it – so far the reviews I've seen have been positive and reviewers I admire have been pleasantly surprised by the quality and depth of this docudrama.
4. Take the quiz: How Class Works Without getting specific about any of the actual results, which category hurts you the most, and which helps you the most?

Income hurts the most and education enhanced my image the most on that quiz.
5. Of the results you got in the last question, which one was the biggest surprise and why?
No big surprises there; about what I expected.
6. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #89 from Jamilynn: What is your favorite article of clothing? Is there a story behind it?
I answered that last week here. So, have a good week.

USA National Gas Temperature Map

I saw a link to this over at Knowledge Is Power and thought that y'all would find it kind of interesting, what with having to commute to work and fill cars and all that jazz... The USA National Gas Temperature Map

Check This Photo Out

From the Webshots blog, check out this Photo of the Day of the stages of a complete lunar eclipse over Africa.

Gassy Funnies

Stolen by Auntie Noah at The Naked Truth. Go there, be amused.

Quiz: Are You A Good Cook?

I've been watching Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star on the boobie toobie of late. So when I stumbled onto this quiz at The Naked Truth, I jumped at the chance. I am a little startled at the result. Personally, I'd say I'm a good cook, heavy on meat and sauces, with too little emphasis on calorie concious meals, desserts and pastries. This quiz says otherwise.

You Are an Excellent Cook

You're a top cook, but you weren't born that way. It's taken a lot of practice, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of learning. It's likely that you have what it takes to be a top chef, should you have the desire...

Are You A Good Cook?