queenlyzard

snagged from talkingapple 


Ten Things I Wish I Could Say to People...

1.  <-- The passing lane is that way
2. I can't go any faster than the person in front of me
3. You're shouldn't be a parent
4. Your religion is wrong
5. Just because you read it doesn't make it true
6. That's not helping your cause
7. Watch where the f**k you're going!
8. Please do not text in my presence. At the very least not while we're talking.
9. How on earth did you get that stupid?
10. Ok, you overtook me... do you feel better now?

Nine things about myself.

1. I am alternately amazed by how much of a mess I am and by how well I seem to manage anyway
2. I have a phobia of caterpillars
3. I talk to myself a lot, sometimes in the mirror
4. I get my best ideas when I'm asleep or just falling asleep. They don't always survive my waking up.
5. I am an absolute chocolate snob
6. I may be the only person in the developed world who regularly craves foods like brussel sprouts and lima beans
7. I adore trying new foods
8. my room is always filled with half-finished craft projects
9. My worst physical feature is my teeth

Eight ways to win my heart.

1. Have an excellent sense of humor
2. Be able to accurately quote Douglas Adams or Star Trek TNG
3. Have wonderful personal philosophies
4. Enjoy listening to me talk
5. Understand why I love Rush
6. Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty
7. Or at least, think I am awesome for doing so :)
8. Be very intelligent

Seven things that cross my mind a lot.

1. How will I manage the rest of my life?
2. Dogs (and cats) are wonderful therapy
3. I am scared stiff of the future
4. How the hell did I end up where I am now?
5. I'm very lucky in my life at the moment, but can it last?
6. Mass media and pop culture suck ass
7. Books books books books books

Six things I do before I fall asleep (I have way too many for this list!)

1. Notice that I've been on LJ too long and it's goddawful late
2. Remember the stuff I was supposed to do today and didn't
3. argue with myself over whether to set my alarm clock
4. have a snack
5. brush my teeth while reading
6. read some more

Five places I want to visit.

1. France (again)
2. More of the American Southwest
3. One of those laid-back northern European countries like Denmark.
4. Greece
5. Scotland

Four things I'm wearing right now.

1. off-white shorts, knee-length
2. one of those camisole shirts with the built in bra-shelf (pink)
3. panties (white)
4. and damn, that's it! No watch, no jewelry, no makeup. Oh... glasses!


Three bands that I listen to often. (really depends!)

1. R.E.M.
2. The Beatles
3. The Indigo Girls

Two things I want to do before I die.

1. Get my belongings all sorted out and in order
2. Eat more wonderful food, especially chocolate

One confession.

1. I don't "get" mainstream American culture.

If there is one person (or more) on your friends list who makes your world a better place just because they exist, and who you would not have met without the Internet, post this sentence in your journal.

[meme nabbed from flutterbychild ]

I <3 LJ

I wasn't going to do this meme, but then I checked just out of curiosity, and had to post the results.  Thank you, virginia_fell .

1. Grab the book nearest you. Right now. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence along with these instructions in your LiveJournal.

I counted that as the 5th complete sentence, not counting the one which started in the middle at the top of the page.

Oh dear.  Oh deary deary dear.

( cut for extreme impropriety: you have been warned )

It wasn't even one of my naughty books, Bob damn it!  It was "Time Pressure" by Spider Robinson.  About which I am now even more curious than before.

nabbed from firinel 

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping, definitely.  Sometimes a bag too!  And lots of ribbons, curled by hand.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Preferably both (big real one, and a small fake one made with fiber-optics).  Plus decorated houseplants.

3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever we get around to it; hopefully before Christmas Eve.

4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever my roommate makes me.  If I had my way, probably not until summer.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but in small amounts.

6. Favourite gifts received as a child? You know, I really can't recall.  The ones I was most excited to get initially were almost always the ones I never found up using, or that turned out disappointing.  The smaller gifts generally turned out better in the long term.  Anything with sparkles was a plus.  Art supplies went over well, too.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Uncle, I guess.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Mom--but only sometimes.  These days, the family tends to do charity donations rather than gifts, which solves the problem all around.  Uncle is happy with that option, too.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Sometimes, although usually a quite nontraditional one, owing to my not being Christian!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, preferably handmade.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Practical clothing.

12. Favourite Christmas Movie? Ooh.. tough call.  "Muppet Christmas Carol," probably.  Close runners up are "Die Hard" (my bf's favorite) and "The Long Kiss Goodnight" (yes, damnit, they are too Christmas movies).  Actually, I have a fondness in general for "Christmas Carol" versions, the odder the better.  "A Diva's Christmas Carol" charmed the pants off me.  And of course, the classic "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is lovely-- I haven't seen the new live-action version, but I don't much care to.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? whenever I see things people will like!  Then I put them all away and forget about them by the time Xmas rolls around and spend a frantic week just before the holiday mailing off books to everyone.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I can't recall.

15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas? Pirouline cookies have always been a Xmas tradition at our house, as have chocolate oranges.

16. Lights on the tree? Of course!  In many colors, plus clear. Although usually not blinking.

17. Favourite Christmas song? Any version of the "12 Days of Xmas;" again, the sillier, the better.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually travel to see family, but I prefer to stay home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Now Dasher!  Now Dancer! Now Donner and Blitzen!  On Comet!  On Cupid! On... um... Donner and Blitzen?  No wait, I missed a "Vixen" in there.  And Prancer.  I don't think Rudolph is canonical.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.  Don't believe in angels.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning, as early as possible.  One of my standard "gifts" to my brother when he was growing up was that on Xmas morrning, and only that morning, he was allowed to wake me up as early as he wanted.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Hearing all the stupid shit on the news about people killing each other over and spending ridiculous sums on cheap plastic crap.  Get out of your materialistic heads and go volunteer at a soup kitchen, assholes.

23. Favourite ornament theme or color? Sparkly and/or metallic.  And crystal.  Pretty much anything shiny makes me happy.

24. Favourite for Christmas dinner? Uh... Chinese takeout?

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Money to give to charities, time to make beautiful cards for friends and family, and less worrying for me.  Also more books and a house to keep them in, but that's what I want every year.
</lj>

Meme borrowed from kittikattie


What has surprised you the most about me (if anything) since joining my flist/"friending me"? Was anything completely unexpected or have I always fit the picture of me you have in your head?

Post this in your own journal and see how you have surprised people!


Go for it!

Sure, I'll jump on.  Snagged from multiple sources:

If you saw ME in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for?

Answer me, then if you want, post to your own journal and see how many crimes you get accused of.

When you see this, post in your own journal with your favorite quote from The Princess Bride. Preferably not "As you wish" (except for mj_automatic , who has a great reason) or the Inigo Montoya speech.

"You mean, you''ll put down your rock, and I'll put down my sword, and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?"

Ok, maybe it isn't my very favorite line, but there are so many good ones to choose from!  I'm pretty fond of just about everything that Fezzik says.

snagged from spiralshell 

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea  - I wasn't a fan, but my mom swore it was healthy
3. Huevos rancheros  - which my mom makes much better than nettle tea
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile - I think.  Either that or alligator.  They sell jerky of it as a novelty item in Florida and I just had to try it
6. Black pudding - I think so.  It was... interesting.  Good in small quantities.
7. Cheese fondue  - very nummy!
8. Carp - not as far as I know
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho - possibly?
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart - oddly, I don't think I've ever had one
16. Epoisses cheese - I'd try it, but probably wouldn't like it
17. Black truffle - only teeny-tiny shavings thereof, though.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - dandelion wine rules!
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries - all the time growing up!
23. Foie gras - I doubt I've had the real thing, but I've enjoyed some excellent mimics.
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese -- I just might have to pass on that one.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters  - not a big fan.
29. Baklava - yes!
30. Bagna cauda - now that I looked it up, I want to try it!!
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi - but I love the sweet kind!
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - does rum jello count?
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects - not intentionally...
43. Phaal curry
44. Goat’s milk - fresh, no less
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu  - so not worth the risk.
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin - maybe
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi fruit - I've had the umeboshi pickle, anyways.  Does not like.
53. Abalone
54. Paneer - as an ingredient in dishes...
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin - as in clay??
64. Currywurst - I like the sound of that
65. Durian fruit - I've had Durian-flavored things.  They smelled aweful.
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain -  maybe
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe - I wish!
74. Gjetost, or brunost cheese
75. Roadkill - not to my knowledge...
76. Baijiu wine
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (made with lard)
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong tea
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum soup
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers - several kinds
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam - you know, I think I've avoided this one so far, too
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa hot sauce
94. Catfish - not sure-- possibly
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - oh, probably
100. Snake

Eaten: 43
Won't: 1
Have eaten but won't ever eat again: several
Remaining: 56

Courtesy of scarab_dynasty

You are in a mall when the zombies attack. You have:

One weapon.
One song blasting on the speakers.
One famous person to fight alongside you.

I want: Ripley's flame-throwing, grenade-launching, machine gun from Aliens, R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", and Jackie Chan.  Boo-yah.

The Pretend Me(me)

1. What is the thought that frightens you the most?

Ok, I'm going to pass on this one.  It's quite a laundry list, and I don't feel like thinking about any of them.  OK-- here's one that's true without being too deep: rogue waves and tsunamis.   And water in general.  The ocean scares the bejeezus out of me, really.  I enjoy swimming in small lakes, and I don't mind taking small sailboats out around the coast, but I do not like to be anywhere like open water.  If I can't swim to land, I don't want to be there.  And I don't like getting water in my face.


2. Do you have any odd medical conditions you'd like to share with people you hardly know?

I have Raynaud's syndrome.  And some sort of mystery fatigue thingy that's still under debate.  The rest of my medical problems are ordinary, boring, and fortunately not too severe-- mostly allergies and asthma.


3. Do you have any superstitions?

I try not to.  All the same, it's a fine line between habit and superstition at times (for example, I tend to unplug my computer during severe electrical storms for fear of its being damaged by a power surge.  Is this sensible or the result of my ignorance about all things electrical?  I believe that the house, the outlet, and the computer all have some form of protection against this kind of thing... but I don't know enough to evaluate the risk.  Hence, I act with probably unnecessary caution.  This is only one example, and not a very good one at that, but I think you get what I'm driving at-- many of the things we do and assume automatically are without basis in reality.)

Er, yes.  I still make wishes on fallen-out eyelashes.  And blow them from my fingertips to make the wish come true. 


4. Ever had a nickname that stuck given to you by another person?

Well, isn't that a hoot!  I got the nickname "squeaky" too (see the_pretend_me's entry), in high school.  Only in my case, it was on account of my habit of making those little high-pitched girly squeals, particularly if someone tickles me or pokes me in the tummy.  And my mother used to call me "Mademoiselle Space Cadet" because I'm so spacey.  I hate to say it, but it fits.


5. What is your most surprising personal struggle?

Surprising?  I don't know.  Most of my friends seem surprised to find out that I lack self-confidence, especially about my looks.  I guess it's surprising, too, that I have so much trouble accomplishing anything, given that I am technically "smart".  I also have some odd... gaps... in my intelligence that I struggle with.  I've always done brilliantly in school, but I'm very much an idiot when it comes to numbers, finances, or anything involving paperwork written in legalese.  Things like insurance forms usually drive me to tears.


6. What do people say about you that isn't true?

That I'm stuck-up and aloof.  Really, I'm just shy and altogether too formal.  I sometimes come across as arrogant, too, but I guess that one is a bit warranted.  Still, I don't try to be a know-it-all.  Also, people tend to think of me as a bit more sweet and innocent than I actually am.  My coworkers still act shocked when I swear-- they don't expect cussing from someone like me, even though I do it quite often.


7. What do you seriously lack that other people have plenty of?

Street smarts and other practical knowledge.  Ambition.  Faith that it will all work out.  The ability to do new things without panicking.  Energy, both physical and mental.  Sometimes, appetites.  Stick-to-it-iveness and the ability to complete tasks that I start.  The ability to hide my feelings.  The ability to be amused by most of what our culture considers entertaining.

On the plus side, I also lack (that other people have lots of): xenophobia, intolerance, belief in the paranormal, a tendency to believe things because they "feel" true, an obsession with procreation, and the ability to be amused by most of what our culture considers entertaining.


8. Do you have any regrets about how you've lived your life?

Yes.


9. What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time?

Don't trust your feelings.  Don't believe in love.  And, go see a psychiatrist. 


10. If you were to have to define yourself with a single word, what would that word be?

bookworm.


11. If you were stranded on an island for a long time, the food, book, and item you'd want to have with you?

Packaged noodles, The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy  (or, more reasonably, probably some book on wilderness survival and edible plants), and a solar-powered laptop with internet access  (is that cheating?  Fine- a solar-powered ipod with all my music on it).


12. If you could be anywhere on earth right now, regardless of finances, language, safety concerns, etc. where would you want to be?

Hmmm... if safety concerns are somehow taken care of, I just might go for the jungles of Southeast Asia, observing Clouded Leopards in the wild.  More likely, I'd chose to be in the Bahamas, eating Conch salad, getting a tan while reading on the beach, and learning to snorkle.

snagged from 2eclipse 

book meme
"What we have here is the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded.

Bold the ones you've read, underline the ones you read for school (ie, you only read them because someone else made you), and italicize the ones you started but didn't finish I very rarely start books and don't finish them, so I'm changing this one to "italicize the ones you own but haven't read".  Add (*) beside the ones you liked and would (or did) read again or recommend. Even if you read 'em for school in the first place."

The List

Addendum -- never even heard of it.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell *
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22 **  -- one of my all-time favorites
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre * -- finally got around to it!
A Tale of Two Cities*
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies -- wow-- this one I actually did start reading and never finish; not through lack of interest, though.  I still plan to read the rest.
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius ** - yes!
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex -- I want to read it!
Quicksilver  -- No thanks.  SnowCrash was good, but too bloody long.
Wicked : the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West *
The Canterbury Tales - if listening to it on tape counts.
Frankenstein -- finally!  Just got around to this one recently too
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula  -- for all I love Vampire stories, this is not one of my favorites.
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King  -- at least, I think it was for school.  I can't imagine any other reason why I would have slogged through the entire damn thing.
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel ** -- I adore Kingsolver.  "The Bean Trees" was better, though.
1984 *
Angels & Demons  -- nor do I plan to buy or read it.
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ** -- just got around to this one recently too.  Wow-- I've read a lot more classics since I left school.  Ironically, it's because I felt so guilty that I never read classics anymore because I wasn't in school.
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables  -- I have it in French, no less.  No wonder I've never read it.
The Corrections -- Yeesh-- I've never heard of this one either!
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay * -- again, as a book on tape
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time *
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present  -- no interest whatsoever
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere *
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything  -- shame on me for not having read it yet.
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved *
Slaughterhouse-five ** - I actually can't recall whether or not I first read this for school, but I think it was assigned at some point.  Anyways, I loved it.
The Scarlet Letter *
Eats, Shoots & Leaves *
The Mists of Avalon *
Oryx and Crake : a novel
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas  -- no, but I plan to read it, damnit!
The Confusion  - The what?
Lolita **
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down *  -- actually,  I had a grade-school teacher who read this book to us.
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit *
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White Teeth *
Treasure Island
David Copperfield

borrowed this time from beggarsfarm


Speaking of which, I need to get to bed now, despite the fact that there's SO much more I want to write and catch up on.  Trying to get my sleep schedule back on track because all week I've been being a night-owl and oversleeping in the mornings.  So-- good night.

Snagged from malanai because I liked the questions.

( more stuff you didn't know about me )

EDIT: I'm adding a few questions that I liked from gryfindormia's verion of the meme.  Also, while I gave my answers below for most of the questions, feel free to ask me to fill in the blanks on ones like "what was your first impression of me?" (that obviously change from person to person).

"You're on my flist, I want to know 36 things about you. I don't care if we never talk, or if we already know everything about each other. Short and sweet is fine ... You're on my list, so I want to know you better!

COPY FROM HERE THEN SEND DIRECTLY TO ME IN A COMMENT, THEN REPOST THE EMPTY QUESTIONS."

Snagged from </a></b>tudorpot

1) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
A.

2) What was your dream growing up?
A.

3) What talent do you wish you had?
A.

4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
A.

5) Favorite vegetable?
A.

6) What was the last book you read?
A.

7) What zodiac sign are you?  I don't care because I don't believe in these.  I'm replacing this one with "Can you cook?
A.

8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
A.

9) Worst Habit?
A.

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
A.

11) What is your favorite sport?
A.

12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
A.

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
A.

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
A.

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
A.

16) Do you have any pets?
A.

17) What if i showed up at your house unexpectedly?
A.

18) What was your first impression of me? (hmmm...careful!)
A.

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
A.

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
A.

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
A.

22) What color eyes do you have?
A.

23) Ever been arrested?
A.

24) Bottle or can soda?  I don't care.  Instead, tell me: If you could spend 12 hours with me and ask/do anything you like, what would it be?
A.

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
A.

27) What's your favorite place to hang at?
A.

28) Do you believe in ghosts?
A.

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A.

30) Do you swear a lot?
A.

31) Biggest pet peeve?
A.

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
A.

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
A.

35) Do you believe in God?
A.

36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
A.  Feel free to repost this for your other friends, but for my own answers, see below.

37)  Would you date me?
A.

 

 

Staying in and taking it easy today, for the most part.  Yesterday was a very mixed bag. 

Went out to holiday festivities and had a wonderful time, despite the cold and rain and initial panic over what to wear.  I looked lovely, had great food and spiced Hungarian wine (highly recommended), and got to see lots of nifty stuff, including some truly adorable little kiddos break-dancing to Xmas carols.

Unfortunately, the evening ended with me being stood up and stranded by the co-workers who had promised to meet me and give me a ride home.  I'm beyond hurt, and really shaken by that experience.

So, today, staying in (well, I do need to get groceries, but apart from that), taking it easy, wrapping up warm (it's cold here in SD!) and eating much comfort food.  And hoping I don't see S at work any time soon, in the interest of not bursting into tears and/or punching her in the face.


And, because everyone else is doing it:



Edit: er, sorry, LJ cuts always screw up formatting for some reason...

Something else I meant to post ages ago and never got around to... stolen shameless from someone at </a></b></a>booklisters and modified for my entertainment.  Further suggestions for more possible categories in this meme would be very welcome.  So would book recommendations!

Books I've read meeting the following criteria:

1. A book with a color in its title.
"Land of the Silver Apples" by Nancy Farmer  (I planned to do another set of these with books I wanted to read, but haven't yet.  I didn't finish that set, but my pick for the first one would have been "A Solitary Blue" by Cynthia Voigt.  Suggestions for the other categories would be greatly appreciated)

2. A book with an animal in its title.
"The Witches of Worm" by Zipla Keatley Snyder, "Tiger Eyes" by Judy Blume

3. A book with a first name in its title.
"Danny the Champion of the World" by Roald Dahl

4. A book with a place in its title.
wow... this one is oddly difficult for me.  I suppose it depends how loosely you define "place" (does "Where the Sidewalk Ends" count?) and if made-up locations are acceptable ("The Crown of Dalemark").   If not: well, I'll go with "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" by Yoko Watkins as the least depressing one I can think of...

5. A book with a weather event in its title.
"The Silent Storm" by Sherry (Sherri?) Garland.  Great book. 

6. A book with a plant in its title.
"Fire and Hemlock" by Diana Wynne Jones

Ok, I've been meaning to do this meme I snagged from scarab_dynasty   for ages now...



Wow, that was hard! Sometimes because it was hard to find a quote that worked, but more often because there were too many lines I wanted to use, or too many places I wanted to use the same line.

courtesy of malanai



And an "ology" meme from the_pretend_me

 

ok, computer being weird and massively slow right now.  I'll try more later.

( career meme containing a surprising large number of careers I've actually considered )
*shakes head* Fun meme, but it got me to overthinking. 

The problem I'm having with picking a job right now is that I don't know what people in most careers do on a daily basis.  It doesn't really matter to me what field I work-- the stuff that always makes me love or hate a job has nothing to do with that-- the things that have made jobs pleasant or not for me are things like "who do I work with?"  "How much time do I get to spend chatting with them about what we're doing?"  "Is it unbearably cold in my office?"  "Do I have to do a lot of unfamiliar things, like telephone strangers or learn new paperwork?" 

Plus, how do I know if I like things like computer programming or working with groups of children if I've never done it before?  What about the fact that I'd love to work with kids but I'm frankly going to freak out if I have to deal with a sick one, so I never want a job where I'm the only person taking care of said kids?  How do you find out about careers based on these kinds of criteria?  Bah.

snagged from spiralshell

I've been interviewed-by-meme, from rushthatspeaks (feels popular again).

Here goes:



Hope that wasn't too boring!

{742}

In the interest of not tearing my hair out about plane tickets for my upcoming trip to Mom's, I'm going to distract myself with chem_nerd's music meme, which requires audience participation as well. The rules are as follows:

My part:
Step 1: Put your iTunes or equivalent on random.
Step 2: Post the first line [or so] from the first 30 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing. (You can drop non-English or no-lyrics songs. I did.) [I'm actually amending this as well-- since half the songs on my computer came from other's people's libraries getting mixed up with my own, I reserve the right to skip any song that I don't recognize, and also any that make me gag. And when it's hard to tell what the "lyrics" are (e.g., half-dialogued segments from musicals), I'm dropping those too... mind you, I still have to look up the first lines for half the songs I love... I don't memorize lyrics very often, and I am not going to put myself in the "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy" hall-of-fame here!].

Your part:
Step 3: Try to guess these songs. I will bold the songs when someone guesses correctly.
Step 4: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING! [or at least if you do look them up, keep it to yourself]

( ready? As Les Barker would sing, Earwig O! )

Ok, my brain deserves some candy after that, so I'm going ahead and redoing the music meme for the year of my birth.  Same rules: ones I like in bold, ones I don't struck through, and ones that I shouldn't like but sorta do in italics.  And, of course, since I've never been much for pop culture, ones I've never heard of  are left in plain print (wow-- there are more of those than I thought!  I probably like more of them than I recognize by name).


See?  Now I feel special and stuff.  I came out the same year as "Watching the Wheels"!  Boo-yah!

maybe I'll try chem_nerd's music meme next.

ok, hostirad got me back for the movie meme!  Let's see if I can get through this one without being overcome by nausea...

You go Here, find the year you turned 18, then C&P the results. Bold the ones you liked and strike the ones that made your ears bleed.


Thank you for making me relive all that.  I need to go scrub my brain out now.  Why couldn't it have been the year I was born instead?

... by boyinasuitcase

*shrug* Why the heck not? I'm not a huge meme fan, but I'm intrigued that someone thought to tag me for one....


Tagging (oh heck, I want to tag more than 5 people, too! Ok, 8 {9!} it is): mj_automatic, lackthereof, nightengalesknd, chem_nerd, hostirad, bookboy, mega_d, and murluck, {valerielovesme} No pressure on any of you, of course... but I am curious to see what you come up with!</lj>

total coolness. I definitely plan to give crayons to charity... though I don't think I'll manage to give up oldies! Oddly enough, feyandstrange was the one from whom I got this quiz (not really a personal friend, just a livejournal I like to read), though I can't imagine how it knows that... maybe it just uses the screenname of the last person to take the quiz?

They have this one, too, but it's just goofy. Still, for absurdity's sake, I will post:

Ok, this is just plain embarrassing.  And I call myself a sci-fi fan...  OK, so I don't quite agree with the list, either.  Besides, they should distinguish more between sci-fi and fantasy.