I still like these even if Joe thinks they are passé. However, my life is a bit more boring than Joe's.
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Probably coming to terms with the fact that I'm more Buddhist than I am anything else in terms of religions. I've never been hellbent (pardon the expression) on religions and I seriously explored Judaism this year, but Buddhist is what I've always been, even when I didn't know it, or thought I had no religious slant. But I'm not in your face about it. It just is.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I've kind of given up for the most part. It's too hard for me to adhere to one single day to make a resolution. I need to ease into it. I did get a picture hung today which has sort of been a resolution off and on for 20+ years.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not that I know of.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Lost a Facebook friend in April. And I'm kind of glad we had never met because it's so much easier to deal with when you remove that personal dimension.
5. What places did you visit?
Like travel? I didn't leave town unless you count Round Rock for an IKEA trip.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
I would like to have a job for the entire year.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
(a) Election Day because I never get what I want and this time I got a bonanza on so many different levels.
(b) The day after Election Day, while I was enjoying my blissful state, I got a job offer which I accepted.
8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Probably getting about 25 books read while I was unemployed. I got reconnected with Buddhism and Eastern philosophy which helped eradicate a lost of depression I routinely experience.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I didn't stop smoking. I gave it the best run for the money ever, and for a few days I was down to 3 cigs a day. Then 3-5. This is the hardest thing to kick.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
None at all.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Really happy I decided to get a Nikon D7000 camera. That was a great gift to myself.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have to quote Joe verbatim on this one: Chief Justice John Roberts. I may never agree with another decision
he makes in my entire life, but by casting the swing vote to uphold
Obamacare he quite literally changed tens of millions of American lives
for the better. Good on him.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The leader of the NRA whose name I shall not speak. And pretty much anyone and everyone on the far right during the election year.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Beverages.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I was really excited about reading books! And when my stereo amplifier when on the fritz I had to hook up my mid-80s tube amp in the interim and was blown the hell away by how great vinyl records sounded. And Elizabeth Warren beating Scott Brown. And the marijuana vote in Colorado and Washington. Buying a box set of every Blur LP.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
This is always a tough one because music is pretty timeless for me. And just because a song reminds me of 2012 doesn't necessarily mean I like the song. But Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" caught my attention during the start of the year when I was being laid off AND feeling like shit. So definitely that one.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder?
Happier. Definitely.
b) thinner or fatter?
About the same. Thin with a beer gut that needs to go away.
c) richer or poorer?
Richer.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
For some reason I can only think of things I wish I'd done less of. Sorry!
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Oh fuck. I didn't see this coming. Just go back to #9.
20. How did you spend Christmas this year?
Lunch with my neighbors and their family. It was lovely. Then an evening at home.
21. Did you fall in love in 2012?
With more music.
22. How was work?
Considering I didn't work between 13th January and 8th November it was great! But it's been even better now that I've started back again. I'm getting my mojo back again.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Just whatever. Home improvement shows and cooking shows. (I am going to miss No Reservations.)
24. What did you do for your birthday in 2012?
Nothing much. Read a book. Probably went out for lunch.
25. What was the best book you read?
Mercy. I can't begin to tell you. I enjoyed the hell out of Alan Watts. And a D.T. Suzuki book called "Zen and Japanese Culture."
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Blur and Gorillaz. I totally fell in love with Gorillaz and then Damon Albarn and then started working my way back thru the Blur discography. Got their box set on vinyl and have had a blast with it. It takes me so many different directions and levels. So many great influences that sometimes come through the music in abundance. I've had whiplash on a number of occasions.
27. What did you want and get?
Lots of things. If I want something I usually find a way to get it. I guess the biggie was the camera.
28. What did you want and not get?
Toyed with the idea of a turntable upgrade and a newer model tube amp but that can wait. There ain't nothing wrong with what I've got.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Didn't see one that was released this year. Not one.
30. Did you make some new friends this year?
Surprisingly enough, yes. Mika and Jen who are living next door to us, renting rooms from our neighbors. We had lunch with them today!
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Being 27 again.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Cargo shorts with hiking boots.
33. What kept you sane?
Walking when it was warm. Playing music when it wasn't, and sometimes playing music when it was.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I can't really disagree with Joe on this one either, so I quote: Guns. I could say the election or the bullshit around the fiscal
cliff, but no, guns. With each gun massacre it seems the fuckhead gun
apologists double down. People come out of the woodwork to explain how
guns aren't the problem, that gun control can't work, that guns have
nothing to do with gun massacres. FUCK guns.
Yeah, that's about it. I was so depressed about Sandy Hook I damn nearly deleted by Facebook page, and I felt the need to unfriend a couple of people just so I wouldn't see their incessant pro-gun posts.
35. What political issue stirred you the least?
Again Joe nailed this one: Benghazi. I wish a permanent case of herpes on each and every
Republican liar who tried to turn this unfortunate event into a
political scandal. They should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
Disgusting people.
36. Best sports moment?
Seeing the Razorbacks fire their good coach because of some infidelity and then go on to have a horrendous losing season, getting beaten by some embarrassing teams. There was a lesson to be learned here.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
I don't think I met any new people besides Mika and Jen. See #30. I don't get out much.
38. Burn any bridges?
I try not to. Some bridges do need to be burned though.
39. Best new restaurant you went to?
Cafe Malta for Sheldon's birthday. We just don't go to places like this often. It wasn't fancy. In fact it was rustic in a European way, and tucked inside a strip mall in south Austin. But I was so taken with the place that I ordered an appetizer AND a dessert, AND coffee. And it was divine.
40. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Easy. Don't allow work to rule your life. It's OK to do a good job and not allow it to consume you or extend into your personal life. There's no reason to feel guilt for that.
Showing posts with label Meme. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meme. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Name Dropper Meme
It's a cloudy and drizzly Saturday -- perfect for sitting here making a list for a meme!
I thought this would be a fun meme to do. I frequently think back on famous people I have seen randomly in public, and have decided to make a list for myself as it's rather easy to forget some of them. (And I'm still going to forget some.)
If you want to play along, be my guest, but here's the rules. It has to be something random and unexpected. You can't list Madonna if you paid money to see her in concert! However, if she invited you up on stage, then yeah, you can list her. For this reason, I won't be able to list Bob Hope, Lawrence Welk, Elvis Presley, or The Cramps.
Keanu Reeves - several sightings. Riding his motorcycle in LA, and another time, talking on a pay phone outside Tower Video in West Hollywood. (My guess is that pay phone is long gone, and I wonder about Tower Video!) And at a tiny bar called, appropriately enough, Smalls.
Edgar Winter - at the same bar and same night as mentioned above. (Or was it Johnny Winter? Now I'm second guessing myself. Gimme a break! It was a bar! I was drunk!)
Andrew McCarthy - at some club in Hollywood. May have been the Rainbow on the Sunset Strip. Anyway, I was walking through the club and nearly ran head-on into him. It was about as up close, face to face, as you can get.
Forest Whitaker - shopping at a pet store in LA.
Michael Gross - he showed up at my office one day as he was about to shoot an infomercial for one of our clients. I gave him my newspaper to read while he waited.
Russell Simmons - Another work-related sighting while I was working with the production team for some Def Comedy Jam spots. We pulled in one of my employees to do the voice over work. Incidentally, his name was Montell Jordan. :-)
Ali MacGraw - at a coffee shop in Santa Monica.
Nicholas Cage - at the Erewhon natural foods market in LA shopping for something dairy, if I recall.
k.d. lang - shopping at the Erewhon in LA. She was pushing a shopping cart and coming towards me down the aisle. We had eye contact and I think she knew I was a fan. I was probably bug-eyed.
George Hamilton - also at Erewhon. txrad recognized him; I never would have.
Kevin Bacon - dancing at a gay club in Little Rock after a day of filming some movie.
Matthew Broderick - OK, this one comes close to violating the rules since I was cast as an extra in Biloxi Blues being shot near Fort Smith, Arkansas. But I had no idea we'd be the only two people in the makeup room (aside from the guys doing our makeup), so it counts!
Joan Rivers - in the Northwest Airlines lounge in Memphis while waiting on a connecting flight. She had her pooch with her, and her face was a mangled mess of raw hamburger. She had obviously just had some work done, unless that's how she travels in order to maintain a low profile! I doubt it.
Sammy Davis Jr. -- driving a Rolls Royce down a street in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles back in the 1970s when I was on vacation there with my parents. I think we were trying to find Johnny Carson's house. I was driving my dad's truck, and had stopped at a cross street and saw the Rolls pass in front of me. So all I really saw was the profile of Mr. Davis, but there's no mistaking it.
John Corbett -- seen right here in Austin eating lunch at Curra's Grill. I knew him from Sex and the City, but he's more recently been in United States of Tara.
Glenn Danzig -- this is another near-disqualification except for the fact that it meets the exception criteria like getting invited on stage which I mentioned in the rules. I was at a concert in LA in which Danzig was the opening act for another band. I was at the concert as a guest of a friend who was involved in the music business and that particular concert. At the end, I was asked to drive Danzig and his girlfriend back to his house in the Hollywood Hills since they did not have transportation for some reason.
George Clinton -- twice. And he's pretty hard to miss. Once on a Southwest flight from LA to Austin, and another time in a restroom -- probably in an airport if I recall. Apparently he flies a lot.
Gene Siskel - waiting for a flight at Chicago's O'Hare.
Cheap Trick -- they were checking into a hotel in Chicago at the same time I was.
I saw so many well-known people while I spent 14 months working at the HMV record store in London that I'm devoting them to this section since the conditions under which I saw them were all identical.
Paul Weller - front man for The Jam. Not so big in the states, but in England, this was akin to seeing McCartney or Lennon.
Eric Idle - I have always thought maybe it was a dream. I know for a fact it was one of the guys from Monty Python because other employees were buzzing about the fact that he was there. But I was so completely flabbergasted, part of my brain tried to erase it. I'm 95% sure it was Eric Idle.
George Michael - he was actually checking me out while pretending to shop for something. What a slut.
Philip Oakey - singer and songwriter of The Human League. Ho-hum for most of you but I was a big fan at the time.
It's interesting that I've lived in Austin 13 years and haven't ever had any really noteworthy sightings that I recall. You'd think I would have bumped into Lance Armstrong, Sheryl Crow and/or Sandra Bullock at least once! I did have one near-miss a couple of years ago. I stopped in my neighborhood liquor store and Tommy Lee Jones had just left. Apparently he was drunk as shit and was picking up another 12-pack of some cheap beer. At least he had a driver.
I thought this would be a fun meme to do. I frequently think back on famous people I have seen randomly in public, and have decided to make a list for myself as it's rather easy to forget some of them. (And I'm still going to forget some.)
If you want to play along, be my guest, but here's the rules. It has to be something random and unexpected. You can't list Madonna if you paid money to see her in concert! However, if she invited you up on stage, then yeah, you can list her. For this reason, I won't be able to list Bob Hope, Lawrence Welk, Elvis Presley, or The Cramps.
Keanu Reeves - several sightings. Riding his motorcycle in LA, and another time, talking on a pay phone outside Tower Video in West Hollywood. (My guess is that pay phone is long gone, and I wonder about Tower Video!) And at a tiny bar called, appropriately enough, Smalls.
Edgar Winter - at the same bar and same night as mentioned above. (Or was it Johnny Winter? Now I'm second guessing myself. Gimme a break! It was a bar! I was drunk!)
Andrew McCarthy - at some club in Hollywood. May have been the Rainbow on the Sunset Strip. Anyway, I was walking through the club and nearly ran head-on into him. It was about as up close, face to face, as you can get.
Forest Whitaker - shopping at a pet store in LA.
Michael Gross - he showed up at my office one day as he was about to shoot an infomercial for one of our clients. I gave him my newspaper to read while he waited.
Russell Simmons - Another work-related sighting while I was working with the production team for some Def Comedy Jam spots. We pulled in one of my employees to do the voice over work. Incidentally, his name was Montell Jordan. :-)
Ali MacGraw - at a coffee shop in Santa Monica.
Nicholas Cage - at the Erewhon natural foods market in LA shopping for something dairy, if I recall.
k.d. lang - shopping at the Erewhon in LA. She was pushing a shopping cart and coming towards me down the aisle. We had eye contact and I think she knew I was a fan. I was probably bug-eyed.
George Hamilton - also at Erewhon. txrad recognized him; I never would have.
Kevin Bacon - dancing at a gay club in Little Rock after a day of filming some movie.
Matthew Broderick - OK, this one comes close to violating the rules since I was cast as an extra in Biloxi Blues being shot near Fort Smith, Arkansas. But I had no idea we'd be the only two people in the makeup room (aside from the guys doing our makeup), so it counts!
Joan Rivers - in the Northwest Airlines lounge in Memphis while waiting on a connecting flight. She had her pooch with her, and her face was a mangled mess of raw hamburger. She had obviously just had some work done, unless that's how she travels in order to maintain a low profile! I doubt it.
Sammy Davis Jr. -- driving a Rolls Royce down a street in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles back in the 1970s when I was on vacation there with my parents. I think we were trying to find Johnny Carson's house. I was driving my dad's truck, and had stopped at a cross street and saw the Rolls pass in front of me. So all I really saw was the profile of Mr. Davis, but there's no mistaking it.
John Corbett -- seen right here in Austin eating lunch at Curra's Grill. I knew him from Sex and the City, but he's more recently been in United States of Tara.
Glenn Danzig -- this is another near-disqualification except for the fact that it meets the exception criteria like getting invited on stage which I mentioned in the rules. I was at a concert in LA in which Danzig was the opening act for another band. I was at the concert as a guest of a friend who was involved in the music business and that particular concert. At the end, I was asked to drive Danzig and his girlfriend back to his house in the Hollywood Hills since they did not have transportation for some reason.
George Clinton -- twice. And he's pretty hard to miss. Once on a Southwest flight from LA to Austin, and another time in a restroom -- probably in an airport if I recall. Apparently he flies a lot.
Gene Siskel - waiting for a flight at Chicago's O'Hare.
Cheap Trick -- they were checking into a hotel in Chicago at the same time I was.
The HMV Era
I saw so many well-known people while I spent 14 months working at the HMV record store in London that I'm devoting them to this section since the conditions under which I saw them were all identical.
Paul Weller - front man for The Jam. Not so big in the states, but in England, this was akin to seeing McCartney or Lennon.
Eric Idle - I have always thought maybe it was a dream. I know for a fact it was one of the guys from Monty Python because other employees were buzzing about the fact that he was there. But I was so completely flabbergasted, part of my brain tried to erase it. I'm 95% sure it was Eric Idle.
George Michael - he was actually checking me out while pretending to shop for something. What a slut.
Philip Oakey - singer and songwriter of The Human League. Ho-hum for most of you but I was a big fan at the time.
It's interesting that I've lived in Austin 13 years and haven't ever had any really noteworthy sightings that I recall. You'd think I would have bumped into Lance Armstrong, Sheryl Crow and/or Sandra Bullock at least once! I did have one near-miss a couple of years ago. I stopped in my neighborhood liquor store and Tommy Lee Jones had just left. Apparently he was drunk as shit and was picking up another 12-pack of some cheap beer. At least he had a driver.
Monday, January 26, 2009
48 Questions Meme
Via blueberry.
48 Questions:
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My Grandfather. Winfred.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
When I knew my cat, Samantha, was hours away from dying.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I used to. Now I consider it painful to write. And type for that matter. But at least the typing is readable and consistent.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Meat is murder.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
None. I have cats.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
It would be a challenge. That other person would have to be persistent.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Moi? Never.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
I think I do, actually. As well as that thing in my abdomen.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Not now. I do it in the stock market.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
The ones with berries in them. But I don't buy cereal. I think it's a waste of money. Bake muffins instead...with berries.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
My shoes don't have strings. They just slip off my feet. My boots need to be untied.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Probably lemon, peach, or chocolate.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Hair, eyes.
15. RED OR PINK?
Pink
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Nose hair.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Probably my dad when I need something done around the house. Otherwise my grandmother when I need entertainment.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
Why would I care?
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
navy blue shorts; birkenstocks.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Rachel Maddow. Soon to be music... maybe.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Yellow
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Coffee, roses, Indian cooking.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
I try to avoid the phone and erase all memory of any conversations.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I asked her to be my Facebook friend. Of course.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Only the Olympics.
27. HAIR COLOR?
It’s brown with a shock of Bonnie Raitt gray, but not in the same place.
28. EYE COLOR?
Blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No, unless it's raining and I need to be out in it for any length of time.
30. FAVORITE FOOD?
South Indian.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Thought-provoking endings. Darjeeling Limited comes to mind.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
You expect me to remember? Might have been Woody Allen's Everything you Wanted to Know About Sex... just because I found the DVD on the floor one morning.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
yellowish.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer.
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Kisses & hugs.. All good.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Toast or Tart. Wait.. respond to WHAT exactly?
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
My mother.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I'm throwing them all out in the dumpster.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Not using one. But I have a Dell. I do have a CW Family Guy wrist pad I use.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Real estate shows.
42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
purring kitties.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Singapore.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Excel spreadsheets? I could be a stellar DJ if anyone would hire me for that.
46 WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Lake Village, Arkansas.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Anyone who bothers.
48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
In a bar in San Diego.
Impressed? Go fetch.
48 Questions:
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My Grandfather. Winfred.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
When I knew my cat, Samantha, was hours away from dying.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I used to. Now I consider it painful to write. And type for that matter. But at least the typing is readable and consistent.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Meat is murder.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
None. I have cats.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
It would be a challenge. That other person would have to be persistent.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Moi? Never.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
I think I do, actually. As well as that thing in my abdomen.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Not now. I do it in the stock market.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
The ones with berries in them. But I don't buy cereal. I think it's a waste of money. Bake muffins instead...with berries.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
My shoes don't have strings. They just slip off my feet. My boots need to be untied.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Probably lemon, peach, or chocolate.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Hair, eyes.
15. RED OR PINK?
Pink
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Nose hair.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Probably my dad when I need something done around the house. Otherwise my grandmother when I need entertainment.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
Why would I care?
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
navy blue shorts; birkenstocks.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Rachel Maddow. Soon to be music... maybe.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Yellow
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Coffee, roses, Indian cooking.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
I try to avoid the phone and erase all memory of any conversations.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I asked her to be my Facebook friend. Of course.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Only the Olympics.
27. HAIR COLOR?
It’s brown with a shock of Bonnie Raitt gray, but not in the same place.
28. EYE COLOR?
Blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No, unless it's raining and I need to be out in it for any length of time.
30. FAVORITE FOOD?
South Indian.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Thought-provoking endings. Darjeeling Limited comes to mind.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
You expect me to remember? Might have been Woody Allen's Everything you Wanted to Know About Sex... just because I found the DVD on the floor one morning.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
yellowish.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer.
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Kisses & hugs.. All good.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Toast or Tart. Wait.. respond to WHAT exactly?
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
My mother.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I'm throwing them all out in the dumpster.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Not using one. But I have a Dell. I do have a CW Family Guy wrist pad I use.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Real estate shows.
42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
purring kitties.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Singapore.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Excel spreadsheets? I could be a stellar DJ if anyone would hire me for that.
46 WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Lake Village, Arkansas.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Anyone who bothers.
48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
In a bar in San Diego.
Impressed? Go fetch.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Year End Meme - Two Days Late
Whatever. When Toast nags I must be in meme compliance, even if my year in review seems rather bland.
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Took my partner to the ER for brain scans.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never keep them. This marks year #3 of resolving to learn Spanish. And that reminds me, I haven't flossed in awhile.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I guess that would depend on the definition of close. I'm sure a few people I was in close proximity to at the supermarket or restaurants probably gave birth at some point.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not that I recall.
5. What places did you visit?
Arkansas in January. Aside from that I don't think I've left Travis County.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
The same job for an entire year.
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Election day. Why ask why? It was a breath of fresh air after 8 years of choking on a political stench.
8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
I suppose finally achieving employment with a rate of pay which allows me to survive. That, and a few nifty spreadsheets.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Being lazy and procrastinating on a number of things. And making a colossal mistake which resulted in my response to the first question.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No illness. Just some slight bruising here and there from stumbling into furniture, or sleeping on a bed of rocks.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Travertine flooring.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I celebrate any behavior really.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
All of those folks in and around the White House.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Home improvements: new roof, new windows, new paint, new floors. And some of it just simply evaporated in the market.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Casting my vote FOR Obama. And the floors.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Honestly I don't care if I am reminded of 2008. I am content to just let that one fade. "Old Enough" by the Raconteurs, if I must provide an answer.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder?
Sadder, but I aim to get happy. And I'm not sure if it's sadness or just anxiety.
b) thinner or fatter?
No change.
c) richer or poorer?
Poorer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Gardening and getting more done outside. The exercise alone would have been nice.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Drinking. Precisely one night's worth. And blogging while intoxicated.
20. How did you spend Christmas this year?
Sitting here reading blogs and Facebook. That night we cooked.
21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Try 1990.
22. How was work?
Work didn't start until May and then I quit that job in July to return to a company where I worked from 2000-2003. And while I didn't expect to really enjoy it, it has been pleasantly surprising and I am definitely challenged. Lately it's been too stressful since November. I was working here when Bush took office and apparently I'll be working here when he leaves office with a huge gap in between.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Little People, Big World or Househunters. I love real estate shows.
24. What did you do for your birthday in 2008?
I don't remember. I was unemployed but I don't even remember going out to eat.
25. What was the best book you read?
What is a book?
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I really don't think I had any great musical revelations in 2008. Nothing springs to mind.
27. What did you want and get?
A new digital camera and I have been thrilled with it.
28. What did you want and not get?
Loudspeakers for my hi-fi.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Darjeeling Limited. It's going in my classic favorites file which means I need to own a copy.
30. Did you make some new friends this year?
Just Facebook and blogging pals.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
What Toast said: Impeachment proceedings. That and some summer rains with a fantastic tomato crop.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
As few clothes as possible. I think I set a record this year for the least loads of laundry done.
33. What kept you sane?
Getting a job. And tequila sure takes the edge off that sometimes.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I really didn't pay too much attention this year. But I never tire of seeing Johnny Depp.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Prop 8 in California.
35a. What political issue stirred you the least?
All the ones I can't think of at the moment. High gas prices in the summer didn't have my panties in a knot.
36. Who did you miss?
George Carlin.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Didn't really meet anyone new, although I'm having a lot of fun with Tracy, Toast's wife, swapping farm animals with the Facebook MyFarm application!
38. Burn any bridges?
Been there, done that, but not in 2008, and those are mended now anyway.
39. Best new restaurant you went to?
Fire Bowl Cafe on Brodie Lane.
40. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
When consuming vast quantities of alcohol it is wise to do so in the comfort of your own home or in a place where you are comfortable passing out and not feeling the need to drive home.
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Took my partner to the ER for brain scans.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never keep them. This marks year #3 of resolving to learn Spanish. And that reminds me, I haven't flossed in awhile.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I guess that would depend on the definition of close. I'm sure a few people I was in close proximity to at the supermarket or restaurants probably gave birth at some point.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not that I recall.
5. What places did you visit?
Arkansas in January. Aside from that I don't think I've left Travis County.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
The same job for an entire year.
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Election day. Why ask why? It was a breath of fresh air after 8 years of choking on a political stench.
8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
I suppose finally achieving employment with a rate of pay which allows me to survive. That, and a few nifty spreadsheets.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Being lazy and procrastinating on a number of things. And making a colossal mistake which resulted in my response to the first question.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No illness. Just some slight bruising here and there from stumbling into furniture, or sleeping on a bed of rocks.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Travertine flooring.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I celebrate any behavior really.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
All of those folks in and around the White House.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Home improvements: new roof, new windows, new paint, new floors. And some of it just simply evaporated in the market.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Casting my vote FOR Obama. And the floors.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Honestly I don't care if I am reminded of 2008. I am content to just let that one fade. "Old Enough" by the Raconteurs, if I must provide an answer.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder?
Sadder, but I aim to get happy. And I'm not sure if it's sadness or just anxiety.
b) thinner or fatter?
No change.
c) richer or poorer?
Poorer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Gardening and getting more done outside. The exercise alone would have been nice.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Drinking. Precisely one night's worth. And blogging while intoxicated.
20. How did you spend Christmas this year?
Sitting here reading blogs and Facebook. That night we cooked.
21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Try 1990.
22. How was work?
Work didn't start until May and then I quit that job in July to return to a company where I worked from 2000-2003. And while I didn't expect to really enjoy it, it has been pleasantly surprising and I am definitely challenged. Lately it's been too stressful since November. I was working here when Bush took office and apparently I'll be working here when he leaves office with a huge gap in between.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Little People, Big World or Househunters. I love real estate shows.
24. What did you do for your birthday in 2008?
I don't remember. I was unemployed but I don't even remember going out to eat.
25. What was the best book you read?
What is a book?
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I really don't think I had any great musical revelations in 2008. Nothing springs to mind.
27. What did you want and get?
A new digital camera and I have been thrilled with it.
28. What did you want and not get?
Loudspeakers for my hi-fi.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Darjeeling Limited. It's going in my classic favorites file which means I need to own a copy.
30. Did you make some new friends this year?
Just Facebook and blogging pals.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
What Toast said: Impeachment proceedings. That and some summer rains with a fantastic tomato crop.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
As few clothes as possible. I think I set a record this year for the least loads of laundry done.
33. What kept you sane?
Getting a job. And tequila sure takes the edge off that sometimes.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I really didn't pay too much attention this year. But I never tire of seeing Johnny Depp.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Prop 8 in California.
35a. What political issue stirred you the least?
All the ones I can't think of at the moment. High gas prices in the summer didn't have my panties in a knot.
36. Who did you miss?
George Carlin.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Didn't really meet anyone new, although I'm having a lot of fun with Tracy, Toast's wife, swapping farm animals with the Facebook MyFarm application!
38. Burn any bridges?
Been there, done that, but not in 2008, and those are mended now anyway.
39. Best new restaurant you went to?
Fire Bowl Cafe on Brodie Lane.
40. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
When consuming vast quantities of alcohol it is wise to do so in the comfort of your own home or in a place where you are comfortable passing out and not feeling the need to drive home.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Meaningless Meme
I was tagged by Pittsburgh Pasquarello aka Sherry, Sher, Mom, Po, and Hey! It's a meaningless meme.
1. Five names you go by:
* Win
* Winfred
* Winnie (only Elizabeth calls me that)
* D'Win (only my mother and people who knew me as a baby call me that)
* Will (only a few people who get me confused with Will Ferrell call me that)
2. Three things you are wearing right now:
* Birkenstocks
* jeans
* shirt
3. Two things you want very badly at the moment:
* pumpkin pie
* a hot day
I was going to say throbbing cock but that would be too predictable and perhaps too profane for such a quality family blog.
4. Three people who will probably fill this out:
* Kelly
* Tart
* Tracy
5. Two things you did last night:
* drank beer
* drank tequila
6. Two things you ate today:
* tortilla chips
* black beans
7. Two people you last talked to on the phone:
* a cable TV advertising sales rep
* a Dish Network advertising sales rep
8. Two things you are going to do tomorrow:
* get a head start on Monday's work
* bake some blueberry muffins
9. Two longest car rides:
* Austin to southeast Arkansas to visit my mom. Damn it's tiring.
* Myrtle Beach to southeast Arkansas with some college friends. That was worse.
10. Two of your favorite beverages: (see #5?)
* coffee
* 100% pure clean water
And finally: a clip from my favorite movie:
In the scene at the 5:30 point the woman in the white pantsuit is Sigourney Weaver and that was her only appearance in the film. That scene was also the inspiration for the name of my other blog.
1. Five names you go by:
* Win
* Winfred
* Winnie (only Elizabeth calls me that)
* D'Win (only my mother and people who knew me as a baby call me that)
* Will (only a few people who get me confused with Will Ferrell call me that)
2. Three things you are wearing right now:
* Birkenstocks
* jeans
* shirt
3. Two things you want very badly at the moment:
* pumpkin pie
* a hot day
I was going to say throbbing cock but that would be too predictable and perhaps too profane for such a quality family blog.
4. Three people who will probably fill this out:
* Kelly
* Tart
* Tracy
5. Two things you did last night:
* drank beer
* drank tequila
6. Two things you ate today:
* tortilla chips
* black beans
7. Two people you last talked to on the phone:
* a cable TV advertising sales rep
* a Dish Network advertising sales rep
8. Two things you are going to do tomorrow:
* get a head start on Monday's work
* bake some blueberry muffins
9. Two longest car rides:
* Austin to southeast Arkansas to visit my mom. Damn it's tiring.
* Myrtle Beach to southeast Arkansas with some college friends. That was worse.
10. Two of your favorite beverages: (see #5?)
* coffee
* 100% pure clean water
And finally: a clip from my favorite movie:
In the scene at the 5:30 point the woman in the white pantsuit is Sigourney Weaver and that was her only appearance in the film. That scene was also the inspiration for the name of my other blog.
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Other Names Meme (for lack of a better post title)
From Bob, comes the Other Names Meme! Just what I needed after an 11 hour workday.
1. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names): Ann Winfred
2. NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother’s dad, father’s dad): Robert Vetau
3. STAR WARS NAME: (the first 2 letters of your last name, first 4 letters of your first name): Fawinf
4. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Yellow Cat
5. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you live): DeWitt Austin
6. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink, optionally add “THE” to the beginning): The Green Tequila Sunrise
7. FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name): Wifa (not to be confused with WiFi)
8. GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie): Fudge Chunk Geneva
9. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pet’s name, current street name): Tater Tot Lauralan
10. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on): Samantha Dirt Road
There you have it. I especially like the porn name.
1. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names): Ann Winfred
2. NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother’s dad, father’s dad): Robert Vetau
3. STAR WARS NAME: (the first 2 letters of your last name, first 4 letters of your first name): Fawinf
4. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Yellow Cat
5. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you live): DeWitt Austin
6. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink, optionally add “THE” to the beginning): The Green Tequila Sunrise
7. FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name): Wifa (not to be confused with WiFi)
8. GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie): Fudge Chunk Geneva
9. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pet’s name, current street name): Tater Tot Lauralan
10. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on): Samantha Dirt Road
There you have it. I especially like the porn name.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The Alan Parsons Project Booger Blogger Album Project
Blame my beloved Hill for this tripe.
THE RULES:
1. Post your list of the seven best albums, the sevenbooogers bloggers you will tag, a copy of these rules, and a link back to this page.
2. Each person tagged will put a URL to their Blogger Album Project post along with a list of the seven best albums in the comment section HERE atHill's Country. Rules, rules, fucking rules!! Enough already!
3. Feel free to post the “I Contributed to the Blogger Album Project” Award Graphic on your sidebar (even though I couldn't find it), along with a link back to this page.
4. Post a link back to the blogger who tagged you.
My top seven are (in no particular order since asking me to do this is like pulling teeth, considering I could list 50 favorite albums depending on any particular mood, so I'll just go with the mood at the moment):
1. Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
2. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
3. Ella Fitzgerald - Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
4. Cassandra Wilson - Blue Light til Dawn
5. Alice Cooper - Love It To Death
6. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
7. Deep Purple - Fireball
8. Jethro Tull - Aqualung
9. Joni Mitchell - Court & Spark
10. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Oops, supposed to stop at seven.
My 7 seven victim friends are:
Mauigirl | Kelly | Toast | Maurinsky | Minstrel Boy | Joolz | Jacq
Hey, don't blame me.
THE RULES:
1. Post your list of the seven best albums, the seven
2. Each person tagged will put a URL to their Blogger Album Project post along with a list of the seven best albums in the comment section HERE at
3. Feel free to post the “I Contributed to the Blogger Album Project” Award Graphic on your sidebar (even though I couldn't find it), along with a link back to this page.
4. Post a link back to the blogger who tagged you.
My top seven are (in no particular order since asking me to do this is like pulling teeth, considering I could list 50 favorite albums depending on any particular mood, so I'll just go with the mood at the moment):
1. Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
2. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
3. Ella Fitzgerald - Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
4. Cassandra Wilson - Blue Light til Dawn
5. Alice Cooper - Love It To Death
6. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
7. Deep Purple - Fireball
9. Joni Mitchell - Court & Spark
10. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Oops, supposed to stop at seven.
My 7 seven victim friends are:
Mauigirl | Kelly | Toast | Maurinsky | Minstrel Boy | Joolz | Jacq
Hey, don't blame me.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Five Things (Perhaps Interesting) About Me
I have been challenged to a duel meme by ex-lion tamer. I thought I had already done this one awhile back but after a quick search of my blog, I cannot find it. Oh wait…never mind.
But no harm in doing an update. And this one is just slightly different in that it's five interesting things about me as opposed to find things no one knows about me. Same difference here I suppose.
1. You may think you've never seen me except for my sidebar photos, but if you'd ever watched the film Biloxi Blues, you might very well have seen me. I am clearly visible in the theater scene sitting 2 or 3 rows back behind Matthew Broderick, munching on real popcorn while pretending to be amused by an unreal movie we're supposedly watching.
2. I am obsessive about Microsoft Excel. I remember the first time I ever opened the program at work about 18 years ago. I was curious to see what it did. When a big white screen appeared before me filled with empty boxes I wasn't sure what to do. I typed in a few words and thought it was ugly. I didn't really know if it was of any use to me.
While I am still not an expert user I would certainly consider myself advanced and I use it for all sorts of things like noting the square footage of each room in my house and using it to calculate the price of different types of flooring in each room. I have also created some amazing spreadsheets for use at work to make life easier. For instance, I created one which lists almost every commercial television station in the country, its network affiliation, the market, the person who is the sales rep for advertising, his or her phone, fax, an email hyperlink, and their assistant.
I have also created one for my present job which lists all the cable networks in the US and Canada along with the same info mentioned above, plus a small hyperlink to each of their websites, and a color-coding feature so I can see at a glance exactly which ad campaigns are on the air at each network.
But here's the funny thing. I absolutely hate using a spreadsheet created by anyone else unless it is user-friendly for me, especially if it has a lot of formulas. I am about to take on some additional responsibilities which require me to use a formula-heavy spreadsheet. I have tried to work with it a few times and it literally has my stomach tied in knots. Aside from it being ugly as hell, and font sizes not being all uniform, the data is scattered all over the sheet requiring lots of scrolling up and down and sideways to get at it. I spent several hours yesterday completely redesigning the thing so that I can even stand to look at it. All the summary data with formulas stays locked at the top now and as I scroll down making changes to data, I can observe the totals at the top as I go along. Way better.
The bottom line is this: if I didn't have Excel, I'd probably have to pick a different line of work. In fact, I'd probably have to be institutionalized.
3. My kindergarten teacher wrote my mother a note saying she thought I was retarded and my parents should probably look into it. My mother was very pissed off about it.
4. I really have no friends with whom I socialize on a regular basis. I could easily be a hermit. The few people in Austin I call my friends I will only see once every few months, if that often. They are all people I met through work with the exception of a blogger. After living in Los Angeles for seven years, we have one friend with whom we stay in touch. I have one friend from high school I converse with via instant messaging almost daily. This is why I love Facebook. I can do a "drive-by" every so often, drop a note and be on my way.
It's not that I dislike social scenes or that I'm too shy to get out. I usually enjoy myself when I'm in the company of my friends; it's just not something I feel compelled to do frequently. We have lived in this house more than 11 years and have never had a party with friends over. We're thinking about having one once we get the new floors installed.
5. I absolutely hate it when someone reads something to me. One sentence is about my limit and then my frustration grows exponentially with each additional word. After one paragraph I'm about ready to scratch myself to death. I once had a pen pal who sent me a few of those audio tapes by authors who were reading their books. Guess what? They NEVER got played. I still have them around here and just thinking about it makes me want to locate them and get out my hammer.
Tagged: Bob | Blueberry | Jami | Seventh Sister | Tracy
But no harm in doing an update. And this one is just slightly different in that it's five interesting things about me as opposed to find things no one knows about me. Same difference here I suppose.
1. You may think you've never seen me except for my sidebar photos, but if you'd ever watched the film Biloxi Blues, you might very well have seen me. I am clearly visible in the theater scene sitting 2 or 3 rows back behind Matthew Broderick, munching on real popcorn while pretending to be amused by an unreal movie we're supposedly watching.
2. I am obsessive about Microsoft Excel. I remember the first time I ever opened the program at work about 18 years ago. I was curious to see what it did. When a big white screen appeared before me filled with empty boxes I wasn't sure what to do. I typed in a few words and thought it was ugly. I didn't really know if it was of any use to me.
While I am still not an expert user I would certainly consider myself advanced and I use it for all sorts of things like noting the square footage of each room in my house and using it to calculate the price of different types of flooring in each room. I have also created some amazing spreadsheets for use at work to make life easier. For instance, I created one which lists almost every commercial television station in the country, its network affiliation, the market, the person who is the sales rep for advertising, his or her phone, fax, an email hyperlink, and their assistant.
I have also created one for my present job which lists all the cable networks in the US and Canada along with the same info mentioned above, plus a small hyperlink to each of their websites, and a color-coding feature so I can see at a glance exactly which ad campaigns are on the air at each network.
But here's the funny thing. I absolutely hate using a spreadsheet created by anyone else unless it is user-friendly for me, especially if it has a lot of formulas. I am about to take on some additional responsibilities which require me to use a formula-heavy spreadsheet. I have tried to work with it a few times and it literally has my stomach tied in knots. Aside from it being ugly as hell, and font sizes not being all uniform, the data is scattered all over the sheet requiring lots of scrolling up and down and sideways to get at it. I spent several hours yesterday completely redesigning the thing so that I can even stand to look at it. All the summary data with formulas stays locked at the top now and as I scroll down making changes to data, I can observe the totals at the top as I go along. Way better.
The bottom line is this: if I didn't have Excel, I'd probably have to pick a different line of work. In fact, I'd probably have to be institutionalized.
3. My kindergarten teacher wrote my mother a note saying she thought I was retarded and my parents should probably look into it. My mother was very pissed off about it.
4. I really have no friends with whom I socialize on a regular basis. I could easily be a hermit. The few people in Austin I call my friends I will only see once every few months, if that often. They are all people I met through work with the exception of a blogger. After living in Los Angeles for seven years, we have one friend with whom we stay in touch. I have one friend from high school I converse with via instant messaging almost daily. This is why I love Facebook. I can do a "drive-by" every so often, drop a note and be on my way.
It's not that I dislike social scenes or that I'm too shy to get out. I usually enjoy myself when I'm in the company of my friends; it's just not something I feel compelled to do frequently. We have lived in this house more than 11 years and have never had a party with friends over. We're thinking about having one once we get the new floors installed.
5. I absolutely hate it when someone reads something to me. One sentence is about my limit and then my frustration grows exponentially with each additional word. After one paragraph I'm about ready to scratch myself to death. I once had a pen pal who sent me a few of those audio tapes by authors who were reading their books. Guess what? They NEVER got played. I still have them around here and just thinking about it makes me want to locate them and get out my hammer.
Tagged: Bob | Blueberry | Jami | Seventh Sister | Tracy
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
National Vinyl Day: Meme Across the Blogs
August 13 - Wrap up down below.
Update: txrad just informed me it's "National Vinyl Day." That makes this meme all the more relevant.
Found at Soul Food, a.k.a. "fuctincalifornia" dot bloodclot dot com which makes me laugh when I see it.
les rules:
1. put your mp3 player or computer music player on random.
2. post the first four lines from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song (skip repeat artists & instrumentals *duh*).
3. post, and let your friends guess which song and artist the lines come from.
4. NO googling!
(kona asks, who the FUCK came up with the notion of 20 songs? Why not 10? or 5? After the day I've had this just feels like MORE fucking pointless work!)
So we're going to play this one a little differently. One at a time. When someone gets it right, I'll do another one. That way, I'm not wasting a lot of my fucking precious time.
1.
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
That one is a little tricky. I'll explain after some smart ass thinks they know who that is on my Zen player. Meanwhile, let's kick this up at notch. Clues will be posted at Black Soap.
We have a winner! Fritz! On to the next one...
2.
Programmes of violence,
As entertainment,
Brings the disease into your room.
We know the germ
Good luck with that one!
Minstrel Boy correctly identified #2.
Here's another and I may stop this at #5.
3.
I used to live in a darkened room
Had a face of stone
And a heart of gloom
Lost my hope, I was so far gone
Either this one is hard or everyone lost interest already. HA. I'll give you another clue -- I think she performed at the Republican convention in 04 or something similar. I was pretty disgusted. That should give you a clue about her genre as well.
5:59pm Thursday, Let's get these other two out of the way so I can move on... :-)
I doubt whether anyone would ever guess who this is. I may post the full album cover at Black Soap and still no one will probably guess. We'll see. I can tell you she won a grammy for this album in 1972 for best R&B category. And she was born in Galveston, Texas in 1935.
4.
I've got my scars on my knees
Where I've been praying so long so long so long
I've got scars on my knees
Where I've been praying so long, Lord have mercy, so long.
This next one turned out to be way easy. It won't even need a hint.
5.
[Prelude: (It's a live album) Now I wanna see every fucker in this place shout out... Come on. You can get fuckin' louder than that...]
Has he lost his mind?
Can he see or is he blind?
Can he walk at all,
Or if he moves will he fall?
We saw them on this tour a few years ago in San Antonio at a big arena. Still, it was fun.
Eric at Wildebeast correctly identified this song so this blog gets added to my blogroll. No free konagod t-shirt for Eric since he didn't identify the album title. (Like there are any konagod t-shirts, but there will be someday.)
#3 and #4 are still open for someone to claim victory! And since no one has, I have posted the answers in the comments at Black Soap.
Update: txrad just informed me it's "National Vinyl Day." That makes this meme all the more relevant.
Found at Soul Food, a.k.a. "fuctincalifornia" dot bloodclot dot com which makes me laugh when I see it.
les rules:
1. put your mp3 player or computer music player on random.
2. post the first four lines from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song (skip repeat artists & instrumentals *duh*).
3. post, and let your friends guess which song and artist the lines come from.
4. NO googling!
(kona asks, who the FUCK came up with the notion of 20 songs? Why not 10? or 5? After the day I've had this just feels like MORE fucking pointless work!)
So we're going to play this one a little differently. One at a time. When someone gets it right, I'll do another one. That way, I'm not wasting a lot of my fucking precious time.
1.
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
That one is a little tricky. I'll explain after some smart ass thinks they know who that is on my Zen player. Meanwhile, let's kick this up at notch. Clues will be posted at Black Soap.
We have a winner! Fritz! On to the next one...
2.
Programmes of violence,
As entertainment,
Brings the disease into your room.
We know the germ
Good luck with that one!
Minstrel Boy correctly identified #2.
Here's another and I may stop this at #5.
3.
I used to live in a darkened room
Had a face of stone
And a heart of gloom
Lost my hope, I was so far gone
Either this one is hard or everyone lost interest already. HA. I'll give you another clue -- I think she performed at the Republican convention in 04 or something similar. I was pretty disgusted. That should give you a clue about her genre as well.
5:59pm Thursday, Let's get these other two out of the way so I can move on... :-)
I doubt whether anyone would ever guess who this is. I may post the full album cover at Black Soap and still no one will probably guess. We'll see. I can tell you she won a grammy for this album in 1972 for best R&B category. And she was born in Galveston, Texas in 1935.
4.
I've got my scars on my knees
Where I've been praying so long so long so long
I've got scars on my knees
Where I've been praying so long, Lord have mercy, so long.
This next one turned out to be way easy. It won't even need a hint.
5.
[Prelude: (It's a live album) Now I wanna see every fucker in this place shout out... Come on. You can get fuckin' louder than that...]
Has he lost his mind?
Can he see or is he blind?
Can he walk at all,
Or if he moves will he fall?
We saw them on this tour a few years ago in San Antonio at a big arena. Still, it was fun.
Eric at Wildebeast correctly identified this song so this blog gets added to my blogroll. No free konagod t-shirt for Eric since he didn't identify the album title. (Like there are any konagod t-shirts, but there will be someday.)
#3 and #4 are still open for someone to claim victory! And since no one has, I have posted the answers in the comments at Black Soap.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Five Easy Pieces of Meat
From Tart's Five Pieces of Meat, I offer my savory selections.
The rules, as laid out by Tracy, who actually tagged me originally and I just noticed. (Sorry, I don't get out as much these days due to work.)
"What five famous people would you want listed in the contract that your significant other had to forgive you if, you know, you just happened to meet them and you just happened to hit it off and they just happened to express interest in some hot, shallow monkey sex?"
Last Friday I promised to do this by Saturday afternoon. I don't believe I specified which Saturday though. (Hey, life is busy these days!)
I was wondering about one thing. To keep the playing field level, should I only select famous people who are gay, or just wing it on the off-chance that somebody I think is hot doesn't mind playing for the other team on occasion. There's a LOT of those guys out there you know!
OK, we'll go with that option. Besides, Alan Cumming really isn't my type.
1. Randy Harrison
I don't normally go for blondes. In fact I got burned by too many of 'em but I never resisted the temptation to bed down for the night when onestroked struck my fancy. If he never wandered my way, I'd even take his slut co-star in Queer as Folk:
2. Gale Harold
This rendezvous would get raunchy. That's pretty obvious. And I'm not sure I'd have the stamina for such an obvious all-nighter. But I'd give it my best shot.
3. Johnny Depp
I've had the hots from him since WAAAAYY back in the 80s. Not much has changed since then. He caught txrad's eye in 21 Jump Street and I was aware of the show at the time but not sure I ever watched it.Deep DEPP got me with A Nightmare on Elm Street and Private Resort, pretty much simultaneously. In the latter I seem to recall him sliding naked down a soap-slicked vinyl floor or something. That's exactly how konagod likes to do it.
4. Shaun White
Damn, this Olympic snowboarder is looking better and better. Imagine having sex with a guy wearing gold medals around his neck. Life could be worse. I can imagine our hair getting all tangled up during various positions and then having to cut the knots out after sex.
5. Jack White
I thought about including Rufus Wainwright and Jack Johnson. Consider them runners-up. (There are a lot of runners-up; Brad Pitt, are you listening?) But I had to get a musician in the mix here and I can't think of a finer candidate for a night of hot konasex than Jack White --- a man who has been in the presence of Loretta Lynn!
Sorry Meg, you can only watch. I might let you tape it.
The rules, as laid out by Tracy, who actually tagged me originally and I just noticed. (Sorry, I don't get out as much these days due to work.)
"What five famous people would you want listed in the contract that your significant other had to forgive you if, you know, you just happened to meet them and you just happened to hit it off and they just happened to express interest in some hot, shallow monkey sex?"
Last Friday I promised to do this by Saturday afternoon. I don't believe I specified which Saturday though. (Hey, life is busy these days!)
I was wondering about one thing. To keep the playing field level, should I only select famous people who are gay, or just wing it on the off-chance that somebody I think is hot doesn't mind playing for the other team on occasion. There's a LOT of those guys out there you know!
OK, we'll go with that option. Besides, Alan Cumming really isn't my type.
1. Randy Harrison
I don't normally go for blondes. In fact I got burned by too many of 'em but I never resisted the temptation to bed down for the night when one
2. Gale Harold
This rendezvous would get raunchy. That's pretty obvious. And I'm not sure I'd have the stamina for such an obvious all-nighter. But I'd give it my best shot.
3. Johnny Depp
I've had the hots from him since WAAAAYY back in the 80s. Not much has changed since then. He caught txrad's eye in 21 Jump Street and I was aware of the show at the time but not sure I ever watched it.
4. Shaun White
Damn, this Olympic snowboarder is looking better and better. Imagine having sex with a guy wearing gold medals around his neck. Life could be worse. I can imagine our hair getting all tangled up during various positions and then having to cut the knots out after sex.
5. Jack White
I thought about including Rufus Wainwright and Jack Johnson. Consider them runners-up. (There are a lot of runners-up; Brad Pitt, are you listening?) But I had to get a musician in the mix here and I can't think of a finer candidate for a night of hot konasex than Jack White --- a man who has been in the presence of Loretta Lynn!
Sorry Meg, you can only watch. I might let you tape it.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Booze Meme
Lordy, I'm feeling tipsy just from completing this one from Toast who actually took the time to put in links to many of his responses.
I don't have that much time; I need to make a run to the liquor store.
1. Beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks. Rank 'em.
Liquor (tequila!)
Beer
Wine
Mixed drinks
2. How often do you drink?
Daily from 6pm to around 9pm.
3. Favorite Scotch?
Don't have one. I'd have to start out with those little bottles like they give you on the airplane and sample a few. But honestly, I'm not that inclined.
4. Favorite Bourbon?
See #3. At least I can say I have a memory of Jack Daniels. Not my favorite stuff.
5. Favorite tequila?
Ahhh. Now we're making progress. Cesar Monterrey Reposado is about as smooth as a baby's butt. Lots of interesting flavors emerge from this one. Very complex and I feel like I'm tasting nutrients the agave plants pulled from the soil. The bottles are pretty cool but we don't drink our liquor because the bottles are cool, now do we?
When I want to go cheap, El Ultimo Reposado is hard to beat. The just redesigned their bottles after being absent from the shelves for a few weeks. Also slightly different taste. I get lots of acidic/citrus flavors. Very nice tequila and for a tad over $16 at Spec's with the debit/cash discount, it's hard to beat for the money.
When I want to go spicy, I opt for the Hornitos Reposado. A definite peppery kick compared to the above two tequilas. There are other tequilas which I think are sublime and would consider them favorites, but at $40 or more per bottle, I just can't do it.
6. Favorite Gin?
I used to hate gin when I was younger. Always thought it tasted like pine sap. Then a few years ago I tried Bombay Sapphire and found it to be palatable, and because they have all the herbs and whatnot etched on the bottle, I realized why gin tastes the way it does. Very medicinal.
7. Favorite Vodka?
I rarely drink vodka but I was impressed with the last ones I tried: Grey Goose and Tito's from right here in Austin.
8. Favorite Rum?
Toast has a pretty good answer for this one: Appleton's Jamaican rum. There's another one I have tried and thought it was OK, but honestly, a little rum goes a long way in my book.
9. Drunkest you've ever been?
I got drunk in my college dorm once and ended up riding the elevator up and down on my bed mattress -- someone stuffed me under the mattress pad and hauled me to the elevator. I couldn't have been too drunk though since I still remember people voices although I couldn't see them of course.
I was celebrating a friend's birthday back in the mid-80s when a bottle of Jose Cuervo was put in my hand with a lime. I'd never done tequila shots before and after being instructed how to do it, I held on to the bottle, determined to keep trying until I perfected the art. When I finished the bottle I was perfected. I was so perfected that I spent the next 24 hours crawling from the bed to the toilet.
The absolute worst experience though was just under 3 months ago and I blogged at length about that at Black Soap. I have no desire to go into it all again. What's odd is that my prior "worst" episodes were intentional. I started the evening with every intention of getting shit-faced. The one in early March was totally unintentional which still leads me to wonder if our drinks weren't spiked with something. It would have been worth having a blood test to find out.
10. Red or White?
Yes. Red in the cooler months and white in the summer. Simple.
11. Best wine you've ever tasted?
Someone sent me a couple of bottles of red from Tuscany via wine.com and I was blown away. Wish I could remember the name of it but since they were $50 each I won't be buying them anyway. I find that Masi Campofiorin from Italy is pretty damn good for about $16 and there is also a white Masi that was delectable. I feel the same way about wine as I do about tequila: I can taste the difference between a $50 bottle and a $20 bottle, but if the $20 bottle is real good, I'm happy with that even if the $50 bottle is exquisite.
12. Favorite type of wine?
Very hard for me to say. I'm still trying to pin it down on the whites. As for reds, it's hard to beat a nice Merlot. I do like cabs and zins though.
13. Favorite every-day red?
This is going to sound generic but I really like the Columbia Crest merlot. It's consistently way above decent. But for everyday wines, I'm usually pretty happy with the 10% discount on 6 bottles at HEB. I'm always trying something new and usually average spending about $8-$9 a bottle.
14. Favorite every-day white?
See #12. I tend to respond to those mixed varietals until I nail down my favorite. Evolution is excellent but I don't like to spend $15 or $17 on a bottle of white very often. The Masi was definitely something I'll buy again and it was around $10 with the quantity discount.
15. Best value wine?
Whatever I buy for $9 or less that I'd definitely buy again.
16. Do you drink box?
If I'm having wine at a party (like that happens often), I would. But since I don't drink wine every day I prefer the bottles. I definitely prefer those new plastic composite corks over real cork now. Much easier to remove.
17. Fastest you've ever gotten drunk?
Anytime I ever drank anything that had Everclear in it. And I won't knowingly do that. It's a headache guaranteed to happen.
18. Longest you've ever stayed drunk?
From one evening's consumption, when I've gone over the top, I have still been drunk when I woke up the next morning. The longest was probably about 15 - 18 hours I guess when I'd finally start to feel sober around late morning. There was a Las Vegas trip though when I was probably intoxicated for several days, since it's Vegas, and those drinks as "free" I figured what the hell, let's get up in the morning and have a bloody mary.
19. Ever do anything you really regret while drunk?
I probably should not have pissed on an interior wall in some one's house in London back the in 80s. That's something a dog would do. Aside from that, reference back to #9. I regret even going to that party.
This next section is about beers. And I'm the same way about beer as I am about wine. I like variety, even in the same evening, and I rarely pay attention to whether I'm drinking a lager or an ale. I guess that disqualifies me from beer geekdom. And we tend to stick with a bunch of our regulars from around the Austin area rather than frequently trying new beers from around the world.
20. Favorite lager?
Shiner Bohemian Black Lager.
21. Favorite IPA?
Haven't had enough IPAs to even answer, if we're referring to India Pale Ale here.
22. Favorite brown ale?
Bootlegger by Austin's Independence Brewing and Brewhouse by Real Ale Brewing in Blanco, Texas.
23. Favorite doppelbock?
Not sure I've had a real Munich doppelbock in years. There may be some American beers I've had that would qualify as a doppelbock. I googled the term and Abita Brewing Company came up. They have one called Andygator which I've never seen here. I'll definitely give that one a try if and when I find it.
24. Favorite Belgian?
A few years ago we went on a Belgian beer binge, trying several different ones after seeing a documentary on TV. I can't remember any of them off the top of my head but there was one with a pink elephant or something on the bottle -- seems like it was a hard ceramic bottle. You beer pros will probably know what it is.
25.Favorite stout?
Ahh, Guinness. But only if it's on tap in Ireland or England. Or someplace where the shit isn't pasteurized into a meaningless existence.
26. Favorite Winter Ale?
Don't have one. We've tried a few winter ales from our nearby breweries but I can't even remember what they are.
27. Favorite Scotch Ale?
Can't say for certain I've ever had a Scotch Ale.
28. Favorite Other?
Freestyle, also by Independence.
29. Favorite Brewery?
As you can see, I lean heavily to local breweries. But I really like Abita just over there in Louisiana. Their raspberry wheat beer is not too sweet with a hint of raspberry rather than being overpowering as some are. And they've just come out with a strawberry as well. If I'm drinking tequila I like to start off with the Abita raspberry before moving on to a more robust brew. But on a hot day, the strawberry is quite refreshing.
30. Favorite mixed drink?
Without a doubt: margarita. It's the only mixed drink I ever have in Austin, and that's pretty rare these days. I do like a spicy Bloody Mary though, and a Long Island Iced Tea always does the trick when you need to turbo charge a dull evening.
31. Favorite morning libation?
I've never been much of a morning drinker, but if I'm on vacation in a casino, a bloody mary is a great way to kick of a day of slot-feeding.
32. Do you suffer memory loss when you drink heavily?
Not so much. Unless I've had a huge amount of liquor. Now if I've had a lot to drink and I've smoked some dope, then yeah, for sure. I turn on my PC in the morning with dread, wondering if I put up a stupid post that I don't remember, or worse: got on someone else's blog and said something embarrassing. I'm always relieved when it's just something infantile I've said.
33. Favorite place to drink?
I never get to travel on a real vacation, but I always loved drinking in front of a slot machine. But the most relaxing is beachfront. Anywhere.
34. Favorite sports bar?
I'm not really into sports bars per se. I had many a good time at a bar in Ocean Beach throwing darts though when I lived in San Diego. Can't remember the name of that dive now.
35. Ever consider AA?
Probably not. I have to attend enough meetings at work. And AA would probably put a crimp in my evening festivities.
I don't have that much time; I need to make a run to the liquor store.
1. Beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks. Rank 'em.
Liquor (tequila!)
Beer
Wine
Mixed drinks
2. How often do you drink?
Daily from 6pm to around 9pm.
3. Favorite Scotch?
Don't have one. I'd have to start out with those little bottles like they give you on the airplane and sample a few. But honestly, I'm not that inclined.
4. Favorite Bourbon?
See #3. At least I can say I have a memory of Jack Daniels. Not my favorite stuff.
5. Favorite tequila?
Ahhh. Now we're making progress. Cesar Monterrey Reposado is about as smooth as a baby's butt. Lots of interesting flavors emerge from this one. Very complex and I feel like I'm tasting nutrients the agave plants pulled from the soil. The bottles are pretty cool but we don't drink our liquor because the bottles are cool, now do we?
When I want to go cheap, El Ultimo Reposado is hard to beat. The just redesigned their bottles after being absent from the shelves for a few weeks. Also slightly different taste. I get lots of acidic/citrus flavors. Very nice tequila and for a tad over $16 at Spec's with the debit/cash discount, it's hard to beat for the money.
When I want to go spicy, I opt for the Hornitos Reposado. A definite peppery kick compared to the above two tequilas. There are other tequilas which I think are sublime and would consider them favorites, but at $40 or more per bottle, I just can't do it.
6. Favorite Gin?
I used to hate gin when I was younger. Always thought it tasted like pine sap. Then a few years ago I tried Bombay Sapphire and found it to be palatable, and because they have all the herbs and whatnot etched on the bottle, I realized why gin tastes the way it does. Very medicinal.
7. Favorite Vodka?
I rarely drink vodka but I was impressed with the last ones I tried: Grey Goose and Tito's from right here in Austin.
8. Favorite Rum?
Toast has a pretty good answer for this one: Appleton's Jamaican rum. There's another one I have tried and thought it was OK, but honestly, a little rum goes a long way in my book.
9. Drunkest you've ever been?
I got drunk in my college dorm once and ended up riding the elevator up and down on my bed mattress -- someone stuffed me under the mattress pad and hauled me to the elevator. I couldn't have been too drunk though since I still remember people voices although I couldn't see them of course.
I was celebrating a friend's birthday back in the mid-80s when a bottle of Jose Cuervo was put in my hand with a lime. I'd never done tequila shots before and after being instructed how to do it, I held on to the bottle, determined to keep trying until I perfected the art. When I finished the bottle I was perfected. I was so perfected that I spent the next 24 hours crawling from the bed to the toilet.
The absolute worst experience though was just under 3 months ago and I blogged at length about that at Black Soap. I have no desire to go into it all again. What's odd is that my prior "worst" episodes were intentional. I started the evening with every intention of getting shit-faced. The one in early March was totally unintentional which still leads me to wonder if our drinks weren't spiked with something. It would have been worth having a blood test to find out.
10. Red or White?
Yes. Red in the cooler months and white in the summer. Simple.
11. Best wine you've ever tasted?
Someone sent me a couple of bottles of red from Tuscany via wine.com and I was blown away. Wish I could remember the name of it but since they were $50 each I won't be buying them anyway. I find that Masi Campofiorin from Italy is pretty damn good for about $16 and there is also a white Masi that was delectable. I feel the same way about wine as I do about tequila: I can taste the difference between a $50 bottle and a $20 bottle, but if the $20 bottle is real good, I'm happy with that even if the $50 bottle is exquisite.
12. Favorite type of wine?
Very hard for me to say. I'm still trying to pin it down on the whites. As for reds, it's hard to beat a nice Merlot. I do like cabs and zins though.
13. Favorite every-day red?
This is going to sound generic but I really like the Columbia Crest merlot. It's consistently way above decent. But for everyday wines, I'm usually pretty happy with the 10% discount on 6 bottles at HEB. I'm always trying something new and usually average spending about $8-$9 a bottle.
14. Favorite every-day white?
See #12. I tend to respond to those mixed varietals until I nail down my favorite. Evolution is excellent but I don't like to spend $15 or $17 on a bottle of white very often. The Masi was definitely something I'll buy again and it was around $10 with the quantity discount.
15. Best value wine?
Whatever I buy for $9 or less that I'd definitely buy again.
16. Do you drink box?
If I'm having wine at a party (like that happens often), I would. But since I don't drink wine every day I prefer the bottles. I definitely prefer those new plastic composite corks over real cork now. Much easier to remove.
17. Fastest you've ever gotten drunk?
Anytime I ever drank anything that had Everclear in it. And I won't knowingly do that. It's a headache guaranteed to happen.
18. Longest you've ever stayed drunk?
From one evening's consumption, when I've gone over the top, I have still been drunk when I woke up the next morning. The longest was probably about 15 - 18 hours I guess when I'd finally start to feel sober around late morning. There was a Las Vegas trip though when I was probably intoxicated for several days, since it's Vegas, and those drinks as "free" I figured what the hell, let's get up in the morning and have a bloody mary.
19. Ever do anything you really regret while drunk?
I probably should not have pissed on an interior wall in some one's house in London back the in 80s. That's something a dog would do. Aside from that, reference back to #9. I regret even going to that party.
This next section is about beers. And I'm the same way about beer as I am about wine. I like variety, even in the same evening, and I rarely pay attention to whether I'm drinking a lager or an ale. I guess that disqualifies me from beer geekdom. And we tend to stick with a bunch of our regulars from around the Austin area rather than frequently trying new beers from around the world.
20. Favorite lager?
Shiner Bohemian Black Lager.
21. Favorite IPA?
Haven't had enough IPAs to even answer, if we're referring to India Pale Ale here.
22. Favorite brown ale?
Bootlegger by Austin's Independence Brewing and Brewhouse by Real Ale Brewing in Blanco, Texas.
23. Favorite doppelbock?
Not sure I've had a real Munich doppelbock in years. There may be some American beers I've had that would qualify as a doppelbock. I googled the term and Abita Brewing Company came up. They have one called Andygator which I've never seen here. I'll definitely give that one a try if and when I find it.
24. Favorite Belgian?
A few years ago we went on a Belgian beer binge, trying several different ones after seeing a documentary on TV. I can't remember any of them off the top of my head but there was one with a pink elephant or something on the bottle -- seems like it was a hard ceramic bottle. You beer pros will probably know what it is.
25.Favorite stout?
Ahh, Guinness. But only if it's on tap in Ireland or England. Or someplace where the shit isn't pasteurized into a meaningless existence.
26. Favorite Winter Ale?
Don't have one. We've tried a few winter ales from our nearby breweries but I can't even remember what they are.
27. Favorite Scotch Ale?
Can't say for certain I've ever had a Scotch Ale.
28. Favorite Other?
Freestyle, also by Independence.
29. Favorite Brewery?
As you can see, I lean heavily to local breweries. But I really like Abita just over there in Louisiana. Their raspberry wheat beer is not too sweet with a hint of raspberry rather than being overpowering as some are. And they've just come out with a strawberry as well. If I'm drinking tequila I like to start off with the Abita raspberry before moving on to a more robust brew. But on a hot day, the strawberry is quite refreshing.
30. Favorite mixed drink?
Without a doubt: margarita. It's the only mixed drink I ever have in Austin, and that's pretty rare these days. I do like a spicy Bloody Mary though, and a Long Island Iced Tea always does the trick when you need to turbo charge a dull evening.
31. Favorite morning libation?
I've never been much of a morning drinker, but if I'm on vacation in a casino, a bloody mary is a great way to kick of a day of slot-feeding.
32. Do you suffer memory loss when you drink heavily?
Not so much. Unless I've had a huge amount of liquor. Now if I've had a lot to drink and I've smoked some dope, then yeah, for sure. I turn on my PC in the morning with dread, wondering if I put up a stupid post that I don't remember, or worse: got on someone else's blog and said something embarrassing. I'm always relieved when it's just something infantile I've said.
33. Favorite place to drink?
I never get to travel on a real vacation, but I always loved drinking in front of a slot machine. But the most relaxing is beachfront. Anywhere.
34. Favorite sports bar?
I'm not really into sports bars per se. I had many a good time at a bar in Ocean Beach throwing darts though when I lived in San Diego. Can't remember the name of that dive now.
35. Ever consider AA?
Probably not. I have to attend enough meetings at work. And AA would probably put a crimp in my evening festivities.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Fight Boredom: Find a Meme
Nothing quite like finding a meme to fulfill a Sunday blog post obligation. Via The Chemist.
1) Ten years ago I was:
38 and still getting carded occasionally for liquor. I had been living in Austin less than a year and was making about $30,000 more per year than I am today. And I was probably wondering when I'd get around to have the windows replaced and painting a few rooms.
2) Five things on tomorrow's to-do list:
1. Take the bus to work.
2. Select my benefits package.
3. Floss.
4. Have a stellar bowel movement.
5. Convince myself that I love my job.
3) Things I'd do if I were a billionaire:
1. Quit my job.
2. Renovate my mother's house.
3. Invest enough to live well on the interest.
4. Invest the remainder and use the interest earned for some charity work.
5. Realize that nobody needs billions. $5 million is plenty for anyone.
4) Three bad habits:
1. Tequila
2. American Spirit Lights (you know, those healthy cigarettes!)
3. Cursing at everybody while driving
5) Five places I've lived:
1. Los Angeles
2. San Diego
3. Little Rock
4. London
5. Denver
6) Six jobs I've had:
1. Advertising agency management
2. Clerk in a record store
3. Cashier at bookstore
4. Cashier at Asian grocery
5. TCBY yogurt store
6. Lots and lots of temp agency clerical jobs
1) Ten years ago I was:
38 and still getting carded occasionally for liquor. I had been living in Austin less than a year and was making about $30,000 more per year than I am today. And I was probably wondering when I'd get around to have the windows replaced and painting a few rooms.
2) Five things on tomorrow's to-do list:
1. Take the bus to work.
2. Select my benefits package.
3. Floss.
4. Have a stellar bowel movement.
5. Convince myself that I love my job.
3) Things I'd do if I were a billionaire:
1. Quit my job.
2. Renovate my mother's house.
3. Invest enough to live well on the interest.
4. Invest the remainder and use the interest earned for some charity work.
5. Realize that nobody needs billions. $5 million is plenty for anyone.
4) Three bad habits:
1. Tequila
2. American Spirit Lights (you know, those healthy cigarettes!)
3. Cursing at everybody while driving
5) Five places I've lived:
1. Los Angeles
2. San Diego
3. Little Rock
4. London
5. Denver
6) Six jobs I've had:
1. Advertising agency management
2. Clerk in a record store
3. Cashier at bookstore
4. Cashier at Asian grocery
5. TCBY yogurt store
6. Lots and lots of temp agency clerical jobs
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Scattergories Meme
Found via The Disgruntled Chemist. It seems a fitting way to end the weekend. The rules are that all the answers have to start with the same letter as does your first name.
1. What is your name? Winfred
2. A four-letter word: wish
3. A vehicle: wagon
4. A city: Walla Walla
5. A boy's name: William
6. A girl's name: Winifred
7. Alcoholic drink: wine*
8. An occupation: writer
9. Something you wear: wetsuit
10. A celebrity: Wim Wenders (ok, he's a director but directors can also be celebs.)
11. A food: wiener
12. Something found in a bathroom: water, ideally.
13. Reason for being late: washing up
14. Something you shout: WHAT!
15. An animal: wombat
16. A body part: waist (I had a hard time thinking of anything and was going to say wiener.)
Like it? Do it.
*Wine sounds good. I'm going to open a bottle now.
1. What is your name? Winfred
2. A four-letter word: wish
3. A vehicle: wagon
4. A city: Walla Walla
5. A boy's name: William
6. A girl's name: Winifred
7. Alcoholic drink: wine*
8. An occupation: writer
9. Something you wear: wetsuit
10. A celebrity: Wim Wenders (ok, he's a director but directors can also be celebs.)
11. A food: wiener
12. Something found in a bathroom: water, ideally.
13. Reason for being late: washing up
14. Something you shout: WHAT!
15. An animal: wombat
16. A body part: waist (I had a hard time thinking of anything and was going to say wiener.)
Like it? Do it.
*Wine sounds good. I'm going to open a bottle now.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Kelly's Vanity Fair Meme
Via Kelly, of course.
Kelly wrote:
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Having a secluded house on 5 acres in the heart of Manhattan. Since that is unreasonable, I'd settle for a comfy house with plenty of room to garden, and a nice view, a job allowing me to work from home, and never having to hear my neighbors blasting Eminem, Ted Nugent or practicing drums. Oh, and no mortgage. That, my friends, is all I seek for perfect happiness. It is attainable and I am working on it.
2. What is your greatest fear?
That I will never achieve perfect happiness. I also don't particularly care for the idea of being stuck in a dark and crowded elevator during a power outage.
3. What is your most marked characteristic?
I guess it would be my unruly hair.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I guess it would be my unruly hair. And procrastination.
5. Which living person do you most despise?
George W. Bush.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
On a routine basis, it would be my expenses for beer, wine and spirits. However, as far as single items go, it's hard to top the $8,000 I spent on a TV when I had budgeted about $1500. It's paid for though. That matters most.
7. What is your current state of mind?
A chaotic depressed incapacitated crazed frenzy.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
I wasn't sure what virtues are so I found a list. I vote for Majesty as being pretty worthless.
9. On what occasion do you lie?
Usually if I'm too embarrassed to tell the whole truth, or if I think there's a chance it might help me avoid a fine or delinquency fee. "The credit card statement that was due last week just arrived on my desk today!" Not really a lie, but it was on my kitchen table for 3 weeks prior to arriving on my desk.
10. What do you dislike most about your appearance?
I guess it would be my unruly hair. And hairs coming out in undesirable locales: nose, ears, etc.
11. What is the quality you most like in a man?
I guess sensitivity although the quality of being handy with all manner of tools, repairs, and home improvement projects is sounding pretty damn fine.
12. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Not giving a damn about what's considered "ladylike." Being butch.
13. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"Godfuckingdamn" and "fuck it" pop up frequently.
14. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The what would have to be music. The who would have to be txrad.
15. When and where were you happiest?
Just moments before I got to this question and realized there were two #15 questions and I had to renumber the rest of the meme questions. Actually, there are 2 answers to this one, ironically. 1983-1984 in London was the happiest even though I knew it couldn't possibly last. Then last year when I had a phenomenal job right here in Austin which should have lasted but didn't.
16. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To channel my anger and frustration into something productive or artistic.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
I always wanted to play an instrument -- guitar, piano or violin. Violin is actually my favorite instrument. Right now I'd settle for the talent of being a handyman.
18. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Sticking with one profession for 18 years after basically falling into it.
19. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I'd be perfectly happy to come back as myself. Especially if I could fix a few things along the way. But I'd also be just as happy not coming back. The future just doesn't look as appealing as it did when I was much younger.
20. Where would you like to live?
If you only knew how many times I've asked myself that question. In the short-term, probably Arkansas simply because it would make my life a lot easier. But any place where I could have the answer to question #1 would be fine with me.
21. What is your most treasured possession?
Probably the equity in my house. Otherwise the answer to #7 and #22 would be 10x worse.
22. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Pretty much my current state of mind. A feeling of endless limbo, and a feeling of being trapped.
23. What is your favorite occupation?
It's usually quiet contemplation although lately I feel I'm doing too much of that so I tend to enjoy anything that keeps my mind busy. Reading, cleaning, or working in the yard.
24. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Captain James T. Kirk and James Bond. "Ohhh, James..."
25. What are your favorite names?
James, Tater Tot, Santa Fe, Alfred -- you never see that one anymore. And simple names with clever spellings: Siouxsie and Phydeaux.
26. What is it that you most dislike?
Pollution of all types. Pollution of the environment, noise pollution, radiowaves filling the air (think about that one), billboards, disposable items that are excessively disposable (those disposable cameras come to mind). Pollution is followed very closely by corruption although political corruption is a type of pollution really.
27. How would you like to die?
I'd like for us to all go out together. Seems more fair. Why should some get to hang around and continue having fun a little while longer?
28. What is your motto?
I have no tolerance for intolerance.
Kelly wrote:
One of my favorite things about my favorite magazine, The Proust Questionnaire. I do this month's here:
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Having a secluded house on 5 acres in the heart of Manhattan. Since that is unreasonable, I'd settle for a comfy house with plenty of room to garden, and a nice view, a job allowing me to work from home, and never having to hear my neighbors blasting Eminem, Ted Nugent or practicing drums. Oh, and no mortgage. That, my friends, is all I seek for perfect happiness. It is attainable and I am working on it.
2. What is your greatest fear?
That I will never achieve perfect happiness. I also don't particularly care for the idea of being stuck in a dark and crowded elevator during a power outage.
3. What is your most marked characteristic?
I guess it would be my unruly hair.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I guess it would be my unruly hair. And procrastination.
5. Which living person do you most despise?
George W. Bush.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
On a routine basis, it would be my expenses for beer, wine and spirits. However, as far as single items go, it's hard to top the $8,000 I spent on a TV when I had budgeted about $1500. It's paid for though. That matters most.
7. What is your current state of mind?
A chaotic depressed incapacitated crazed frenzy.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
I wasn't sure what virtues are so I found a list. I vote for Majesty as being pretty worthless.
9. On what occasion do you lie?
Usually if I'm too embarrassed to tell the whole truth, or if I think there's a chance it might help me avoid a fine or delinquency fee. "The credit card statement that was due last week just arrived on my desk today!" Not really a lie, but it was on my kitchen table for 3 weeks prior to arriving on my desk.
10. What do you dislike most about your appearance?
I guess it would be my unruly hair. And hairs coming out in undesirable locales: nose, ears, etc.
11. What is the quality you most like in a man?
I guess sensitivity although the quality of being handy with all manner of tools, repairs, and home improvement projects is sounding pretty damn fine.
12. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Not giving a damn about what's considered "ladylike." Being butch.
13. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"Godfuckingdamn" and "fuck it" pop up frequently.
14. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The what would have to be music. The who would have to be txrad.
15. When and where were you happiest?
Just moments before I got to this question and realized there were two #15 questions and I had to renumber the rest of the meme questions. Actually, there are 2 answers to this one, ironically. 1983-1984 in London was the happiest even though I knew it couldn't possibly last. Then last year when I had a phenomenal job right here in Austin which should have lasted but didn't.
16. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To channel my anger and frustration into something productive or artistic.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
I always wanted to play an instrument -- guitar, piano or violin. Violin is actually my favorite instrument. Right now I'd settle for the talent of being a handyman.
18. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Sticking with one profession for 18 years after basically falling into it.
19. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I'd be perfectly happy to come back as myself. Especially if I could fix a few things along the way. But I'd also be just as happy not coming back. The future just doesn't look as appealing as it did when I was much younger.
20. Where would you like to live?
If you only knew how many times I've asked myself that question. In the short-term, probably Arkansas simply because it would make my life a lot easier. But any place where I could have the answer to question #1 would be fine with me.
21. What is your most treasured possession?
Probably the equity in my house. Otherwise the answer to #7 and #22 would be 10x worse.
22. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Pretty much my current state of mind. A feeling of endless limbo, and a feeling of being trapped.
23. What is your favorite occupation?
It's usually quiet contemplation although lately I feel I'm doing too much of that so I tend to enjoy anything that keeps my mind busy. Reading, cleaning, or working in the yard.
24. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Captain James T. Kirk and James Bond. "Ohhh, James..."
25. What are your favorite names?
26. What is it that you most dislike?
Pollution of all types. Pollution of the environment, noise pollution, radiowaves filling the air (think about that one), billboards, disposable items that are excessively disposable (those disposable cameras come to mind). Pollution is followed very closely by corruption although political corruption is a type of pollution really.
27. How would you like to die?
I'd like for us to all go out together. Seems more fair. Why should some get to hang around and continue having fun a little while longer?
28. What is your motto?
I have no tolerance for intolerance.
Friday, March 21, 2008
The 4x4 Meme
Via the normally meme-less Jami.
4 jobs I have had: pouring hold molten iron into molds at some foundry back during college -- whatever that's called. It lasted about a day or so. Working in a tortilla factory. Working in a Chinese grocery and a TCBY Yogurt store. (By the way, the founder of TCBY is from my hometown and used to teach school. I think he was my brother's teacher one year.)
4 TV shows I actually watch: Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Iron Chef America. The L Word. Little People Big World. And I really had to struggle to think of four.
4 places I have been: Singapore, Iceland, Ocracoke and Petra.
4 foods I like: Quality cheese (if the Kraft brand is associated with it, forget it), Fresh purple-hull peas, fried spinach pakoras, veggie enchiladas with some rich spicy sauces. (My favorite is enchiladas banderas which has 3 sauces to mimic the 3 colors in the Mexican flag -- that's convenient!)
Tagged: If you have an R, T G, or A in your blog name, consider yourselves tagged. Sorta like Wheel of Fortune. Hey, that was easy.
4 jobs I have had: pouring hold molten iron into molds at some foundry back during college -- whatever that's called. It lasted about a day or so. Working in a tortilla factory. Working in a Chinese grocery and a TCBY Yogurt store. (By the way, the founder of TCBY is from my hometown and used to teach school. I think he was my brother's teacher one year.)
4 TV shows I actually watch: Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Iron Chef America. The L Word. Little People Big World. And I really had to struggle to think of four.
4 places I have been: Singapore, Iceland, Ocracoke and Petra.
4 foods I like: Quality cheese (if the Kraft brand is associated with it, forget it), Fresh purple-hull peas, fried spinach pakoras, veggie enchiladas with some rich spicy sauces. (My favorite is enchiladas banderas which has 3 sauces to mimic the 3 colors in the Mexican flag -- that's convenient!)
Tagged: If you have an R, T G, or A in your blog name, consider yourselves tagged. Sorta like Wheel of Fortune. Hey, that was easy.
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Middle Name Meme
Oh goodie. Another meme. My day would not be complete or fulfilled without one. This one was found over at Le Garçon de Pie-Dough.
Here are the rules
D is for Drunk. Because in the absence of ganja (damn I wish there was a G in my middle name) it's the next most common altered state for me. (And it's legal. And it sometimes costs WAY more than the best ganja if you aren't careful with it.)
E is for Ethereal. It's a nice place to live but I wouldn't want to just visit there.
W is for Wasted. Because I'm at the peak of creative brilliance at that point.
I is for Indignation. I am full of it.
T is for Time Travel. It's something I would seriously do right now even at the risk of fucking things up worse than they already are.
T is also for Taurus. I am one. Full throttle.
Now, if anyone thinks I'm going to hunt for bloggers I know whose names start with those letters, you've got another thing coming. (T is also for Tart.)
Here are the rules
1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers. [Why, I ask?]
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don’t have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother’s maiden name).
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged.)
D is for Drunk. Because in the absence of ganja (damn I wish there was a G in my middle name) it's the next most common altered state for me. (And it's legal. And it sometimes costs WAY more than the best ganja if you aren't careful with it.)
E is for Ethereal. It's a nice place to live but I wouldn't want to just visit there.
W is for Wasted. Because I'm at the peak of creative brilliance at that point.
I is for Indignation. I am full of it.
T is for Time Travel. It's something I would seriously do right now even at the risk of fucking things up worse than they already are.
T is also for Taurus. I am one. Full throttle.
Now, if anyone thinks I'm going to hunt for bloggers I know whose names start with those letters, you've got another thing coming. (T is also for Tart.)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Desk Drawer Clutter Meme
Found a meme over at Ms. Lipp’s place. Maybe this will inspire me to clean out my desk even though I did so about 2 months ago. It wasn't enough.
Open up your desk drawers. Rummage about. List ten things you find there:
1. Lots and lots of cards: credit cards, business cards, frequent flyer cards, casino club cards.
2. Lots and lots of pens and markers.
3. Some infinity stamps or whatever they're called. Just bought them a couple of weeks ago and quite a wise choice since postage is about to go up again.
4. Lots and lots of return address labels -- more than I will ever use.
5. Souvenir concert tickets from probably every concert we've attended in the past 16 years. Actually one predates txrad: Concrete Blonde at Club Maxxx in Denver on July 4, 1989.
6. A large plastic cockroach.
7. Two $100 bills.
8. Lots and lots of 3.5" floppies and Iomega ZIP disks which I should discard.
9. A package of dark blue stationery which I received as a birthday gift in England in 1984.
10. Two expired passports.
Tag thyself.
Open up your desk drawers. Rummage about. List ten things you find there:
1. Lots and lots of cards: credit cards, business cards, frequent flyer cards, casino club cards.
2. Lots and lots of pens and markers.
3. Some infinity stamps or whatever they're called. Just bought them a couple of weeks ago and quite a wise choice since postage is about to go up again.
4. Lots and lots of return address labels -- more than I will ever use.
5. Souvenir concert tickets from probably every concert we've attended in the past 16 years. Actually one predates txrad: Concrete Blonde at Club Maxxx in Denver on July 4, 1989.
6. A large plastic cockroach.
7. Two $100 bills.
8. Lots and lots of 3.5" floppies and Iomega ZIP disks which I should discard.
9. A package of dark blue stationery which I received as a birthday gift in England in 1984.
10. Two expired passports.
Tag thyself.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Twenty Photos Meme
What a way to kill an afternoon! Because it's a nasty day and I'm not really in the mood to do anything else....
via Phydeaux
1. Go to photobucket.com
2. Type in your answer for each question into the PhotoBucket search bar.
3. Choose your favorite photo to represent your answer.
4. Copy the html and paste it here.
5. Answer only in picture form.
1. What is your first name?
2. When is your birthday?
3. What kind of car do you want?
4. Where did/do you go to school?
5. What is your favorite season?
6. What is your favorite type of shoe?
7. What is your status?
8. What is your favorite movie?
9. What is your favorite song?
10. Who is your favorite Disney character?
11. What is your favorite clothing line?
12. What is your favorite vacation destination?
13. What is your favorite dessert?
14. What is your favorite letter?
15. What are you most afraid of?
16. What is your favorite TV show?
17. What annoys you the most?
18. What is your job?
19. What is your favorite animal?
20. How old are you?
If you haven't seen this and want to do it, you're tagged.
via Phydeaux
1. Go to photobucket.com
2. Type in your answer for each question into the PhotoBucket search bar.
3. Choose your favorite photo to represent your answer.
4. Copy the html and paste it here.
5. Answer only in picture form.
1. What is your first name?
2. When is your birthday?
3. What kind of car do you want?
4. Where did/do you go to school?
5. What is your favorite season?
6. What is your favorite type of shoe?
7. What is your status?
8. What is your favorite movie?
9. What is your favorite song?
10. Who is your favorite Disney character?
If you haven't seen this and want to do it, you're tagged.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Another 3 Sentence Book Meme
I was tagged by Phil at Waveflux for this meme which is actually one of my favorites of the book memes because it's easy and quick!
Here's the rules:
1. Grab the nearest book (that is at least 123 pages long).
2. Open to p. 123.
3. Go down to the 5th sentence.
4. Type in the following 3 sentences.
5. Tag five people.
I'm curious. Does anyone know the book or the author? No cheating. Take a guess if you don't know. The answer lies here.
Tagged: Jacq, Mr. Goff, OK, I've got Jacq/Goff covered. Pardon my adolescent antics, but there is some creativity at work here. Also Deborah (please whip out an Ian Fleming book! I need a 007 fix.) and Pidomon, who happens to have just bought a book so I know there's one handy, and Seventh Sister, with whom I will be meeting briefly for the first time on Thursday for a sinfully decadent reason.
Here's the rules:
1. Grab the nearest book (that is at least 123 pages long).
2. Open to p. 123.
3. Go down to the 5th sentence.
4. Type in the following 3 sentences.
5. Tag five people.
They have no idea you're wearing short pants, and have no back in your jacket. It's embarrassing. Especially if they use too much makeup, and you look like a deceased drag queen.
I'm curious. Does anyone know the book or the author? No cheating. Take a guess if you don't know. The answer lies here.
Tagged: Jacq, Mr. Goff, OK, I've got Jacq/Goff covered. Pardon my adolescent antics, but there is some creativity at work here. Also Deborah (please whip out an Ian Fleming book! I need a 007 fix.) and Pidomon, who happens to have just bought a book so I know there's one handy, and Seventh Sister, with whom I will be meeting briefly for the first time on Thursday for a sinfully decadent reason.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Desktop Meme
via Toast. And be sure to check his out. I have the same photo saved on my PC and a very small snippet of that one is my Gravitar.
Here's mine. Not terribly original but I did recently change it and my entire desktop theme color scheme.
The one on my notebook is better. Unfortunately, I can't do the "print screen" and save the image. It's not giving me the "paste" option. Hmmm. Another little annoying technological thing to bug the hell out of me all weekend. Grrrrrrrrr.
Here's mine. Not terribly original but I did recently change it and my entire desktop theme color scheme.
The one on my notebook is better. Unfortunately, I can't do the "print screen" and save the image. It's not giving me the "paste" option. Hmmm. Another little annoying technological thing to bug the hell out of me all weekend. Grrrrrrrrr.
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