surprised?

You are a Social Liberal (75% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (90% permissive) You are best described as a: Libertarian Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

quiz time! (AKA "I got nuthin'")

Here are my results for a fun little quiz, that I'm sure some of you will enjoy. (plus, check out this antique prosthetic hand. Original steampunk. Anyone want to design a leg for me?)

Your result for The Steampunk Style Test...

The Ragamuffin

29% Elegant, 45% Technological, 23% Historical, 36% Adventurous and 54% Playful!

You are the Ragamuffin, the embodiment of steampunk playfulness. Chances are, you approach the genre from a much more casual and lighthearted standpoint than most other fans. To you, there is always an element of play inherent in the genre, and you may very well enjoy fashion as much for the opportunity to dress up as for the style itself. You probably wear goggles as an accessory, and rarely as actual eye-protection. Your outfits are likely to incorporate a lot of brown or cream, and combine large boots, Victorian corsets or vests, aviator caps or bowler hats, and gypsy skirts or slacks, simply because you like them all.

Take The Steampunk Style Test at HelloQuizzy

my 100, AKA "I need to get out more"

This meme is going around, and I was tagged by my buddy Less, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. The things I've done are in bold and my own little commentary is in blue. Now you're tagged too.

1. Started your own blog. (see this thing here, with all the words? and my photo?)
2. Slept under the stars. (kind of. In a tent under the stars. Mosquitos love me.)
3. Played in a band. (not very musical, but I can keep a beat. Maybe I could be the tambourine girl.)
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland. (long lines of hot sweaty people and cranky children? No thanks)
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis. (I'd like to, just never had the chance)
10. Sang a solo. (in church, for a bishop)
11. Bungee jumped. (oh HELL no)
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. (Origami is fun and is good for bar tricks)
15. Adopted a child. (do 6 furry, whiskered, purring, clawed children count for anything?)
16. Had food poisoning. (Ugh. And how. Damn shellfish.)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables. (and flowers, and herbs...)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train. (In Ireland)
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked. (I meet enough scary weirdos at work, I don't need to go out looking for them)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. (it's called a mental health day and yes, it counts.)
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping. (the closest I ever got was taking off my bikini top in Cancun - for like 10 seconds. I quickly realized that I am composed of very pale Irish person bits and they probably wouldn't mix well with tropical sunshine. Not enough SPF in the universe.)
27. Run a Marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. (Both)
31. Hit a home run. (is that the sport where you get to do the end zone dance?)
32. Been on a cruise. (trapped on a boat with a bunch of strangers? No.)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. (on both sides, and only had to go back one generation)
35. Seen an Amish community. (Just a short drive away and wow - they make awesome pie.)
36. Taught yourself a new language. (trying to anyway. Irish isn't easy.)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (Hahaha. Riiiiiiiight. I'm a librarian, it's like charity work.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock (wall) climbing. (I have this little fear of falling, see?)
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa. (I'll visit when the place is run by elephants. I like elephants.)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted drawn.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person. (someday, someday.)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain. (and in the snow and in the sunshine...I'm a big fan of kissing, in general. Any place is good.)
53. Played in the mud. (wheel throwing is especially satisfying)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. (mosquitoes)
55. Been in a movie. (do webcams count?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China. (my best friend has!)
57. Started a business. (although I helped someone start a business)
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies. (I flunked out of Brownies after my 2nd year.)
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason. (I much prefer houseplants. Flowers are kind of depressing)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving. (see #11)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (my Pooh bear.)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar. (overrated, in my opinion)
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone. (Ricky M. pushed me down in gym class in the 6th grade and I broke my thumb. Jerk.)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. (sorry, Mom)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. (it's on the to-do list)
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. (I should scan it someday, there was an entire article about me, the inspirational amputee girl who - gasp! - leads a normal life.)
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury. (as an alternate in a civil trial. Yawn.)
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club. (it should be clear by my failure at girl scouts, I'm not much of a joiner)
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. (but I've swam in a Great Lake)
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone. (only just recently)
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

call me Kate?

I've long been a fan of both Hepburns - Audrey for style and Katherine for wit - so I was pleased to see my results for...

The Classic Dames Test...

Katharine Hepburn

You scored 26% grit, 5% wit, 52% flair, and 29% class!

You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women.

Take The Classic Dames Test at HelloQuizzy

(maybe I could star in a witty western with Ahab, who passed along this much needed diversion.)

cowboy, with a side of spaghetti

What Kind of a Western Bad-Ass are You?
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Lee Van Cleef

You look like an accountant, but your steely glare and matching nerves make you a match for any hard-case out there.

the ABCs of me

Since I'm still recovering from the stress and sleeplessness of party planning, party hosting and post-party clean up and am actively avoiding going into my kitchen because the mess in there is scary and overwhelming, I'm going to steal a meme from Squeaky. Memes are fun little time wasters and I've always believed that if you're having a massive case of bloggersblock, do a meme or post a cat photo. Plus, it might help you all get to know me a bit better. That is, if you're curious. If not, there's a blogroll over to the right of the screen, filled with links to people who are super smart, incredibly witty and probably much more interesting than me - especially today.

The ABCs of Me

Accent: I'm from the Cleveland area. They send newscasters here to learn a non-accent accent.

Breakfast or no breakfast: Coffee first. Must be conscious to even start considering food. But I'm notorious for eating what is not typically breakfast food for breakfast - I horrified my father with my "grilled cheese sandwich & dill pickles for breakfast" phase. I hardly ever eat cold cereal.

Chore I don’t care for: I hate folding laundry.

Dog or Cat: 6 cats - my pride of little lions.

Essential Electronics: The computer is about the extent of the "electronics" in our house. We don't have a fancy stereo or entertainment center.

Favorite Cologne: I don't wear one specific brand of fragrance but when the weather is warm, I like to wear things that smell like orange blossoms, citrus, herbs or green leaves. In the wintertime, I wear a perfume called "Loukhoum" - it makes me smell delicious.

Gold or Silver: I used to only wear silver or white gold but when Mike bought me my engagement ring, he chose yellow gold. One day I asked why and he said he thinks white gold looks cheap. Okay then. Yellow gold it is.

Handbag I carry most often: I'm carrying a dark green purse that I bought on sale at Target. I am so not a fancy purse type of girl. It's shaped like a little duffle bag and has room enough for my wallet, my lipgloss collection, some polyhedral dice and even my pistol, if I have to unholster.

Insomnia: Only if I'm upset, otherwise I could sleep and sleep. Lots of pillows, a rotating selection of cats, soft fleece blankets and a warm man? Snuggle city.

Job Title: SWMBO, reference desk

Kids: Kind of cute, sticky fingered noise makers. Need to learn to use the litterbox.

Living Arrangements: I live with my husband in a nice old house in a fun neighborhood. Would be totally perfect if we could figure out how to run a pipe to the brewery and have a tap in the basement.

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: I had the worst temper. The worst.

Most Admirable Trait: Um. I have no idea. (learning to control my temper?) Others could answer this better than I could.

Overnight hospital stays: I had to have surgeries on my leg when I was a kid. I would ring the night nurse and ask her to come to my room and tuck me in because I was lonely.

Phobias: I went through a period (not too long ago) where I was developing a phobia about driving on this one road. On one side it drops off and looks like you're driving along the edge of a steep cliff. Every time I traveled on this road I could feel myself getting panicky and anxious, convinced that the car would somehow slide off that edge and I would die either horribly mangled or burned in a fiery car crash. So I forced myself to drive that road over and over. Phobia vanquished.

Quote: My herb garden is right next to my garage. Above the little side window I painted, "Everything that grows holds in perfection but a little moment".... it's Shakespeare

Reason to smile: I know how lucky I truly am.

Siblings: Two half-brothers, one from each of my parents.

Time I wake up: My alarm goes off at 7:15AM but Mike sets the clock ahead. So it might be more like 6:45AM.

Unusual Talent or Skill: You know how some people have perfect pitch? I'm like that with color.

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Cauliflower. I spent a summer in Ireland when I was 16 and honestly, I think it's the only vegetable I ate the whole time I was there. With cream sauce. Blech.

Worst Habit: Procrastinating.

X-rays: Yes. Lots. When the doctors are planning on cutting bone out of your leg, they tend to like to see what they're doing first.

Yummy Stuff: Men with shaved heads and goatees. Yes, I have a thing. (Oh? Was this supposed to be about food? Everything is better with butter or bacon.)

Zoo Animal I Like Most: I won the contest to name the twin Siberian tiger cubs at the Cleveland zoo. I like to think of them as "my" tigers. I also really like those teeny tamarin monkeys.

Now you know a little more about The Breda Fallacy - but if you're still not satisfied, here's the cat photo...

a life in pictures

I stole this photo meme from dustbury.com - it takes a little work, but the results are lovely.

How it's done:

• Answer each of the questions below.
• Surf over to Flickr (set up an account if you don’t have one — it's quick and easy) and type your answers (one at a time) into the search bar.
• From the choice of pictures shown only on the front page, click on the one that moves you.
• Once the page with your picture opens, copy the URL.
• Surf over to the Mosaic Maker, set up your mosaic, and paste your URLs.
• Click “Create!”

Here are the questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you attend?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. Where would you go on your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. Choose one word to describe you.
12. Your Flickr name?

Here are my results....

(click to enlarge)

Photo credits:
1. Carnaval Breda 2007, 2. The Pig Stays in the Picture, 3. The Pyramid#3, 4. "Cobalt Blue Flame", 5. Rome, 6. beer belly, 7. Designed by shadow, 8. Flickr meltdown, 9. endless, 10. MY DUDE " MIKE " DOING HIS STUFF..ATL..DRH..AMK..., 11. "Shelly" ... 7500+ views!, 12. the hidden depths of being real

nerd.

You paid attention during 97% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

fish on a bicycle

85 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Even though I wear red (and sometimes blue or even purple) nailpolish!

this is your brain...

...this is your brain on blog.



Scary thing is, it's pretty accurate.

tagged, I'm it.

Being a librarian is so often a bibliophile's version of "water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink". I cannot tell you how many times someone has said to me, "Oh! you're a librarian! That must be so much fun, being able to read all day!" Librarians do not read all day, contrary to popular belief. The library can certainly be a magical place, but I have yet to see little pixies running around the stacks weeding uncirculated books from the collection.

Like any book lovers, librarians feel the same excitement at the prospect of a new novel by a favorite author, the discovery of an old book filled with beautiful illustrations long forgotten in the non-fiction section, or the chance to browse the shelves uninterrupted. So when Phlegmfatale of Fatale Abstraction tagged me to complete a book meme, I could hardly say no.

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

I don't know if this makes me snobbish, but I just cannot make myself read books that are popular, whether it be fiction or non. Patrons will come in monthly and order every single novel on the bestseller's list, not even caring what the novels are about...this is the literary version of television, a mindless busying of the brain. I see the people that read James Patterson (who, by the way, does not really write his own books anymore!) and the newest self-improvement schlock from Oprah and I am not that type of person.

Okay, fine. I am a snob.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

Since I don't read much fiction beyond fantasy novels, this question is a difficult one to answer. It'd be fun to hang out with Eowyn, Polgara and Nanny Ogg. Maybe I'd take them all to the range and then for beers after - just a few, though. Too many and we'd risk having Nanny Ogg dancing on the tables and Eowyn blubbering about Aragorn, all under Polgara's disapproving gaze.

You are told you can't die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realize it's past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

Probably anything by Wanda E. Brunstetter. She writes romantic Christian women's fiction with an Amish/quilting theme. (and please - could I get the abridged version, to hurry things along?)

Come on, we've all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you've read, when in fact you've been nowhere near it?

Perhaps a few works by philosophers. I adore philosophy but tend to hate philosophers - lazy navel-gazing egomaniacs, the lot of them.

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realize when you read a review about it/go to 'reread' it that you haven't? Which book?

I usually have the opposite happen: I read something and am so unimpressed that I forget all about it until I pick it up again. A few pages in, I get book déjà vu.

You've been appointed Book Advisor to a VIP (who's not a big reader). What's the first book you'd recommend and why? (if you feel like you'd have to know the person, go ahead of personalize the VIP.)

I've recommended books I like to people who "aren't big readers." It's a futile effort, most times. I've learned my lesson and now direct them to the DVDs instead.

But if I had to suggest something, I might tell them to take a look at any of the books by artist Andy Goldsworthy. His work makes people gasp aloud and the images stay with you for a long time. It's not reading, exactly - but it will make your brain happy.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

I'd love to read Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus in the original ancient Greek. I was the geek that not only read Oedipus for literature class, but went on to voluntarily read Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus, too. I also drew out family trees for the Greek pantheon, based on Edith Hamilton's Mythology.

Looking back, I'm surprised that I had friends at all in high school.

A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

The Norton Anthology of Poetry

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What's one bookish thing you 'discovered' from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

I like the new trend in history writing that focuses on the history and impact of single items such as salt, the toothpick, glass, cod, even the color mauve. I really enjoyed Finlay's Color: A Natural History of the Palette. Fascinating stuff!

I'm also very excited about reading more of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. His language is rich in imagery, his ideas very often profound, and...

"Magrat had used a lot of powder to make her face pale and interesting. It combined with the lavishly applied mascara to give the guard the impression that he was looking at two flies that had crashed into a sugar bowl. He found his fingers wanted to make a sign to ward off the evil eyeshadow."

I don't think I've laughed so hard while reading in a long time!

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she's granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

My dream library would be quiet, comfortable, and well-lit. There would be a buffet of teas available, any flavor you desire, hot or iced and cozy chairs around a fireplace, warm blankets to snuggle under, and cats to warm your lap on blustery winter afternoons. When the weather is mild and the sun is shining, you could sit under a tree in an outdoor atrium. The atrium would have a koi pond to amuse the cats and a fragrant herb garden to delight your senses.

The library's collection would be heavy on the classics (both fiction and non-fiction) with as many hardcover copies as possible. Fiction would be organized by author only - no separating out special collections such as mystery fiction, African-American fiction, women's fiction or the like. Non-fiction, naturally, will be strictly organized using the Dewey Decimal system. There would be no children's department, although some nostalgic, well-written, and/or beautifully illustrated children's books would be included in the collection.

So. There you have it. A few of my thoughts on reading and books. If you like this meme, and want to give it a try, consider yourself tagged. Please leave a link to your answers in the comments to this post!

just my type.

Also known as the Illinois babe magnet.

we're all adults here, right?

(I guess I use the word "crap" too often. Dammit!)

hmm...red or white wine?

59%

Or! Fava beans and a nice Chianti...

On the bedside table.

I got a little bored with Ann Coulter's newest (It's a compilation of her snarkiest bits, which I'm sure I've already read someplace or another) so tonight I started Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. I'm only a few dozen pages in, but I can already tell that I'm going to have to find the entire series, in order, and...uh-oh. I just read on wikipedia that there's more than 40 books in the Discworld series. I'll try to pace myself.

I took this nifty quiz and the results were funny, and really kind of accurate. I scored as Nanny Ogg (note: beer)...and my second was the Librarian.



Which Discworld Character are you like (with pics)
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Gytha (Nanny) Ogg

You are Nanny Ogg! A talented witch, able to make yourself at home wherever you are, and insist that Greebo is just a big softie. You enjoy drinking, a lot, and singing about a hedgehog. You have a huge family, and get your daughters-in-law to do most of the housework. You are kind and gentle, and help put people at ease.

Meanwhile, my own little Great A'Tuin, Myra, is currently in the crabbiest part of her semi-hibernation. Is it coincidence that this happens simultaneously with bitterly cold snowstorms and absolutely no sunshine whatsoever? I think not.

album meme

Squeaky started it, and then Robb did one, and so did Tam and RobertaX so okay, okay - I'm jumping on the bandwagon too. (Ha! See what I did there? Jumping on the...oh, never mind.) Anyway, here's the rules:

The Band Meme
Here’s how it goes. You are about to have your own band’s CD cover. Follow these directions to the letter. It’s fun and requires no thought at all. Go to……
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is the name of your band.
2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.
3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, and post the result in your own journal because it’s more amusing that way.

And here are my results. One of them anyway - I did this more than once, it's a great time waster:

ummm...?

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

Should I feel bad about this?

beer=dumb

These quiz results were achieved near midnight after 2 beers. There was Stone IPA on tap. Pints.


Free-IQTest.net - Free I.Q. Test Online

UPDATE: did the test again sober: 154.

Not soda.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

My Mike sent me this quiz to take, so here are my results. (I wonder what his are.) I expected a higher result for visual/spatial, but the "how's your sense of direction" question tripped me up.


The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Verbal/Linguistic

You have highly developed auditory skills, enjoy reading and writing and telling stories, and are good at getting your point across. You learn best by saying and hearing words. People like you include poets, authors, speakers, attorneys, politicians, lecturers and teachers.

Verbal/Linguistic		100%
Intrapersonal		93%
Visual/Spatial		82%
Interpersonal		71%
Bodily/Kinesthetic		64%
Logical/Mathematical		43%
Musical/Rhythmic		36%