What Kind of Reader Are You?

You Are an Eclectic Reader

You will read almost anything, and you think the best gems are discovered randomly. You are curious about books. Of all the types, you are the most likely to spend time browsing a bookstore, especially one with used and rare books. Your taste is varied, but if you had to say, it's pretty far outside the mainstream. You don't like anything too predictable. You appreciate experimental writing and writing that challenges you. You prefer books that make you grow, even if you they are more difficult to read.

What Kind of Reader Are You?

banal

banal ba·nal [buh-nal, -nahl, beyn-l] adjective

devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite

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That pretty much describes this blog.

What a Days!

Today is National Peanut Butter Day. It's also National Compliment Day.

My loyal readers of this blog are all nicer than a peanut butter sandwich. (not sure if you're all nicer than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, though)

And I'm sure you don't stick to the roof of the mouth, either.

Oldest Trick in the Book

Some of their adverts aren't funny at all, but this latest batch is clever, the "did you know" ones.  Here's the latest one I've seen, really well done.

That Link Is Toast

From Cooking.com

I Hate Snow, Too

We Can Dance

Hollywood Movie Dance Tribute

I recognized or have seen about half the movies w/ scenes in this.  How 'bout you?

Part II

Monkeying Around With 404 Pages

I've been meaning to start this new category, but keep forgetting.  It's a collection of "404" pages I've been directed to on websites.  I'm sure you've seen them, but if you're not aware of what they are, they're basically dead links, the "page not found" message. (or, for more information, click on the "404" link above)

There are websites devoted to 404 pages, so it's not as though I'm doing anything new. (here's one and here's another.)

This is one that just an hour or so ago was directed to at userscripts.org, a site I sometimes get scripts to use in my Greasemonkey add-on for my Firefox browser. I thought it was appropriate - a monkey and Greasemonkey.

(click image for larger view)

Big State Quiz

Of course I am, couldn't have been any other.

You Are Texas

You have a larger than life personality. Whatever you do, you do big! You are outgoing and comfortable with who you are. People can take you or leave you - and you're fine with that. You are more uninhibited than most people. You are proud of who you are and where you come from. You may be a bit of a wild child, but you are never rude. You like to show people that you were raised right.

What Big US State Are You?

Devil Baby Attack

Dirty White Boy - Foreigner

I try to post videos from the time the song came out, but this one was the best I found. Seeing how the band members have aged from the early videos makes ME feel old, though. -sigh-

echt

echt [ekht] adjective German
real; authentic; genuine.

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I'm of German origin, but I've never heard nor seen this word. Of course, about the only German I know is from watching old WWII movies and a few curse words I've picked up. (oddly enough, they sound pretty much like the English versions)

"Echt" sounds like the sound I make before I spit.

Valerie - The Zutons

Bet You CAN Eat Just One!

French Fries or Onion Rings?

You Are French Fries

You are friendly and easygoing. People can't help but like you! You are always welcome wherever you go, and people crave you more than they'd like to admit. You are extremely fun loving. You try not to think about responsibilities whenever possible. You are rich in personality and spirit. You have a lot to offer, but you never let it go to your head.

Are You French Fries or Onion Rings?
 

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

infinitesimal

infinitesimal in·fin·i·tes·i·mal[in-fin-i-tes-uh-muhl]

adjective

1. indefinitely or exceedingly small; minute: infinitesimal vessels in the circulatory system.
2. immeasurably small; less than an assignable quantity: to an infinitesimal degree.
3. of, pertaining to, or involving infinitesimals

noun

4. an infinitesimal quantity.
5. Mathematics  a variable having zero as a limit.

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That's a good description as to the number of visitors to this blog.

Peppermint Patties

From Joy of Baking, one of my favorite recipe sites and one to which I've subscribed to the longest in my reader.

Peppermint Patties are also one of my favorite candies;  they're not exactly health food, but they're better for me than most other sweets.

YouTube Channel

Facebook

Website

hurdy-gurdy

hurdy-gurdy [hur-dee-gur-dee, -gur-] noun, plural hur·dy-gur·dies.

1. a barrel organ or similar musical instrument played by turning a crank.

2. a lute- or guitar-shaped stringed musical instrument sounded by the revolution against the strings of a rosined wheel turned by a crank.

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A LONG time ago I was at a junior high dance, sitting in the corner, watching my recently ex-girlfriend dance with all the other guys. Between songs, she came over to me and said I should cheer up, that we would always be friends, that she loved me but wasn't IN love with me and that I should ask her best friend to dance. (her best friend hated me, and not only had an ugly personality, she was ugly on the outside, too).

I told her that I would, but had forgotten my hurdy-gurdy machine.

Keep Your Swatters Handy

Just two flies can produce 191,010,000,000,000,000,000 offspring in 4 months.

mot

mot [moh] noun

1. a pithy or witty remark; bon mot.
2. Archaic. a note on a horn, bugle, etc.

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This blog needs more mots.

At least as far as the first definition goes.

I'd Say This is True

Your Attitudes Toward Women Are Mixed

You aren't exactly modern in your beliefs, but you aren't traditional either. You're generally pretty progressive when it comes to gender roles, but you wish that some traditions were preserved as well. It's likely that you value personal choice and believe that there are many paths for happiness. You think that being a stay at home mom and a hard charging business women are mutually admirable.

What Are Your Attitudes Toward Women?

Love Hurts!

Not Available

I hate it when one of my YouTube channels posts a new video and I get notified about it ... only to get this message:

In this case, the offending channel is Eagle Rock, which does it far too often for my liking. I'm not understanding just why they do it unless it's to get out of paying royalties.  (I know some other countries censor some or all of YouTube vids and there are reasons we in the U.S. can't get BBC videos) There are ways of appending the URL of the video or using an extension to get around the block, but it's just not worth the hassle. 

It's a Long Way to the Top - Skyline

A cover by the German band Skyline at the 2009 Wacken Open Air concert.

Not sure how many other covers of the song I've posted in here, but I'll eventually find them all.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

From one of my favorite YouTube channels, Food Wishes, the video feed of AllRecipes.

Pocket Man

But, I always figured I'd be considered a fly kinda guy.

You Are the Front Pocket

You are a very easygoing person who just takes life as it comes. You are quite lighthearted. You are active and even spontaneous. You are up for almost anything, even on short notice. You are flexible and resourceful. You don't need much to be happy; you make do with what you have. You travel light through life. You aren't the type of person who collects stuff... or emotional baggage!

What Part of a Pair of Jeans Are You?

 

Up the Down Escalator

Not for sure where this video was taken, but I'm glad to see the U.S. doesn't have ALL the stupid people.

Then again, maybe she was going up the down escalator in order to get away from that cackling person behind the camera.

Football Painter

Atomic Bomb Blast

I'm not sure why they fascinate me, but I've watched hundreds of atomic bomb videos on YouTube.

I'm going to try to watch them all.

skosh

skosh [skohsh] noun Slang
a bit; a jot: We need just a skosh more room.
Origin: Japanese sukoshi a little (bit)

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I definitely knew this word because it's one my dad used to use all the time. I'd be helping him build something out in the garage and he'd have me hold something so he could weld it or nail it into place and he'd say something like "Move that up just a skosh."

He even knew the origin of the word because I once asked him what the word meant (even though I knew, but was curious about where it came from) During the Depression he had gone with his parents to the west coast to pick produce and had made friends with a Japanese boy and had picked up the word from him. Pop told a lot of stories about his times with him, the funniest ones about eating meals with his new friend's family. The parents spoke little if any English and during the first meal the boy's folks frowned at my dad while he was eating. The boy leaned over and explained to him that they thought he wasn't enjoying the meal, that it was considered good manners to smack one's lips while eating and to frequently belch, the highest compliment to the cook that the food was good.

I listen to a talk radio show sometimes at night when I can't sleep and the host often uses the word; that always reminds me of my dad and his stories about his Japanese friend in Washington state.

Patience is a Virtue

One that I don't possess.

You Are Patient Enough

In most cases, you are patient enough to keep it together. You may feel impatient on the inside, but you don't usually let it show. However, if you're made to wait for too long, you will usually crack. You're only human, after all. You don't like for your patience to be tested.

Are You Impatient?

 

I've never been a patient person; I never cared to fish, hate waiting in lines, can't stand sitting in a waiting room. When I was a driller on rigs, I fired guys for constantly having to wait on them and making me late for work. I've dated women with no sense of time, so frustrating for me, especially when they KNEW we had to leave at a certain time to get to the movies or some other function that required us to be on time only to show up at her house and find that she wasn't anywhere nearly ready to go.

It annoys me when I'm behind someone in a store and they don't even get their checkbook out until the transaction is complete; they could have at least had it ready with the other information before the total was announced. (or get a freakin' debit card, for cryin' out loud!) I really get annoyed when I'm behind someone at the grocery store and they stop to look at an item, leaving their cart in the middle of the aisle blocking any way around them...and when I clear my throat and get ignored, then speak up and say " 'SCUSE ME!" only to have them reach over and move their cart an inch or two, expecting that to be enough...then they give you a look like "What I'M doing has to be much more important than what YOU want to do!"

Stick your passive-aggressive attitude where the sun don't shine, lady. My time ain't worth a lot, but it's worth as much as yours.

It's infuriating to be behind someone at a red light, watching them put on their makeup or changing stations on their radio when the light turns green. I don't like to honk my horn, but after 20-30 seconds I do and they look up in surprise, see the green light turning yellow and then speed off through the intersection, leaving me to sit through another traffic light cycle because they had their head in their ass.

I could never be a vulture.

Everything's Going Swimmingly

This is one of the 1625 videos (at the time of this post) from the YouTube channel of Mary Thomassen. Most are of the same nature; Ms. Thomassen swimming underwater, doing headstands and flips, holding her breath, etc. Others are of her lying in her yard or on the beach, usually with her dog included in the video.  To be fair, I have only viewed a few dozen of the vids; others might have her opining on politics or global climate change...but I doubt it. (and didn't care to look through them all to see)

I subscribed to the channel for a while, but in my quest to cull the unnecessary distractions from my online life, I've decided to un-subscribe.  I think she's attractive and she has a sexy, appealing figure, but... I'm not sure why I subscribed in the first place.  I found her videos fascinating for a short while, and no, it wasn't her bikini-clad body or how there were often near- "wardrobe malfunctions", but it was my own curiosity as to just WHY she made the videos.

I could be wrong, a distinct possibility, but I think it's a need for attention.  I don't want to insult the woman, but what else could it be?  I was also curious as to the attraction for her subscribers - and judging from the comments, they're mostly male. Her videos aren't pornographic, just slightly risqué. It's hard for me to understand why they're so popular; you can find porn ANYWHERE on the 'net (well, not on YouTube, although you CAN find more revealing videos than these), so I can't chalk her popularity up to simple prurient interest. What I'm trying to say if people watch them just to get sexually aroused, then there are many more avenues for that sort of thing.

Like I said, a mystery to me.

Thanks to YouTube's "recommended videos", I found that she's not the only one with these sorts of videos.   Oh well, I guess it's a fetish like many others.  Goodness knows I've found out there are quite a few fetish folks with frequent hits on THIS blog, such as the ones for Gay Irish Dwarfs and My Sister's Feet.

So, bye-bye Mary.  Keep on swimmin', but don't hold your breath waiting on me to understand your motivation.

Falling Behind Already

Wow, I've made only one post this year!

To be honest, I just haven't been enthused.  I missed playing the quiz yesterday, the first time in over a year I forgot to play. The fact is I have too much to keep up with online.  I have to sort through my email and reader subscriptions,  catch up on Facebook, check in at various forums I frequent not to mention do online business such as pay bills.  I used to enjoy it, but lately it's become a chore, simply because there's just so much to wade through.  If I miss a day, stuff piles up and it takes that much longer to sort through.

I was also a bit preoccupied yesterday, thinking about something I've been planning on doing for a while;  I got my cable bill and saw it had gone up yet again.  Every year at this time, after the Cowboys are eliminated from playoff contention, I think I'll do away with cable.  I can watch the games on bootleg sites, catch the shows I like on the station websites and I don't care about local news or the weather because I can read the news online or check the NWS radar.

I didn't make any New Year's resolutions, but I think I will. (fitting, considering my procrastinating ways, which I need to change.  Oh well, that can wait for next year's resolutions!)  I've done it before, but I think I'll cull at least a quarter of my reader subscriptions and perhaps the same percentage of email newsletters. (and try my best to resist signing up for new ones) I'm going to cut back on Facebook as well as my participating in various forums and message boards. 

I'm going to do all that, get rid of cable and maybe fill in most of that spare time gained with doing productive things...well, maybe not productive, but at least get back into things I used to really enjoy, such as reading.  I've got a huge stack of National Geographic and Texas Monthly magazines I haven't read and I bet I didn't go to the library more than a half-dozen times last year.  I also need to get out and take more photographs, I really miss that.

Yep, new year, new direction in life...at least my online life.  The year lasts 365 days; hope my resolutions last that long!

Listen to the Music - The Doobie Brothers

No Surprise Here

You Should Work With Things

You definitely aren't a misanthrope, but you find people difficult to understand and deal with at times. You're much more productive working alone - building systems, analyzing data, or honing your own technique. No matter what career you choose, you do best in a field where you can be left alone to specialize, tinker, and invent. A focused, intense person like you would make a great surgeon. Or a fabulous architect. Or a superstar computer programmer.

Should You Work With People or Things?

oeillade

oeillade oeil·lade [œ-yad] noun, plural oeil·lades [œ-yad] French

an amorous glance; ogle.

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Even though I wasn't familar with this term, I've always liked to do an oeillade. The trick is to not get caught at it.

As in this game: Lust for Bust

Beer Bottle Cap

There are 21 "teeth" on the standard beer bottle cap.

Useless information?  Perhaps, but it might win you a free beer on a bet in a bar.

Marie's Blog

I missed this when the show was on, but with the Breaking Bad marathon going on this weekend, the BB Facebook page did a post on it. If you are/were a big fan of the series, you might find it funny.

Marie's Blog

Run Like Hell - Pink Floyd

One-Eared Insect

The only insect known to have just one ear is the mantis, also commonly referred to as a "praying mantis".  Its single ear has two eardrums and is capable of picking up ultrasonic sounds, essential in detecting the echolocation cries of the bat, one of its biggest predators.

Oddly enough, it was just a few days ago I saw this bit of trivia on the same day of the anniversary of Vincent van Gogh cutting off his ear.

cryophobia

cryophobia - fear of extreme cold, frost or ice.

I don't "fear" those things but intensely dislike them...and it's not so much dislike of them but rather a hatred of the huge heating bills that accompany extreme cold, frost or ice.

Sometimes they make me want to cry...and that's a phobia I can do without.

Holiday Greetings to All!

Sincere holiday greetings to my online friends, family and everyone else who visits my pathetic excuse for a blog. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and a fantastic new year!

Holiday Element

I don't really think these result apply to me at all; I don't shine "especially bright" at this time of year and don't have a lot of fun, nor do I craft fun items.  Since the Cowboys usually melt down during December, I'm usually not enthusiastic or optimistic. I DO try to make the best of the holiday, though.  I really haven't cared about the holiday since my momma passed away. -sigh-

The one thing that's right is that my holiday element is fire- I wish I had a fireplace for a little extra warmth and to lessen the huge natural gas bills during the winter.

Your Holiday Element is Fire

You shine brightly every time of year, but you shine especially bright during the holidays. You have so much fun this time of year - whether you're getting friends together or crafting fun items. You are enthusiastic and optimistic about the holidays. You make the best of whatever holiday you're able to have. You know this is a hard time of year for some, so you try to cheer up everyone you know with cookie deliveries and little surprises.

What's Your Holiday Element?

EDIT TO ADD: No, I don't have a fireplace, but I had forgotten about this Hulu video I saw a while back. Guess I could get my electric heater and put it at chest level while I sit at the computer and have it blast on me while I watch the vid.  There are several versions, some w/ music.

Fireplace for Your Home: Classic Edition (2013)

You Just Might Be A Scrooge

From the archives:

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You Just Might Be A Scrooge...

If your only contact with three spirits on Christmas Eve is gin, vodka and bourbon.

If you turn on the lawn sprinklers on Christmas Eve to keep carolers away.
 
If you buy all of your Christmas gifts at a store that also sells gas.

If your favorite version of "Babes in Toyland" stars Michael Jackson.

If you get your Christmas Tree at a rest stop at night.

If you give bathroom fixtures as Christmas gifts.

If your prized Christmas ornament is Santa Claus shooting the moon.

If your favorite Christmas movie is Jurassic Park.

If your idea of Christmas dinner is a six pack of beer and a cheese log.

If you think "Ho, Ho, Ho" is a line from a Rocky movie.

If your best Christmas tradition involves a fire and reindeer meat.

If your favorite version of "Silent Night" is sung by OJ Simpson.

If your favorite past time is putting defective bulbs in your neighbors' string of Christmas lights or defacing Christmas lawn caricatures with egg nog.

And, finally - if your only holiday decoration is a rotting pumpkin - you just might be a Scrooge.

Silent Night

Silent Night was first performed Christmas Eve 1818 at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, Austria. The song was written a year before, the lyrics by the young priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody by Franz Gruber.

Over the years, the song's fame spread throughout the world, but neither man enjoyed the work's success. Mohr died penniless in 1848 and Gruber lived in obscurity and died in poverty in 1863.

Sounds (that drive me) Crazy

Remember this Overstock.com commercial? It's been one of my favorite adverts of all-time. The woman is Sabine Ehrenfeld, a German model and actress born in Nov. 1963. I liked the commercial not just because she's pretty, but there's *something* about her voice that drives me wild, sending shivers down my spine. ("good" shivers) I'm not sure if it's the pitch or timbre of her voice that does it, but she's not the only female that does it to me; Shania Twain and Trisha Yearwood also affect me much the same way. 

Now, I'm not particularly a huge fan of Twain and Yearwood's music;  I like country just fine, but it's not my favorite musical genre.  I do have a few tunes of each perfomer in my mp3 jukebox, but haven't collected their albums like you might think I would, especially considering how their voices make me feel.  In fact, it's not Yearwood's singing voice that does it for me, but rather just her ordinary way of speaking.  I try to catch her new cooking show on the Food Network as often as possible, Trisha's Southern Kitchen.  I like her recipes just fine, but mostly enjoy listening to her talk.

While I'm on the subject of cooking shows, there's another lovely lady whose voice also drives me nuts and that's Nigella Lawson. I also try to watch her show as often as it comes on the network, but to be honest? Five minutes after the show was over I doubt I could tell you what she had cooked , but could definitely tell you the color of the sweater she had worn.  Worn very well. -ahem-

12 Days of Christmas

fiddlesticks

fiddlesticks fid·dle·sticks [fid-l-stiks] interjection
(used to express impatience, dismissal, etc.)

fiddlestick fid·dle·stick [fid-l-stik] noun
anything; a bit: "I don't care a fiddlestick for what they say."

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I had to laugh when I saw this as the World of the Day; just a couple of weeks ago, I was telling an employee of a store where I purchase the Beej's food that there hadn't been any on the shelf in over a month. "Oh, yeah." the young woman replied. "That's one of those things we didn't get on the truck.".

I didn't believe her.  "Fiddlesticks!" I said. "The office marks you out of the product?" I asked in a blustering manner, knowing how their inventory system worked. "Mmm-huh." the girl said with a surety I knew was feigned.

"Fiddlesticks!" I said again. I knew they had been having problems keeping employees, but it wasn't just cat food that wasn't being put out; I estimated that at least 10-15% of their shelving was empty.  "Why would they mark YOU out of the product when your other store always has it in stock?" I went on ranting: "That's where I've been having to go to get it.".

"What was that you said to me?" asked the young woman, acting offended. I repeated what I had said, that the other store had it and..."No, at first, that 'fiddle-something'?" I started to explain, but about that time the mgr. showed up and wanted to know what was wrong. I repeated my problem and the girl interrupted "He wants some sort of fiddle cat food."

The manager looked at me like I was nuts and I laughed and told her I had said "fiddlesticks", not believing they didn't have any of the cat food and that I bet it was in the back room. The manager, a woman not quite my age but quite a bit older than her employee, laughed too. "Fiddlesticks" said the mgr. to her employee. "It's an old-fashioned and polite way of saying 'Bullsh*t'!"

Anyway, long story short, the mgr. consulted her inventory sheets and the young woman was sent to the back room to dig though the mountainous pile of stock to find the cat food.  Sure 'nuff, they had loads of it. I bought a couple of cartons, enough to last the Beej for a few weeks.

From now on, maybe I shouldn't use such a polite term as "fiddlesticks".  I've got plenty of the regular curse words in stock.