Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match!

I'm posting a quiz on a Thursday this week because tomorrow is the Blog365 official day of rest. It's the one day this year where participants are not supposed to blog, so I'm doing all my Friday stuff a day early.

Hey, look: it's another political quiz! Stole this one from Princess Jami. Sad, isn't it, that the best match is at 45%? Also sad that it's McCain, but not that surprising really. I'll probably end up voting for him anyway, lesser of two evils and whatnot... And I'm pretty sure he's the only hope the republicans have of keeping Obama and Clinton out. Also, I'm not sure that I even know who Mike Gravel is... but I'm NOT voting for him if he got the same score as Obama.

	45%	John McCain Republican Sr Senator (AZ); 2000 Primary Candidate for President	Candidate Tracker McCain's answers McCain's stances Get This Bobble Head
	38%	Mike Huckabee Republican AR Governor	Candidate Tracker Huckabee's answers Huckabee's stances Get This Bobble Head
	20%	Ron Paul Republican Representative (TX-14); Libertarian nominee for President in 1988	Candidate Tracker Paul's answers Paul's stances Get This Bobble Head
	15%	Mike Gravel Former Senator (AK)	Candidate Tracker Gravel's answers Gravel's stances Get This Bobble Head
	15%	Barack Obama Democratic Jr Senator (IL); previously State Senator	Candidate Tracker Obama's answers Obama's stances Get This Bobble Head
	13%	Hillary Clinton Democratic Jr Senator (NY); former First Lady	Candidate Tracker Clinton's answers Clinton's stances Get This Bobble Head

Ever have one of those months...

...where you learn quite clearly who your real friends are and who should not be given the time of day? I think I'm coming to the end of one now. I must say it is not entirely a painless process, but it's good to know none-the-less. Some people who I thought I could count on, I found I was completely wrong about, while others proved their worth in spades. I just wanted to take a minute to publicly thank those who are on the second of those two lists. You know who you are, and I'm ever so grateful for you. I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people.

dNeero on Sneakers

I must confess, I wear sneakers almost every day. They're my favorite shoes because they're just so darned comfy! Here's the pair I wear all the time. I'm on my second pair of this particular style. I wore the last pair till they were just falling apart. I LOVE my Sketchers!

Musical Mondays: Anthem

This week I chose one of my favorite girl power tunes: Anthem by Superchick. Here's the song and lyrics, conveniently together thanks again to YouTube:

Here's what Pandora spit out for me:

1. Contact by The Benjamin Gate
2. Far Away by By The Tree
3. It's On by Superchick
4. Wake the Regiment by The Wedding
5. The Noise by Jessie Daniels

Oddly enough, I actually know and enjoy three of those songs, and four of the artists.

Your turn!

Sunday Seven #130

This week's question:

Name seven “obsolete” skills you have mastered in the past, and state whether or not you still use those skills.

This one was actually really tough for me. I guess I just don't think about the technologies that have passed into oblivion very much. Anyway, here's my list:

1. VCR programming 101 -- haven't used it in about 5 years or so...
   
2. Mixing audio cassettes -- hmm... mid-to-late 90's on this one I think.
3. Embroidery -- I was never very good at this and only ever did a few projects, but it's been at least 10 years since I've tried to embroider anything by hand. There are machines that do this now, so I figure it counts as obsolete even though lots of folks still do it as a hobby.
4. Calligraphy -- if you pay close enough attention, you can see the influences of calligraphy in my handwriting, but I haven't done any real lettering work since high school.
5. Long Division -- I love math problems and puzzles, so I still use this one fairly regularly. Besides, what's the fun in using a calculator??
6. Mixing any paint color in the rainbow. I last used this one in 2001ish when I worked at the gaming store. The owner purchased a statue of a warrior that had a fleck of paint chipped off of her leg. I told him I could fix it and he didn't believe I could ever find a perfect match. Find? No. Make. He was somewhat impressed.
7. Making Change -- I am always amazed that most people just don't know how to do this. I still do it all the time. I never use the computer to figure out how much someone gets back!

If you'd like to browse through a list of obsolete skills, including most of the ones on my seven, check out this link. If you'd like to participate and make your own list, make sure you visit Patrick's Place!

Photo Hunt: Wooden

This week's theme was wooden, and I had plenty of options to choose from. Here's the one I picked.

This little wooden horse was given to me as a gift when I bunnysat a sweet little lop named Yusta. His owners were going to Sweeden for a few weeks to visit family, so I kept him for them. When they came back, they brought me this cute little horse as a thank you! I still have it stashed on a shelf with some of my other fun little treasures that people have given me from all over.

Note: Yes, I'm aware that I completely missed the posting day for this, so I'm backdating it.

Friday Quiz: What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

What Your Handwriting Says About You

You are a fairly energetic person. You know how do pace yourself, and you deal well with stress. You are somewhat outgoing, but you're not a natural extrovert. You think first before you act. You tend to be independent, rational, and logical. You are extravagant, over the top, and indulgent. You set trends and influence people. You need a bit of space in your life, but you're not a recluse. You expect people to give you a small amount of privacy, and you respect their privacy as well. You are somewhat traditional, but you are also open to change. You listen to your head and your heart. You are a good communicator. You work hard to get your ideas across effectively.

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

Off With His Tail!

Ugh, what a day. For those counting, that's two in a row. Came home this afternoon to find that Jared had lost the end of his tail... Not the bandage, or the stitches or whatever, the actual end of the tail. There was bone sticking out. So, we loaded him into the car and off we went to the vet's office yet again. At this point, she's going to have to amputate at least part of the tail. We had the option of amputating just an inch or so and hoping it heals this time, or lopping off the entire thing and being done with it. So, as of tomorrow, I'll have a dog with a docked tail. Can't say I'm thrilled with the concept, but it's better than dealing with this over and over again. He's pretty well sick of bandages and cones. I know I am. At least the day ended well.

Only in Russia...

Ever have one of those days where the best you can say for it is that it's almost over? In lieu of an actual post today, I'm posting a link... I found this very funny series of photos via StumbleUpon. If that doesn't give you a giggle or two, I don't know what could!

Mystery Topic Challenge #8

Congrats to Gwen of "Everything I Like Causes Cancer" for pulling off a win with her post entitled "Oops I Did It Again." She'll be coming up with the next mystery topic on the 24th, so if you're interested in taking part this go-round, now's the time to sign up!

Musical Mondays: The Unwinding Cable Car

Lately, I've been completely enamored of Anberlin's "Unwinding Cable Car." I think it has a lot to do with the haunting melody coupled with the feel of the lyrics. Whatever it is, I completely love this song, even though it's a bit softer than most of what I listen to. So, without further ado, here's the song:


Here's the lyrics:

The Unwinding Cable Car Lyrics

And here's the Pandora list:

1. This Hand is a Mighty Hand by Hoots & Hellmouth
2. One of Three by James
3. Whistle Blower by John Shain
4. Anna by Taxi Taxi
5. Scar That Never Heals by Jeremy Fisher

Sunday Seven #129: The Seven Dwarfs

Here's this week's question:

Name the seven dwarfs in the order that you most identify with their character traits, with number one being the one you think is most like you and number seven the one you think least like you.

1. Sleepy: My husband will attest that I am a notorious night owl, and usually get too little sleep, leaving me tired for the next day. About the only time I do get plenty of sleep is on weekends when I don't have to crawl out of bed until it suits me!
   
2. Sneezy: Ever since I moved to Texas I swear I've been suffering from one seasonal allergy or another. If I'm not sneezing, my eyes are itchy or my skin is, or I'm just all stuffy. I guess it really is possible to become used to anything because a lot of the time I barely notice it anymore!
   
3. Doc: Well, there's the glasses to start. Then there's the way he trips over his words -- you should hear me leaving messages for clients at work!
   
4. Bashful: I'm not the biggest fan of the spotlight, despite what some might assume.
   
5. Grumpy: It's somewhat rare to find it, but those who know me best have undoubtedly found themselves in the grip of my Grumpy side. Most of the time I'm pretty easy going though, so this one finds itself pretty low on the list.
   
6. Dopey: I can be a bit dopey at times. I'm also told I'm often too quiet.
   
7. Happy: I'm not one who just walks around with a grin plastered across my face. People who don't know me often assume I'm in a bad mood, just because I'm not constantly smiling. Not true at all! I just don't smile unless I have reason to!

So there's my list. How about you? I'd love to hear how everybody else ranks the dwarfs. Please leave your response in the comments, or post it on your blog and leave me a link. And don't forget to go visit Patrick's Place and let him know what you come up with too!

Photo Hunt: Free

Some of you may know already that I am a Creative Memories consultant. So, for free I chose to take a picture of some of the freebies I give away to all of my customers. These are called page completion kits and they're very cute. I like them so much that I usually wind up using a few from every box of them I get for my own books!

Personal DNA

Personal DNA is quite the extensive quiz, but worth the effort if you appreciate such things. My DNA strip is above, but here's what it means:

You are an Experiencer
#

Your inquisitive nature, imagination, and hands-on practicality make you an EXPERIENCER.
#

Although you have an active imagination, you also concern yourself with the functional elements of things.
#

You are willing to experiment to find things that work the most efficiently.
#

Getting stuck in certain habits is boring to you—you'd rather find new experiences.
#

Accordingly, experiences are more important to you than objects—you'd rather spend your money and energy on events and adventures than on material things.
#

You like to contemplate a lot of options before making a decision, and you're willing and able to consider a lot of different angles to problems.
#

You're open to suggestions, and often rely on others to assess the merit of those suggestions.
#

You have an ability to see the big picture—not just how things are, but how they could be—in a variety of situations.
#

Your independent streak allows you to make decisions efficiently and to trust your instincts
#

You do your own thing when it comes to clothing, guided more by practical concerns than by other people's notions of style.
If you want to be different:
#

Have faith that your imagination and practicality will complement each other, and lead to good decisions on your part.
#

Take the initiative in seeking things out—don't wait for them to come to you.
how you relate to others
You are Generous
#

Your awareness of those around you, along with your nuanced perceptions of the world at large, makes you the GENEROUS person that you are.
#

You value time to yourself and understand how rich your private world can be—you know that you don't have to go wild to have a good time.
#

You are excited and energized by ideas and often enjoy things more through observation than through experience.
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This tendency gives you an appreciation for different perspectives and opinions about the world.
#

Being as aware of others as you are doesn't mean you find it easy to trust them immediately—this is something that happens more slowly for you.
#

Despite this, you are aware of the complexities of many situations and are reluctant to pass judgments on others.
#

Although you have fewer friendships than some people, those that you have are meaningful and are important to you.
#

You value spending time alone—it is while reflecting on the world around you that you often learn something new about yourself or begin to understand something that's been bothering you.
If you want to be different:
#

Given how attuned you are to others' thoughts and feelings, you might find that trusting people more is a way to broaden your perspective even further.
#

While you know how much can be learned from observing the world around you, remember that much of life can be lived by experiencing it, not just by understanding it.

Create a WeeMee

Anyone who's been around here for any length of time should know that I'm a sucker for a good avatar creator. So when I found WeeWorld, I just had to join in on the fun! As you can see, this one's a pirate avatar. Or should I say "Avatarrr!"? Anyway, if you'd like to create a WeeMee of your very own, just click on the pic!

Rabbit Rescue with Amy Sedaris

This is just the cutest ad, even if it is for Microsoft... Thanks to Joy from WildRescue for finding it!



Also, another dNeero survey:



I've been dreaming a lot more often lately than I normally do. Which is odd, because I haven't been getting all that much sleep. Correlation? Possibly. Anyway, the dream I described in the survey is the one I woke up from this morning. I blame it on two things:

1. I recently reread Twilight. It ends with a scene from Bella's prom.
   
2. I recently had to try on a prom dress. Long story short, I'm going to be a bridesmaid in June and my sister picked a prom dress from Deb shop for us to wear.

So, no deep hidden meanings there. Sorry!

Voting Time Again!

Please visit the Mystery Topic Challenge Blog to view all of the other entries. Once you've read them all, please be sure to vote HERE in the Sidebar for your favorite.

Musical Mondays: It's the End of the World As We Know It

This week I've chosen one of my 90s songs, "It's the End of the World As We Know It" by REM. Seemed appropriate after the sermon at church last night... (and no, it wasn't about the apocalypse. You'll just have to follow the link if you want to know.)

Anyway, conveniently, here's the song and lyrics all together. Sometimes YouTube makes things too easy, you know?



And here's what Pandora spit out:

1. Judy is a Punk -- The Ramones
2. Two Weeks -- Earl Grayhound (who?)
3. Sold Me Down the River -- The Alarm
4. Li'l Christine -- Material Issue
5. All Gone Away -- Joyrider

Sunday Seven #128: Valentine Edition

Name seven romantic cities (other than where you live) that you’d like to take your special someone for a romantic Valentine’s Day meal.

Here's my list:

1. Paris
2. New York City
3. Sydney
4. Key West
5. Montego Bay
6. Lanai City
7. Venice

MTC #7

The BlogNinjas are getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit with another orgy of Mystery Topic Challenge goodness. You don’t have to be a Blog Ninja to take part but if you want the “special loving” click here.

Here's the question as posed by Killer and Biologisvensk:

You awaken to find yourself stranded on a deserted island with nothing but a pocket knife, a bottle of Jack Daniels, and Britney Spears. How did you get there, and what do you do now?

This one's not really my cup of tea for a few reasons. I don't drink, and I can't stand Brit, so I guess I'd give her the Jack Daniels and hope she'd drink herself into a stupor. I figure I have a pretty good chance there. Then, I'd use the pocket knife to forage for whatever necessities I might be able to find. I suppose I'd also need to construct some form of shelter, probably by tying together leaves and vines into a canopy of sorts and stringing it up between trees, then doing the same to form tent-like walls. I'm hoping there are coconuts and other edible fruits on this island... and maybe a fresh spring too. I guess I'd have to do some exploring to find out. In the end, I'm betting I wouldn't stay lost for long as it seems that the paparazzi couldn't possibly be apart from Brit for very long, so I'm sure they'd be pooling their resources to locate her (and by proxy me). Wow, I guess she is good for something after all!

Photo Hunt: Heavy

This week the theme is heavy. At nearly 100 lbs, I think this guy qualifies. This is my German Shepherd Dog, Vali (pronounced like volley). He looks quite imposing, but looks can be deceiving. On the inside, he's just a big ol mamma's boy!

Friday Quizzes: The Disney Trifecta and How Many Countries Can You Name in Five Minutes?

It's no secret that I'm a Disney freak, so I simply had to post this one:

I SCORED A 86%

And for those who prefer a brainier challenge:

62

Entrecard: Above the Fold

Catnip Corner has tagged me for a meme... Here's the rules:

• Create a post on your blog that links back to this post, so people will know where the Meme came from and who tagged you.
• Tag 8 bloggers not mentioned in this post, but only those that display their Entrecard widget above the fold.
• Leave a comment on this post with a link to the post you created on your blog.

And Here's the eight bloggers I'm tagging:

1. Ain't That Sweet
2. Grump-a-Moose
   
3. Dandelions and Daydreams
4. Angelika
5. On the Horizon
6. Bebo Author
7. Steve Robbo's Stuff
8. The Truth IN Context

Have fun guys, and thanks for making your Entrecard easy to find!

123 - A Meme as Simple as Do Re Mi

I found this meme on The Habitation of Justice, and decided to do it. So, here goes.

• Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
• Find Page 123.
• Find the first 5 sentences.
• Post the next 3 sentences.
• Tag 5 people.

Nearest book: a book of Kakuro puzzles... that won't work. Just under it: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

I purposefully lumped myself in with the youngsters, trying to make it clear that I preferred Jacob.
"That's Sam -- he's nineteen," he informed me.
"What was that he as saying baout the doctor's family?" I asked innocently.

So, there ya go. If you wanna know what that's all about, you'll just have to read the book. It's vampire fiction, but it's written for the pre-teen market, so nothing too scary or bloody or whatnot.



Now, as for the tagging. I'm not a big fan of telling anyone what they should or should not post on their blog. So, I'm tagging the first five people who read this post and think it sounds like fun. Just make sure you leave me a comment so I can go read what you've posted!

Introducing MTNotes!

Ok, before anyone thinks I've gone completely off the deep end ("How many blogs does she think she needs?") this one is not my blog. MTNotes is a blog I designed for a friend. He used to blog on Xanga, some time ago, but has moved on to bigger and better platforms. So I took the Mr Moto template, and reworked all the graphics and whatnot for him. I'm really enjoying this designing thing. Maybe I'll hire myself out someday...

Anywho, go check out MTNotes and say hello to the author, who has been a friend of mine for years. He's sure to have some good, witty-type stuff up there for all to read.

Have a Heart for Chained Dogs

Dogs Deserve Better is running its annual campaign to send Valentines to dog owners who keep their pet chained or penned up outside. It's a great initiative and really can make a huge difference in the life of a dog (and its family!). They need your help though! They need donations, people to make and send in Valentines, coupons for dog food and treats, and addresses where dogs are penned or chained outside. Last year, they wound up with more valentines than addresses, so if you know of a dog who spends all of his time outside, away from the family he loves, please send in the address today!

Warning: this video may break your heart, but its message is undeniably true!

Introducing Musical Mondays

As lots of you may already know, I am (and always have been) very into my music, and I like sharing it with people. To that end, I've decided to start something new. I'm calling it Musical Mondays. Every Monday I will post a song that I'm currently listening to, and the lyrics that go with it. Then, I'll create a Pandora station based on that song and post the name and title of the first five songs that come up there. I'm sure there are probably already 50 memes (or more!) out there called Musical Monday, it's not a terribly original name, but if anyone would like to join me, please leave a link in the comments. I love to see and hear what others are listening to too! Hey look, there's even a button you can use to link back!

So, for my first Musical Monday, Ive chosen "Work" by Jars of Clay. It's one of my favorite songs and also one that I can never manage to get out of my head.

Here's the lyrics:

Work Lyrics

Here's the song:


The Pandora station started out with:

1. You Are Holy by Caleb Rowden
2. Sink Or Swim by Sanctus Real
3. Until I See You Again by Mark Schultz
4. Hang On by Mainstay
5. Wait For Love by Not The Joneses
   

In other news, I'm participating in Mystery Topic Challenge #7. The topic has been announced. If you'd like to join me, head on over to the MTC Blog to find out all about it.

Puppy Bowl Sunday

Just wanted to take a minute to remind my readers that today an incredibly important sporting event will play on TV screens across the country. There's already plenty of betting going on for the MVP of the game, and serious fans have their favorites all picked out from the starting line-up, but I think I'm going with Bingo, the American Staffordshire Terrier/ American Pit Bull Mix. What, you thought I was talking about that other game? Please! This guy is gonna be much more entertaining than anything they'll have at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Oh, hey look -- another contest!

Yeah, I know, that's two in one day. In one hour actually. But if Joe Tech and his buddies want to give away $100, who am I to stop them? Here's a list of those who are running the contest. You can find out more about it on any of their blogs I would assume.

• JoeTech.com


• Link Bait


• Gorilla Sushi


• CK Marketing


• The Big Bald Blog


• How 2 Blogger


• Dot Sauce Magazine


• Jason Boom

Mr Javo's giving away 1000 ec!

Those who've been around here for any length of time know that I'm a sucker for a contest. Well, there's another 1000 ec being given away, so here's my entry! Want to enter for the chance to win the ec plus an entrecard recommendation? Just head on over to Mr. Javo's blog, and join in the fun!

dNeero Survey: Blue Jeans ... A Clothing Icon

Not really much more to say about this one, but I decided to post it because I LOVE my jeans!

Friday Quizzes: East Coast/West Coast

You Belong in Brooklyn

Down to earth and hard working, you're a true New Yorker. And although you may be turning into a yuppie, you never forget your roots.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

Orange County

You're rich, pretty, and living a charmed life. (Or you seriously wish you were.) From Disneyland to Laguna Beach, you're all about living the California dream life. Just make sure to marry rich - so you don't have to work for it!

Where Does Your Inner Californian Belong?

Drum Roll Please...

Well, it's February 1st (my how time flies) and as promised I have given away 500 EntreCard credits to the winner of my Giving Away Half the Loot contest. Who is the winner you ask? As you may have guessed by the badge to the left there, it's none other than malinesky of beautifulandhappy.com! Already this morning, 500 credits have been transferred to her account on EntreCard. I also created the badge you see here so that she can tell the world that she won. Congrats to the winner and thank you to all who played!