Take the Country Quiz

You're Bangladesh!
Everyone else keeps eating your food, and as a result it seems like you're starving all the time.  Your life is just flooded with problems, and you're pretty sure that everything would be easier if half the people you knew just went away.  Unfortunately, they're hungry too, so they might go away in a way you don't want.  George Harrison's music becoming wildly popular may be your only hope, but even he's gone away now.
Take the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

R E L A T E D   P O S T S :
Nifty Nuggets

quiz, nifty, nuggets

Your Birthday

Okay, this particular meme can be found at hot links, and this is how it works:

1.Type in your birthday (minus the year) in the search bar at http://wikipedia.org

2.List 4 interesting facts, 4 births, 4 deaths & 4 Holidays that happened on your birthday.

facts
1977 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind opens in theaters.

1981 - Luke and Laura marry on General Hospital; it is the highest-rated hour in daytime television history.

1996 - Mother Teresa receives honorary US citizenship.

2001 - The first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, is released, becoming the second highest grossing film around the world of all time.

births
42 BC - Tiberius, Roman emperor (d. 37)

1836 - David Kalakaua of Hawaii, last king of Hawaii (d. 1891)

1907 - Burgess Meredith, American actor (d. 1997)

1967 - Lisa Bonet, American actress

deaths
1093 - Saint Margaret of Scotland, wife of King Malcolm Canmore

1724 - Jack Sheppard, English burglar (hanged) (b. 1702)

1960 - Clark Gable, American actor (b. 1901)

1981 - William Holden, American actor (b. 1918)

holidays
R.C. Saints - Saint Margaret of Scotland ; Gertrude the Great

International Day for Tolerance

Iceland - Dagur íslenskrar tungu (Icelandic Language Day)

USA - admission of Oklahoma, 46th state, 1907

R E L A T E D   P O S T S :  
Magnificent Memes

T A G S :  meme, birthday

“What are the top three TV shows you never miss?”

Good Morning!  Here is a meme that I obtained from Running With Quills.

The top three tv shows I never miss with out fail are:

• Lost
• Medium
• Law and Order

How about you?

R E L A T E D   P O S T S :
Magnificent Memes

T A G S :  meme, tv shows

Increasing Page Views

Curious about how I could get the most out of my blog, I perused “Blogger Buzz” and it’s archives.  I came across a post, made back in December 2005, encouraging bloggers to read Darren Rowse’s take on increasing page views on your web blog.

Mr. Rowse’s 11 tips are techniques designed to make your blog post easily accessible to readers/subscribers which encourages readers to return for additional information, while discouraging outright copyright infringement.  Plus, these tips also help make the blog more managable, more interactive, and challenges bloggers to write “quality content.”

Most of Mr. Rowse’s 11 techniques seem to be a variation on the same theme— placing permanent links somewhere within the blog post, or on the blog itself.  So, it is surprising to discover Mr. Rowse has doubts about enabling links within the blog’s site-feed, which would let feed-subscribers access previous posts from within feed-readers.  I can only speculate that his doubts probably stem from his concerns about copyright infringement.  Ultimately, these 11 strategies from Mr. Rowse are a valuable resource for all bloggers.

T A G S : essay, blogging, techniques

“The Laughing Corpse” by Laurell K. Hamilton

Anita Blake scours the city of St. Louis to find out who has unleashed a murderous zombie upon its suburbs.

Book Two in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series; it is a captivating follow up to the first book, “Guilty Pleasures.”  Anita's determination to face her fears head on— no matter the consequences— is awe inspiring.  This is definitely the book to read if you are looking to be “chilled to the bone.” ;) It is not necessary to read “Guilty Pleasures” to enjoy “The Laughing Corpse,” but if you crave continuity in a story, then you might want to go ahead and read it first.  No matter which order you read either book, they are both keepers.


TTFN

R E L A T E D   P O S T S :
Crimson City by Liz Maverick

T A G S :  book review, laurel k. hamilton, vampire, hunter

Japanese Name Revisited!

Okay, here is my “real” Japanese Name. ;)

My japanese name is 藤原 Fujiwara (wisteria fields) 七帆 Nanaho (seventh sail).
Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

Punctilious Prose

Here is a list of my essays and observations from all over my blog.  Enjoy!

• 3 Intersting Facts About the Belmont Stakes
• Another 70 Years to Go!
• Better Late Than Never
• Copyright Infringement is Never Okay
• “Crimson City” by Liz Maverick
• ¡Feliz Seis de Mayo!
• Feeling Free, Serene or Nervous.
• Good Afternoon!
• Goof Grief!
• Happy Anniversary!
• Happy Blog Day!
• Happy Holidays!
• I “Heart” My Teacher.
• Increasing Page Views
• Isaac Asimov, Writing, and I.
• Just a Quick Hello!
• Keeping Up With the Joneses
• Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
• My Natural Order in Life
• Oh the Things You Learn
• Posting: More of a Chore than I Thought.
• R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me
• Seeing With My Heart
• Speak My Voice
• Still Here.
• Strength, Courage, Confidence vs. Fear
• Talking at the Water Cooler.
• “The Laughing Corpse” by Laurell K. Hamilton
• The Genius Theory Part I
• Thinking.
• Thoughts About Katrina.
• Triple Crown, Part One
• Triple Crown, Part Two
• Triple Crown, Part Three
• Veinte de Mayo
• What a Difference a Year Makes
• What Happened Next
• "When Will the Hurting Stop?"
• Writer Beware's Twenty Worst Agents.
• Yay!  I dooed it!  I dooed it!  I dooed it!

***REVISED*** 807.19.02:41:00-04:00

T A G S : essays, observations, posts, prose

Number One

Here’s a meme from the blog of John M. Scalzi (By the Way). Use the following site to find out the number one song the day you were born.

“Wedding Bell Blues” by 5th Dimension is the number one song the day I was born. Since I’m not married, I’ll substitute with the day I graduated from High School: “Together Forever” by Rick Astley.

R E L A T E D   P O S T S : 

• “Weekend Writing Assignment #77”
• Thoughts About Katrina

***UPDATE: 2011-03-21 T21:32:45-04:00***

Mr. Scalzi’s blog—By the Way—is no longer available, but clicking on his name will lead you to his official website where you’ll find his current blog.  I’ve also updated the broken links to new and possibly better links. 

T A G S : meme, songs, birthday, graduation

Portentous Poems

Here is a list of my poems:

• Independent
• My Winter Experience
• The Back of My Mind

poems, list

My Winter Experience

When I think of winter,
I am reminded of all
the times I played in
the snow as a child--
building snowmen,
throwing snowballs,
sledding down
mini hills
of snow.
I remember all the times
I walked in the snow
to get to the schoolbus stop,
to get back home afterwards,
or to
go to
the store
with mommy.
I think about the sweaters,
the scarves, and the coats
I've worn to fend off
the cold, chilly winds--
watching the
grey, overcast
skies while
gentle flakes
float down.
I remember watching the cool,
glassy facade of ice create
glittering sculptures of trees in
the glaring bright morning sun--
sharp, pointy
icicles adorning
the straight
edges of
roofs as
they drip
into the
icy snow
beneath them.
I remember the wondering awe
of houses, transformed by snow,
into gingerbread. I think about
the crisp clean smell of
freshly fallen
snow, and
of burning
wood crackling
in the
hot fireplace.
The smell of pine trees
remind me of Christmas, and
the smell of hot chocolate
reminds me of winter too.

poem winter memories

Magnificent Memes

Here are some memes that I have participated in. Enjoy!

• A Day Devoted to Blogging
• Favorite Songs
• Four
• Joe's Blog Six-Pack
• Number One
• Page 123.5
• Top 3 Tv Shows I Never Miss
• Weekend Writing Assignment # 77
• Word of the Day
• Your Birthday

memes, writing, posting, blogging

Oooh, I was close!

Okay, I’m back.

Bon mot, according to “Webster’s New World College Dictionary,” means, “an apt, clever, or witty remark.”

I was so close! I guess I don’t get a cigar. ;)

TTFN

close

The Word of the Day, and What I Think It Means...

At a loss about what to post today, I hopped on over to bloggerseeds.blogspot.com for inspiration.  The ‘seed’ that caught my eye is the one about looking at the “Word of the Day” on their site, and thinking about what it means before actually looking it up in the dictionary.  My next post will tell what it actually means, if you haven’t all ready looked it up. :giggle:

‘Bon mot’ is today’s word of the day, and I think it means “good mind,“ which reminds me of the old saying, “Speak no evil.”  One of my lessons growing up was about the importance of “thinking no evil,” and as a result I wouldn’t “speak no evil.”

“Thinking no evil” is certainly one thing that is hard for me to do.  No I don’t sit around thinking of ways to kill or hurt people like a mystery writer, but I do have moments, like everyone else, where I call people names in my mind like jackass, dummy, or jerk-- but I refrain from doing so to their face. :(

I recognize that my ‘evil thinking’ is wrong, and I do take the time to meditate on why I felt it was necessary to think the nasty thoughts at all.  I’ve come to realize that my silent ‘name calling’ is my attempt to control my anger, and is my attempt to control others.  I need to come up with a better way to control my anger-- probably by not becoming angry at all.  :grin: I also need to let go of my desire to control others, and focus on controling myself better. :)

Well I’m off to the dictionary, to see wether or not I’m right.

word dictionary blogger meme spontaneous thoughts.

Four

Four jobs you’ve had in your life:

1. customer service representative at a mail order catalog company
2. sandwich artist at subway
3. bartender at red lobster
4. secretary at a summertime day camp

Four movies you would watch over and over:

1. A Bug’s Life
2. Moulin Rouge
3. The Matrix
4. Independce Day

Four TV shows you love to watch:

1. Surface
2. Lost
3. Battlestar Galactica
4. Stargate Atlantis

Four places you’ve been on vacation:

1. Burlington, IA
2. St. Petersburg, FL
3. Brooklyn, NY
4. Chicago, IL

Four websites you visit (almost)daily:

1. Blogger
2. Google
3. Empire of the Cat
4. Spirits of the Damned

Four of your favorite foods:

1. vanilla ice cream
2. fresh buttermilk pancakes
3. corned beef hash
4. iced oatmeal cookies

Four places you’d rather be right now:

1. Book Store
2. Disney World
3. Vegas
4. In my bed asleep.

I was tagged by Pattie’s Place

T A G S : meme, four, places, foods, websites, vacation, TV, movies

Seeing with My Heart

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

--The Little Prince.

In my heart of hearts, I know that the keys to living include love, compassion, and spirituality.  I feel that I am not as successful as I would like to be expressing love, compassion, and spirituality.  I am ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life where I have behaved in a shallow manner, and rejected being freinds with people based on how they look.  There have been times in my life where I have sat in unforgiving judgement over an individual’s shortcomings.

I have forgotten how to see things with my heart.  I can’t pinpoint exactly when I stopped using my heart as the compass for the choices that I make in life.  Maybe it began at puberty.  May be it began when I was born, I do not know.

I do know that there is an emptiness in my heart, an emptiness in my soul that I can no longer live with.  I feel lost and confused because I do not know where my heart is-- I do not know what is essential.

There is good news, however, I am in a position of power.  Power to discover what my heart is really made of.  Power to be spiritual and to be compassionate.  Power to be loving.

heart compassion love living love essay

LOST - The Genius Theory: GENIUS THEORY: PART I

Okay, until last night I was prepared to say that the castaways of “LOST” were in a video game, but Mr. Ekco shot down that idea.

Perhaps this is the theory I should go with:

LOST - The Genius Theory: GENIUS THEORY: PART I

T A G S : LOST theory Ekco

Good Afternoon!

Good afternoon! I’m feeling pretty good today.  ;) I’ve gotten alot accomplished today, and even got an idea about writing a biography.

I’ve joined a very proactive writing group, so hopefully I will have some more stuff for you to read soon.

ttfn

T A G S :  random thoughts observation spontaneous post

Nifty Site: Which Katie MacAlister Heroine Are You?

You are Kathie from MEN IN KILTS! You have a wicked
sense of humor, see life a little bit
differently than everyone else, and you love
protective alpha males. You like your hero
strong and demanding, but not afraid to show
his emotions...and he must have a Scottish
accent.

Which Katie MacAlister Heroine Are You?

brought to you by Quizilla

nifty site katie macallister romance novelist quizilla

Favorite Songs

If you had 5 songs you could listen to over and over again, what would they be?

1. Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson.
2. We Will Rock You/ Another One Bites the Dust by Queen.
3. Wild Boys by Duran Duran.
4. Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
5. True Colors by Cyndi Lauper.

As you can see, I’ve been tagged again, but this time by Jazz Coffee. What are your favorites?

favorite songs tag michael jackson queen duran duran frankie say cyndi lauper

Page 123.5 meme

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don’t search around and look for the :“coolest” book you can find. Do what’s actually next to you.

“The friar, like so many in that region, knew me a Il Pielle d’Argent or ‘the Silverskin’, and my sword was called Dentanoir.

Happy New Year!

I’ve been tagged by Ms. Snark.

The above quote is from “The Skrayling Tree: The Albino in America” by Michael Moorcock-- a Christmas present from my dad (I’m still reading it so don’t tell me how it ends. ;D ).

I’ll be fixing the graphics shortly.

ttfn

meme tag michael moorcock elric saga