August 20, 2007
What are you reading right now?
Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith
Do you have any idea what you'll read when you'e done with that?
Probably The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl
What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?
Magazines? You mean those things ammo comes in? There's books, though, including some Harry Potter in the bathroom right now, though. 5 or 7..... not sure which I brought back in the bedroom.
What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
How about a top 10 list?
Great Expectations, Lord of the Flies, The Awakening, The Crying of Lot 49, Heart of Darkness, Arrowsmith, A Tale of Two Cities, Emily Dickenson poems (not because they suck but because they lead to weeks of "Yellow Rose of Texas" earwormage), and for sheer suckage, my Calculus books (Tommy I and Tommy II) and that god-awful Physical Chemistry text.
What's the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
Another list:
Reading Lolita in Tehran, Devil in the White City, The Dante Club, The Historian, Stephen King's Different Seasons, Harry Potter, etc. etc.
Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
Nope. I love my books to death. And I love to reread. Hence I buy them and KEEP them. My mom's a librarian, though. She knows me on a first name basis. Does that count?
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don't like it at all?
My favorite book is Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. Most people just don't get it. Also a lot of Stephen King books. People are scared to pick up a "horror" novel, and they're just not that. Yeah, scary stuff, but it's just a platform for an amazingly written, character driven story.
Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you're on the computer? While you're having sex? While you're driving?
That would be: Yes, Yes, Sometimes, Often, Occasionally (usually this has to do with work), NEVER (that would be rude), and ABSOLUTELY not (UNSAFE, hello!!!)
When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Hell yes. I got teased for breathing. Come on, now. But I read constantly. Let's put it this way, once, when I was a kid my mom tried to punish me by taking away my books. So I picked up the shampoo bottles and toothpaste tubes in the bathroom and read those.
What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down?
Literally? The Da Vinci Code. I was on a red eye to Michigan and couldn't sleep. The Historian. I read that in TN after a night of hanging out with Blown-Eyes. It was that good. And of course, HP7.
I've thought of some other book questions for you all:
What book have you stayed up all night NOT reading (because it disturbed you in some way)? Has a book ever entered your dreams?
What book/ series would you like to write an ending too? Or rewrite? I'm not strictly talking about fanfic, just this: given the opportunity, which stories would you like to work on?
Best book to movie transition? And as a corollary, what books should NEVER be a movie?
Do you prefer one-off novels or character-driven series books? What's your favorite book series?
Which book character do you see yourself as most like? How about when you were a kid?
Ever NOT want to finish a book because you were desperately afraid that the author was going to take it somewhere you didn't like? Ever fling a book at the wall because that happened?
Ok, that's plenty. Feel free to do the whole meme, or in parts. I'll answer the second half tomorrow.
Oh, and consider yourself tagged, mostly 'cause I wanna know what you read:
Christina
Phoenix
Ken (because he tags me all the time)
wRitErsbLock
Richmond
Amanda
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August 17, 2007
He-Man and the Song of the Super Pe-nis
and
Both of these links are true stories and completely PG-13.
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August 15, 2007
You Are a Club Sandwich |
 You are have a big personality. It's hard for anyone to ignore you! You dream big. You think big. And you eat big. Some people consider you high maintenance, but you just know what you want... and when you want it. Your best friend: The Tuna Fish Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich |
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August 07, 2007
On the Common Sense Quiz:
Am-I-Dumb.com - Are you dumb?
On the Sports Quiz:
Am-I-Dumb.com - Are you dumb?
h/t Chickie..... who is smarter than 92.8% of you.
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July 25, 2007
You're Ireland!
Mystical and rain-soaked, you remain mysterious to many people, and this makes you intriguing. You also like a good night at the pub, though many are just as worried that you will blow up the pub as drink your beverage of choice. You're good with words, remarkably lucky, and know and enjoy at least fifteen ways of eating a potato. You really don't like snakes.
Take the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid
h/t Lebanon
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July 23, 2007
You're a movie geek! You're the type who camps out in lines to score opening-night tickets to Star Wars and Charlie's Angels sequels and probably have stalked more than one celebrity for their autograph. Your home movie collection is to be envied - only some of it pirated, honest!
Take this quiz!
As of my taking this, I was only the 6th person to get this result!
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July 12, 2007
1. Happen ::
2. Terribly ::
3. History ::
4. Master ::
5. Petrified ::
6. Moan ::
7. Attack ::
8. Picture ::
9. Students ::
10. Potter ::
More weekly mutterings here.
h/t Quicksilver Jenna
more...
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July 09, 2007
It's not super hard, as Presidents with the same last name are entered together when you type in the name. The timer starts when you click the link.
h/t El Capitan
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My dear friend wRitErsbLock wrote something this morning that struck a nerve with me. She writes:
Do not ask people "when are you going to start having children?"Very succinct. About the only thing she didn't mention is maybe the couple has medical issues that must be resolved first.....It might just be a very, very sore subject for the couple.
Maybe one wants children while the other does not. Maybe you asking that question will cause the couple to have yet another fight about it later on.
Maybe the couple is unable to conceive and has been trying without success for quite some time. If so, you just helped plunge them back into despair.
Maybe the couple hates children and never plan to have any.
No matter where the couple is at, you are stepping into dangerous water when you ask the question. It's none of your business. And you are running a risk of either angering the couple or upsetting them. So just don't ask.
People really fuck me off when they ask this kind of shit. It may take a village to raise a child, but does the entire village need to know the details of the conception and whether or not the child was wanted, planned, or a complete surprise? Does the whole village need to know why?
It's amazing to me how the most private and significant moments in our lives, and their accordant choices seem to be public fodder: who we marry (or not, as the case may be), whether we parent, and how we parent. People pop out of the woodwork with advice and questions better for weddings and babies than any other event I've ever seen. Every new mom or mom-to-be that I know has been made to feel pathetic for one choice or another with regard to her baby.
And you know what else fucks me over? A lot of these nosy nellies are the same bitches who go around screaming, 'My Body, My Choice" but then they want to censor your right to do the SAME FUCKING THING if your choices don't agree with their holy-anointed-best-for-the-child-best-for-the-world-happy-shiny BS.
AUUUGH. Get over yourselves, people
With regard to WB's post, the real answer is this: You shouldn't have to ask. If you know me well enough to PRESUME to ask such questions, you should already know the answer. So if you're even considering asking those kinds of questions, that should serve as your notice that I don't want you to know.
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July 03, 2007
You Are Bert
|
 Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil
How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others |
h/t Oscar the Grouch
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June 28, 2007
You'll love the ending.
H/T the ever amusing and interesting Baldilocks
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Recently, the new UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the root cause of the current genocide in Darfur is [wait for it...] global warming. Now if you've been following the tragedy of the Darfur region in the African nation of Sudan, you know how absurd that statement is.This is the NUMBER ONE reason why I will vote for Fred, given the opportunity. He'll stand up to the international community, and especially the UN.There's not room here for even a good summary, but let me make a few points. Sudan straddles the line between Christian African and Muslim Arabic cultures, bordering Egypt and Libya on the north. Bloody regional warfare stretches back centuries but, in modern times, the country has been in pretty much of a constant state of war since the 1950s. It's safe to say that millions have died in wars that are often aimed at control of the rich oil fields in the South. Today, however, the vastly reduced African Christian population isn't even involved. Two Muslim factions, divided along racial lines, are fighting for control of Darfur.
Now it's true that the return of cyclical droughts has made agriculture and life more and more difficult for the people in the region. The impact of the weather, however, doesn't approach the destruction that generations of warfare have worked on the land and the people. With peace and freedom, the economy of Darfur could have easily adapted to any climate change no matter the cause.
Why, then, would the new UN Secretary General blame climate change? I think it's pretty obvious.
Blaming the Islamic government and groups that have manipulated events in Sudan will get him nothing but enemies. Blaming global warming, however, is basically the same thing as blaming America. America is by no means the only major source of greenhouse gases, but we've taken the most political heat. The reason is that congress rightfully balked at ratifying the Kyoto international climate treaties during the Clinton presidency.
There is simply no downside to blaming America, because Americans don't punish their ideological foes. From the UN, we don't even require sanity sometimes. And there might even be an upside to blaming us, since there are Americans who suffer from such ingrained feelings of guilt, they'll support increased aid to both the UN and Sudan.
There is a lesson to be learned here, though. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is arguably the most powerful man in the international community today. We know he's unwilling to blame those who actually gave the orders to commit genocide in Darfur. And apparently he's happy to shift the blame for ongoing deaths to those living peaceful, productive lives in the West.
Now hopefully we can work toward international cooperation with regard to environmental policies that make sense. It's not very encouraging though when the head of the world's leading international body uses climate change as an all purpose excuse in order to avoid hard realities.
And I'd be happy to put the title of this post on my car as a bumper sticker, together with the phrase "Fred Thompson '08".
There's nothing I can add here. Fred calls out the absurdity better than I ever could.
Run Fred Run!
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June 27, 2007
The Army announced today that the first successful F-Bomb test has taken place in the New Mexico desert. The F-Bomb - which is not nuclear but still produces a mushroom cloud - was begun after the above ground testing ban treaty in the 1960's. "There was a lot of research left undone." according to Dr. Renaldo Hererra, chief of Munitions Linguistics at Los Alamos. "We went straight from the A-Bomb to the H-Bomb, omitting everything in between. The B project showed promise, but C through E were complete failures. It's good to finally have some success."Read the whole report here!
The test took place yesterday at 5:42 AM, reportedly flooding the Jouququ Valley with brilliant light, and creating a blast that resounded off the surrounding mountains for several minutes. "It was ****ing awesome!" exclaimed General Milton C. Ironcrotch, Commanding Officer of the program, curiously potty mouthed after the test.
h/t Joyner
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June 21, 2007
Helen and Angus found out what flavor(s) of twins they're getting.
I'll let her tell you, though.
Now that I know, however, it's off to the yarn store for appropriate baby-colored yarn. I already have a pattern in mind.
I wish all you people would just quit having babies, already! I'm already behind with their presents! (j/k)
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June 19, 2007
The $10 offer is available to customers in the 22-state AT&T service region, which includes former BellSouth areas, who have never had AT&T or BellSouth broadband, spokesman Michael Coe confirmed Monday. Local phone service and a one-year contract are required. The modem is free.If you're interested click here for more information (AT&T and/or former SBC customers) or here and scroll down to "Term contract plans available" (former BellSouth Customers).
The plan was not mentioned in a Friday news release about AT&T's DSL plans, and is slightly hidden on the AT&T Web site. A page describing DSL options doesn't mention it, but clicking a link for "Term contract plans" reveals it. It's also presented to customers who go into the application process, Coe said.
The service provides download speeds of up to 768 kilobits per second and upload speeds of up to 128 kbps, matching the speeds of the cheapest advertised AT&T plan, which costs $19.95 per month in the nine-state former BellSouth area and $14.99 in the 13 states covered by AT&T before the acquisition.
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A Pakistani minister says Muslims would be right to carry out suicide attacks over author Salman Rushdie's knighthood.First of all, if these fuckers had actually read the book, they wouldn't bitch. It SUCKS. SUCKS. No one would have read it if they hadn't made such a stink in the first place. Now it's a classic.
Religious Affairs Minister Mohammed Ijaz ul Haq told the country's parliament: "The West is accusing Muslims of extremism and terrorism.
"If someone exploded a bomb on his body he would be right to do so unless the British government apologises and withdraws the 'Sir' title."
In Multan, effigies of the writer and the monarch have been burned by about 100 students carrying banners and chanting "Kill Him! Kill Him!"
Second, if Sir Salman goes into hiding, will they cancel Top Chef or just find a new host? Mrs. Salman Rushdie, a.k.a. Padma Lakshmi, is the host. Her knowledge of all things culinary as well as her sharp personality and beautiful face makes her a great host. It would be sad if she had to give up her career for her own safety.
It's the Religion of Peace and Tolerance, my friends. Always remember that,
h/t Wild Thing
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June 18, 2007
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June 15, 2007
And folks, #10 is "Whale Feces Researcher".... makes me appreciate my job (which I love) all the more.
h/t HWNNL
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Interesting, no? And most people probably don't remember the backdrop to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Just the outcome. Sad really. Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it, right?We're coming up on the 45th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis and I think it's worth talking about. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy faced down the USSR, risking total war, and forced the Soviets to remove ballistic weapons from Cuba. Missiles located less than a hundred miles from America were aimed at the US.
A lot of people, I think, have forgotten. Most schools don't even teach about it in any real detail. Judging by the indifference that many people have to the nuclear arming of Iran, I think it's a lesson almost entirely lost -- except among Cuban-Americans.
Over the years, they've never stopped watching "el Comandante" -- or warning us about him. At the same time, they've been criticized by people who say that Castro is really no threat. Current events in South America, though, have proven that we should have been listening to our Cuban-Americans friends.
Last week, when Hugo Chavez officially killed press freedoms, even a big part of Venezuela's far left seemed to realize that theyÂ’d created a monster. Unfortunately, it may be too late. He's already packed Venezuela's high court, legislature and military with his loyalists. Right now, he's operating without any check or balance.
During his rise, Venezuelans say that Chavez spent hours a day on the phone with Castro. Additionally, Castro sent thousands of his Communist apparatchiks to help transition Venezuela from a free country to a totalitarian state.
Without Cuban “help,” Venezuela wouldn’t be in the terrible mess it is today. Castro, after all, has been at this since the 1960's and he's given Chavez the benefit of his experience.
There's one big difference between Venezuela today and Cuba then, however. Castro needed Soviet aid to push his so-called "revolution." Chavez does not. One of his first moves was to bolster the Cuban dictatorship with oil subsidies -- a hundred thousand barrels a day to the tune of two billion dollars a year. One of the main factors preventing Cuba's transition towards democracy is Venezuelan oil wealth. On June 26, that wealth could increase significantly, as Chavez says heÂ’ll nationalize the petroleum industry on that date.
h/t Marc Masferrer at Babalu
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June 13, 2007
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