The TV Meme

 Stole this from Cubby at Patently Queer who borrowed it from Hanuman Das over at Ashram at Pooh Corner.

Back in the Day — 5 TV Shows You Loved As A Kid
Vegas
The Brady Bunch
Lucas Tanner
Space: 1999

Johnny Quest (The old one!)

That’s Hot — 5 TV Characters You Would Do
Michael Weston (Burn Notice)
Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Jack Harkness (Torchwood)
David Tennant (Dr. Who)
Noah Wyle (ER)

“Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs” — 5 TV Theme Songs You Know (and Love) By Heart
The Flintstones (and the line is "Through the courtesy of Fred's two feet")
Gilligan's Island
The Brady Bunch
All In The Family
Maude

Meh — 5 “Hit” Shows You Never Could Get Into
90210
Lost
Dallas
Two and a Half Men
Mad Men

The Starting Line-Up — 5 Channels You Go To First When You Sit Down to Watch TV
LOGO
SyFy
Science
MSNBC
History

“That’s What She Said” — 5 Quotes That Still Resonate

Saturday Night Live
Chevy Chase: "Jane you ignorant slut."
Diff’rent Strokes
Arnold Jackson: "Whatchu talkin’ ’bout Willis?"
Alice
Flo: "Kiss my grits!"
Southpark
Many Characters: Oh my God! They killed Kenny! You bastards!
The Simpsons
Homer: [to Bart] "I always knew you had personality. The doctor said it was hyperactivity, but I knew better." 

“Gimme More” — 5 Shows You Can Never Get Enough Of
Glee
Burn Notice
1000 Ways to Die
RuPaul's Drag Race
Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Time

I stole this from Lemuel, go show him some love!

20 years ago (08. Nov 1990)




1.) How old were you? 26
2.) Where did you go to school?  I was out in the working world with a BA in Psychology and Psychobiology
3.) Where did you work? I worked for a private Sheltered Workshop/Residential Center
4.) Where did you live? I lived in a little, tiny house (you could sit on the "throne" and lean your forehead on the wall in front of you!) in Grand Detour, IL.
5.) Where did you hang out? Anchovies
6.) Did you wear glasses? Nope!
7.) Who was your best friend? Anna
8.) How many tattoos did you have? None.

9.) How many piercings did you have? None.

10.) What car did you drive? A green Chevy Citation, not sure of the year.
11.) Had you been to a real party? Not really sure of this question, but I don't think so.
12.) Had your heart broken? Yes

13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced: Single


10 years ago (08. Nov 2000)



1.) How old were you? 36
2.) Where did you go to school? By this point I had finished my MA in Psychology and also had an M.Div.
3.) Where did you work? My first church in the middle of nowhere northern Michigan.
4.) Where did you live? circa 1970's Mobile Home
5.) Where did you hang out? Traverse City, MI
6.) Did you wear glasses? No.

7.) Who was your best friend? Still Anna
8.) How many tattoos did you have? One.

9.) How many piercings did you have? None.

10.) What car did you drive? A red 1999 Plymouth Duster.  I loved that car!
11.) Had you been to a real party? No.

12.) Had your heart broken? Yes, although I wasn't ready to admit it and he had no idea he did it!

13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced: Still single


5 years ago (08. Nov 2005)



1.) How old were you? 41
2.) Where did you go to school? Kind of all over the place.  Nothing like a formal degree, just tons of seminars.

3.) Where did you work? Bethlehem Lutheran Church
4.) Where did you live? In my house!  I loved that house!  It had gargoyles!  It had hardwood floors!  It was beautiful!
5.) Where did you hang out? I didn't really have a "hang out" place. 
6.) Did you wear glasses? Yes, just to read when I remembered them.

7.) Who were your best friends? Anna, still
8.) Who was your crush? Jim
9.) How many tattoos did you have? Two.

10.) How many piercings did you have? None.

11) What car did you drive? 2002 Chevy S-10 Pick-up. (I was so butch!)

12.) Had you had your heart broken? Not anything new.

13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Single but moving toward Takn
14.) Any kids? Just two furballs who had been with me since 2000


Present (08. Nov 2010)



1.) How old are you? 46
2.) Where do you go to school? School of life.

3.) Where do you work? A small church in the 'burbs of Detroit.
4.) Where do you live? In an apartment complex with a view of the neighbors' buildings.
5.) Where do you hang out? Some area parks, a few sports bars, a few gay bars.
6.) Do you wear glasses? Still for reading when I remember where put them.

7.) Who are your best friends? Jim, Anna, Dennis

8.) Who is your crush? Crush, I am a fool for a nice body.  Love in my life?  Jim, of course!
9.) Do you talk to your old friends? Actually, more so now, due to Facebook.
10.) How many tattoo’s do have? None. Three.

11.) How many piercings do you have? One, though most people will never know this!
12.) What kind of car do you have? 2007 Ford Focus
13.) Has your heart been broken? No, and don't see one in the future, either.
14.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter? Cannot be married in this state.
15.) Any kids? Two furballs:  One that I have had since 2000 and one that we recently inherited. ("She goes to your house or heaven.)

Well, that was kind of fun!

Three Meme

Stolen from Ur-Spo and tigeryogiji

Movies I love:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Fifth Element
Scrooged

TV shows I love:

Glee
Star Trek
RuPaul's Drag Race

Books I love:

The Great Gatsby
Stages of Faith
Why God Won't Go Away

Authors I love:

Janet Evanovich 
Tom Robbins
Anne Rice


Comic book characters I love:


The Mighty Thor
Tankgirl
Garfield

Songs I love:

Light and Day (Polyphonic Spree)
Whenever I Call You Friend (Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks)
Vienna (Ultravox)

Musical artists I love:

Kate Bush
Laurie Anderson
Enya

Musical groups/bands I love:

Heart
The Beatles

Spandeau Ballet


Musicals I love:

Cats
Guys and Dolls
Jesus Christ Superstar

Types of music I love:

New Wave/New Romantic

80′s Pop
Christmas Music (especially of the New Age variety)

Outdoor physical activities I love to engage in:

Walking
Hiking
Bicycling

Sports I love to participate in:

Swimming
Bicycling

Bedroom Wrestling

Board games I love to play:

Monopoly
Trivial Pursuit
Scrabble

Hobbies I love to indulge in:

Stained Glass
Blogging
Collecting Nativities

Things I suck at but love to do:

Sudoku
The Sunday New York Times Crossword
Throw Darts 

Foods I love:

Taco Bell Gorditos
Beef Stroganoff (The way my mom makes it!)
My mom's cinnamon rolls

Drinks I love:


Eggnog
Bell's Oberon
Coffee (Although I am NOT a coffee-snob!)

Desserts I love:

Tiramisu
Cheesecake
White cake with white frosting

Vegetables I love:

Corn on the Cob (Especially from Fincel's!)
Broccoli
Carrots

Restaurants I love:

"Beer and Burger" Joints

Chinese Buffets
Mexican

Artists I love:
Escher
Tiffany (The glass guy)
Kozar (A Midwest photo realist artist.  I own this in a signed. numbered edition.)

Places I love:

New Orleans
Galveston

Anywhere Nick is!

Items I love that I own:

Claudia the Neurotic Cat
My Kozar print (see above)
Beartivity  

Things I am trying to get better at doing:

Being more aware of the condition of the apartment, and then doing something about it.
Not overly worrying about others' opinions of what I am doing.
Being proactive, not reactive.

Things I would not want to live without:

Nick (even though he is not a thing!)
Music
God
Beauty (I know that is four, but deal with it!)

Then and Now

Dr. Spo had this posted.  Thought it was interesting.

Then ~ October 1989

1. Age: 25.

2. Romantic Status: Alone.

3. Occupation: Grad Student

4. Fun night out: Going to the bar in the Holiday Inn and playing funny money poker.

5. My BFFs: Doug and Collen

6. I spent way too much time: playing with the computer.

7. I spent not enough time: Being true to myself.

8. I wanted to be when I grew up: An experimental psychologist.

9. Biggest concern: Getting assignments done

10. What my biggest concern should have been:  Getting assignments done. 

11. Where did I live: Cedar Falls, IA

12. Dumbest thing I did that year: I really don't know.

13. If I could go back now and talk to myself I would say: Get over yourself.  Come out.  Get into therapy.  Deal with life!

Now ~ October 2009

1. Age: 45.

2. Romantic Status: partnered for 4 years.

3. Occupation: Priest/Barista

4. Fun night out: Burgers and Beers

5. My BFFs: Nick!  Doug and Colleen, Anna, Dennis, Beth

6. I spend way too much time: Playing on Facebook

7. I spend not enough time: Trying to find a better work situation.

8. I want to be when I grow up: Happy and working in a fulfilling area.

9. Biggest concern: being trapped.

10. What my biggest concern should be: Doing what I am called to do and leaving the world to tend to itself.

11. Where do I live: Lansing, MI

12. Dumbest thing I have done this year: Signed up for overdraft protection.

13. What I think I would say to myself in 10 years:  Your job is not to save the world.

Summary

1. What do I miss most from 1989: That feeling of sheer potential

2. What do I miss least from 1989: Feeling like I am being a fake to myself and the world.

3. What have I accomplished in 20 years that I am most proud of: My relationship with Nick.

4. What have I NOT accomplished in 20 years that I wish I had: (I will steal Spo's answer) Feeling secure.

Seven Meme

I stole this from Ur-Spo.

7 Things That Scare Me
1. Crashing Planes (When I am on them!)
2. Being found to be clueless
3. Being wrong
4. Preaching a bad sermon
5. Being totally broke
6. Nothingness
7. Having Nick angry with me.

7 Things I Like
1. Cuddling and MORE! with Nick
2. Cuddly kitties
3. Really heavy quilts
4. Good beer
5. Snow
6. Storms
7. CHRISTMAS

7 Things I Hate
1. Stupid People
2. People who will not admit to what they want and manipulate people to get it.
3. Smokers throwing their butts out the car window (pigs!)
4. Biblical Literalists
5. catchup
6. Green Peppers
7. Hypocracy

7 Things In My Room

1. Nick and Claudia

2. Computer
3. Television

4. Christmas Count-down Clock

5. Various stained glass pieces

6. A trunk that a former parishioner brought with her from Russia

7. BOOKS!

7 Things About Me

1. I tend to over idealize things.

2. I secretly feel like I am failing at most things.
3. I was a State Hula-Hoop finalist
4. My family used to do "Sunday Drives" and I still love them.
5. I listen to Christmas music year round.
6. I like making people question their faith
7. I love trivia!

7 Things To Do Before I Die
1.Go to Paris
2. Travel in space
3. Own a cabin in the mountains with a natural hotspring (an no neighbors!)
4. Write a book
5. Create a monumental piece of stained glass
6. See a green flash
7. Own a Frank Lloyd Wright or Fay Jones home.

7 Things I Can Do
1. Recall a lot of trivial stuff
2. Break a femur with my foot
3. Make a kickin' White Mocha
4. Quote almost the entire "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" (NOT THE MOVIE!)

5. Whip out a sun-catcher at a moments notice

6. Speak Systems Theory with the best of them.
7.Get REALLY LOST!

7 Things I Can’t Do
1. Roll my tongue
2. Understand what is so attractive about one's pants being around one's knees.
3. Tolerate hypocrisy
4. Understand finances
5. Be traditionally organized
6. Understand how people can be fundamentalists
7. What people see in NASCAR

7 Favorite Movies
1. The Rose
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Harold and Maude
4. Memento
5. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
6. Bladerunner
7. A Christmas Story

7 Things I Say Often
1. "I love you!"
2. "Do you want whipped on that?"
3. "Would you like that Grande sized?"
4."I don't want to go to work."
5. "Ouch!"
6."God loves you more than you can ever conceive."
7. "I don't know where Ross is"  (Ross is the lead barista.)

Christmas Meme

Ur-Spo, your meme is everywhere!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Mostly gift bags, I am not so hot at wrapping.

2. Real tree or artificial?
Artificial, because because we are not supposed to have real trees in the apartments. I do like real trees, though.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Sometime after Thanksgiving. It usually takes a few days. (My fingers were not placed correctly and I almost typed "gays," but that would be correct too!)

4. When do you take the tree down?
Traditionally on my brother's birthday, Jan. 6.

5. Do you like eggnog?
LOVE IT!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Toss up between a bike when I was about 12 and a stuffed clown when I was 4 or 5.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
As I often make the gifts I give, I don't end up buying much. But I would have to say my Godson. He really doesn't find anything interesting.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My Dad, he loves the Cubs.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Do I have A nativity scene? No, I have about 10. I have one I made. I have a Beartivity. I have a Cowboy Nativity. I have an Native American Nativity. I have Fontinini Nativity Musicbox. Also a Fontinini Snowglobe.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Email. I have bought cards in the past, but they never seem to make it into the mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Two years running from the SIL: First year was a reed diffuser. Last year was a hot chocolate maker and slipper socks. I promptly gave them away.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Does Santa Clause Conquers The Martians count? (I actually own a DVD copy of it! I got it at Target in an after-Christmas sale. After the 75% discount, it cost only a quarter!) Probably A Christmas Story, followed very closely by Scrooged.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
This year, I actually bought some Christmas presents in June. I have started making gifts in November.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No. Some have been given away, though. (See #11, above.)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Nick. Oh! You mean as in food! I love Peppermint Nougats.

16. Lights on the tree?
Both multi and white. The white go on the very inside of the tree to give the tree a deep glow.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Just one? Ok, that would have to be Stille Nacht by Mannheim Steamroller. This is followed very closely by God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (The rock version), Up Above The Northern Lights, and Memories of Christmas, all by Mannheim Steamroller. I also have become quite fond of White Is In The Winter Night by Enya. Heck, on my computer alone I have over 650 Christmas songs! (And not one is Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, But Jingle Cats comes close for sheer tackiness!)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Travel to celebrate with Nick's extended family.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s?
Of Course! How dare you even ask!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Yep. Always have been an angel. Well, there was two years where a Snowman adorned the top, but mostly an angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas Eve, along with the DVD of the fireplace and some wine and shrimp.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Secret Gift Exchanges.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Multi...The tackier the better! Grizwalds Forever!

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Really don't have one.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
A full time church job for Nick and myself. Something that is not mind-numbing and intellectually insulting

26. Who is most likely to respond to this?
I don't know.

27. Will you bake any cookies?
Probably not. I would probably eat the dough before they got baked anyway.

Food Meme

This one has been flying around so I guess I will play along.

1) Bold all the items you have eaten.
2) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

1. Venison - My brother would marinade it and grill it. Not too bad.
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari - Yes. I love it!
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich – I still eat them.
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes – Yes, I love cherry wine.
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries – I used to walk in the park by my house and "graze" on the berries. It was heaven.
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans - Yes, love it!
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche - Great stuff!
28. Oysters - Yes, I even like blue points on the half-shell.
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl – Yes, from Panera, but still good.
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut – Yep. Even thought I am German, I hate it.
35. Root beer float – Yes, especially A&W root beer.
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo – Yes, I am a fan of most Cajun food
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects – No. And I have no desire to!
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk – I have had feta and also goat's milk ice cream.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - I like scotch, but not at that price.
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - Of course the free ones, but also ditched church to have donuts and coffee in Spokane. Great stuff!
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly Pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal – No. I dislike most of the stuff on a Big Mac.
56. Spaetzle – Yes. Pretty good! That German background.
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV - Of Course!
59. Poutine - It was ok, but if I want to clog my arteries, I will stick with deep fried cheese curds.
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores – Uh, duh! I worked as a camp counselor for 5 summers.
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs - I would feel sorry for those poor amputee frogs.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - Yes to all four.
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - Yes,once and only once!
71. Gazpacho – Yes. It was at a birthday party for a one-year-0ld.
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill .
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - Yes, apple was my favorite. But I never had one in years.
78. Snail – Yes, in wine sauce.
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict – Yes. I order it often.
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash -Yes.
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam – Yes, but not too often.
92. Soft shell crab - Had it in Texas. I had to wait for it to be unloaded from the boat.
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish – Yes.
95. Mole poblano – Good mole poblano is a sublime experience.
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Bonus: What food item have you tried that should be on this list but isn't? Lutefisk! The piece of cod that surpasses all understanding. If it weren't ethnic, it would be illegal.

Meme from Spo

Do you know how to play bridge?

No, I had some friends try to teach me in seminary. I also got a "Grand Slam" even though I didn't know that it was something that is very rare.

Were you forbidden, as a child, a certain thing that everyone else was had?

I don't think so. We were Roman Catholic so there were the Lent meat related things. But I also think there were less "gotta have it" things when I was a kid as there are now.

Have you been to Mount Rushmore?

Yep, in the early 80's. I tried to think of it as a piece of art at which it kind of fails. It is very big though!

What is the oldest item in your pantry?

I don't think we have a pantry. As far as cabinet, not too much, we have moved so often that we tend to throw a bunch of stuff away as opposed to carting it elsewhere.

Despite many attempts, what can’t you understand?

Finances. I just don't get it. And NASCAR. Someday I want to understand how a six pack of Bud and NASCAR can be the definition of a "good weekend."

Can I get you a drink?

Glenlivet, neat.

Have you seen someone die?

I have seen people die in the emergency room and in their own room. Being a hospital chaplain will do that to you.

What A.A. Milne character are you?

Sometimes Eeyore, sometimes Piglet, and on my best days, Pooh himself.

Were you ever discriminated or turned down from a job because of who you are?

Well, I guess losing my church would count. Granted, I chose to leave. But it was either live a lie, quit, or be kicked out.

Do you own a fondue set? And do you actually use it?

No fondue. I have been to a fondue party and it was fun, but I have no desire to own one.

Go back in time and tell yourself “please oh please don’t do…….”

Humm... That one is tough. There are a lot of *cringe* "don't do that" events like not locking the back door. But "please oh please don't do...." There are some things in my life that have caused chain reactions that have had some painful consequences, but I still would not undo the events.

Is there anything you are or do that you actually thought you would be doing?

Not a damn thing. I could NOT have foreseen this trajectory for my life. I guess the only thing would be that I am a clergy being. Although I thought I would probably be a Roman Catholic priest, not an Episcopal priest.

Who made you smile today?

Nick, he always makes me smile! (Aw, how mushy is that?)

Edina Monsoon or Patsy Stone?
Never watched AbFab.

Bonus question –

You are on holiday. Do you

a) see the sights

b) go shopping

c) hit the bars

d) lounge by the pool

e) partake in physical activities like hiking or skiing or boating

A of course! Stores are stores. Pools are pools. Bars are bars. But, seeing a 1/8 scale model of the Eiffel Tower, well, that is priceless!!

(Thanks to Ur-Spo for the meme and the pix!)

The Big Read

The Big Read thinks the average adult has only read six of the top 100 books they’ve printed below.
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you read part of but never finished.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Strikethough those you hope to never read again, and sometimes wish you could un-read.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (The Tempest, Measure for Measure, The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, All’s Well That Ends Well, Twelfth Night / What You Will, Henry IV, part 1, Henry V, Richard III, Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, Cymbeline)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

(h/t to The Electronic Replicant)

15 Meme

I saw this over at Tigeryogiji. And even though I wasn't tagged, I thought it would be fun.

What did you want to be when you ‘grew up?’

At first I wanted to be a TV Repairman! I guess I was planning on all of those "encounters" we so often hear about in "literature." Then I wanted to be a doctor and then a psychologist. No, I never aspired to be a Starbucks Barista.

What are you now?

I am a clergy person in the Episcopal Church and a barista.

What fictional character did you identify with as a child?

Garfield, but before that, Charlie Brown.

How about now?

Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle

What is your ‘Gay Pride’ Song?

I Will Survive!

What is your drag song (we ALL have one)?

SOS by ABBA.

Earliest memory?

I can remember fighting with my sister in the crib at my grandma's house.

Memory you’d like to forget?

The time when I was about 14 and my sister and her friend came downstaris and found me "pleasuring" myself.

If you ran for a seat in political office, what would be your platform(s)?

I pretty much believe in the Libertarian view that government should stay out of our lives.

Winehouse. Want her to succeed or are you over her?

I want her to succeed. I like her songs and her style.

The first person you thought you loved?

A guy from high school named Bill. He was a swimmer and a weight lifter. Not much of a face but he had a beautiful body.

The first person you actually loved?

My internship supervisor. I wouldn't have called it that at the time, but that was what it was. Just to be near him made me happy. It took months to get over being back at school.

The person you love now?

Nick, of course!

If you could be, do, have, own, or possess anything you wanted, what would it be?

I would love to have an original Frank Lloyd Wright house and the money needed to keep it up to the proper specifications.

Even if you are in love with someone right now, who are you/could be crushing on right now?

My usual answer is Nick Beyler. But there are many beautiful people out there.

Well, that's it. If you want to do it, go for it. If not, then don't.

The Flickr Meme

I stole this from Pax Romano. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun so I tried it.


The concept:


1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page of results, pick one image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.


The questions:


1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food? right now?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is 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. What is one word that describes you?
12. What is your Flickr name?

123 Meme

Ur-Spo over at Spo Reflections tagged me for a meme.

Here are the rules:

Step One – pull out a book on the book shelf.
Step Two – go to page 123.
Step Three – read and write out the 5th sentence.
Step Four – tag 5 more people.

So, here we go!

The book is A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix by Edwin Friedman.

Rejecting Decarte's famous dictum, "I think therefore I am," which is basically a philosophical understanding of existence.

So there you go.

Now, onto the tag part. Being a slow runner, I was never good at tag, it took more stealth than speed.

Lemuel at The Greedy Maelstrom

Wayne at Wayne's World

Joe at Bear Me Out - Mind of a Bear

Nick (of course) at Nick's Musings

Steve at Ragamuffin Ramblings

The ball is in your courts, gents!

A Meme

Found this over at Spo Reflections and since I haven't posted anything in a while, I decided to do it.

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? I have a pick-up with a small area behind the seat, but back there I have a communion set, a kite, papers, string, a Leprechaun hat, folders, silverware…
2. When was the last time you threw up? I don’t really know. It has been a while though. (THANK GOD!)
3. What’s your favorite curse word? Shit.
4. Name 3 people who made you smile today? Nick, Ur-Spo with his “cocktail waitress” comment, otherwise, it is too early. I have not been out of the apartment yet.
5. What were you doing at 8 a.m. this morning? Drinking coffee and doing the Sudoku puzzle.
6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Reading blogs
7. Where were you born? Dubuque, Iowa
8. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes. However, it was a straight club. I tried to act interested.
9. What is the last thing you said aloud? Love you! (Said to Nick)
10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Cake Batter from Cold Stone Creamery
11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Coffee.
12. What are you wearing right now? Bath robe and slippers.
13. What was the last thing you ate? Generic Honey-Nut Cheereos
14. Have you bought any new clothes this week? Nope.
15. Where were you last? In the kitchen
16. What’s the last sporting event you watched? Michigan State basketball game a couple of years ago.
17. Who won? Ohio State.
18. Who is the last person you sent a comment/message while blogging? Ur-Spo
19. Ever go camping? Yep! I was a camp counselor for five years and Nick and I just went last September
20. Where do you live? In the KKK capital of Michigan.
21. What song are you listening to? Nothing. The TV is on.
22. Do you tan? I usually burn. I may visit a tanning booth around this time of year just to get a dose of light.
23. Do you drink your soda from a straw? Not unless I am at a drive through.
24. What did your last text message say? B home in 15. (Or something like that.)
25. Who’s your best friends? Nick, Anna, Doug, Beth
26. What are you doing tomorrow? Opening the store. Making coffee.
27. Where is your mom right now? Probably in the Hy-Vee in Dubuque.
28. Look to your right, what do you see? A pillow, a Santa hat, a sweater, Mardi Gras beads, a floor lamp.
29. What color is your watch? Silver, black, orange, and yellow. It has LCD flames on it. My friend gave it to me and called it my “Fire and Brimstone” watch.
30. What do you think of when you think of where you live? How can a town this small be so hard to navigate?
31. Ever ridden on a roller coaster? Yes, and have traveled great distances to do so.
32. What is your birthstone? Opal. I was born in October.
33. Do you go in at a fast-food place or just hit the drive through? Depends on how busy the drive-through is.
34. What is your favorite number? 7, I know, rather boring.
35. Do you have a dog? Yes, a toy poodle. (I know, stereotype alert! Two gay guys with a toy poodle!)
36. Last person you talked to on the phone? A telephone surveyor who I told that we do not do phone surveys.
37. Have you met anyone famous? Hakim Olajuwon from the Houston Rockets. I met him at a conference on Islam and Christianity. I also checked out next to Eric Clapton at the Virgin Megastore in Columbus, OH.
38. Any plans today? Going to work at 12:30 pm. I have to close tonight. Nick should be getting home about the same time I do. I am sure we will both be beat by tonight.
39. How many states have you lived in? Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Washington, Texas, Michigan.
40. Ever go to college? Three for over 10 years.
41. Where are you right now? In the TV/Computer room watching two lesbians make out on LOGO. (Ewwww!)
42. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Church red tape and minimum-wage jobs.
43. Are you struggling to forgive someone right now? I probably should be but I am not. Out of sight, out of mind.
44. Are you allergic to anything? Violence, I break out in blood.
45. Favorite pair of shoes? My Birkenstocks. They are sandals but I think they qualify. I have had them for over 11 years.

Desktop Meme

Lemuel had posted this meme and I thought it looked like fun. Besides, I get to show off one of my favorite pictures. I took the photo on the desktop the night before the Mackinac Bridge Walk.

Pieces of Eight

No, not the song by Styx (that is probably showing my age!). I have been tagged by fellow Lansingite, Wayne, over at Wayne's World.

The Rules:List 8 things about yourself. At the end of the post, tag and link to 8 other people. Leave a comment at those sites, letting them know they’ve been tagged, and asking them to come read the post so they know what to do.

1. I have three tattoos.
2. I am a Frank Lloyd Wright junkie.
3. If someone gave me a Harley-Davidson, I would sell it and buy a real motorcycle.
4. Directions are over-rated.
5. As a kid, I was a state hula-hoop finalist.
6. Although I am a Christian, most Christians annoy me.
7. Life is too short to drink Budweiser.
8. I can't function in an overly "neat" environment.

Well, there you have it!

Now comes the TAG part!

(Drumroll)

Nick
Lemuel
Ur-Spo
Steve
Doug
TigerYogi
Joe
Bunny Lynn Boofay

Six Weird Things About Me

I was tagged by Lemuel to share

Six Weird Things About Me!

1. The letters on the keys of my keyboard are not (for the most part) the same as the letter they type. The letters that are typed are the typical "QWERTY" layout, but the layout the keys show are the Dvorak layout. I had tried to learn how to type in this layout because it was supposed to be faster and better for you (less carpal tunnel) than the standard layout. But I had to think too hard about where the letters were to be able to compose at the keyboard. It made it really hard to write sermons.

2. I really don't like wearing clothes. I am not secure enough about my body to be a nudist in public, but I often walk around my house without clothes.

3. I like potato chips on my tuna salad sandwiches.

4. I have most of the original Partridge Family albums on vinyl. (I used to think I had all of them but I just found out I was missing three. Who knew they produced that many! The Christmas album is really bad!)

5. It drives me nuts when people qualify the word "unique" as in, "That was quite unique." Unique means "one of a kind." Something either is one of a kind or not one of a kind. Something cannot be "quite" one of a kind or "somewhat" one of a kind. It especially drives me nuts when I hear it on commercials.

6. I actually pay attention to, and sometimes sing along with, muzak in stores.

I will tag:

Ur-spo at Spo-Reflections

Milton at Don't Eat Alone

Mikey at Captain Caveman

Steve at A Rainbow Flag In Narnia