August 31, 2005
So I’m over at Stacy’s and I see this meme. I thought it was pretty cool, so here we go!
1. When you look at yourself in the mirror, whatâs the first thing you look at?
My eyes; they’re too often bleary.
2. How much cash do you have on you right now?
$14.87. (Change from a $20 after going out for lunch)
3. Whatâs a word that rhymes with âTESTâ?
Breast
4. Favourite plant?
African violet
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
I clear out the missed calls when I call the person back. The Blackberry I’ve got doesn’t keep a separate missed call list.
6. What is your main ring tone on your phone?
Blackberry Ring 2.
7. What shirt are you wearing?
HON Company golf shirt.
8. Do you âlabelâ yourself?
Isn’t “Bill” a bad enough label?
9. Name brand of your shoes currently wearing?
Earth Shoe (I had to take one off and check the inside heel)
10. Do you prefer a bright or dark room?
Definitely bright. It’s cheerier.
11. What did you have for breakfast?
Two Mixed Berry Pop Tarts.
12. Ok, this is a two-parter: On a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, do you prefer crunchy or smooth and what kind of jelly/jam/preserves?
I don’t like peanut butter, but I do like peach jam.
13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Configuring the Blogamp plugin for Wordpress.
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?
Haven’t had any text messages on my Blackberry since I’ve got it. (I can get email, so what’s the point of a text message?)
15. Do you ever click on âPop Upsâ or Banners?
On What? I use Firefox with the AdBlock plugin. If I see any ads, I immediately block them. I never see popups or banners.
16. Whatâs an expression that you say a lot?
Who lied and told you life would EVER be fair? (The by-line of my blog)
17. Who told you they loved you last?
KC. (Of course!)
18. Last furry thing you touched?
Daisy. She really likes a good scratch behind the ears.
19. How many hours a week do you work?
It’s supposed to be 40, but with evenings and weekends on call it ends up being more.
20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
None. Since I’ve bought a digital camera I haven’t used any film.
21. Favourite age you have been so far?
48 (Of course, I just turned 49!!)
22. Since question 22 is weirdly missing, make up a question.
Why is it the author of this meme left question 22 out?
Has to be because they are 22 years old and don’t want to mention that fact.
23. What is your current desk top picture?
A picture of a castle called “Once” from Digital Blasphemy. (At home, it’s a picture of Rebecca Romijn as Mystique)
24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
“Maybe we need to think about replacing that software”
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to go back in time and fix all your mistakes which would you choose?
The money, definitely. A million bucks now could fix all of any past mistakes I’ve made.
« Close it up, dude!
Wednesday and I’m really looking forward to the three day weekend; Are you more… here we go!
01) Online because you have to be or online because you want to be?
Definitely online because I want to be. I’m at lunch right now!
02) Liking the sideburns or hating the sideburns?
Depends. If they’re the “muttonchop Elvis” variety I turn, scream and run. If they are subtle and well groomed, they’re OK.
03) The little guy getting stepped on by The Man or The Man?
I’m getting stepped on by The Man, even though I try to avoid it.
04) Graphing calculator or abacus?
Gimme the TI-85, be-yotch!
05) Lands’ End or Tilley Endurables?
Lands’ End works, but I prefer Eddie Bauer. The Lands’ End stuff fits. The Eddie Bauer stuff fits better.
06) Enjoy swimming in the ocean or enjoy swimming in a lake?
Ocean, baby! There’s a nice surf swelling (even though I can’t surf), and the lakes just can’t duplicate that.
07) Good to go or ready to rock?
Ready to ROCK!! Let’s hit it!
08) Believing that people create their own ambition or believing that ambition is an emotional state subject to the same whims as other emotions?
People create their own ambition. You can’t get another person “fired up” for something. They have to do it all on their own.
09) Wishing you could fly and pass through solid matter at will or wishing you were indestructible and possessed of super strength at will?
Flying would be really nice. The pass through solid matter would be a good protectant as well.
10) A spiritualist or an intellectualist?
Intellectualist.
August 30, 2005
I’ve been playing around with the Winamp plugin called “Now Playing” and it’s accompanying Wordpress plugin. While I liked the Now Playing plugin, for some reason I couldn’t make the plugin a part of each entry so as to add the song title that I was playing at the time to my post. With the Wordpress plugin it dynamically changed one song on the sidebar. Well, I that’s not exactly what I wanted, so I returned to Blogamp. I have a history of the last 8 songs I listened to in Winamp and the artist that performs them. Yeah, I’ll keep looking, but until then Blogamp is excellent.
Just a little nod to the kids back in school, Take Me Back Tuesday Week 34.
1. Name three songs that were popular when you were in grade 10.
(Jeez, this goes back a ways. I’m going to need to research this one!)
1. “It’s Too Late, Baby” (Carole King)
2. “Make Me Smile” (Chicago)
3. “Without You” (Harry Nilsson)
2. Name three award winning artists from the year that you were in grade 10.
1. Carole King
2. James Taylor
3. Harry Nilsson
3. Name three albums from the year you were in grade 10.
1. Tapestry (Carole King)
2. Homecoming (America)
3. Chicago II (Chicago)
August 29, 2005
Well, not exactly the rain, but I did hear that song last night. Went up to QC Live to hear bands. Spatterdash opened. I really like those guys (and I’m not just saying that because my boss is the lead singer!) If you live in the Quad Cities area, you really need to go hear them. They were followed by Silvertide. For those of you who download Winamp, there was a time when Winamp bundled Silvertide’s “California Rain” with the Winamp download. Since I’ve heard that song, I’ve been a fan. They also have song that is currently popular called “Blue Jeans”. Anyway, a good set by Spatterdash followed up by a good set from Silvertide – what could be better?
August 25, 2005
What a week; it’s time for the Thursday Threesome already.
Onesome – Drop – Have you ever dropped something that you can’t believe you did? Was it a priceless item or that big secret?
Yes. It wasn’t that big of a priceless item. I dropped a PC on my first week at my first tech support job. Broke the bezel off the front of the case. It looked like hell, but still worked well.
Twosome – Gas Prices – How much is a gallon of gas going for where you are?
It’s about $2.45 and I’ve got to fill up tomorrow morning or I won’t make it to work.
Threesome – Please Read – What’s that latest item you’re reading? Is it for pleasure or are you required to read it?
I just finished reading “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, definitely for pleasure. I read it on the way to LA for the latest tech support job I did out there.
26 Reasons Men Have Two Dogs and not Two Wives (as received from Ron!!)
- The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.
- Dogs will forgive you for playing with other dogs.
- If a dog is gorgeous, other dogs don’t hate it.
- Dogs don’t notice if you call them by another dog’s name.
- Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.
- A dog’s parents never visit.
- Dogs do not hate their bodies.
- Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.
- Dogs like to do their snooping outside rather than in your wallet or desk.
- Dogs seldom outlive you.
- Dogs can’t talk.
- You never have to wait for a dog; they’re ready to go 24 hours a day.
- Dogs find you amusing when you’re drunk.
- Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.
- Another man will seldom steal your dog.
- A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, “If I died, would you get another dog?”
- If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.
- A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.
- A dog won’t hold out on you to get a new car.
- If a dog smells another dog on you, they don’t get mad. They just think it’s interesting.
- On a car trip, your dog never insists on running the heater.
- Dogs don’t let magazine articles guide their lives.
- When your dog gets old, you can have it put to sleep.
- Dogs like to ride in the back of a pick-up truck.
- Dogs are not allowed in Bloomingdale’s or Neiman-Marcus.
- And, last but not least: If a dog leaves, it won’t take half of your stuff.
« Close it up, dude!
August 24, 2005
Missed it yesterday, so I’ve post-dated it so it looks like it was put up yesterday. It’s Are You More…
01) A “french fries must be deep fried” type or a “french fries are fine baked in the oven” type?
To taste great, it MUST be deep fried. There is no substitute.
02) Likely to buy a music CD because of the band or likely to buy a music CD because it contains some songs you want to own?
Buy it for the songs I want to own. Well, according to the RIAA, to own the license to.
03) One who thinks exercise for it’s own sake is a good thing or one who thinks exercise should be what you get in actually accomplishing something constructive (your body/health doesn’t count)?
A little of both. If you don’t believe you are doing something constructive, you won’t do it. I like playing basketball and softball, so I’m accomplishing something constructive by playing a game.
04) A person who prefers a barbeque for gatherings involving food or a person who prefers pot-luck and cold dishes for gatherings involving food?
HELLLOOOO!!!! It’s FOOD! All gatherings involving food are good!!
05) In favour of nuclear non-proliferation treaties or against nuclear non-proliferation treaties?
In favor of the treaties, but I don’t think they’ll work. I’ve heard the plans for such things are available on the internet or in public libraries. Rogue countries can build nuclear weapons easily, and will never hold to treaties.
06) One who thinks large pharmacutical companies wouldn’t bury an unprofitable cure for cancer or one who thinks large pharmacutical companies absolutely would bury an unprofitable cure for cancer?
I don’t think they’d bury any sure-fire cure for cancer. The problem is, most sure-fire cures endanger the health of the person to the point that they may die. Of course, if they survive the cure they’ll survive the cancer.
07) A small venue live music lover or a big concert live music lover?
Small venues are a lot better for the music. Big concerts are better to see how wild a crowd can get. I prefer the small venues (even though I’m kind of a perv!!)
08) Chicken noodle soup or french onion soup?
Chicken noodle soup. Onion soup gives me gas.
09) A believer in the security of a metal door or a believer in the security of a thick wooden door?
Metal is much more secure than wood for a door. (However, wood is much nicer looking.)
10) One who believes freedom of speech should be curtailed more or one who believes freedom of speech should be curtailed less?
I believe it should be curtailed less. The problem is that in today’s world, if you exercise your free speech your opponents tend to slander you so that your view takes a back seat to your “history”.
Got this from Bob, who got it from… well, it isn’t necessary to go into a meme’s genealogy, is it?
» V I T A L S «
Name: Bill.
Gender: Male.
Location: Right now? Santa Ana, CA. Home? Iowa.
Height: 6â7â.
Hair color: What isn’t gone or grey is dark brown.
Eye color: Hazel.
Is your hair long or short: What I have left is short. Long hair with a bald top looks like a pervert in a trenchcoat waiting to happen.
Tattoos you have: None (yet).
» S C H O O L «
Are you still in school: Not at the moment. I’ll need to go back to get my certs (MCSA, MCSE).
Favorite subject: Math… any kind. I really liked trigonometry.
Least favorite subject: Government; but that was probably because of the teacher.
Do/did you buy lunch or bring it: I ate school lunch every day all through school. My dad (who was a teacher) figured it was cheaper to have the school feed us than him.
» F A V O R I T E «
Number: 42 – it’s the answer to the question of life, the universe and everything.
Clothing: Denim. I get office casual clothes that feel the most like denim because I like it so much.
TV show: Dead Like Me.
Fruit: Either fresh pineapple (not the canned crap) or fresh mangoes.
Movie: Bull Durham.
Scent: Varies. Right now I’m liking the Glade Citrus Wisp.
Ice Cream Flavor: Pretty much anything with chocolate. I have some Blue Bunney Chocolate Brownie Extreme in the freezer at home!
Color: Green, kind of faded though.
Season: Autumn. Football games, marching bands, evenings by the fire, cool nights, warm days. What could be better?
Holiday: Halloween.
Thing in your room: My bed. It’s for more than sleeping, ya know?
Author: Ray Bradbury.
TV channel: Either SciFi or Showtime.
Shape: Triangle. It’s the elemental shape.
Time: Any meal time!!!
State: Sanity.
Disney character: Chip and Dale (yeah, I know it’s two). Two little guys outsmarting the man.
Scary movie: The Exorcist.
» T H I S O R T H A T «
Hot or cold: Cold, because I can always put on clothes to stay warm. Once it gets so hot you can’t do anything about it.
Winter or summer: While neither is my favorite, they both have their appeal. I’d say winter.
Spring or fall: Fall. Definitely.
Shakira or Britney: Shakira. She actually can sing. As I’ve said before, if it comes down to Britney singing or the world is going to end then I’m kissing my ass goodbye.
MTV or VH1: MTV used to be much better. Any more it’s a reality show network. Now VH1 is better. But neither are in my top ten.
Rollerblading or skateboarding: Rollerblading. I can probably do that. I have skated, but not with rollerblades. I’ve never skateboarded.
Black or white: Why not both, like a piano keyboard – both are necessary.
Orange or red: Red, but not bright.
Yellow or green: Green. Definitely.
Purple or pink: Purple. It’s a Laker’s color.
Cell phone or pager: Cell phone. Why carry a pager any more?
Powerpuff Girls or Charlieâs Angels: Charlie’s Angels. All of the renditions of Charlie’s Angels girls are hotter than the Powerpuff girls. DUH!
» Y E S O R N O P E«
Are you a vegetarian: No way. I’m from Iowa. Our idea of a veggie burger is a hamburger with a leaf of lettuce and a tomato.
Do you like cows: Of course! Without cows we wouldn’t have hamburgers, steaks, roasts, milk or ice cream!!
Are you a bitch: Couldn’t be in the technical sense – bitch implies female.
Are you artistic: No way. I need a ruler to help me draw straight lines.
Do you write poetry: That takes artistic talent that I simply don’t have.
Can you ski: Water or Snow? No and no. Never skied in my life.
Are you British: My grandmother traced our genealogy back to the Revolutionary War; I believe I do have some British ancestry, but I’m American.
Are you straight: Yes.
Are you evil: No.
Is Britney a whore: Not in the sense of selling sexual acts for money.
» P R I V A T E «
Have you ever been in love: Yes. I still am.
Do you smoke: Nope.
Do you smoke weed: Nope.
Crack, heroin, anything else: Nope.
Beer good or beer bad: MMMM… Beer good! As Benjamin Franklin says, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
Are you the sissy who drinks wine coolers: Not me, no way.
» T H E L A S T «
Thing you ate: Honey flavored Teddy Grahams.
Thing you drank: Diet Mountain Dew.
Place you went: Here; well southern California. I went to Laguna Beach last night.
Thing you got pierced/tattooed: No piercings or tatoos yet.
Song you heard: I don’t know the name of it – it was on the radio.
Person you instant messaged: I don’t normally IM, so I can’t remember. It’s been a few months. I really need to get back in to that.
Person you laughed with: Polite, office laugh: Karlyn Pasalagua. Deep, gut-rumbling, watery eyes laugh: Ken Nealson.
» N O W «
What are you eating: Nothing at the moment.
What are you drinking: Nothing at the moment.
Any shoes on: Yeah; Dr. Scholl’s walking shoes.
Hair: As good as it gets.
Listening to: Office sounds; a radio in the background.
Talking to anyone: Diana Kennin and Geri Arriaga in the office here.
» L A S T «
Last Cigarette: May of 1976.
Last Alcoholic Drink: Sunday. Negra Modelo.
Last Car Ride: A couple of hours ago to get to work here.
Last Good Cry: Never really done it.
Last Library Book: Don’t check books out of the library.
Last book bought: KC and I bought “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”.
Last Book Read: The aforementioned “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”.
Last Movie Seen in Theatres: Fantastic Four.
Last Movie Rented: Constantine.
Last Cuss Word Uttered: Shit. It just slipped out while driving here. I had to cut across a lane of traffic to make my left turn.
Last Beverage Drank: The aforementioned Diet Mountain Dew.
Last Phone Call: I called KC last night while I was walking on Laguna Beach.
Last TV Show: Bill Maher’s “comedy”; I couldn’t turn away. He simply is so stupid he doesn’t realize how stupid he is.
Last Time Showered: This morning.
Last Shoes Worn: The aforementioned Dr. Scholl’s walking shoes.
Last CD Played: One of my own compilation CD’s.
Last Item Bought: Dinner last night at Johnny Rocket’s.
Last Download: The latest Windows update. They come out way too often.
Last Annoyance: Windows Internet Explorer crashing while I was trying to close it and it brought down the entire PC. UGH!
Last Thing Written: This meme.
Last Key Used: The ignition key to the car I’m renting here.
Last Sleep: Last night, but I plan to get a little shut-eye on the flight home today.
Last Ice Cream Eaten: A chocolate malt at Johnny Rocket’s last night.
Last Chair Sat In: An Allsteel Sum chair. I’m sitting in it now.
Last Webpage Visited: Scratching the Itch. That’s where I saw this meme.
« Close it up, dude!
Welcome back for another Take Me Back Tuesday; it’s all about FOOD!!
1. Name three songs with food or food related words in the title.
1. Cherry Pie (Warrant)
2. Ice Cream Man (Van Halen)
3. (I think I’m brain dead – nothing else comes to mind)
2. Name three artists with food or food related words in the title.
1. Humble Pie (yeah, I’m that old!!)
2. Cake
3. Meatloaf
3. Name three albums with food or food related words in the title.
1. Flat as a Pancake (Head East)
2. Burnt Weeny Sandwich (Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention)
3. (I’m stretching just to get these!!)
August 22, 2005
LA, it’s MONDAY NIGHT! Yeah, I’m here in LA – Santa Ana to be precise. I’m here to work at three facilities for one of our companies. They have an office in LA, near Santa Monica; a second office in Santa Ana and a third in Placentia. I’ll be here until Wednesday. I had a full day today and will have just as full day tomorrow. Hopefully I can just come in and do a “Hi, howyadoin?” on Wednesday as my flight leaves from the John Wayne at around 1:30.
It’s updates-updates-updates! Updating user permissions, updating network connections to wireless in some cases, updating to Outlook 2003, updating printer drivers. Lots of updates. A total of about 40 users; it’s taking a while per user, but I’ll get it. And then, it’s back to Iowa… is that good?!?!
August 19, 2005
This week’s Friday Five is about what a “band geek” (like I was in school) salivates about!
1. What if any instrument do you play?
When in school I played saxophone, the bari (baritone saxophone) to be precise. I tried out for all-state band when I was a senior and got a recall; that means it was down to three of us for the two spots open. In jazz band we even played a tune called “Bari-sen-shuls”. I also played flute in a couple of tunes in jazz band.
2. If you could choose to play an instrument what would it be?
Guitar. I keep telling myself now that I have no kids at home I need to take some lessons so I can pick along at dad’s parties. One of these days….. you know how that works.
3. If you were in a band, what would your bandâs name be?
Would “SmegHeads” be too gross? How about “Girl Toys”? Maybe “Geek Sounds”? I dunno, I never really thought about that.
4. What type of music would your band play?
Blues and metal. We’d play a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd covers. Maybe some of our own stuff, but I wouldn’t write that – I’m not that talented.
5. Would you continue to be good for years to come, or would you and your band end up in Branson playing for bus loads of elderly?
I wouldn’t EVER want to end up at Branson. I have NO INTEREST in going there, for ANY reason at all. I’d want to be good for years to come but I’d only want to appeal to a small, eclectic group. I wouldn’t want to be mainstream. Heck, they even do Elvis at Branson, and when he first came out he absolutely ROCKED!
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Muscatine, IA
