Second Effort: Apparently Forgot to Duck

Showing posts with label Apparently Forgot to Duck. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Blogblasting for Peace... now in meme form

I haven't been one for memes and tags. I hemmed and hawed about it for a long time. I subjected my one or two regular readers to a portion of my jumbled interior dialog on the subject, no doubt nearly driving them away in the process. In sum, I figured that, if I was casting away a portion of my billable day, taking food off the family table as it were, it ought to be for posts I wanted to write, as opposed to posts I felt obliged to write.

Even if I missed out on a teeny-tiny Technorati bounce.

Now and then,though, I agree to undertake a meme... as I have generally done with Heads or Tails on Tuesdays. All too often, though, even if I agree to respond to a tag, I slough off in the execution of the task because of the press of other events. So it is with the tag I recently received from Shell who is waiting, patiently, for me to write about blawgs (that's lawyer blogs in English) that I follow... something that I intend to do. Really, really soon.

Yesterday, though, I was tagged by Mimi, the young lady who crowned herself Queen of the Blogosphere. (Oh, snicker if you must, but crowning oneself worked well for Charlemagne... and, for awhile, for Napoleon.) She is again urging the Blogosphere on to a "Blogblast for Peace," the next of these to occur on November 6... when Americans will be basking in the blessed peace of a temporary lull in the barrage of political commercials... and I certainly intend to participate, as I have in the past.

And Mimi made it easy for me: She told me where to start copying and when to stop. And I have done so herewith. Please feel free to pass it on:

Join The Revolution

Here are the rules and the story.

(1) Copy this into a post (2) ADD YOUR NAME to the bottom of the tag list
(3) Tag at as many people as you'd like.

The Peace Globe project began in the fall of 2006 with a simple post from one blog, Mimi Writes. The post ignited a flame in the blogosphere. The flame became a passion. The passion became a movement. It amazingly traveled from blog to blog to blog across the globe. Bloggers wrote passionate articles on what peace means to them, along with the promise of three Latin words scribbled on a globe - Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace) - branded with the integrity of their names or blog names. It was positively inspiring to watch. And it began to happen all over the world - from Singapore to China to Afghanistan to Brooklyn.

It was simple. And powerful.

In less than three weeks bloggers from all across the globe will blog for peace.
We will speak with one voice. One subject. One day.
Won't you join us?
November 6, 2008

How To Get Your Peace Globe In 4 easy steps!

1. Right CLICK and SAVE the peace globe below or choose from other designs here.
2. Sign the globe using Paint, Photoshop or a similar graphics tool. Decorate the globe anyway you wish. You can even include the name of your blog. Click here for hundreds of inspiring examples from previous BlogBlasts.
3. Return the peace globe to me via email ~ mimiwrites2005 at yahoo.com - Let me know your blog's name and url by leaving a comment here and signing the Mr. Linky. Your submission will be numbered and dated in the official gallery . Your globe and post will be listed on the Official BlogBlast For Peace website and The Peace Globe Posts page.

Here's the most important part.
4. On November 6, 2008 DISPLAY YOUR GLOBE IN A POST. Title your post "Dona Nobis Pacem". This is important. The goal is for all blog post titles to say the same thing on the same day. Write about peace or simply fly your globe.

Go HERE for the other 3 globe template choices!)

If you'd like to help spread the word, take this button to your site. The code is in my sidebar.

I, Mimi Queen of Memes, hereby royally tag the following.......

(Before you copy this list on your blogs, ADD YOUR OWN NAME to the bottom of the list. )

............................................................................................................YOUR NAME HERE.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE TAGGED TO PLAY.

Please passing this meme through the blogosphere. Peace + Power
This is Mimi Pencil Skirt reporting from the lovely land of the Peace Globes.
Memeing the Movement.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Message in a bottle

I have been commanded by Mimi, the Queen of Memes to participate in Round Two of her Message in a Bottle project.

Here are the rules: You are about to send a virtual Message In a Bottle across the Blog Ocean. Leave a message in the sand or on the bottle. Write anything you wish. Be a pirate or a poet. Serious or silly. Anonymous or not.

What message would you like to send out to the universe?

Message In A Bottle Meme

1. Compose a message to place in your virtual bottle.
2. Right click and Save the graphic on Mimi's site -- not this one -- it's mine!
3. Use a graphics program of your choice to place the message on the picture.
4. Post the meme and these rules on your blog.
5. Return your "Message In a Bottle" to Mimi via email ~ mimiwrites2005 at yahoo.com, sign the Mr. Linky on Mimi's post and leave a comment on that post telling her you've finished. IF YOU WANT YOUR MESSAGE TO BE ANONYMOUS PLEASE SAY SO.
6. Tag a minimum of five people - or your entire blogroll - to do the same. Notify them of the tag.

Mimi adds, "As always, participation is optional and you do not have to be tagged to play. Check back often to copy the updated lists below for maximum link love. Just remember: I have a dungeon for meme-dodgers...."

Well, I'm in the doghouse often enough; I don't want to be in the dungeon, too.

I've looked at the Message in a Bottle site this morning. Because of the specific format, they are not as varied as the PostSecret-type messages... but some of them are quite profound.

Naturally, mine was not:

Now, the rules say to tag people.

I hope Queen Mimi will forgive me, but I really don't like to do that -- and many of the people on my blogroll have already been selected by the Queen herself for this project. So... I open it up generally, to anyone who happens by. If you do submit something, feel free to say I sent you.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Food, glorious food? Curmudgeon munches on a new meme -- and finally stops wringing his hands about whether to do more memes

This meme is from a new reader, TroyBoy of Pheasantly Fascinating. The idea is to reveal favorite foods for particular purposes.

I am, however, the wrong person for such a meme. Some people love to eat; I eat because, if I don't, I get light-headed and woozy. I am an habitual eater: I probably eat the same thing for lunch 300 out of 365 days a year. I was always a picky eater; I have no appetite for culinary adventures. When I practiced with a firm, we had, on occasion, to take clients out to lunch. One of the senior partners fancied himself a gourmet. He eagerly sought out gustatory challenges at the newest and latest "hot" dining spots. I would scan the menus at these places, often in vain, for something I could at least pronounce. I had to order something -- dry, white toast wouldn't cut it. I found such occasions to be sheer torture.

Now, I'm even worse. Since my colon was removed I'm not just picky, I'm scared: I am afraid to eat anything that might overwhelm my reduced digestive equipment. Nevertheless, I herewith undertake the meme:

Favorite Gourmet Item:

None. If something is a gourmet item I am probably unaware of its existence. Calamari is about as exotic as I get... on the theory that I can eat almost anything so long as it has been breaded and fried.

Favorite Snack at Home:

Pretzels.

Favorite Fastfood item:

A jamocha shake from Arby's. My days of fastfood burgers are gone. I think that each human is alloted a certain limit of fastfood burgers -- and I'd used mine up before finishing law school. I envy my kids, who are still in their White Castle phase. I recall downing a dozen slyders at a time... but that was then.

Favorite Food When Driving:

I don't really eat much when driving, and certainly not as a habit. When we took long distance family outings, I'd have fries or a shake while the kids ate fastfood burgers. Long Suffering Spouse would pack sandwiches for very long trips; I'd eat those.

Favorite Food With a Beer (or other libation - please specify):

Pizza. I'm still good for one beer at the Sox game, maybe two if it's a hot day. And, at the ballpark, I like to have a slice of pizza. But I don't much care for beer either. This may be another item for which I've used up my lifetime quota. (Fortunately, my quotas for scotch, vodka and wine seem not yet fully depleted.)

Favorite Food for Invoking Romantic Intentions:

I don't associate food with romance. With five kids, privacy has been far more important than any comestible.

Least Favorite Food:

Food that Conjures a Childhood Memory:

Food that Conjures a Sad Memory:

Food that Conjures a Happy Memory:

All pass. I wasn't partial to liver as a child -- and I wouldn't touch bologna -- but food is usually not a memory trigger for me. Although, now that I think of it, lamb with mint jelly would remind me of my grandmother. If I ever had lamb with mint jelly again.

And a fellow as picky as I am can't have just one least favorite food.

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I suppose that the foregoing is no better than a C+ effort, and I apologize.

But that is the trouble with memes: Appropriate responses seem to suggest themselves in some cases; other times it is difficult to come up with something that anyone (other than, presumably, the tagger) is willing to read.

I'd agonized over this problem (to meme or not to meme?) in an August 15 post and I hemmed and hawed on it still further in a post I put up the next day.

I asked for input from my readers:

I already knew that Dr. A passes on memes. A new commenter, Robin said that, for her, "Memes are a lazy, self-indulgent exercise" -- but she wasn't trying to pour cold water on others' enjoyment. She quickly added, "sometimes they can be fun."

I expected, and received, some strong pro-meme responses: Hilda may have had the most enthusiastic response of all: "I *LOVE* memes...and when I'm not tagged, I don't feel left out - I just steal it." But, even with this, Hilda said, "while I don't mind being tagged, I don't like tagging."

Barb, Ralph, and Patti were generally in favor of tags and tagging. Ralph said, "I like to be tagged, it allows me to open up a bit more." Patti was a bit more reserved: "I don't mind being tagged, it's just a matter of taking the time to complete them." And Barb? She wrote, "tag away anytime." (There's a reason why she's had over 65,000 visitors in little more than a year of operating "Skittles' Place.")

Bennie was a tad uncomfortable with the use of memes to build an audience: "If it's a way to gain readership I don't think I'd participate." But he's not against all memes: "I like reading memes that dig into the soul so to speak. The best ones will make me remember something interesting from the past that was meaningful."

But not all memes do that. Sharon observed, "Mostly I find the tagging stuff to be a distraction from the reading and the writing in blogosphere." Katherine, too, said she didn't pursue traffic because she's "more of a reader...not a writer."

And Katherine was one of several who expressed a certain ambivalence about memes: "For me its more about WHO tags me. There are some people for whom I would do even the most inane Meme. I'd rather not feel obligated to complete one just cause they have fourteen letters in their middle name and everyone else has done it already."

This was a common theme in reader comments: Shelby, on whom I'd just bestowed a tag, accepted the assignment with seeming enthusiasm: "I shall do this meme - on the morrow - with smiles." But, she added, "ever so gently and quite hesitantly....I do not like getting tagged." MJ said, "I'm relieved when I'm not tagged. I hate tags, but sometimes I play the game because I don't want to hurt the other person's feelings."

Silverneurotic said, "I just don't like having that feeling of obligation to participate in a meme just because a fellow blogger thinks I should.... I would not mind too much if I only got tagged occasionally by different people, but it seems that every week I get tagged by the same people to do a meme...and often times the meme's are very similar and I find myself repeating myself!" (Silverneurotic has since declared her blog meme-free. I like this sentence in her post: "Then when I get given a meme and told to fill it out…well I feel like I’m taking the SAT’s all over again, except this time without the aid of a trusty calculator." I like it, that is, except for the part about the calculator. We didn't have calculators when I took the SAT. And an abacus was too big to sneak in....)

Another new commenter, Marcia, said, "I don't mind tags, but write so much anyway, I put them aside at times and forget them." That was Sari's chief complaint, too: "My problem is, even if I AM tagged, a lot of times I just forget to do the memes." Chris doesn't necessarily forget or ignore tags, "but it does depend on whether it inspires me or if I think I could do it."

Chris also said he doesn't like to tag people because it "feels like an imposition," a sentiment with which Pilgrim and Jean-Luc would both agree.

SQT added, "Sometimes [memes] just seem tedious and other times they're fun. I guess it's a mood thing." Susan also said her moods dictate her response to a tag: "If I already have a direction in mind for my next post, I tend to find being tagged somewhat of an annoyance.... HOWEVER, if I find myself in a spot where I feel less than inspired, a gentle tagging seems to have the effect of getting the brain moving again."

Heather had a short comment, but one that sent me to the dictionary (without success). What the heck does "falky" mean? And, if it means "ambivalent," where the heck did the word come from?

Linda had a lot to say on this topic. An excerpt: "I only have x-amount of time for blogging and it already takes up way too big of a chunk of my life and I also try to do only one post per day as I think that's what people expect of me. If I have to keep trying to catch up with memes then I get behind on the stuff I really meant to write about but got sidetracked away from." At some point, she said, "you have to politely refuse but then I feel bad as if someone took the time to think of me, I feel bad not holding up my end."

Bee and RDL had what I thought was a sound approach. Bee said, "i like some of 'em and if i don't, well, then i just say no thank you and i don't think anyone has gotten upset about it with me" and RDL said, "I like memes and i like that if i don't like a particular meme, I don't have to do it - like grown-up homework; or if life gets in the way i don't need an excuse not to do it."

All of this discussion has helped me sort out my own opinions on the subject and I thank all who contributed (and I hope I didn't miss anyone in this summary).

I conclude that (a) if I do a meme henceforth, I won't tag (except for Hilda -- she's always tagged) and (b) I'll do such memes from now on that I think I can do well -- that appeal to me.

I mean no offense to anyone who tags me with a meme that I fail to do. I hope none will be taken.

Gosh, I hope I don't wind up in the dungeon of Mimi, Queen of Memes for this....

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Tagged by Skittles -- 8 more things

I better work through that hand-wringing on that to meme or not to meme thing soon -- meanwhile, Barb of Skittles' Place has tagged me, again, with the "8 Things" Meme.

Also known as the Meme that Would Not Die.

Barb mentioned in her post that she's done this one "a couple times already," so I suppose I shouldn't complain about doing it twice. (The first time was last month, at the request of Shelby.)

So... without further adieu... eight more random facts about the Curmudgeon. Today's theme is technology.

My first computer was an XT clone -- I was supposed to assemble it myself but a schedule conflict prevented that. This computer had glorious monochrome graphics and a clock speed of 2 MHz. And those cool 5¼" floppy drives. It had two of 'em -- an A and a B drive. While those disks weren't as floppy as the 8" ones that then still in use on some of the fancy word processors, they were floppy enough that the name still fit.

That first computer had a clock speed of 4 MHz with "turbo speed." The little yellow flashing line at the end of the "C:\>" (c-prompt) bulked up into a little yellow square when the computer was in "turbo speed." Other than that, though, I couldn't detect any difference.

The other thing that first computer had was a 20 MB hard drive. My friend Steve -- who knew something about computers back then (he was working as an analyst for a government agency which used those huge IBM 360 mainframes) -- ridiculed me for this. "Twenty megabytes?" he said, incredulously, "That's like buying a warehouse to hang up a single suit of clothes. You'll never fill it up." I've never let him forget this.

With the help of the manual, I was able to write some simple programs in Basic (that's a computer language) on this computer. And this was fancier than the Basic I'd learned in high school: When I wrote a random number generating program to pick my Lotto numbers, I also made the machine beep out an acceptable facsimile of "We're in the Money."

The program didn't really work though: I never won the Lotto.

My first laptop was a really great idea whose time, unfortunately, had not arrived. It came equipped with Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing 1.0 -- something like that, anyway. The 1.0 is the part that bears remembering: Don't ever get any computer software in version 1.0; it's a sure recipe for heartache. The computer had a stylus that could be used as a "pen," see, and the idea (I hoped) was that I would be able to handwrite my notes during a deposition and then turn these notes into a client-ready document shortly after attaching the detachable keyboard.... The software came equipped with a training program. In theory, the program would "learn" to read my handwriting. In practice, I was expected to re-learn how to handwrite in a manner the computer found acceptable. Somewhere there were Sisters of Mercy laughing at me -- I didn't learn the right way the first time... but now the machine would show me.

It didn't happen. A few years later I tried the Dragon Naturally Speaking program -- it sure wasn't version 1.0! -- so that I could "dictate" my correspondence and have it type itself. Again, there was a training program. Again, the machine and I disagreed about who was supposed to be trained. I'm told the later versions of the program are much better -- but I'm not going to fall for that again.

For awhile, back in the DOS days, I was the office computer guru. Proving the truth of the old adage, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." Then Windows came along... and my partners hired a bald guy with an earring and a nipple ring to upgrade the office machines. And, yes, you could see the nipple ring through the shirt. But I was stubborn. I thought I could install Windows programs just the way I'd installed DOS programs. And then I learned otherwise. But at least I don't have a nipple ring.

No tags today; instead, an announcement: Did you know that Barb is about to celebrate her first Blogaversary? (This apparently is now the preferred spelling -- I've been using Blogiversary.) And, after only a year in business, she's had over 63,000 visitors and 2000 posts. (In stark contrast, I've had about 17,400 and this blog's been open since December 2005.) So be sure to visit Barb on Friday and wish her congratulations. And, whatever you do, don't tell her how jealous I am!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Tagged by Bee -- the "7 P's" Meme -- and an Unscientific Survey

I've heard of sailing the Seven Seas... but sailing the 7 P's? That sounds... wrong somehow.

Nevertheless, duty calls, says the Empress Bee (the link being to the post in which this latest tag was made). Bee, in turn, had been tagged by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. The meme seems to have originated with Bucky in a blog called "The WVb."

No, I can't pronounce it either.

The idea is this: You take these seven "P" words and sort of fill in the implied blanks about yourself.

These are the 7 words:

Passion
Purpose
Pursuit
Position
Pummeling
Progress
Personality

I should caution you that I don't do these kinds of things well. (It's not just looks that would keep me out of any beauty contest.) However, here goes:

Purpose: To stay afloat long enough to get the kids through college. Anything after that is gravy.

Pursuit: Usually of the Almighty Dollar. Sometimes will also pursue a cold beverage.

Position: Right behind the eight ball.

Pummeling: One thing it is surely better to give than receive.

Progress: None, particularly of late.

Personality: Warped.

Now, the rules say I am to tag five people with this meme. And sometimes I have and sometimes I haven't. I guess this time I'll tag Linda, Barb, Patti, Shelby, and anyone else who wants to take a whack at this.

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Now the quick unscientific survey: To meme or not to meme, that is my question. Do you like getting tagged? Do you feel left out if you're not tagged? Would you prefer not to be bothered with it? (Dr. A, I believe, declared his blog a tag-free zone at one point.)

I am certain that some people like being tagged because it gives them a ready-made subject for their blogs. It allows for the application of a little linkage and might even attract new readers, if only from the group of ~~victims of the same tag~~ persons tagged with the same meme.

I have a selfish purpose in asking this: In future, I want to tag people who want to be tagged... and not bother people who'd rather not. What's your opinion?

(I really am trolling for lots of comments on this, please.)

Monday, August 13, 2007

Tagged by Linda -- Things you shouldn't say around [fill in the blank]

Linda, of "Are We There Yet??," tagged me with a new meme, "Things You Shouldn't Say Around ______________."

How you fill in the blank is up to you. Linda was tagged by Bud; he was tagged by Frank, of Foxxfyrre's Honk'n'Holler (The link will take you to the post in which the meme originated; you can follow it, if you wish, to see whether I've followed the rules... or not.)

Linda picked things you shouldn't say around policemen; Foxxfyre chose things one shouldn't say around zombies.

I was going to pick children... but that only gave me one idea... not eight as suggested in the rules.

(That one idea? You shouldn't say anything around children that you don't want repeated. At the worst times. Or in the most embarrassing ways.)

So, I thought a bit more, and I came up with a number of things you shouldn't say to a judge. Be warned, these are a bit harsh:

8. What are you wearing under that robe?

7. I think you must have hit yourself on the head with that gavel once too often.

6. My brief is written using only words of one or two syllables so that you have a fair chance of understanding it.

5. Have you known opposing counsel long or did you only start sleeping with him recently?

4. Now I know why so many lawyers rated you "not qualified" in the last bar survey.

3. Contempt of court? Heck, no, I like the court fine; it's you I can't stand.

2. I'm so glad I didn't vote for you.

And the number one thing you should never, ever say to a judge:

1. Do I pay you off here or do I see your clerk after?

I'm afraid to tag anyone with this. Heck, I'm afraid to post this. But here goes....

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Tagged by Bee: The Alumni Meme

According to Bee, in the Alumni Meme one must write two paragraphs (only two?!?). One must be the nauseatingly upbeat, perky report about your own life -- the kind that some people send into their alumni rags... and the other must be a truthful translation -- a "franker, funnier one." (Bee acquired the meme from Michael C., of The Wonderful World of Nothing Worthwhile).

First, for the alumni rag:

Curmudgeon recently relocated his law practice to a new Undisclosed Location in Chicago's Loop. He wants all his classmates to know that he's accepting referrals in appellate work and insurance coverage cases and he'll be happy to work as co-counsel as well. Curmudgeon and his wife, Long Suffering Spouse, recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They have five children.

Now, the English translation:

Curmudgeon's so desperate for work that he'll even contact his law school magazine, knowing full well that he'll immediately go on 10 different donation-begging lists. You'd think the school would realize that these kinds of submissions are really pleas for help -- but they're pretty dense over there. And throwing in the wife and kids bit! Could he be more obvious? Talk about an attempt to play the heartstrings! Why doesn't he just come out and say they need shoes, too?

I'd continue in this vein... but all of a sudden I've got this urge to send a note to my alumni magazine and I want to work on that this morning instead....

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I've been getting better about passing along tags... but, this time, I'll pass on passing. If you take up the challenge, leave me a comment: I'll be right over to take a look.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The Birthday Meme -- Tagged this time by Patti -- but first a word about Technorati

Patti, of Late Bloomer Boomer tagged me with this "birthday meme"... a week ago today.

I didn't see it until last evening.

When Patti tagged me, she inserted my link. That's usually sufficient to get my attention.

Raging egotist that I am, no matter how badly I'm pressed for time on a given day, I will click on the "« Blogs That Link Here" button in my sidebar. Most of the time, if somebody has tagged me -- or linked to me for some other reason -- I can find out about it that way. Sometimes it's good -- somebody liked something I wrote and mentioned it -- sometimes it's bad (once I discovered that a post had been 'scraped' for a teenage porn site). But sometimes Technorati does not pick up the links... and it didn't pick up Patti's tag.

I'm struggling to discern a pattern here, to figure out when Technorati will or won't pick up a link. It does not appear to be as clear cut as whether your blog has a Technorati button on it. However, Patti's does not, and her link did not pop up. On the other hand, I have 'favorited' "Late Bloomer Boomer" (using the ungrammatical Technorati word) -- and her new posts do come up on that. But that's something I check when I have a little more time -- and it's supposedly not as reliable as a Google Reader (something else that I've not yet been brave enough to attempt).

Anyway, enough prologue. On with the meme.

Patti says, "We are supposed to look up our date of birth on Wikipedia and find three events, two births and a holiday that happened on that date."

Well, let's see... I was born on March 29 in a log cabin. I had to walk 10 miles to school each day. Uphill. Both ways. Barefoot. And in the snow. Even in May....

Oh, wait. Sorry.

I just automatically launch into that routine with my kids. It's become a habit.

Three Events

It turns out that March 29 was a relatively quiet day in the history of the world. On March 29, 537 Vigilius was consecrated and enthroned as Pope, replacing Silverius, whom he deposed. Silverius had reigned less than a year at the time he was booted out and busted down to monk. However, Pope Silverius became a saint in the Catholic Church -- not canonized by the church hierarchy, but acclaimed by the people -- which may be considered a consolation prize since St. Silverius died, a prisoner, only a few months after his ouster.

During the Mexican-American War, on March 29, 1847, Veracruz fell to American forces led by General Winfield Scott. Two of the officers serving under General Scott were Robert E. Lee and U.S. Grant.

Grant and Lee would meet again after the Battle of Appomattox Court House... which began on March 29, 1865.

Two Births

There are a lot of famous people born on March 29, as it turns out.

Take Cy Young, for instance. He had 511 career wins -- and probably didn't make in his career what Roger Clemens spends on tips in a month.

Or how about the last 30 game winner in the majors, Denny McLain?

McLain was a Chicago guy -- a graduate of Mt. Carmel. (In Chicago, where a local athlete went to high school is at least as important as where he or she went to college. For example, in Chicago, everyone knows that Donovan McNabb also went to Mt. Carmel. Four years later, he showed up on the Eagles. We figure he probably went somewhere else in between.)

McLain married the daughter of longtime Cub broadcaster (and Hall of Famer) Lou Boudreau (the 'boy wonder' manager of Bill Veeck's 1948 Cleveland Indians). McLain won 31 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1968 -- and then got in trouble for gambling and was out of baseball within four years. He has since done a couple of prison stretches. I understand things are better for him now and that he's getting some mileage out of the success of the current incarnation of the Detroit Tigers.

That's two. So I suppose I can't mention Eric Idle of Monty Python fame or Mr. Sam Walton or....

One Holiday

According to Wikipedia, March 29 is the "Feast of Ishtar."

Now, I know you're probably wondering why a feast would be dedicated to a famous movie flop.

Actually, says Wikipedia, Ishtar was the Babylonian "goddess of fertility, sexual love, and war." (War? Maybe this is where the phrase "All's fair in..." comes from.)

But Wikipedia says that Ishtar was more associated with sexuality than anything else.

Hmmmmmm. A reason, perhaps, to celebrate my next birthday.....

This "birthday meme" comes with one other string attached: Five links were provided in Patti's original post on the subject. I was told to delete the top name, which I have done, and add my link at the end.

Sort of like a chain letter:

Starrlight

Big Leather Couch

Mimi Writes

Late Bloomer Boomer

Second Effort

Then, I'm supposed to tag five more people or I'll be forced to sit through Ishtar, the movie. Or Waterworld. Or maybe even Heaven's Gate.

Now, I don't respond well to threats... even to ones I make up myself.

And I know I've seen this meme up on a lot of the blogs that I visit. But, just for grins, and just this once, I'll tag Shelby, Dave, Momma's World, RDL, and Hilda (who actually volunteered to do yesterday's Moaning Meme without being tagged).

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

What, me moan? Tagged with the "Moaning Meme"

For some reason, when thinking about whining and complaining in the Blogosphere, Linda (of "Are We There Yet??") thought about me.

I can't imagine why.

This new "Moaning Meme" is the handiwork of The Freelance Cynic. Here are the rules, copied straight from Mr. Cynic's blog:

RULES
Link to the original meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it's all about!
Be as honest as possible: This is about letting people get to know the real you!
Try not to insult anyone - unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
Post these rules at the end of every meme!

You will note that I have already violated one of these rules, by posting these in the middle of this post. Nevertheless, we proceed:

List 4 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth:

People who ride on the shoulder of the highway or remain in a lane when it is clearly marked as closed up ahead. Hey! Moron! Do you think all these people you're zooming by are all lined up for fun?

Political commercials for candidates for any major office. Look, Senator (not singling anyone out): If someone doesn't already know you're running for President, that person is probably too stupid to register to vote, much less find the polling place on primary day anyway. And you're just annoying the rest of us. What substantive point can you convey in 30 or 60 seconds that distinguishes you from anyone? (Not that I would ban all political commercials: For lesser offices it may be the only way to attract a following. Of course, it doesn't always work: I bought commercials on a number of radio stations when I ran for judge... because no one would otherwise know I was a candidate. After the votes were counted, it was apparent that anyone who had learned I was a candidate from these commercials probably did not care and almost certainly did not vote.)

Sales calls. Even though Middle Son is working as a telemarketer again this summer. Since I don't want him unemployed, I would be willing to defer the ban on sales calls until September.

Osama bin Laden. Although I can't understand why he'd have to be taken into Room 101; I should think he'd go voluntarily: He is in the news again, supposedly promoting "martyrdom" -- you know, as in suicide bombing -- as a means to happiness. If only he would choose to be happy too. I know I'd be happier... I'd be particularly happy if Osama became happy while testing his happiness device... far away from anyone else.

3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently:

Other than people who shoulder ride (see above), there's not too many others I'd like to shake violently. At least not as a premeditated thing. I may be intolerant and opinionated, but I am also a physical coward. But we have to have two more? Let's see...

Kids who throw eggs at my house on or around Halloween. My wife doesn't enjoy your behavior in her classes either, but you don't see her throwing eggs at your houses, do you?

People who do not pay my bills.

2 things you find yourself moaning about:

Money.

Time. Einstein was right about time being relative. I don't know about traveling at speeds approaching the speed of light -- that's more the province of the shoulder riders, isn't it? -- but it's a known fact that time goes much faster inside a saloon than outside. You mean it's 9:30 already? My wife will kill me! It also goes faster while blogging: Whole mornings can vanish while making a simple, short post.... On the other hand time slows down during a long sermon... or an algebra test... or while waiting for a train or bus....

1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself:

Nothing, I'm afraid, that I didn't already know.

At this point it is traditional to tag others with the meme... and I'm tempted... but I think I'll pass this time. Feel free to pick up the slack yourself.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Thank you Momma's World for this new award

Isn't this nice?

It comes courtesy of Momma's World.

This award is the companion-piece, apparently, to the "Rockin' Girl Blogger" award that has been making the rounds in recent weeks. This presumably explains the guitar in the little award badge. Momma's World explains it all in her post making the award.

I should pass this on, as I understand it, to five others.

But I'm hung up on this guitar thing. I can't even play air guitar.

However, in thinking on this... and thinking... it occurred to me that this is a regular male visitor who admits to to playing the guitar, even if he says he has fallen out of practice, and who in fact has been caught in the act.

Therefore, I nominate Bennie of A Work of Art: Raising Our Exceptional Son for the Awesome-Guy-Rockin'-Blogger-Dude Award. And here's Bennie now:

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Tagged: Eight random facts meme

This time it was Shelby who labeled me with the "8 random things" meme that has been making the rounds of late.

As I understand the ground rules, I'm supposed to come up with eight facts about myself... and not just the standard biographical data that you can find in my Profile.

So settle back, stifle a yawn, and plow ahead:

My first paying job was as a sports reporter. High school football. $5 a story. But it wasn't my high school and I was 15 and couldn't drive and I think I only lasted two weeks.

I did have a column in another local paper during high school, also at $5 a week. It was supposed to consist of gossipy little items about happenings at the high school I actually attended. (The goal of every local newspaper editor is to mention as many names as possible of actual or potential subscribers in each issue.) I tended to write most of the column on one subject, never shy about sharing my opinions regarding that topic, but as a concession to reality, I managed to squeeze in a bunch of names somewhere just about every time.

My father wanted to read every one of these columns before they went to the editor... just in case.

My grandmother saved every one of those columns.

I tried to get a job at a suburban daily during law school. I was willing to sweep floors -- anything -- just to get inside the news room. The very nice HR person wanted to help me but said there was only an opening for a truck driver -- which I couldn't get because I wasn't 25. So I stayed in law school.

Mike Royko called me a yuppie once. At the original Billy Goat's, beneath Michigan Avenue. A friend and I would go there occasionally to gawk at the newspaper people. I don't remember how the conversation got started. I do remember that Royko took it back after I told him I had three kids under four, lived in the City, drove a Plymouth and wouldn't know what a pasta maker was if it bit me on the.... well, anyway, he took back the accusation.

I was one of the editors of our school newspapers in college and law school, but my real value to those enterprises was that I was one of the faster typesetters we had. The typesetting machine was a primitive computer -- it displayed the word that you were typing and maybe a few words before and it printed out a column of type on what amounted to a very long photograph -- a photo-ready column of type. If you made a mistake, you'd skip a line and retype the paragraph. If you thought you made a mistake, you'd skip a line and retype the paragraph. And if you didn't pick up the mistake but caught it when you laid out the page, you'd retype the line and paste it over the top. We got very good with Exacto knives. And light tables.

When our kids were younger, Long Suffering Spouse and I volunteered to edit the little newspaper that our school Parents Club put out six times a year. I enjoyed the experience a lot more than did Long Suffering Spouse.

It's at this point that I'm supposed to tag eight more people... but I'll pass on the opportunity if it's all the same to you.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Tagged by Skittles... talkin' 'bout stacks of golden wax

Barb from Skittles' Place has tagged me with a music meme. Barb, in turn, was tagged by Danielle of Modern Musings; it was from Danielle that I copied these rules:

1. Go to Pop Culture Madness;
2. Pick the year you turned 18;
3. Get yourself nostalgic over the songs of the year;
4. Write something about how the songs affected you; and
5. Pass it on to 5 more friends.

I usually cringe at memes... but I have a soft spot for the pop music of my misspent youth. Who doesn't? One of the more popular posts I've done here recently was a 'no prize contest' to name the worst song of the 1970's.

The hardest part is picking the year I turned 18.... Let's see... I'm still 23 years old... but I graduated from high school in 1974....

I spent a lot of time in one car or another that year (even though the price of gasoline had soared to an unprecedented 60 cents a gallon), punching the buttons between WLS and WCFL -- two 50,000 watt, Top 40, AM powerhouses broadcasting limited playlists and acne commercials in heavy rotation throughout the entire Midwest.

In 1974 I was still going into the record store in town -- not a national chain, just a locally owned record store, right next door to the used book store where I also spent a lot of time. I'd go from one to the other on my lunch break from the jewelry store (I was the mail clerk and delivery boy) picking up copies of the Top 40 surveys from both stations and sometimes a 45 or two at the record store and maybe a National Geographic from the 1920's at the bookstore. The used magazine would cost a dime; the 45's were also under a dollar. I remember being proud, some weeks, that so many of the top 40 45's were in my collection.

I can't recall exactly when I started buying actual albums, but it was around this time: I'd have to choose carefully. Did this album have "enough" on it to justify the $4 or so I'd have to spend at E.J. Korvette's? (Albums cost too much to buy them at the local store.)

I started at the jewelry store for $1.65 an hour. I got a raise, on merit thank you, to $1.75 -- and then the minimum wage went up to $2 and the owners told me they'd have to cut back my hours. I don't think they did.

In 1974, I'd go to work after school. Friday was the late night; I think we were open until 9:00, but it may only have been 8:00 pm. Either way, I had to have dinner -- and I'd get an Italian sausage and beef combo sandwich at "Papa Disease" across the street (no, that wasn't the real name, but it was what we called it) and for 10 cents more I'd get a "dip" -- a sandwich roll dipped in the beef juice. I was still a growing boy.

And I needed the extra energy to make it the block or so to the deli where I could get a quarter-pound of fried clams. And another sandwich.

As delivery boy, I took packages all over the area. Most of these were bridal gifts; I was working at jewelry store, yes, but we had a good line of china, silver, silverplate, and giftware (like Lladro figurines). Local brides-to-be registered at Marshall Field's, of course, but they had to register at our store, too. And I got to drive the bosses' cars. Mr. Jeweler had a station wagon -- yes, with 'wood' on the sides -- which was very practical for deliveries. I once did $389.10 in damage to that car, not that it still bothers me or anything to this very day... but that's a story for a different time. Mrs. Jeweler had an enormous black Buick. You could land a small airplane on the hood. And I cranked up the volume every time I got behind the wheel of either car.

Because these were fancy cars, though, they didn't have manual transmissions. When "Radar Love" came on the radio, even at half past four, I couldn't shift gears. Far better, then, to be in my parents' Maverick with the three-on-a-tree transmission. You needed some kind of imagination to think you were power driving while shifting from second to third in a Ford Maverick... but in 1974 I had just the right kind.

So I would have taken that year... but Barb did. So I'll settle for 1975, a year in which I may in fact have turned 18.....

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the 1975 Top 10 from Pop Culture Madness:

1.	Get Down Tonight - KC & The Sunshine Band
2.	Thank God I'm A Country Boy - John Denver
3.	That's the Way (I Like It) - K.C. and the Sunshine Band
4.	Cut The Cake - Average White Band (AWB)
5.	Lady Marmalade - Patti LaBelle
6.	Jive Talkin' - Bee Gees
7.	You're The First, The Last, My Everything - Barry White
8.	Shining Star - Earth Wind And Fire
9.	Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk
10.	Send In The Clowns - Judy Collins

Here's the Top 10 according to the WLS Big 89 of 1975:

1. LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER-Captain & Tennille
2. PINBALL WIZARD-Elton John
3. HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW-Olivia Newton-John
4. MANDY-Barry Manilow
5. PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM-Elton John
6. KILLER QUEEN-Queen
7. ISLAND GIRL-Elton John
8. BLACK WATER-Doobie Brothers
9. BAD BLOOD-Neil Sedaka w/Elton John
10. SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT-Elton John

"Get Down Tonight" made it only to No. 16 on the WLS year-end chart. "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" -- a favorite of mine, I must confess, even though I'm not -- made it only to No. 77. "That's the Way I Like It" (uh huh, uh huh) was only No. 20 on the Big 89.

And just to complicate matters further, here's the list of WCFL Top Hits from 1975 (click to enlarge):

The differences among the charts are fascinating. Still, I recognize most of the songs on all the charts... but not all. Something called "Mr. Jaws" by Dickie Goodman held down the No. 13 spot on the Big 89 in 1975. I can't recall ever hearing that. Have you? There are a few others as well.

And my eyesight isn't what it used to be, but I can't find either "Love Will Keep Us Together" or Elton John's "Pinball Wizard" on the Pop Culture Madness chart anywhere. WCFL had "Love Will Keep Us Together" as No. 1 in 1975 also, but "Pinball Wizard" is nowhere to be found. "Have You Never Been Mellow" isn't on the Pop Culture Madness chart either... although Pop Culture Madness advises that this song by Olivia Newton John held down the No. 1 position on the Billboard chart between March 8 and March 14.

"Amie" by Pure Prairie League -- a song that I still sing along with, badly, every single time I hear it -- was only No. 43 on the Pop Culture Madness chart. I can't find it at all on the Big 89 or on the chart from Super 'CFL. But it was in extremely heavy rotation on the juke box at places I hung out in 1975, '76, and '77. And I went to college in Chicago, too.

I could go on like this for days... but I really have to get some work done. So I'll tag SQT, Sari, Susan, Claire (although she's got so many memes backed up now I don't know when she can get to it), and Chris.

Yes, there's a theme to my selections and, no, it's not (intentionally) picking on anyone: All of these people would move the music selections out of the 70's and into what is for me largely terra incognita. I will be interested to see if I recognize anything they come up with....

Monday, April 16, 2007

Tagged with the "Balance Meme"

Barb, of Skittles' Place, has tagged me with the "Balance Meme."

1. How do you achieve balance in your life?

Me? Balanced?

2. What is your biggest challenge in balancing your life?

Finding the energy and focus to complete tasks I don't want to complete -- relating usually to work or health -- when there are usually more interesting things to do... like blog.

3. What are your priorities?

Setting priorities implies being able to determine which of many pending tasks is most important, which is second-most and so on. But I always start with 1 and go to 1A, 1B, 1C -- and I never get to two. In general my purpose is to keep my family afloat. But sometimes figuring out what are the priorities necessary to effectuate that purpose seems overwhelming.

4. Have your priorities changed over time and why?

Yes and no. The overall purpose doesn't change. The immediate priorities change minute to minute: See above.

5. What advice can you share to help all of us balance our lives?

This question -- at least as direct to me -- must be premised on the theory of "Thems as can't do, teach." OK: How about this? Stay solvent. Stay healthy. Balance will follow.Right now I have to work on both ends of that.

I won't tag anyone else with the meme -- but if you choose to do it, leave me a comment and I'll make it a priority (ouch!) to come and read it.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Nominated... and thinking perhaps too much about it

Shelly left a comment on one of my recent posts that her husband, Chris (not to be confused under any circumstances with Steph's husband, Chris) had nominated me for a "Thinking Blogger" Award. Yesterday I found that I've also been nominated by Doctor Anonymous.

This award/meme originated with this post on the thinking blog.

In the post announcing the "Thinking Blogger" award, the author swears off memes forever, but asks, "[H]ow can I leave the world of blogging memes without starting one? =)" (Emoticon in original.)

This is also from the original site:

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

...Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!

Sometimes, when I'm clicking "next blog," my thought is "how can this person say things like this without going to jail?" -- but, even that constitutes thinking, of a sort. And every blog I visit regularly 'gets me thinking' -- otherwise I wouldn't visit. So I've been agonizing on this for some time now: How do I come up with a list of only five?

And then there are the rules: What constitutes "real merits" and "relative content?" It sounds rather pretentious to me.

However, without further adieu, herewith my nominations:

Landgirl of Home in the Highlands. Right after Landgirl first stopped by this blog she asked a question that is still something I think about all the time: "Are you writing for publication or to have a conversation with interested people?" For me, this is like asking if I want cookies or ice cream: My answer to both questions is "yes." But these twin goals are not always compatible. Landgirl's essays are interesting and thoughtful, and strongly evoke what is, for me, a very different and foreign place... and lifestyle.

Ben and Bennie, of A Work of Art: Raising Our Exceptional Son. Bennie's opinions and reports are newsworthy, too... if you'll recall his recent foray into cable news.

Mary Anne, of A Place I call Home. Oh, sure, you'll find updates on the family and photos of knickknacks and (gorgeous) photos of the local scenery... but you'll also find her tackling thorny issues, like When is a lie a lie?.

I'll make Ken Levine's blog my fourth nomination. Not that he'll notice. This guy is truly big-time: Just read his profile. And how can a guy have such a great career as a writer and have broadcast major league baseball? Ken Levine's blog gets me thinking, every day, about how insanely jealous I am of him. But he's very funny and worth a regular visit.

Chris, of Thermal, is my final nominee. He's not given to long or introspective posts -- but he's constantly looking for gadgets and widgets and other geegaws to drive traffic to his blog, only some of which I've been brave enough to ~~steal~~ emulate. Unless your blog is just a diary that is only coincidentally left out in the open where anyone could find it, you're probably writing in the hopes of being read. How do you accomplish this? Chris is working on this, and he writes about it regularly, and it gets me thinking.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Tagged by Skittles

Barb is calling this the "Thinking Meme." But these look an awful lot like beauty contest questions to me.

I'm terrible with beauty contest questions... however, for Barb, I'll try. But I'm going to be all over the board on these....

1. If you had to choose one vice in exclusion of all others what would it be?

Right away, a tough one. See, I have so many that it's hard to choose. And that's after having already given up so many.

But if I could take an occasional wee dram of something warm, that wouldn't be so bad, would it?

And that's "Blue Label" in the background. I'd like to acquire a taste for that. Heck, I'd like to acquire a single bottle of Blue Label... but that's going to be some time in the distant future, I'm afraid.

2. If you could change one specific thing about the world what would it be?

I'd make cars run on seawater instead of gasoline. When you think of all the changes that would follow from that one, you'll see I'm serious....

But I'll get over it as soon as we get to the next question.

3. Name the cartoon character you identify with the most.

This is another toughie.

There's a resemblance here. But I'm no hunter.

There's a resemblance here as well. Although my eyesight is a little better....

But this is either my Communion picture or Alfred E. Neuman.

And if I can't tell which, I'm guessing this
must be the cartoon character I most resemble.

4. If you could live one day in your life over again which one would it be?

I'd pick a day on which I received a big check. Live it over and over again for a month. Maybe two months. And then retire. The checks would cumulate, right?

5. If you could go back in history and spend a day with one person who would it be?

Only a day? That doesn't seem fair. And only one person? I'd like to be with Lincoln the day he visited Richmond. I'd like to be with Washington at Fraunces Tavern.

I'd like to hang out with Julius Caesar... any day but March 15, 44 B.C. I'd like to spend a night at the White House when Churchill was visiting FDR.

I wish I could have been with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969. I was there in a sense, watching TV, but I mean really, truly there with them. That would require some revision of history and equipment, however.

But if I get only one person, and only one day, I suppose I'd have to ask for a good seat at the Sermon on the Mount.

I'm not partial to fish, but when they passed the bread around after, I'd take some to be sociable.

6. What is the one thing you lost, sold or threw away that you wish you could have back?

I wish my mother hadn't thrown out my baseball cards. But they probably weren't in near as good shape as I remember them now. I can still smell the bubble gum. And I regret that my aunt got rid of all the Lego I'd accumulated as a kid. It wasn't all kits then and I think my kids would have enjoyed it more. (I know I would have.)

7. What is your one most important contribution to this world?

Barb said it best: Her children.

Not that her children are my most important contribution. No. No. That's not what I mean.

Well, you know what I mean.... don't you?

8. What is your one hidden talent that nearly no one knows about?

Please. This is the Blogosphere. What's hidden?

9. What is your most cherished possession?

I'd like to be "deep" and say something like 'possessions aren't important to me.' I'd be lying, of course.... I suppose I'd have to say my law license. Without it, we don't eat.

10. What one person influenced your life the most when growing up?

Finally! An easy one!

I watched Bozo every day -- heck, my mother watched the show long after we kids were grown up and out of the house.

Or maybe this guy -- Frazier Thomas -- the Prime Minister to Garfield Goose, King of the United States.

Oh, wait, I'm kind of imitating the Bill Murray routine from Scrooged, aren't I?

No, my parents were the biggest influence on me. That's probably true for most people, for better or for worse. In my case it was largely for the better. This question should probably be amended to exclude parents....

11. What one word describes you better than any other?

Cowardly?
Cheap?
Boring?
Insufferable? (And, no, I'm not opening this to a poll!)
No, in the end, I think I'll go with "curmudgeonly."
Kind of ties in with the blog, anyway.

Under the rules of meme-ing -- and there's a word I'd challenge at Scrabble -- I'm supposed to tag some other ~~suckers~~ ~~unsuspecting victims~~ innocent bystanders.

With no malice aforethought, and without meaning to impose any obligation whatsoever, I'll tag Bennie, of the tag team of Ben & Bennie; Susan, of stuff and nonsense; Sari, of The Geek Inside; Shel, of Musings of a Phenomenal Webmistress; and Sarge, of Sarge Charlie. I don't think any of the aforementioned have been overly burdened with memes of late... I think Sarge may be looking for a break from the vacation stories anyway.

Anyone else who wants to wade into this voluntarily, please feel free to do so. And if you wished I'd tagged you, please let me know! I may need ~~victims~~ volunteers in future.