Libby Says...
This is mostly a closing links kind of post - been sent a few good ones the past day or two... Eunoia is apparently the shortest word in English that uses all 5 vowels; it is also the title of a book that the BBC mentioned today (thanks for the link, Richard). In the book, the author writes fiction wherein he uses only one vowel per chapter. Funky, crazy... but also kind of interesting for those language or poetry geeks among us. While the writing is fiction, because of the only one vowel at a time limitation, the excerpts come out feeling much more like poetry to me. I found A and U painful, E and I lyrical, and O, well, sort of... rotund. :-) And while I've found it on Amazon (published in 2001?!), I much prefer the cover shown in the BBC page... Maybe one of my UK pals can help me out with that. Next up, a moment of politics. Election day is, after all, next Tuesday, although Philip and I have already voted. This comes to me via my friend Allison who says she shamelessly stole it from Bill in Portland, Maine (Daily Kos): Closing Appeals I know that not everyone who reads my blog has my political leanings or is even from the States, and I know also that this is biased, and simplified, and generalized, and satirized. But it made me laugh and Philip channel his inner goblin bringing it to life, so... Vote! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I subscribed to the Unshelved strip after my friend Shelly sent me a strip one time. (At least, I think it was Shelly - she's my librarian (archivist) friend, so it would make sense.) The comic often resonates with me as a reader... and as someone who's thought about a career in a library - after all, what do I like better than books?! Every Sunday, they have a "book club" issue that has their characters give the high points of a book they've recently read. They've covered some great books, from Neil Gaiman's Coraline to A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (look for these and others in their archives). In any case, this strip had to be shared - I think most dedicated readers have had this happen to them: Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Thursday was a good media day for English teachers and other language geeks. I know you're always looking for clips to play in class to enhance the multimedia experience for your students. This morning on they way to work, I was lucky enough to be running a few minutes late. When I run late, I sometimes get to hear my favorite NPR show - Engines of our Ingenuity. Today's Engine's episode (transcript or audio of episode 1926) was a discussion by guest Andrew Boyd on the topic of rhetoric. Rhetoric's original meaning is persuasion, although it has come to mean any complex writing. English, humanities, history, and philosophy teachers probably have a good background in discussing rhetoric's origins - popularized by the sophists in ancient Greece, sophist rhetoric was attacked by Plato as not leading to truth. Take a listen to this episode and consider Aristotle's belief that "logic is required to find truth but rhetoric is necessary to communicate truth." This clip would be a good introduction to rhetorical writing or speaking, dissecting persuasive writing (ads or marketing), or convincing students that "persuasive communication isn't an unpleasant afterthought, it's a vital part of bringing ingenious ideas to life." Then on The Colbert Report - the Colbert versus Sean Penn "Meta-free phor all; Shall I Nail Thee to a Summer's Day?"(video)... Who does metaphor-offs? I love Colbert! "Love is a full-length mirror?" lost out to "love is a battlefield" in the human emotions category. Of course, if you want to show this clip, you'll need to be comfortable showing/discussing George Bush's dirty and blood-soaked underwear and its metaphorical meanings, because that was Penn's metaphor-of-choice for the evening. Still, he beat Colbert 10,000 to 1 in the contest, moderated by former poet laureate Robert Pinsky. Giggle. Colbert closed with promises of a hyperbole-off with George Clooney in the future. I can hardly wait! Some links of interest regarding rhetoric or metaphors: Read Aristotle's Rhetoric as hypertext. Then, take a look at some links for rhetoric and composition - from definitions to blogs and writings. You might also want to familiarize yourself with some rhetorical terms, from alliteration to zeugma, with examples. If you're thinking about producing some rhetoric yourself, you might look at some examples, first, from this archive of speeches, sermons, lectures, debates, etc. What's a metaphor? Here's one answer. And some suggestions for using metaphors in creative writing. Some metaphors we live by and with. And some metaphor poems: I taught Fog and Fire and Ice and The Eagle when taught metaphor and simile in poetry a few weeks ago. So much fun! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I can't believe you guys weren't all much more "fibby" considering how haiku-y you have been in the past. But, ok. So, Jonvon posted an interview meme a while ago and I said I was game, so here are my answers to Jonvon's questions: 1. How many books have you written and had published? What were they called? Why did you start writing them? (Sorry I don't know if there was one or more than one.) On my own, I've got three publishing (book) credits as author, and a few more as technical editor or co-author. The books are all listed here, although I'm currently working on a new book that's not listed. Why did I start writing? A friend, Mike, who is the author of a best-selling A+ certification book suggested my name to his then-editor, Judy Brief (now Judy Bass). I'd always wanted to write a book, so it was a moment of perfect opportunity. 2. What is your area of focus with your masters degree studies? I'm in a Master of Liberal Studies program at Rice University. The program is interdisciplinary -- I'm mixing classes between science, social science, and humanities, although I plan to focus in the humanities. 3. How did you get into yoga? I actually have to give my ex full credit for talking me into my first yoga classes. But then when we moved to San Diego, I started taking yoga on the beach and got addicted to how it makes me feel. 4. Why are you drawn to haiku? Haiku requires so much attention to word choice that it really focuses what you're trying to say. In addition, although most of us only pay attention to the top layer of a haiku (it's syllables), there's really so much more to the form, including techniques like association, contrast, association, riddle, etc. Part of what I like is the puzzle -- the same reason I like the Fib -- but part of what I like is the complexity stuffed into such a small form. 5. What countries have you been to? Which one was your favorite? Wow -- good question. I've been keeping a list of countries, so here it is:
As for my favorite... that's a tough one. I think Ireland is very high on the list -- and I'll be going there again this summer to confirm it. :-) 6. If you had to pick one author to take with you to an island, who would it be? (The book(s) of course, not the actual author. ;-) Oooh, yet another toughie, Jonvon. There are so many writers whose works I can read, and read, and read, and read. I'd be torn between JRR Tolkein, Robrt Heinlein, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen, I think. You know the drill, I hope -- if you want me to interview you, too, just post a comment. I'll give you some questions, which you'll then answer on your blog/LJ and give others the chance to be interviewed as well. If you don't have a blog, you can answer in the comments, too, of course. :-) Thanks, Jonvon, and sorry for the slow response. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Apparently, this is happening: So... as stolen shamelessly from Profgrrrrl, delurk yourself, comment, and tell us about your most memorable toothfairy experience, your recent reading, and how many computers you have in your house. Would you believe that at the moment, I have ONLY ONE computer in my home? When the ex and I broke up, I kept my laptop and he took all the other machines. This laptop is now starting to burp and twitch, though, so it may be time to invest. Edited: By the way, no need to (and not trying to) vilify the ex for taking all the old computers -- he had revitalized most of them from dead or dying hulks, or built them himself -- only a little claim on them and not too much interest in their care and feeding. Thanks. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via I Speak of Dreams blog: According to American Snapshot, a majority of Americans matches the following criteria: (strike-through indicates I don't match) • Eats peanut butter at least once a week
(my cholesterol doc says I shouldn't, but I just love PB!) How about you? Americans? Are you average? Non-Americans -- just how American are you? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
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From the Baron Munchausen role playing game, via my friend Chris... DISCLAIMER: The words ‘he’, ‘him’, and ‘his’ are used throughout this book as generic third-person singular pronouns. With this usage the author, a man of great gallantry, does not wish to imply that members of the fairer sex are any less likely to have astonishing adventures than their male counterparts despite their frailty, lack of education and great aptitude for giggling and fainting. He does not assume that flouncy crinolines and a décolletage like alabaster might make them any less able to engage in espionage against the French while disguised as a haddock, or that their extensive skills in needlepoint and household management would be anything but an asset when seducing the Empress of Russia. In short, he belives that in many ways women are just as brave, capable and interesting as men, and in occasional circumstances more so. Bless their little hearts. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Awww, gosh, Rocky, how sweet. Clearly, I have some awesome friends, not only in the Lotus community, but everywhere, and Rocky's post today is just one cool outpouring of said friendship. For those who haven't yet been to Rocky's blog today, he posted a call for the First Annual Libby Ingrassia Lotus Haiku Contest. I've promised the winner a drink at Lotusphere or somewhere else we can manage to get together. When I peeked just now, there were 19 comments -- I'm so impressed with the haiku and all my awesome friends! If you're curious how the whole Libby and Domino haiku thing got started... When I wrote my first book, my friend and editor, Scott, told me I was being a bit... umm, I think the polite word was "uptight" with my bio. So there was some Guiness involved and the bio got rewritten in a much perkier style. With the Domino haiku promise in there. And it stuck. Got any more haiku in you? Here's one to get you started... Dominos: many dots; like servers, or leaves on trees, or like you: friends Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
This is the coolest toy! My friend Chris (whose blog is still non-functional) sent me a link to a site where you can make your own cartoon/icon of yourself (or someone else, I suppose). His is adorable -- but then again, he's an artist, so he's good at observing facial features. I'm not an artist, so mine is more about what I hope I look like than what I probably actually do look like. Anyway, very fun, although a huge time-wasting device. ;-) I give you the Libby at work at a Starbuck's: Try these on for size: Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via my friend Chris (whose Weblog is down for the count, so no linkage right now).... Something Awful has some pretty awful (that is, evilly funny) take-offs on a USPS Safety Notice. Don't say I didn't warn you. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
So, over the weekend while I was up in Portland (a much-needed visit with my favorite person: my mom), we took a few hours and drove up to Seattle. First, let me say that it was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever been on -- the weather was perfect and warm and sunny; the grass was that new spring-shade of green that it only is for a few weeks each year; the trees were fully leafed; there were mounds of yellow wild flowers and bushes (I thought they were forsythia, but my mom says they're something else) that made a bright yellow band between the green of the grass and the green of the trees. Exquisite. The purpose of the drive was to visit my friend Chris, who recently moved to Seattle with his SO, Jason. Chris and I have been friends since we met my first year in college, and at some point, he'll make bonebox.net live again. But not yet. Chris introduced me to a new word that he's trying to get into the common parlance while I was up there visiting, so I thought I'd help out by sharing it with all you folks. Deroganym: A derogatory play on the name of a company, for example "Microsucks" or "IBM stands for I've Been Moved..." < We also spent some time playing a game that Chris is testing out before sending to his godchild. The game, which I think is called Landlocked (although I haven't been able to find it on a few game sites) is a logic/math/strategy game that's actually quite addictive and fun. You have cards that have pieces of a river and cards that have pieces of a land path. Your goal is to try to connect either water or land (depending on which one you are) so that it creates a path through the 6x6 grid you're creating by placing these cards. You are also trying to prevent your opponent from doing the same thing. As you draw cards, you might be able to turn his path into an island by surrounding it with water, or make his river a pond by cutting it off with land. There are also some bridges, gnomes, and other creatures that you place in the grid to earn points, prevent points, or link segments. While we were playing, I was convinced that there was some kind of benefit to playing water, but when you count up all the cards, there isn't a mathematical benefit -- it seems completely equal. It maybe more like tic-tac-toe, however, in that there's a benefit to going first, and it just happened that in all three games the winner both went first and chose to play water. Fun game and I recommend it to any of you with children who might think they're not so great at math -- play this with them. And then, long after they've already decided they like the game, you can begin to explain how logic and math are related and that they've just been improving/using those skills. ;-) Update: Ah -- Chris tells me the full name is actually "The Legend of Landlock" and it can be found at the mensaboutique's list of games. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
 Aphrodite/Eros ?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ?? brought to you by Quizilla Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, it's been a year of blogging. (Well actually, it had been a year yesterday, when I started this entry. That seems to be the story of my blogging life -- I keep getting way to freaking busy to blog effectively on a daily basis. Ah well. A day late won't kill anyone.) So. Yay. Thanks for sticking with me and being part of Notesgirl.com. Just over 200 entries in the year -- clearly there have been some months and items that inspired me more than others. As with many blogs, some of the most interesting material on the site hasn't been in the main blog, where I can link to it, but has rather been in the discussion that has taken place in the comments. Some of the more commented-upon blogs include:
Lots of other things have happened over the year -- lots of travel (here's the overview) and lots of conferences. A half-marathon and a move. Friends getting married and having babies. Making new friends. It's been a hard year in a lot of ways, but it's also had some high points, and I've learned a lot about myself and what I want out of life. Hopefully this next year will have more high points and better opportunities. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
 You are Woodstock! Which Peanuts Character are You? brought to you by QuizillaVia Volker Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, MutedFaith.com seems to have pulled access to their site and made it log-in access only. There *was* a "what kind of villian are you" quiz on the site, which was pretty funny. But, it's not available anymore. And it was trying to make you log in when you came to my site, so I pulled it (likely what they were hoping for). For Christmas, Brian gave me the book on How to Be a Villian: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!! (funniest damn thing I've ever read....mwahhahaha...oh, errr... giggle!) and then yesterday, he comes up with the link to the "What Kind of Villian Are You" quiz. Think he's trying to tell me something? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
via Wild Bill:
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Ok, there's nothing politically correct or warm or fuzzy or nice about this one, but it made me giggle maniacally, which is just what I needed right about now: Penguin Baseball, via Neil Gaiman. 292 is my current record.... oh, wait...321.1! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via Justin -- this is just too cool, especially since I have a thing for tapestries! (updated -- made this a bit smaller... sorry!) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
 Which Historical Lunatic Are You? From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.Well, I guess I'm a sucker for silly quizzes. This one, via Bob Congdon thinks that I'm a bit like Caligula, apparently. Scary. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via vowe.net: Guess I'm not quite as girlie as I like to think! The Gender Genie tested my writing and guessed male in over 10 tries. I used a couple of blog entries and a couple of columns,and even some fiction... I tried marking blog entries as fiction, non-fiction, and blogs... All came out the same. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Rocky liked my Getting to Know You quiz so much he made up his own! Here are my answers: WHAT CLUBS WERE YOU INVOLVED WITH IN HIGH SCHOOL? Choir, debate, swim team, drama, humanities club, German club, National Honor Society, Mentor program (we did career internships), Special Experiences (sounds bad, I know -- it was this program where we got to do day-long special events, we curated a museum for the school district, self-published books, taught classes, all kinds of cool projects)... I know there were others that I'm not calling to mind right now; I was such a "joiner." DID YOU PLAY ADVANCED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS? IF SO, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE RACE/CLASS COMBINATION? Nope... Does that mean I fail? I didn't pay D&D until after college. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCI-FI/FANTASY NOVEL, BESIDES LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY? Too many... Let's see, everything by Robert Heinlein, to start with, with Time Enough for Love or Glory Road as the favorites, although I like them all. Mmm, then I'll have to go with favorite authors, since I can't even narrow it down to books:Tad Williams, Mercedes Lackey, David Eddings, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Dan Simmons (Hyperion, Endymion, Fall of Hyperion, Rise of Endymion), Vernor Vinge, Anne McCaffrey, Ursula LeGuin, Patricia McKillip, David Weber, ... WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER GO TO - A SCI-FI CONVENTION LIKE DRAGONCON, OR A RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL? Renaissance Festival - I actually worked at the Texas Renaissance Festival during and after college, for about, umm, 5 or 6 years... Yep, I was wenchy. There are pictures, many of them, but I don't have one to share at the moment... WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST COMPUTER? TRS-80 CoCo II -- The Trash 80 Color computer 2, from Radio Shack... with a (non-functioning on mine) casette tape drive for saving -- made learning to write programs very annoying and repetitive... WHAT 80'S MUSIC DID YOU LIKE BETTER - "NEW WAVE" OR "HAIR BAND"? Probably New Wave, although there were a frew hair bands I got into... OF THE TYPE YOU CHOSE IN THE PREVIOUS QUESTION, WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE BANDS? Erasure, Duran Duran... Of the Hair Bands -- Rush! WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE STAR TREK SERIES, AND WHY? I'm torn between Next Generation (Jean-Luc was the best captain) and Voyager (gotta love it when a chick gets to be the captain) NAME THE LATEST "GEEK TOY" YOU BOUGHT YOURSELF Mmmm, I got my new Fujitsu laptop, my Toshiba PDA... WHO WOULD WIN IN A CELEBRITY DEATH MATCH - STEVE JOBS OR BILL GATES, AND WHY? Jobs would take him -- revenge for real life. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE, AND WHY? Formula language. It was the first time I thought I could actually program -- what a great feeling for an admin geek. HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU SPEND ON THE COMPUTER DURING A WEEKDAY? WEEKEND DAY? Most weekdays, between 9-12 hours... On the weekend... well, it depends. On a good weekend, 2-3. On a bad weekend... 5-8... WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF CAFFEINE? Favorite? Solid -- chocolate! Of course! Liquid? Chai tea, lately, or Thai Iced Tea. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
A man drove a car through a double security fence at San Diego's main airport Wednesday, then jumped out of the moving vehicle before it crossed an active runway and crashed into another fence, airport officials said. Hmmm, Libby sure is lucky that United Express flies into that tiny little airport in Carlsbad -- avoid the, uh, congestion at Lindbergh Field :) More > Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
You've got to go, right this minute, over to Volker's blog and Wiki, where they're currently casting for LotusWars. I'm still laughing. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Some of my very close friends have been passing around the Getting to Know You quiz over the past frew days. One nice thing is that very few of their answers surprised me, so I guess that means we know each other fairly well (which is cool, since I've been friends with some of them since my freshman year in college). I haven't sent it back to the group yet, although I will, but I thought I'd post here -- maybe some of you will be inspired to answer, too. 1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE? If I could build a house anywhere and be certain I could still visit all my friends with alarming regularity (or even better, have them nearby), I think I might choose the coast of Ireland -- it is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. 2. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING? I have some very squishy soft red sweats that I love to wear, so they're high on the list. If we're talking about something else someone might see me in, I just bought a beautiful red and black silk shirt while I was in Houston with my friend Cindy, and it's got this very nice v-neck to show off the beautiful rubies that my mom bought me recently, so I keep looking for excuses to wear that. 3. FAVORITE PHYSICAL FEATURE OF THE _ OPPOSITE (or TARGET)_ SEX? One favorite, hm? Not easy. I think I'd have to go with whatever feature they like best about themselves -- we all have one and if you watch a person, they probably broadcast it. If I have to be more generic than that, I love a nice smile (broad hunky shoulders and a cute butt aren't too bad either, but....) 4. THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT? While we were in New York for my birthday, we escaped a rainy night hanging out in the Virgin Megastore in Times Square. I think we bought the soundtrack to the current broadway production of Man of La Mancha and I bought a greatest hits of Level 42. 5. WHERE'S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? I don't really like being in a middle seat on an airplane, when the person in front of you puts his seat all the way back and the people on both sides don't give you even one armrest... It's a basic dislike of being squished, I guess, and having no personal space. 6. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE MASSAGED? I'm torn between the feet and the head. 7. WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, STRONG IN MIND OR STRONG IN BODY? Strong in mind. Body is important, don't get me wrong, and I'm working every day to be stronger in body, but it's really all about the mind. When my dad was sick, before he died, he lost strength and ability to do things, but he didn't really seem to give up until he started getting fuzzy mentally. 8. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? M-W-F, I'm up around 6 to get to the gym before work. If I'm not going to the gym or excercising before work, I'll sleep as late as I can before the dog makes me get up -- 7:15, 7:30 if I'm lucky. 9. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE? Espresso maker -- not for the espresso, which I don't really drink very often, but for the milk steamer. Lately I've been making chai tea with steamed milk all the time. 10. WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY? Bigotry. Of any kind. Lack of common sense and common courtesy. Aggressive stupidity. 11. IF YOU COULD PLAY ANY INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Guitar -- I like to sing and always wanted to be able to be one of those people who could whip out a guitar and accompany myself, especially when we go somewhere like camping or to the beach. A guitar is much more portable than a piano. 12. FAVORITE COLOR? Usually, it's green. Lately, I've been all about red. Deep ruby red. 13. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV? Sports car -- I love my little Miata. 14. DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE? Like most of my friends, I don't think I have enough information to really answer this one, but I think something happens, yes. I think the most likely thing is some kind of reincarnation. 15. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK? If we can call The Hobbit a children's book, I'm all over it. I happen to love children's literature, though, so there are a lot of favorites... Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. The Giving Tree and the Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein. Charlotte's Web, and even more, the Trumpet of the Swan... Some other favorites: Little Women, The Five Little Peppers, The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lloyd Alexander Prydain chronicles, anything by Dr. Seuss, The Polar Express, Eloise... 16. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Even more than a single season, I like the change of seasons (which, of course, we really don't get in California). If I had to pick one, I think I like fall best -- it's cool, it's time to make soups and stews and chili again, it seems very right to curl up by the fireplace with a book and some hot cocoa... It has always felt like a very reflective time of year to me... 17. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? The ability to take pain away from other people. 18. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT? I don't. And likely wouldn't. 19. CAN YOU JUGGLE? Balls or pins or something? Physically? No. Tasks? All the time. 20. THE ONE PERSON FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO? That's an easy one -- my dad. He died when I was 19 and I've missed him every day since then. 21. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY? Christmas. I'm a big Christmas person. Spirit of Christmas personified -- that's me. ;-) 22. WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR? Miata -- well, if you can really call it a trunk, it's mostly taken up by the CD changer that's in there... There might be an old baseball scorecard, a blanket, and a baseball cap in there, too. CRV -- a big blanket for Yogi to lay on when he rides in the car, some water bottles to be recycled, a sweatshirt, a clipboard for scoring baseball games... 23. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? Ooooh. Tough. I guess I'd have to say hamburger -- it's one of my favorite comfort foods. 24. FROM THE PEOPLE YOU WILL EMAIL THIS TO, WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? Well, since I'm posting it in the blogsphere, I'll guess which of my blogger friends might:I'm going to guess either Jess or Ed. (Nothing like a little pressure, hmm?) If I were sending it to my friends and family... Um...well. The ones who're likely to respond mostly have done. Of course, my friend Cindy thought I'd be first and the pressure didn't quite work for me -- I didn't get around to it all week! 25. WHO'S LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Chris 26. WHO DID YOU RECEIVE THIS FROM? Cindy, Chris, Guy, and JF 27. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CARTOON? I was only allowed to watch one cartoon at home as a kid -- Superfriends -- I guess that would have to be my favorite still. 28. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAL? There've been many votes for Thanksgiving and that's pretty high on my list -- especially if I'm cooking it -- Turkey rubbed with lemon and thyme; homemade cranberry sauce (no rings for me!); butternut squash soup; sweet potatoes, mashed with onions and chicken broth; pumpkin and apple pie; home-baked bread... My mouth is watering just thinking about it. But the real answer is that it's any meal I can share with a big group of my friends and/or family. 29. If you could only choose one fantasy servant, who would it be (chauffeur/gardener/cook/masseuse/other)? Masseur. No doubt about it. I'm a sucker for massages now. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Not much specific to talk about today. I'm in SF and Oakland for business. I worked a bit this morning and then picked up one of our sales guys at the airport and drove down to go to a meeting with a vendor. Would you believe that we got stood up? That seems so incredibly rude to me. I'm nowhere near perfect, but if you have an appointment, how do you feel good about being out town the day the people show up for the appointment, with no phone call, no e-mail, and no message left at the office for the people who came from a different city for the meeting? I just don't get it. Via Ned Batchelder's blog, the Retail Alphabet Game is a hoot. It's a true test of how succesful some of the branding is today -- they show a letter with a graphical treatment, and you have to indicate where it comes from -- what brand or advertisement. I have to admit, I didn't do all that well -- but it was interesting to see which letters I knew without even thinking about it. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I've blogged about Insults before, but Ed just sent me this link to a great Shakespearean Insult Generator. Giggle. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
More later, but for now... you absolutely must go giggle at the recent blogjacking over at Ed's blog.... Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Lord of the Rings meets Rocky Horror, via Volker -- Scary, and yet, for those of us who spent a few midnights at Rocky Horror (back in college, of course) and have read the LOTR books more times than conveniently countable, well, it's actually kind of funny. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I won't actually say anything about relationships myself (waaaaaay too dangerous), but I do just have to link you to Davezilla's take on 60 signs you're in a capital "r" relationship... Laugh out loud funny. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Ah, the lost art of the insult. Via Don Park, via Dave Winer... Not that I spend a lot of time looking for ways to insult other people, of course, however, if you *are* going to insult someone or something, you should at least do it with panache and style, right? One way to do it with some style would be to take a page from Shakespeare's Insults -- the Bard knew how to make someone cringe. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
There's a new Diet Coke commercial that I keep seeing that I love -- it's part of their new "movie" theme, I guess -- I'm not sure I'll love all the movie themes, but this one happens to use Casablanca, which is one of my all-time favorite movies! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Sometimes you just have to laugh. And these little tidbits just fit that bill. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Davezilla has this thought-provoking comment on his blog: So I was thinking -- why haven't sock garters for men made a comeback? Hmmm -- wonder if he saw Down With Love, in which we get to see Ewan McGregor in sock garters? Of course, in the comments, someone pointed out the irony that thigh-high stockings with garters on a lady sound lovely; whereas, garters on some bloke's hairy calf don't do nearly as much for the visual... Hmmmm... Guess that depends on your perspective, gender, and sexual orientation, now doesn't it? Speaking of sexual orientation (well, kinda), I had a semi-recent (ok, when I was in Boston about a month ago) conversation with my friend Mark (of Angel Infinity fame), his lovely wife Jolene, and my friend Garrett about who we would be interested in if our sexual orientation were other than it is... Or, basically, what women Jolene and I found attractive and what men Mark and Garrett found attractive... (Okay, since you ask, yes, there were a few glasses of wine/Cosmopolitans involved in the discussion....) Always interesting to get the perspective, I suppose, and interestingly I think we all had somewhat similar tastes -- I guess attractive is attractive, to a certain extent, although of course it didn't match up completely -- there had to be a few "What?! Are you nuts?!" choices in there.... (Mark and Jolene - I know you thought I'd decided not to out this conversation, but I was just waiting until it would catch you off guard and make you laugh....) Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), I really can't remember most of the people on our lists... Probably safer that way. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
If you read any of the so-called "A" list bloggers, you should chuckle at this parody of them. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via Volker -- this Geek test. On which I scored a (slightly scary): 33.53057% - Total Geek Oh and one other link I've been meaning to share: Via Joi Ito -- a device we definitely need at Lotusphere next year: the SpotMe... If only it were Lotus/IBM technology! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I really don't intend to make this joke (or link) central, but sometimes, I just have to share the things that actually make me laugh out loud. So. Brothel for Sex-Starved Dogs BERLIN (Reuters) - A German artist has applied for a license to open a brothel in Berlin for sexually frustrated dogs and says it will be the first of its kind anywhere. Karl-Friedrich Lenze, 54, said he planned to charge dog owners $27 per half hour of happiness. "If dogs can't get what they want, they get cranky -- just like people," Lenze told Reuters. The establishment would offer patrons a variety of carefully vetted "employees" of both sexes, rooms for private encounters and even a "bar" where customers could sniff out their preferred partners. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link |
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