Pretentious Blogging Meme

But first! For anyone playing Mafia Wars who doesn't want their non-Mafia-Wars-playing friends to see their MW notifications:

1) Set up a Facebook friend list of your MW friends only (Friends>All Friends>Create New List)
2) Whenever you are playing the game and a window pops up asking if you want to post to your friends' news feeds, before you say yes, click the little lock icon at the bottom of the pop-up window to customize who can see the post.
3) Select "Custom" then These People>Specific People and type the name of your MW friends list. Make sure none of your networks are checked.
4) Because the custom privacy window is buggy and only partially displays, just use the TAB key to move around. Then click "save setting" at the bottom and post.

Incidentally, the profile privacy in Application Settings for Mafia Wars only sets who can see the Mafia Wars box on your profile page, and does not control posting to the wall/news feed. But if you want to minimize notifications, you can go to Application Settings>Mafia Wars>Additional Permissions and uncheck the box that lets it post to your wall without prompting you.

Ta-daaa!

Sunday Stealing: The Pretentious Blogging Meme

1. How long have you been blogging?
My very first entry back at LiveJournal is dated April 11, 2003.

2. What made you start?
I was a webmistress and message board admin for a pop band fansite, and my friends from that endeavor took up blogging at LJ. They made me do it. Didn't we talk about this yesterday?

3. Who inspired you?
All those women from the fansite. They were funny and honest in their journals, and we used that medium (and a wild night on a limo bus in Miami) to get to know each other better.

4. About how many hours a week would you estimate you spend on your blog?
around 4

5. What kind of experience or background do you have with writing?
I began writing stories as soon as I could write. When I was in high school I was a prolific writer of poetry and song lyrics, and was published in our school literary magazine, as well as a Houston entertainment magazine. I was also a reporter for the high school paper, and later, the editor and primary writer for the Mothers Club Newsletter. OH! And I wrote an awesome letter to the editor that was published in Tiger Beat when I was 15. Heh.

6. Talk about how you come up with blog topics. Where do you get your ideas?
This is a personal thoughts sort of blog. The ideas come from things that happen, conversations, thoughts I need to get into written form, etc. Sometimes when something hits me that I want to write about, I jot a post-it to remind me to use that for the next post. (A POST-IT to remind me to POST IT. Ahahahaaaa. Ha. Moving on.)

7. What or who inspires you and your blog?
Laura's and my idea for a TV show where we hang out and discuss current topics. Much in the format of "Chelsea Lately" without the professional comedian, or Oprah's live Friday shows, without the delicious Mark Consuelos. The show never came to be, so I do it here. She was originally invited to do a blog with me, but she turned me down, so now I think she was just chasing the fame of television. Daily inspiration? Conversations with friends. The news. Personal experiences.

8. Where and/or how do you do your brainstorming for your blog?
Usually I have plenty to say. When I need to brainstorm, I sometimes go out on the back porch, settle into a comfy chair, breathe the fresh air, watch the squirrels and commune with nature. I can think of all sorts of things to blog about while sitting there in the quiet. Sometimes I even blog on my laptop out there.

9. Do you have any blogging rules or guidelines you follow?
a) I keep it PG-13 for two reasons. First, I don't want to have to put the adult-content Blogger rating on my blog. When you see it, it makes it sound like your blog has freaky porn all over it, and I wouldn't be posting anything that raunchy. Second, my teen daughter reads this thing now and then... when she's really really bored.
b) I never mention my or my friends' full names or post identifying photos, to keep it as anonymous as possible. I'm always very careful about internet privacy. Also, I want to be a generic voice, free to say whatever I'm thinking.
c) I never specify the websites I run or the foundation for whom I volunteer, because I'm not speaking as a representative of them in this forum.

10. Is there anything you will not blog about?
Anything someone has specifically asked me not to post about, or by virtue of my own common sense I figure they wouldn't want me to talk about. Things that are not PG-13 (see above).

11. Do you have any sort of a publishing schedule in terms of day of week or topic? 
I publish every day unless I just can't for some reason. Topic? You need a GPS to follow the randomness here. It's a free-for-all, really.

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Saturday Nine

Yahoo Mail has been holding some of my emails for a couple of days, and just dumped them on me in the middle of the night. Interesting. For what I'm paying, I should expect that.

From a fictional exchange between Apple Board members, over at The Inquirer, particularly entertaining because I am always impressed and amazed by Apple's marketing---

Steve Jobs: ...And I will call it an 'iPad' which is what users will need after having their eyes gouged out by our expert marketing...

:) Apple and Disney could both sell anything to anyone.


Saturday 9: Everybody is a Star

1. Did you ever think that you'd be a star? If yes, doing what?
Yes, when I was 8 or 9 I thought I might be a Broadway singing sensation.

2. Tell us about the last time you had a romantic dinner.
We had a really nice dinner at the Hyatt downtown on the lake a few months ago. That's where our wedding reception was, so it's always fun. Gorgeous view.

3. Tell us about your worst job interview.
The only interview I've had where I didn't get the job was when I was 16, applying at Dairy Queen. It was short and sweet, and the manager basically told me on the spot that she didn't think I would be willing to work every Friday and Saturday night. She was probably right.

4. Tell us about your stupidest date.
"Date"- the evening or the person? It has to be the evening with a customer I met at Gallagher's. I was 17. We went to the mall and he gave me a ginormous, obnoxious pink stuffed cat...-ish thing. We walked around for a while and that was it.

5. How much in common do you think you should have with a romantic partner?
I think you should have a good deal of the basics in common (similar sense of humor, similar general desires in life), rather than specifics like golf or country music. The specifics can be shared with each other more easily than the biggies. It's nice to have a few specific interests the same.  

6. Tell us about a favorite meme that you loved but no longer posts.
My faves all still post. Originally we just religiously did the Friday Five on our message board, even before we all joined LiveJournal.

7. How did you get into blogging?
The fansite girls got into LJ back in the day, and dragged me kicking and screaming. Eventually I realized I really enjoy the writing and memory-keeping. I had three LJs before moving here to Blogger.

8. Do you share all your fantasies with a significant other?
Some, sure! All? Hellz to the no. And I don't wanna hear all his either.

9. What change in your life would you like to happen this year?
I am pretty happy with where things are for the moment.

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Friday!

I did updates to the Foundation site all day yesterday. We are in major event mode for two events. Crazy! Unfortunately, Wordpress (which they use for templates on the new site) is quite inflexible, and thinks it knows HTML better than I, so it keeps replacing my code with its own. It is darn near impossible to design under those conditions. Gah.

In other news... I used to be a John Edwards fan, all the way into the last presidential campaign. Turns out he's a skeevy, arrogant butthead with an extreme lack of judgement. Not things I want in a president. Thank goodness he didn't end up there. All the gory details are in Andrew Young's new book, The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down.

He cheated on his wife. It happens. And she was ill, which makes it a bit more slimy. But making a sex tape with your pregnant girlfriend a month before hitting the campaign trail? Utter foolishness. And the derogatory comments he made about his own constituents make me sick. Those were his supporters whom he called "fat rednecks." Well, aren't we high and mighty.

I really want to read that book. Or maybe I shouldn't, because I already feel like I fell for his BS, and it will probably tick me off even more. Grr. Pathetic!

Game night tonight. Scott was going to just make dessert, which was a relief for me, because he and Bruce always make gourmet dinners on each of their months and then I always have to step it up and figure out something great for the third month. But nooooo! Scott called yesterday to say he's serving dinner, too. Yay and ack! I'm next. Anyone have a fabulous recipe they wanna share? :)

Friday Five: Hoops

1. When did you last feel you were required to jump through meaningless hoops to get something you wanted?
Getting Lauren's driver's license. What a nightmare.

2. What kinds of hula hoop memories do you have?
Lori and I hula hooped ALL the time in 3rd and 4th grade. We also used to skip through it, like a jump rope ya' know? Then you would inevitably step on it and get a kink in it. Suckage!

3. How do you feel about basketball?
It's not my favorite sport, because the scores usually bounce back and forth and the only exciting part is the last three minutes.

4. What do you think of hoop earrings?
I don't own any. I think they're outdated. They still sell them though!

5. What’s your favorite Whoopi Goldberg movie?
Ghost

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iPad

Steve Jobs is a genius of marketing and the master of hype. And boy, do I love some good hype!! Whether or not the iPad is everything you'd hoped for depends on whether you look at it as a bigger and better iPod Touch or a toned-down laptop. I think of it as the former, and it impresses the crap out of me.

See, I don't use our laptop for things like word processing, photo editing, etc. It's just for web surfing and using this recipe software I have, so I can use it in the kitchen. I don't need another computer. I need a portable gadget that does real internet on a decent-size screen. And if it does other cool stuff--- bonus!

Since my PalmPilot days, I've been hot for an electronic calendar with a screen big enough to really see what is going on today, this week, this month. I was positively claustrophobic using the tiny PalmPilot screen, and went to the Franklin Covey paper system within a couple of years. Now I'm on a teensy weensy paper calendar in my purse, in painful conjunction with a highly functional calendar living on my PC. So while others are enamored of the iPad's battery life and iBooks app, I am melting at the sight of the calendar on a big, portable screen. Cooool.

As many have pointed out, this device is not something you'll toss in your purse. It will require a satchel. ("It's not a purse! It's a satchel." Bwahaha!) I carry practically nothing in my purse. If I could find an iPad satchel with a phone pocket and a place for credit cards and a lipstick, I'd be all over it. And I'd ditch the purse.

[Oooooh! I just found out that Blogger has a new editing interface, which now expands to fit the text of an entry. NICE. Thank you, Google. I hate scrolling through here making edits.]

Anyhoo, I saw an interesting exchange on a blog where readers were commenting how there should be more women on Apple's marketing team, because iPad is a terrible name. One said it's like "maxIPad" followed by someone else saying she would wait for next year's model, the "minIPad." Good one.

I don't know about the 3G for my area. It's pretty slow and sporadic here. I'd definitely go wifi.

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First Letterboxing Excursion

I finally went letterboxing! Too fun! Tracy and I did 6 boxes on Turkey Creek Trail. A most amusing moment was when one woman became very suspicious of us. She told us we should stay on the marked trail. We thanked her and then started up an incline through the trees to find one of our boxes. After locating it and completing our tasks, we came back down to find her still standing there. Did she think we were hiding a body or something?

Someone else up the trail asked if we were on a scavenger hunt. Tracy said yes. See, there's a secret society element to letterboxing, so... shhhhhhh. Plus, if we traipse up a 45 degree slope through thorny vines and poison ivy to search for a rock behind a particular cedar stump, we are not sharing our find with you. :p

It was really cool to find the boxes. Now I just need to choose a REAL trail name. Your trail name is the one other letterboxers know you by. Yesterday I used one that isn't really "me." Gotta think about that. (No thank you, I don't need questionable suggestions from the peanut gallery. I can hear your collective brain cogs turning now.) I also need to get my own stamp. And Tracy has uber-cool ink markers to do multicolor stamping. Must get those.

KathyL does geocaching, which is much the same as letterboxing, only using a GPS and trinkets, rather than written directions and stamps. We've talked about doing a geocaching adventure together for forever, but haven't yet. I hope I can use my same awesome trail name for it. Whenever I think of it...

Needless to say, these hikes are much more comfortably done anytime but summer around here. So... it's letterboxing season! Try it!

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Afraid and Shy, I Let My Chance Go By

One of the best songs ever written. And it's Bob! And Mitch Watkins. At Antone's Saturday night.




Something amusing from an article I read yesterday:

...It is surprising that [the F word] has retained its aura for so long and can still be considered so shocking. Now that children are demanding to see "The Spy Who Shagged Me," the word shag, alongside screw and bonk, has become perfectly acceptable. I don't like any of these words myself - but then I don't like any words that make sex sound jolly...

LOL

Lyrics du Jour

You give your hand to me
And then you say hello
And I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
Well you don't know me...

"You Don't Know Me," originally performed by Eddy Arnold

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Summer Travel

We are now booked on our Eastern Caribbean cruise! Jim and Jaxon are also booked. Invites are still open. Talk to me if you aren't sure. I guarantee I can persuade you. Great cabins still available!

And... Angel and I are spending a few days in Orlando! Squeeeeeeee! Can't wait to see her.

All that remains to be finalized is the resort weekend for our big 2-0 anniversary. Must check with the in-laws on dates, so Lauren can stay with them.

Laura read a fiction book that took place during the Holocaust. It wasn't set in Germany though, but rather in France, where they were also rounding up Jews. We were talking about how we always think of only Germany when we think of the Holocaust, and I joked (we joke about all sorts of unspeakable atrocities and tragedies, because we're just sick we just see the humor in things) that it was all in how the media was spinning it at the time. She said, "So maybe if Hitler had just had a better PR guy, this whole Holocaust thing could have been associated with France."

I can't even type what I said next, but it involved Tiger Woods.

This is how our conversations go sometimes. A rapid spiral into the pit of political incorrectness. Ohhhhhh the stories I could tell. (No worries, L. I won't mention the infamous "dance.")

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Negativity Meme

Color guard takes..... first place!!!! They scored higher than every guard at their first competition, including a few Open and World class independent guards. The girls were amazing. Fantastic performers, every one. Lots of smiles and expression in their faces. Very skillful spinning of weapons and flags. Standing ovation at the end. So fun! I'm so proud of them!

According to the sidebar of my Facebook News Feed page, I have poked myself. This is the second time it's happened. I wouldn't even have a clue how I would do that if I wanted to. Jeff and I poke each other all day long and it was his turn, so I surmise it was supposed to say he had poked me. Still. Oh well, at least it wasn't announced to all my friends via the News Feed like last time.

*g*

This meme is perfect for me. I've been annoyingly perky this week, so here you'll see my cranky side---

Sunday Stealing: The Negativity Meme

Foods which disgust the crap out of me: oatmeal, squash

TV show I loathe: "Color Splash" on HGTV

Movie I loathe: The Blue Lagoon

Music genres I loathe: loathe is a harsh word, but my least favorite genres are country and rap

Magazine which annoys me:  Martha Stewart Living

Makes me cranky at a restaurant: when a server doesn't appear within a few minutes of our being seated

Makes me cranky in public: when people bring their dogs to people places like Home Depot

Makes me cranky in general: being cold

Pisses me off at home: when the cable modem goes out

Pisses me off at work: n/a

Pisses me off in general: arrogant people

Makes me impatient at home: when my dryer is finished, the clothes are still damp and I have to run it for more time every... single... time...

Makes me impatient at work: n/a

Makes me impatient in public: lines at the gas station

Celebrity I hate: Lindsay Lohan

Music artist I hate: Mariah Carey (as a person, not as a singer)

I could care less about: NASCAR

Annoys the crap out of me weekdays: when my FitTV show is doing Yoga or pilates instead of a real workout, and I have to re-do a recently DVRed episode I probably did the day before

Annoys the crap out of me weekends: crowds and traffic everywhere I'm used to slipping in and out of during the week

Movie star you despise: Tom Cruise

Politician that you hate: Sarah Palin

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Saturday Nine

The very entertaining Sleep Talkin' Man blog has been getting lots of international press, and was on our morning news. It's a wife from the UK writing the things her husband says in his sleep. Check it out!

Saturday 9: I Think We're Alone Now

1. What celebrity in a fantasy would you like to be alone with?
Why is this question on every meme? I'm gonna gooooo wiiiiiiiiith... hmm... George Clooney? I'm very monogamous in my celebrity crushes. Well, except the recent fling with Bradley Cooper. I'm over him.

2. Have ever dated a good friend?
Yes, one of my closest friends in high school. We've talked about this before as well... It was very awkward for both of us. We went back to being pals pretty quickly.

3. What is the most embarrassing song that you like?
"Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus

4. What is your favorite tear jerker movie?
Love Actually

5. What about yourself makes you least secure?
Not being able to come up with conversation starters when I'm alone with people I don't know, when nothing overwhelmingly obvious is presenting itself. If everyone would just wear an amazing or unusual fashion accessory, that's my standby opener. "I love your *descriptive adjective* *accessory item*!"

6. Do you believe in destiny?
No, I do not think one's life path is predetermined.

7. What 'issue' do you think your opinion is so right about that you end up trying to sway others to your point of view?
I generally don't wish to sway others to my point of view. Most of us are not easily swayed from our opinions anyway, nor should we be. We're all coming from our own life experiences. I'll certainly voice my opinion, and if others disagree, I like to hear their view.

8. What are 5 things you don't care about?
Jon Gosselin, Farmville, the weather in New York City, principles of electricity, Survivor

9. Have you ever been in a situation where you weren't sure if you were seducing or being seduced?
Of course! This is a delightful complication of mutual attraction.

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This is a Splash Zone

I saw a bunch of people on TV at SeaWorld San Diego. They were in the splash zone, covered in park-provided plastic. WTF? It's water! Plus it's clearly marked that you may get totally soaked sitting there. Some people would knock over their own grandmother to get one of those seats! Fuddy duddies.

Gotta love this from the guy who runs Improv Everywhere. A comment on their recent "No Pants Day" on the NYC subways... Sometimes It's Fun to Respond to YouTube Comments

The Clooney is hosting his big Haiti telethon tonight. I like the way he runs these things, with all the star power getting people to watch and give. Should be great, even though he doesn't appear much. If he'll shave all that hair off his face, I'll donate $1000.
 
With Timberlake to appear on the telethon, I keep thinking about one of Lauren's famous lines from when she was about 7...

Lauren: Is NSYNC a Christian group?
Me: No.
Lauren: Oh. Are they Jewish?

HI-larious.


Friday Five

1. What’s your favorite “just add water!” food?
Betty Crocker Warm Delights Minis (only 150 calories. it's a small serving of real cake. and chocolate. and cooks in the microwave. no dish to wash. It's the best.)

2. What’s your favorite thing to add vinegar to?
fried fish

3. What’s something weird you’ve added to normal food?
I put mayonnaise on french fries every once in a while. It's not weird. It's European.

4. What’s your favorite thing to add whipped cream to?
Ahahaaaaaaa. *ahem* I'm not a whipped cream person when it comes to desserts. Pumpkin pie is the only thing that requires it.

5. What’s something you refuse to add anything to, even though most people add something?
It's not that I don't add "anything," but most everyone likes cheese on their hamburger and I always have it without.

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