I've toyed with this idea

but someone actually did it, and got to be a Blog of Note with Blogger...

Tacky Christmas Yards

Okay, I've eaten and I need to get up in 6 hours. 'Night.

A two-part personality quiz

Your Score: Crystal and Light

Your attributions are: 0 Fire and 4 Light and you scored 7 Void.

You are attributed to Crystal and Light, the elements of order and directness. You uphold the system because you are certain that the system is right; you obey the law in spirit as well as letter, confident that the truth will come out and that everything is being done as it should be. You doubt others' claims that the system is prone to abuse, but when you do find corruption in your society, you strive to root it out without harming the infrastructure it was sheltered in. You could be anything from a heroic policeman to an intolerant Catholic schoolteacher who indoctrinates children into not questioning their teachings. To continue this test, please go to: http://www.okcupid.com/tests/14473806150065667330/Spiritual-Personality-Elements-(pt.-2) You will need to note your exact Void score and remember this category.

Link: The Spiritual Personality Elements (pt. 1) Test written by Thoughtmaster on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(Thoughtmaster)

Your Score: CLWS - The Visionary

Pay no attention to the numbers; it is the meaning behind them which matters...

Your elements are Crystal, Lightning, Water and Spirit. Believing that beauty should be preserved forever and that people deserve truth and justice, you work to achieve a measure of elevation for society, using your sensitivity to the needs and pains of others to become a consummate healer, whether in a physical, psychological, social, or even financial sense. You are one of the rare few who is interested in building a better world for tomorrow, but you may not be the best person for making hard decisions and dealing with reality's frequent setbacks. . Note: Your Void value is not figured into the categories as OKCupid will not allow enough categories for that. However, Void serves as a measure of neutrality or complexity; the more ambivalent answers you gave, or the more questions you were unable to satisfactorily answer and thus skipped, the more Voidly you are. Persons with low Void scores answered very decisively and thus tend to cleave closer to the stereotype of their category, while a person who is strong with Void understands that life is too complex to divide among eight influences, and either is aloof from all of the elemental stereotypes, or combines many opposing aspects. In general, the lower your Void score, the more accurate my assessment of your persona ought to be. If this is not the case, let me know and I'll revise the test in hopes of more accurate answers. If you scored high on Void, your categorization will probably seem simplistic, but that's okay; a strong command of the Void will take you farther in life than any amount of advice from me anyway.

Link: The Spiritual Personality Elements (pt. 2) Test written by Thoughtmaster on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(Thoughtmaster)

The only reason I came out organised

is because they asked me where my keys were (the one thing in my house that has a place, on a hook next to the door) and how organised my desk was in elementary school (manageable, as there wasn't much to mess). :)

Your Score: Guy Smiley

You scored 66% Organization, 60% abstract, and 23% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables.

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are mostly organized, both concrete and abstract, and more introverted.

Here is why are you Guy Smiley.

You are both mostly organized. You have a good idea where you put things and you probably keep your place reasonably clean. You aren't totally obsessed with neatness though. Guy Smiley is your average Joe. He'll dress up and look nice for his game show, but he's not a neat freak.

You are both a concrete and abstract thinker. Guy Smiley uses his imagination to come up with ridiculous game shows. However he's concrete enough to stick by his rules and perform his role as host. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course.

You are both introverted. At first glance Guy Smiley may appear to be an extrovert given he hosts a popular show. But in reality he struggles to relate with other people. His prizes tend to just be Guy Smiley merchandise. For whatever reason you are a bit uncomfortable in social settings. You may have one or two people that you are close with. You'd rather do things by yourself and you dislike working in groups where things are always so inefficient.

The other possible characters are
Oscar the Grouch
Bert
Snuffleupagus
Ernie
Elmo
Kermit the Frog
Grover
Cookie Monster
Big Bird
The Count

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have written many many tests for fun on this site. Feel free to choose another one from my handy categories. If you liked a test, please rate it before continuing.

Intelligence tests (all with answer keys)

The are you Smarter Than a 1st Grader Test Test your school smarts against my 1st graders.
The Proper Urinal Etiquette Test
The State Locator Challenge I'll show you a picture of a state, you tell me which one it is.
The 10 Tricky Anagram Puzzles Test A fun quirky IQ test.
The Following Directions IQ Test The name says it all. Perhaps my trickiest IQ test.
The Take the Jeopardy Challenge Test A great tests for fans of jeopardy. Somewhat lengthy.

"Which character am I" tests

The Your Sesame Street Persona test By far, my most popular test.
The Smurf Personality Test 16 smurfy possibilities. Smurf facts included.
The Your Seinfeld Identity Test Surely the only test here that uses "Kavorka" as a variable.
The Life in Hell Test Which rabbit are you in this Matt Groening (The Simpsons) strip?.

Tests that are actually games

The Real Choose Your Own Adventure Test 29 possible endings. Uses internal links to navigate.
The Survivor Game Great fun for fans of the T.V. show. Complex scoring algorithm.
What will you do for a Klondike Bar? Life and death hangs on each choice you make.
The Morphed Faces (with a reward) test Quick. Kind of dumb but fun.
Let's Play Rocks Paper Scissors Takes less than a minute. Bet you can't win.?
The Murder Mystery Flash Game A dumb addictive flash game I did not create.

Death related test

The Wecome To Your Funeral Test Tells you who attends your funeral and when you'll die.
The Who's Dying First Test See if you are likely to outlast me on this planet.
Would Jesus Die For Your Sins? Short and sarcastic (like me!)

Bizarre compatability tests

The Choose Your Next Planet Test When ours becomes inhabitable, where should you go?
The Would Judge Judy Yell at YOU test? Can you escape her wrath? Probably not.
The If We Were Both Lesbians... Sure you dig my tests. But would you dig me...as a woman?
The Would Zeppo Sleep with you test My very 1st test. Would my cat date you or more?
The Yankees or Red Sox fan test Which team SHOULD you root for. Fun questions.

The rest (or the "Could be deleted any day tests...")

The Do You Know the Muffin Man Test No clue how to describe this test.
The Let is snow? Let it snow test This test will tell you if you like snow. Seriously.
You too can get 10,000 takers The author reveals his secrets to creating popular tests.

The Smokey the Bear Forest Fire Test This test is really pathetic. Don't take it.

Link: The Your SESAME STREET Persona Test written by greencowsgomoo on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(greencowsgomoo)

I love the description for this one

'Braveheart meets Care Bears in psychedelic battle with peace as final winner.'

'The Masks'

I think I watched someone destroy their axle tonight

About 50 yards ahead of me, a car went up onto the median bouncing and creating sparks underneath. It then went back off the median, drove for a few more yards, then came to a dead stop, looking decidedly, well, dead in the water so to speak. I didn't catch if they turned onto the median from New Circle onto Tates Creek or just ran up on it from our lane. My passenger and I thought they may have been drunk. I didn't stop to help--there was no indication of any injuries and the person was either drunk or stupid, and in either case I can't feel particularly sorry for them, and really, who knows who you might wind up coming into contact with in the middle of the night? (I've stopped for others, but this just seemed off. It's a heavily patrolled area. I guess if they were drunk, the police most likely found them, because I don't think they were going to go anywhere.)

Weird.

Man, that's cold

Police: 2 confess to killing 6 near Seattle

Prosecutor Outlines Gruesome Details of Washington Family Slaying

Carnation suspects tell officers of victims' frantic, final moments

Neighbors remember couple as paranoid and withdrawn

'Unloved' daughter held after Christmas Eve family massacre

Now only the memories of Carnation victims are left


A 29-year-old woman and her boyfriend (same age) have confessed to killing her parents on Christmas eve supposedly over money issues and feeling like she wasn't appreciated. After hiding her parents' bodies, the couple allegedly waited for her brother and his family to arrive, shooting first her brother, then his wife, and finally their children, ages 5 or 6 (accounts vary) and 3, so there would be no witnesses.

The sister-in-law managed to make a 911 call before the guy supposedly crushed the phone, and deputies were dispatched to what sounded like people arguing at a party. By the time deputies arrived, the woman had supposedly locked the gate to the property, and they did not investigate further. It isn't known whether they could have saved any of the family's lives, but the suspects might have been caught at the scene. Instead, the couple apparently fled from Washington towards Canada, then turned back towards Oregon, finally returning to the parents' property, where they lived in a trailer 200 yards away from the home. At that point it was a homicide crime scene, as a co-worker of the mother came by when she did not show up at work and saw the bodies through a window.

Okay, I understand being angry at your parents. We are all at one time or another, and some people have very good reasons to be. I can even almost make the leap of being so angry you want to kill someone over it. But what about those children? How did killing those children really do anything to make things better for the suspects, really?

The couple may be facing aggravated murder charges, the only crime in Washington State punishable by the death penalty, and at a minimum of life without parole. I'm not a proponent of the death penalty, but I'm thinking if this couple turns out to be proven guilty, then they are two selfish twits who are child-killers, and I'm not so concerned with what happens to them, so long as they never have a free moment again. It sounds like mental illness may play a role in this--others described the couple as paranoid and reclusive. The family itself is described as tight-knit but also intensely private; who knows what went on in this family dynamic? Now six members are dead and another is jailed, and this is a tragedy that's going to affect the family for years to come.

Another Stephen Lynch fun song

--thanks to YKWIA finding it for me (do you get the idea that he finds the most odd and random things, and maybe spends way too much time on YouTube?)

'Peanuts'--Warning, as always, with Stephen Lynch--if you can't handle profanity, don't listen (especially if you have trouble with profanity in juxtaposition with beloved cartoon characters).


'Life's not always a bowl of candy...sometimes you just get a bag of rocks...'

Listening to

'Because the Night' by 10,000 Maniacs


I love Natalie Merchant...here's my favourite of her solo songs, 'Life is Sweet'


The last song is from Ophelia, which I have at work. I'll throw in the title track because I love it, too, and the video is very good.


Like Rob Thomas, I have never heard anything that I did not like that Natalie Merchant has done, either with 10,000 Maniacs, or solo. She has a wonderful, yet distinct voice, and seems to be very good live--something that can't be said of every performer.

So I've been off from the hospital for a few days

What have I been doing?

Saturday--worked at the store
Sunday--had the afternoon off because the game was cancelled
Monday--finished my holiday shopping
Tuesday--went to Danville for Christmas dinner (I ate well and got to play with my step-father's iPhone. I got an outfit, a teddy bear, a gift card to the gas station, and they'll be delivering a mattress in a few days).
Wednesday--mostly did errands and notes
Thursday--found out I was supposed to work at the store for three hours yesterday. My boss called and was afraid something had happened to me. I apologised. She's not pissed, really. I'm going in tomorrow during the day for four hours by way of apology, then coming back to check in the truck and teach someone else how to do it. I went out to get a new cell phone battery ($35!) because every time someone calls me it dies, distilled water from the grocery, and some gas with the gift card. I also have an appointment at the podiatrist this afternoon.

On the agenda for the rest of the vacation:
Friday--working at the store 12-4. 6-7
Saturday--working at the store 12-5 (better than what I was supposed to do originally; we re-did my schedule)
Sunday--game
Monday--painting a kitchen
Tuesday--painting a kitchen

Then it's back to work on Wednesday at both places.

This may shed some light on what happened

Report: S.F. Tiger May Have Been Taunted

Questions raised about victims' role in tiger attack

PS Later reports refuted the belief that there was a shoe in the tiger enclosure, but there was a shoeprint on the fence, which is being compared to the victims. Also, the wall is only 12 feet 5 inches rather than the substantially higher mark originally quoted. It does seem that Tatiana leapt or climbed the wall rather than any other egress, such as through the back. One article I read questioned whether water in the moat would help. My understanding is that tigers are good swimmers, much better at that than climbing.

By the way, I came across an interesting group of statistics when looking at the Wikipedia article for tigers.

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association estimates that up to 12,000 tigers are being kept as private pets in the USA, which is significantly more than the world's entire wild population. 4000 are believed to be in captivity in Texas alone...The SPCA estimate there are now 500 lions, tigers and other big cats in private ownership just in the Houston area.

Much of this has to do with legislation in various states, many of which have no regualations on owning big cats and several require only a licence.

Also, white tigers (a popular exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo (the second oldest in the country and one of the top zoos, especially in breeding)--we go to both that one and the Louisville Zoo (which is actually larger--I didn't know that)) are controversial because you get them through inbreeding, which can lead to birth defects.