Personality

A few days ago I was talking with Amy and found out an old friend of ours from freshman year of college has a baby! This news excited me! Explanation time....

When you were in Elementary school, what did you do when you went home after school?

Maybe sit right down and do your homework? Hahahaha, ah ha, ha, hoo.....sorry, let me wipe away the tears there....ahhh

Watch a little TV? Animaniacs? Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Jeopardy (I'm a dork, this has already been established.)

Play outside? A little Hop-Box, Jail break, Toccer, or snow fort building?

We did all that, but what most sticks out in my mind is playing with babies.

Of course there was my little sister who came around when I turned 5. Or the various cousins that my mother watched. Aaron, and Jason, and Lauren I remember at our house as babies a lot. But, our mother from time to time while we were growing up watched a few of the neighborhood babies while their mother's were at work. There are two specific ones I remember the most. I would have been about....10 or maybe a little older when she started watching them. They were adorable. Lauren and Margaret. They weren't sisters, and they were rarely at the house on the same days, but when they were, watch out, we had good times. Or on snow days, when we wouldn't go to school, but the adults still had to go to work. Full baby day!

These days probably assisted my becoming an absolute fool for babies, but i think it may be genetic as well. My folks are gonzo over babies all the time. Our grandparents were likewise. Most of our aunts and uncles, too. Now I know that lots of people go gaga for babies, but I think the trend in our family is slightly high. Or maybe I think so because of how much of a difference there can be between someone's usual demeanor and attitude, and those traits around a baby.

Long story short, too late I know, I like babies a lot.

So I wanted to see a picture of Michele's baby. To do this I joined MySpace. Scary at the best of times joining one of these sites. Who knows what friends from the past can come out of the woodwork on one of these sites. But I joined, caught up with a few people, and saw some baby pictures! Life is good.

But then I was reminded of a few other sites like that that I used to be a part of and I looked them up. I found one site that has all kinds of tests and keeps record of your scores on these tests.

I love tests. Standardized? Great. Math? Perfect. I even see trivia games like a test. I tend to only be competitive when it comes to my brain. Some might say overly competitive. I'll take that as a character flaw though. As they go, I don't see it as so bad.

Some of the tests on these sites include personality tests. The main one gives me 'The Boy Next Door' moniker. I'm comfortable with this. At least it isn't The Teddy Bear....

THE BOY NEXT DOOR

Kind, yearning, playful, you are The Boy Next Door. You're looking for real Love, a lot like girls do. It might not be manly, but it's sweet.

We think the next three years will be very exciting and fruitful ones for you. Your spontaneous, creative side makes you a charming date, and we think you have a horny side just waiting to shine. Or glisten, rather. You enter new relationships unusually hopeful, and the first moments are especially glorious. If you've had some things not work out before, so what.

On paper, most girls would name the Boy Next Door as their ideal mate. In the real world, however, you're often passed over for more dangerous or masculine men. You're the typical "nice guy:" without just a touch of cockiness, you're doomed with girls. A shoulder to cry on? Okay, sure. But never a penis to hold.

More than any other type, Boys Next Door evolve as they get older. As we said, many find true love, but some fail miserably in the search. These tarnished few grow up to be The Men Next Door, who are creepy as hell, offering backrubs to kids and what not.
THE END

Mostly true, I don't deny it. Except for the man next door part, ewww.

But elsewhere on this site, put together by some other third party was another personality test, which of course I took. Overkill is also a character flaw of mine, so sue me.

THE ARCHITECT
You are more introverted than extroverted. You are more intuitive than observant, you are more thinking based than feeling based, and you prefer to go with the flow rather than have a routine. The single word to describe your type is the Architect, which belongs to the larger group of rationals. You wish to sculpt the world around you. Others often find you arrogant, yet you have no desire to direct others, only to inform them. You must know the structure of things, and have a voracious appetite for knowledge. You are very rational in everything you do, and probably consider yourself smarter than most.
As a romantic partner, you can be playful with great energy to get things started, but not quite as good on follow through. You may have a tendency to hurt the more emotional types unintentionally by not sharing your own reactions and feelings as you can get swept up in your own ideas and projects. You want to be appreciated for your ability to respond quickly and to fix problems creatively. You need plenty of time to yourself - therefore your partner must respect your need for independence and originality.
THE END

I italicized the parts of that one that are dead on. Other parts are kinda true, but slightly hazy.
Sometimes its kind of scary what answering a few questions can show, generally of course, what kind of person you are.

Or is it just how you see yourself? Not as others see you?


Slightly adjusted quote of the day:
...faith is but a birthmark with which we are born, an impalpable umbilicus to time and place, which we rarely ponder to cut. Had your soul or mine cried its first in the Arab land, then a Muslim would you or I be.'

- the old Jew from In The Hand Of Dante by Nick Tosches

Blank Canvas

Ok everyone, I need your help.

Nah, let's make that input. I'll have less qualms about disregarding/choosing to ignore some input than I would saying no to help. Not saying that I will ignore anyone's input, but, C'mon, I know you people. You're friends with me, so I know what kind of crazy randomness you can come up with.

Here's the idea.

I have a blank wall. I would like to come up with an idea for what to do with it. First let me give you a general layout of the room with a few explanations of things currently on the wall.

Let's go counter-clockwise, sorry, I like being contrary.

North wall.
There's the doorway to the living room at the extreme right. The entryway that is the gaping maw to the bleakness that is my domain....Sorry, been reading some stuff about Dante lately...
On the back of the door there is a framed concert poster from Cowboy Mouth announcing their show at the Blue Note on Oct 30th, 2003. The night we met the Vox Fairy. (remember that Colonel?) Then we have the mini file cabinet with the photo of my lil cousin Shannon and the framed copy of the Little Mr & Mrs Book, 'Mr Bump'. Seriously, I'll save that one for another day.
Then we have the hanging photos. They are in a....
| _
_
|
pattern.
(clockwise from top...)
1) Currently blank...Looking for a suitable one from Mike & Tracy's wedding.
2) Baseball game, summer of 2003. Claire's visit to St Louis. Claire and Amy and my sis. Three of my favorite girls in the world.
3) Amers and I at the Capitol building in DC. My favorite pic of me and my best female friend ever. Love ya Ames.
4) My boys in Panama City. Jerod, Jerome, and Kris. J-Rod, Rome & The Colonel to most of you. Hanging out in the pool at Club La Vela after an afternoon of free beer after cover. Best and worst invention ever!

There is a large bulletin board to the right of the pictures. On it is a pic of Amy (lovely!) and I on top of the Empire State Building, random notes, a pic of a '50 Merc Coupe (beautiful!), a signed picture of Elisabeth Shue (gorgeous!), and random pins and buttons from the past, I'm talking Geography Bee, CLI, Flogging Molly concert, Confirmation, J.A., Blockbuster, and Varsity Tennis...I did say random...

West Wall
The sorts wall. Dresser and directors chair between doors. '82 World Series Coke Bottle and '6 Years, Six Playoffs' Blues Pepsi bottle on dresser. 'St Louis Blues Avenue' above the closet door. Budweiser 2006 Cardinals Calendar. Framed certificate from final Reg Season game at Old Busch stadium. Framed 'Forty Years, Countless Memories' poster from final game. Also on the dresser is a small set of books including a couple of old copies of some classics and some very old physics, math, and engineering texts. I'm talking 1918 old.
The door to my own private bathroom is on this wall as well and in the bathroom the decor continues sports. The 2004 NL champs Pennant and the 2003 Syracuse National Champs BBall pennant grace the walls in this extra room. My prized sports possession that most in the U.S. don't have is an actual Wimbledon Towel from the 2003 Championships. Now if I could just get that Arsenal Gunners warmup framed!

South Wall
Top of bed and a short bookshelf are against this wall. A couple of picture frames with the 'original people' in them graces this piece of furniture. As well as a silver book that has the following quote on it. 'Some books leave us free, and some books make us free.' Anyone know who that is from?
The wall has a window and next to the window a ceramic Irish Blessing hangs.
'May the road rise to meet you,
may the wind be always at your back,
may the sun shine warm upon your face,
the rains fall soft upon your fields and,
until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.'

Above the bed hangs a small Chinese painting of the symbols meaning Wisdom & Knowledge, a multi layered paint of a jazz scene, and an abacus. Any puns come to mind with the abacus? Any?

East Wall

Nada except for a window. I have a large space for just about anything. I hope from explaining the rest of my decor, you get a general picture of what I'm about and could offer some constructive ideas.

here are a couple of ideas I had...

Multiple little frames with various quotes from songs from my favorite band, Cowboy Mouth. They have such good ones like,

'You gotta get up, you gotta find your heart, you gotta find your soul, you gotta find those strengths inside of yourself that make you take on the day, that make you take on the world, that makes you appreciate what goes on around you, that makes you glad to be aliiiiiive!'

MC Escher prints, but I have 8 of those already in the kitchen.

Movie photos/stills. But again, I already have many of those in the living room.

Any ideas? Input please! Necesito input. Johnny Five needs input!

A. H. & P. Part Two

That's Art, Humor & Philosophy, the title of the previous C&H blog, the three things I believe Bill W. combines beautifully in the C&H comics.

Surprisingly I can specifically recall the first time I bought a Calvin and Hobbes collection. I remember being in third grade and finding it in those small four page catalogs from some book company. You remember those? They always had some Garfield books, and things like 'Number the Stars', 'Superfudge', and 'Wayside School'. That was the first time I bought a C&H book.
That book of strips released was entitled Something Under The Bed Is Drooling. I specifically recall that being the first one. I remember being ten or eleven and finding the first book that i didn't even know existed at a book store.

I love the books. Even at that young of an age. Remember the reading programs at the library?

You could read books all summer and get rewarded for it!

How cool is that!?

And yes! I realize I look like a huge nerd right now!

Cardinals tickets? Pizza Hut Pizzas I could use to bribe my sister and brother for things since I wouldn't eat pizza? Yes please.

Thus probably began my obsession with counting the books I read even to this day and keeping a list of them on Excel. It is kinda helpful at times. It truly is. And now to the second batch of quotes...

'Something Under The Bed Is Drooling'

foreword:

There is a mystical quality to Bill Watterson's work. What we have here is no mere comic strip. It possesses a dimension which was found once upon a time in George Herriman's Krazy Kat and, later, in Walt Kelly's Pogo. That, however, was long ago, and since their passing, there has been nothing in the world of cartoon art to replace them. Now, we have Calvin and Hobbes.

There are no mealy-mouths or namby-pamby characters in this strip. The kid is delightfully and dedicatedly rotten. The mother and the father (no names are given or necessary) live alongside their offspring in a state of agitated wonderment at what they must have done to deserve this child. The kid, for his part, lives a good 70 percent of his time in a world I remember well from my own childhood, peopled with unspeakable creatures of the imagination, and the rest of the time in a real world peopled with other unspeakables (the teacher, the girl, the school thug). Refuge from the latter world is found in the former. And then there's the goofy stuffed tiger. A gentle soul, he is much smarter than the kid, whose brashness he leavens with a wry, endearing wisdom.

There are many comic strips out there, a few good, some average, a great many merely background clutter. All have their own cast of characters, engaging or not, all glued and patched together with dialogue, some good, some not. Very few bright stars appear who possess that peculiar magic which can provoke comparison with the best of the past. Looking at the work of our two comparisons, Herriman and Kelly, we can see a wedding of idea and art rarely seen these days, a feeling that words can enhance art and art can do the same for the written - that a carefully wrought blend of these ingredients can create a degree of enchantment which bespeaks genius.

You want magic?

Watterson the alchemist has conjured forth a work of subtlely, character, and depth far out of proportion to his tender years. I wish him long life, and may the powers of his sorcery never diminish.

You want magic?

This is a collection of the sorcerer's recipes for changing simple ink and paper into the purest gold. Humbly allow me to present Calvin (the kid) and Hobbes (the tiger). This book is magic.

- Pat Oliphant (most widely syndicated political cartoonist in the world)
www.uclick.com/client/wpc/po/

- I don't like these stories with morals.
- In short, open revolt and exile is the only hope for change.
- Gravity is arbitrary!
- Fat kids are high in cholesterol.
- I try to make everyone's day a little more surreal.
- The world bores you when you're cool.
- What fun is it being cool if you can't wear a sombrero?
- I was beguiled by her feminine charms. Yow.
- I've got plenty of common sense! I just choose to ignore it.
- C - If we're going to die, what's the point of living? H - Well, there's seafood...
- That's the problem with nature. Something's always stinging you or oozing mucus on you.
- It's hard to be a mom for a mom.
- Nothing beats sitting by a roaring fire after you've been out in the cold. Of course some people say why bother going outside first?
- Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me....Yeah right.
- Snow everywhere! It must be waist deep! Unfortunately that's a relative measure.
- Grades? We're being graded? We don't even get a few practice semesters?
- Her plan backfired dad. I'm all wound up and she needs to be put to bed.
- You don't get to be mom if you can't fix everything just right.
- It wouldn't be very grateful of you to break my heart.
- I'm crying because out there he's gone, but he's not gone inside me.
- I thought that after seven boring hours at school, you might appreciate one moment of pure, abject terror.
- I wonder if you can refuse to inherit the world. I think if you're born, it's too late.
- It's amazing what they do with corrugated cardboard these days.
- What horrors we visit upon ourselves in the name of science.
- Why is it you always rip your pants on the day everyone has to demonstrate a math problem at the chalkboard?
- The living dead don't need to solve word problems.
- Of course real zombies never get the giggles while looking at each other.
- Reading goes faster if you don't sweat comprehension.
- I'm a dessertarian.

Not that many quotes, but the beginning of the "dad/politics" bit started in this collection. A classic. Not to mention the mating dance strip...

C - Dad, did you do a mating dance when you first saw mom? I saw some birds do it on TV. They went, 'AWK AWK BRAAU-AUUKKK!!'
D- Yes, that's more or less how I reacted.
M- To what wise guy?....think carefully.

Sure didn't quite get that at the time....

Short & Quick.....hey, mind out of the gutter there chief

Well, I tried to go to bed, but that didn't work out, just not sleepy enough.

Yes, yes, I know it has been quite a while since I have updated. Hopefully this is my re-begin-start-again time. Or something to that effect...

I found this short little thing on a friend's MySpace account, and figured I'd fill it out real quick.


favorite
1. band: Cowboy Mouth (www.cowboymouth.com)
2. word: Hammaad (Hammered in Bostoneese)
3. Vacation: Hmm, Panama City 2003 or DC/New York '99

w o r s t
1. Time of day: when the alarm clock goes off (good answer Sarah!)
2. Day of the week: Sundays as of late...
3. Food: cottage cheese....damn you Amy...
4. Memory: not sure i want to venture into this one. Why would I want to venture back through crappy times in my head to find out which memory I deem as the worst?

l a s t
1. Person you saw: my wittle sisto - Tina
2. Talked to on the phone: The manager at Old Chi
4. Text: Elizabeth
5. messaged over myspace: that would be Miss Sarah. I still remember way back in Sophmore year she was talking about getting her hair cut short. I thought this was a travesty as I love her red hair, and therefore, thought there should be more of it. Well, she did get it cut, and for the entire time I knew her she had fairly short hair. Well, i just saw a picture of her on myspace with hair well below her shoulders. Had to inform her that it looked beautiful!

t o d a y
1. What are you doing now: not sleeping
2. Wearing: t shirt, athletic shorts
3. Better than yesterday?: nah, had family time yesterday.

t o m o r r o w
1. Is: Tuesday
2. Got any plans: work, then Hooters Trivia Night. Believe it or not, I am basically being dragged there by some frineds who want a teammate that knows a lot of random junk. Of course I'm not arguing...
3. Goal: Get more done at work than I think I will, and win the Trivia Night
4. Dislikes about tomorrow: waking up... deciding what beer to drink...it's tough!

f a v o r i t e
1. Number: 7
2. Song: currently: Finger Eleven - One Thing, or B.U.S. - I Wanna Be There
3. Color: green

c u r r e n t l y
1. Missing someone: Claire and Amy, the old gang from the Dorms, the Fab Five
2. Mood: semi-apathetic
3. Wanting: sadly...a cuddle partner wouldnt be all bad...or a stiff vodka tonic to put me to bed, that wouldnt be bad either...

Well, maybe sleep wouldnt be all bad, dreaming of the old days. Wishing to be around a particular someone, etc, etc, etc.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


zzzz....i am sir RODNEY gimmelthorpe....KING of the wicker people.....zzzzzzzzzzz