SPIRITUALITY/RELIGION and ENTERTAINMENT: Moby's Take on Christmas

Moby, an extremely liberal Christian, has this interesting take on Christmas. I got it from his website which Spin led me too. - OlderMusicGeek

as for christmas, i hope that everyone has a wonderful christmas, regardless of how you choose to celebrate it (or not celebrate it).

i always hope that somehow we can see past the fun and awesome pagan trappings of christmas (trees, mistletoe, december 25th, candy canes, etc) to remember that on christmas we celebrate the birthday (even if jesus wasn't actually born anywhere near december 25th) of a man who wanted us all to be more forgiving, more compassionate, less judgemental, less violent, and less materialistic.

ultimately christmas is about celebrating the birthday of a man who wanted us to love one another and to look after one another regardless of our religious or political or ethnic or gender differences.

thanks, and merry christmas.
moby

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Christmas Cartoons

CULTURE/SOCIETY: A Christmas Questionaire

Welcome to the 2006 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! You know the drill.

Don't be a scrooge!!!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate - egg nog makes me sick to my stomach. But I actually prefer hot cider - love the stuff.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He just sets them under the tree. When does he have time to wrap them.

3. Colored lights or white lights on the tree/house? Oh, colored definitely, the more, the better. And one of these days, one with flashing patterns.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Never have. Seems kind of weird - and don't want to have to kiss somebody i don't want to.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Friday after Thanksgiving. Have tried to do it a little later - and my daughter would have NONE of that!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish… anything I don't have to prepare!

7. What is your favorite Holiday memory as a child? Can't think of any particular one off the top of my head. After I send this, I'll probably think of a whole bunch I should have listed. But I just remember the excitement of being in bed waiting and knowing it's too early to wake up my parents. And the excitement of seeing the presents and opening the ones my parents and family got me.

I do remember one year when I was invited out on a Christmas Eve outing by friends. My mother said I could go, but Christmas morning was going to start the usual time because my brother's young daughter was there.

Well, we got home after midnight. And I remember being woken up to a young girl bouncing on my bed yelling, "Get up! It's Christmas morning!" I have a feeling a certain mother instructed her how to wake my brother and I.

And when I was in Africa, there was a family on the Zimbabwean campground I was at that invited me to join them for their picnic. (It's summer south of the equator at this time.) That was fun. I remember the guy playing a bunch of Beatles tunes on his acoustic guitar.

And my ex-fiancee and I would always visit her dad, who would slaughter a goat for the occasion.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I honestly can't remember. I have tried to remember and don't. It must have been very traumatic and a piece-by-piece suspicion and realization. I pretty sure when my mom told me, it was confirming what I pretty much already knew.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? My daughter can open just one.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Most people hate it. We put a ton of those metal ice cycles on it. Four strings on tinsel - white, gold, green and red. A ton of ornaments, most shining. And lights. It looks tacky in the day, but looks cool at night with reflections everywhere.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I hate snow. I never missed the Iowa winters when I lived in Africa for six years. But it's nice for my daughter because she loves the snow.

12. Can you ice skate? Kinda sorta. Don't fall on my butt too much.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Off the top of my head. no. Maybe I'll come up with something later. Though a couple of years ago, I got a great collection of bluegrass Christmas tunes.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending time with the family, especially my daughter and my mom.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Any I don't make to make.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? As a kid, I loved singing Christmas carols with the family. Now, it's putting up the tree with my daughter the day after Thanksgiving. We dig out the Christmas tunes. And I always play first this kick-butt rocking version of Jingle Bells I taped off the radio decades ago. The Christmas season doesn't start for until I hear that. Just wish I knew who did it

17. What tops your tree? A star we bought at my brother's garage sale.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. What kind of greedy jerk prefers recieving. Don't want to know that person.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? White Christmas by Bing. I'm a bit of a tradionalist. But not that much of one, because I'm very proud of my collection of Christmas punk rock songs.

20. Candy Canes! I like them, but I prefer the chocolate candy.

Other Christmas blog entries

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Is Santa Claus A Phallic Symbol?

Well last year, a lot of people got in a huff because I suggested Santa Claus was a vampire. (Good thing I've never explained how Dr Frankenstein created the Easter Bunny - Has to do with brain transfers.) So just to show I'm not THAT bad, I'm presenting what this fellow thinks of Santa Claus... - OlderMusicGeek

Is Santa Claus A Phallic Symbol?
by Nick Yee

Coming from a Hong Kong school system which emphasized rote memory, stressful testing situations, and very rigorous quantitative skills, while de-emphasizing creativity, individual growth, and self-exploration, my American boarding school experience was like a whole new world. And not too unexpectedly, I resisted attempts in English classes to read too deep into the text and into "hidden symbolisms". Not that they don't exist, but that it seemed to be much in the eye of the beholder.

During those last two years of English literature, I always wanted to articulate why there was something very dangerous in reading too deeply, and I think I found it in Santa Claus. Why?

Because Santa Claus is very obviously a phallic symbol of fertility. Let us start with his appearance. He is dressed in red, and characterized as chubby if not outright engorged. His otherwise rosy face is covered with a thick mat of white hair. How much more can the penis be represented in a mythical character? During Christmastime, he climbs down chimneys to deliver presents. Chimneys are long and dark orifices to the home, which is a symbol of nurturance and also femininity. Chimneys are also connected to fireplaces and thus there is also an implication of smoldering warmth that is connected with this long and dark passage that is obviously a representation of the female vagina.

Santa Claus, a phallic symbol, now has to slip through the chimney, a symbolic representation of the vagina, to enter the house, a place saturated with femininity. Once inside, he has to deliver small gifts that he has created to place under the Christmas tree. The presents are obviously representing the male sperm. And the Christmas tree, in its classical triangular shape, is a female symbol that is ornamented with metallic jewellery and decorated with colorful swirls. Santa Claus then places his presents under the skirts of the Christmas tree, accomplishing the symbolic sexual intercourse.

And so, the next time you tell young children about Santa Claus, realize what you're really telling them is about pure and uninhibited sex.

Other Christmas blog entries

CULTURE/SOCIETY and SPIRITUALITY/RELIGION: A Christmas Inquiry

Just a little Christmas inquiry -

If people are willing to believe some radical Jewish pacifist was the son of the Jewish god and the warrior king predicted in the Old Testament as well as believe he did a much of magic tricks, why can't they believe a fat man brings gifts around the world in a sled pulled by eight tiny reindeer?

Just thought I'd ask.

Other Christmas blog entries

CULTURE/SOCIETY: A Wonderful Christmas Story from a Wiccan

This is the current entry on The Sassy Witch's blog. I think it speaks for itself. - OlderMusicGeek

Monday, December 11, 2006
doing a good deed

Okay, I wrote a letter to a local radio station that grants Christmas wishes. I wrote about my daughter's friend who was in foster care and when she aged out her foster parents kicked her out. She moved about for a couple weeks and then one day needed a ride to work (she can't drive due to an eye condition). I took her to work and from there she just kind of moved in. She stayed with us most of the summer and walked to work in 98 degree weather 6 miles to get to work. I would pick her up at night.

I had her save her money all summer and by mid August we were ready to apartment hunt. We looked at some terrible places and in some bad neighborhoods. One place we looked at was really cheap. I found out why. It was horrible. I took one look and looked at the girls and said, "get in the car." We finally found a wonderful apartment in a renovated house. It was very cute and I saw lots of potential. We got to paint it before she moved in. It was great. September first she officially moved in and I remember her first night we left her there she was crying and hugging my daughter. I understand what it is like to be young and on your own for the first time. It is scary. I told her we were not far away and she is still a part of our family. Since then she is doing much better and not so scared.

Anyway, I wrote a letter because she desperately needs an eye exam and new glasses and I know that is not in her budget right now. I also wished she could have a recliner or loveseat to sit on besides my two lawn chairs or the floor. I wrote about all she had been through and how hard she is working to be successful but there were still things she could use some help with.

The radio station called me and said they were going to get her that eye exam and glasses, a gift certificate to the mall for work clothes and a limo to drive her there since she doesn't drive. Also, she got her choice of a loveseat or recliner. They weren't done yet. They also got her a one year bus pass since she rides the public bus to and from work! I was speechless! I was so happy they were doing all this for her!


Today was the first of the gifts. I picked her up and took her to lunch (chinese). We went to the furniture store and the lady said we had 400.00 to work with. We found a loveseat that was also a double recliner. It was very soft (microfiber) and in the price range. The lady who was helping us said that she wanted to accessorize the loveseat. She gathered three decorative throw pillows, a silk sofa shawl, three picture frames and a small table with four shelves and wicker baskets on the shelves! I was blown away by her generosity! I kept thanking her and Daniell who is rather timid and shy was staring wide eyed at everything. She wispered to me at one point, "This is more than we were suppose to get." I wispered back, "Just go with it!" The radio station sent over some people to load it all in a van and take it to her apartment. They carried it up the stairs and set it up for her. They took some pictures and we shook their hands and thanked them. It was so great all they did to make her Christmas. I am so happy for her. I love her like another daughter and no one I could think of deserves this more than she.

Next stop is the mall and eye doctor. She has an appointment on January 7th and my daughter and I get to go with her in the limo to the mall! I want to be there for her eye appointment and hear what the doctor has to say. I'm so happy for her! She laughed at me and said, "You're so giddy I think you are more excited than I am." I said, "No, I just show my emotions more than most people." She laughed at me and gave me a big hug and said thanks for making her Christmas so special. It was worth it just to see the smile on her face and the look in her eyes. She just kept saying, "WOW."

posted by Sassy Witch @ Monday, December 11, 2006 0 comments

HUMOR: Happy Thanksgiving

A couple of cartoons - one from The Sassy Witch and one from zuhn of Vanity Run Amok. Happy Thanksgiving. - OlderMusicGeek

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Tired Tonight

I got this from Brenda at Defcon 5. I liked and thought some of you might too. - OlderMusicGeek

Tired tonight...

Tired of this.
Tired of that.
Tired of the clutter.
Tired of yard work.
Tired of Home Depot projects that need to be done at my house.
Tired of not knowing how to do Home Depot projects.
Tired of not wanting to learn.
Tired of people promising and not delivering.
Tired of people who relive the past and no, you can't go home again.
Tired of being interested when it only lasts for a glimpse.
Tired of yelling and screaming.
Tired of not sleeping. Or not sleeping well.
Tired of staying up for nothing.
Tired of waitng for repsonses from people who will never answer.
Tired of the old way things used to be.
Tired of hot summers and patterns that seemingly never end.
Tired of being alone.
Tired of being around people.
Tired of the way that people complain about life and do nothing to fix it.
Tired of you.
Tired of me.
Tired of people who mean well but will never change.
Tired of people carbon copying the greatest thing they saw or heard yesterday.
Tired of the bags under my eyes.
Tired of being lulled into a great conversation with no follow up.
Tired of being jaded.
Tired of being eternally at the wrong time and place.
Tired of wrong times and places.
Tired of waiting for tomorrow and something better.
Tired of waiting for "the next thing".
Tired of chasing after people who stopped talking for no reason known to me.

I'm tired of being tired. posted by Brenda @ 11:00 PM

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Warning on Bedtimes Virus

Another email from Ernest T Spoon!

Warning!!!!!!

If you receive an email entitled "Bedtimes", delete it IMMEDIATELY. Do not open it. Apparently, this one is pretty nasty. It will not only erase everything on your hard drive, but it will also delete anything on disks within 20 feet of your computer. It demagnetizes the stripes on ALL of your credit cards. It reprograms your ATM access code, screws up the tracking on your VCR, and uses subspace field harmonics to scratch any CD's you attempt to play. It will program your phone auto dial to call only 0898 numbers. This virus will mix antifreeze into your fish tank.

IT WILL CAUSE YOUR TOILET TO FLUSH WHILE YOU ARE SHOWERING.

It will drink ALL your beer.

FOR GOD'S SAKE, ARE YOU LISTENING? ?

It will leave dirty underwear on the coffee table when you are expecting company.

It will replace your shampoo with Nair and your Nair with Rogaine. If the "Bedtimes" message is opened in a Windows 95/98 environment, it will leave the toilet seat up and leave your hair dryer plugged in dangerously close to a full bathtub. It will not only remove the forbidden tags from your mattresses and pillows, it will also refill your skim milk with whole milk.

***

WARN AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN.

***

And if you don't send this to 5000 people in 20 seconds, you'll fart so hard that your right leg will spasm and shoot straight out in front of you, sending sparks that will ignite the person nearest you.

Send this warning to everyone!!!

REMEMBER: THERE'S A LOT OF SADNESS IN THE WORLD!

Right now, as you read this, 17 Million people are having SEX!!!

And look at you - you're on the computer

SCIENCE: Arggh, Why Does the Shower Curtain Attack Me?

Here's an article from NPR.org that I found interesting. - OlderMusicGeek

Arggh, Why Does the Shower Curtain Attack Me?

by Adeline Goss and Joe Palca

All Things Considered, November 4, 2006 · It strikes when we're cold, tired, naked. We may try to dodge it -- but we're cornered.

The shower curtain. Why does it bow inward when we turn on the faucet? NPR's Joe Palca investigates from the scene of the crime: his bathroom. He talks with engineer Liz Marshall from Fluent, Inc., in New Hampshire, a company investigating the curtain effect.

Marshall says there are three explanations. But the simplest, she says, is full of hot air.

Traditional thinking went like this: the hot spray heats the air around it. As the hot air rises, it pulls cooler air into the shower from outside. With that cooler air comes the shower curtain. But this theory is lacking, Marshall says, because it overlooks one important fact. The curtain does the same thing in a cold shower.

Scientists have since turned to the "Bernoulli Effect," which states that when fluids accelerate, the pressure around them drops. So when we turn on the shower, the spray is surrounded by lower air pressure. The pressure outside the shower curtain stays roughly the same. That difference in pressure on either side of the curtain makes it bow in.

That theory held until about five years ago, Marshall says. Then David Schmidt, an engineer at the University of Massachusetts, simulated the shower scene on his computer. His model predicts that when the shower sprays, the air inside the shower becomes a kind of spinning vortex. The pressure at the center of this vortex is very low, as it is at the eye of a hurricane. And that low pressure, Schmidt says, could be what sucks the shower curtain in.

Marshall hopes that further modeling and field studies will settle this steaming hot question.

CULTURE/SOCIETY and ENTERTAINMENT: Are You Seeking an Artist? Do So at Your Own Peril!

This is from the blog of my my old comic book club buddy, Fuad1138. I don't think he'll mind me reprinting it. - OlderMusicGeek

RE: Are you seeking an artist...?

Reply to: gigs-227511919@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-10-29, 8:46PM EST

I have a Question for advertisers who are, "seeking artists".

Let me ask you...How many artists do you know?
Have you met many people, personally, who are capable of performing the tasks you need accomplished? Do you know a dozen? Five? Two? ANY...?

Do you think it is common to find someone with a combination of natural ability, training AND working experience in the art field?
...Someone who can give you the produce you need, with any degree of quality and professionalism?

We're not too common, are we? Not easy to find, huh?

Let me give you a clue, for free! ; There are three times as many neuro-surgeons in the world than there are professional artists.
There are almost twice as many tenured college professors.
There are approximately 12 times as many certified auto mechanics, and up to 400 times as many people working as professionals in the IT field.

So, let me ask... if you had an anneurism, would you ask a neuro-surgeon to operate on it with the payment of "having his work shown"?
Would you barter for a university education by telling the professor that he could display your PHD in his portfolio?
Would you try to have your fuel injection system rebuilt for $20, by promising that you'd give him a ride a couple of times afterward?

Precisely what the hell is wrong with you people?
We professional artists are just that- professionals. It's a career, if not more. (A calling, to most.) It's a finely honed skill, which, most would argue, needs to be based first upon an innate talent that the vast majority never possess to begin with.

So why do you continue to ask us to do work for little or nothing?

If our work isn't worth anything, why do you need it so badly?

A few T-Shirts is not payment.
Neither is the chance to have people see our work displayed at some auto show somewhere. Nor is it free copies of your silly magazine, full credit on your indie film, or anything else of the like.
Payment is payment.

Have some respect for our craft, and stop treating us like hobbyists. This is not something we do on Sunday afternoons to kill time before the game. This is our career. Treat it as such, for christ's sake.

You want to pay in T-Shirts? Try cruising the local high-school's art class.

Just remember... you get what you pay for.

(I apologize to everyone for this rant. It had to be done. Soul-cleansing vents, and all that.)

This is in or around truth, universal. No -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interest.

Compensation: Take this to heart, and your compensation will be a slightly less ignorant existence.

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Jingle Bells Backwards

Another email from Ernest T Spoon. - OlderMusicGeek

A wicked version of Jingle Bells backwards

ENTERTAINMENT: Great Pumpkin Carvings

These are some pics forwarded to me by my girlfriend, The Sassy Witch. - OlderMusicGeek

HUMOR and POLITICS: A Joke

I was checking the websites at blogger.com and came across this joke from the website,
Marc Perkel Rantz. - OlderMusicGeek

What's the difference between the war in Iraq and the war in Vietnam? George W. Bush had a plan to get out of Vietnam.

HUMOR: The Donkey and the Raffle

Another email from my girlfriend, The Sassy Witch. - OlderMusicGeek

The Donkey and The Raffle

A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died."

Kenny replied, "Well then, just give me my money back."

The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

Kenny said, "OK then, just unload the donkey."

The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"

Kenny, "I'm going to raffle him off."

Farmer, "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"

Kenny, "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he is dead."

A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"

Kenny, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898.00."

Farmer, "Didn't anyone complain?"

Kenny, " Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."

Kenny grew up and eventually became the chairman of Enron...

ENTERTAINMENT: Halloween Comic

Here's a comic my girlfriend, The Sassy Witch, sent me. Happy Halloween!

HUMOR and CULTURE/SOCIETY: Like His Momma Used to Do

Another email from my girlfriend, The Sassy Witch. Once again, I hope it's not a warning! - OlderMusicGeek.

He didn't like the casserole
And he didn't like my cake.
He said my biscuits were too hard...
Not like his mother used to make.

I didn't perk the coffee right
He didn't like the stew,
I didn't mend his socks
The way his mother used to do.

I pondered for an answer
I was looking for a clue.
Then I turned around and smacked the crap out of him ...
Like his MOMMA used to do.

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Which Halloween Monster are You?

YOU ARE A VAMPIRE

Somewhere in your murky past, you were seduced to the dark side. You developed a fondness for velvet and dark fabrics, for long capes and dark red lipstick. You enjoy the evening, the shadow of the night. You tend to be sensual, and whether it's a new conquest or an old flame, a nibble on the neck is quite enticing.

Keep an eye open for the unbelieving, for those who treasure an early sunrise and have a wooden stake or two in their pockets. You never know when those bat-haters will track you down and put an end to your nocturnal pleasures!

Which Halloween Monster are You?

HUMOR: Married 43 Years

Was clearing out my old emails and came across this email The Sassy Witch sent me. - OlderMusicGeek

Subject: Married 43 years ~

Well, it's not a midlife crisis, but here's how things worked out for me. Married 43 years, took a look at my wife one day and said, "Honey, 43 years ago, we had a cheap apartment, a cheap car, slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10-inch black and white TV, but I got to sleep every night with a hot 20 year old. Now, we have a nice house, nice car, big bed and plasma screen TV, but I'm sleeping with a 56 year old woman. It seems to me that you are not holding up your side of things."

My wife is a very reasonable woman. She told me to go out and find a hot 20 year old blond to sleep with, and she would make sure that I would once again be living in a cheap apartment, driving a cheap car, sleeping on a sofa bed, and not have anything nicer than a 10-inch black and white TV ....

ENTERTAINMENT: In This Digital Music Age, The Listener is King

Here's some excerpts from an article in The Chicago Tribune that gives some hope for the future of the music industry. ("Some" being the key word.) - OlderMusicGeek

In this digital music age, the listener is king
By Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
Published October 15, 2006

MONTREAL -- For six years at its annual policy summit, the Future of Music Coalition has tried to navigate a path through uncertainty. Now, with the music industry in the midst of its most profound transition since the invention of the phonograph more than a century ago, some solutions are finally coming into focus.

The big labels continue to lose money; record sales are down for the fifth consecutive year. Commercial radio has been publicly embarrassed by payola investigations conducted by the New York State attorney general's office, in which record companies admitted that they've been paying off radio stations to play songs for decades. And retail stores are losing business; more than 1,200 closed in the last year, and last week the bankrupt Tower Records chain announced it was closing its 89 stores in 20 states and laying off 3,000 employees.

But the summit was hardly a wake. Instead, a roll-up-the-sleeves optimism prevailed, especially for artists and consumers.

"More people are experiencing music than ever before in the history of mankind," said Paul Spurgeon, general counsel for SOCAN, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. "The great question is how do we get paid for it?"

Panelists agreed that record companies are now at a do-or-die crossroads. Their prognosis: The labels that survive will do so by spreading sales across a wider range of talent, rather than concentrating on a handful of megasellers to ensure profitable quarterly statements to satisfy anxious shareholders. The new marketplace isn't being built for the 10-million selling act. It'll be about building a foundation for artists that sell less than 100,000 albums.

It makes sense. More than 80 percent of the music that is released in America is made by independent artists who don't sell big enough numbers to attract major-label interest. Yet a handful of corporations continue to haul in the bulk of the shrinking industry's revenue. That's because they concentrate their marketing efforts on a few dozen mega-selling artists, while more than 90 percent of the artists who record for a major label never see a penny in royalties. That business model looks particularly rickety in the Internet era.

System of sharing

A new Internet-savvy music hierarchy is being created. Commercial radio, MTV, retails stores and even record companies are losing their tastemaking status, while consumers are becoming de facto music programmers who share information and music via message boards, Web pages, e-zines and MP3 blogs.

In the process, more people than ever are making and consuming music. Without a physical product to sell, costs for recording and distributing music are sinking. At the same time, opportunities to be heard are increasing. In this world, the narrowest music tastes are being served, and a musical planet encompassing thousands of subcultures is being created.

The debate about the future of music is going back to the past

In a sense, it brought the debate about the future of music back to the past, and the oldest marketing concept of all: playing in front of an audience. It's one thing to hear an MP3 file of a new band like Montreal's Lovely Feathers, quite another to hear that band perform that same song on stage. The breathtaking intensity of the quintet's live performance at Pop Montreal made the songs on their latest album sound quaint in comparison.

"It's hard to quantify how we got noticed," said the Arcade Fire's Win Butler. "No doubt Pitchfork had an impact. But who really cares reading an article? It's the music ultimately. You listen, and you either like it or you don't. For us, we've been so much about playing live and making that connection that I don't know any other way."

"Live music," said former Talking Heads singer David Byrne, "is an experience you can't digitize."

Link to the complete article

ENTERTAINMENT: Cool Pic

Found this pic at Digital Traveler at http://digitalartphotographyfordummies.blogspot.com/and I thought I'd share it.

ENTERTAINMENT: Which Horror Killer Are You?

Seeing as it's Halloween time, I thought I'd give the results of this test Sassy Witch's daughter sent me.
Which Horror Killer are You?

You scored as Hannibal Lecter. You are Hannibal Lecter. You dont need to eat human flesh to live, but do so because it just taste good. You are very intelligent, and enjoy using it to your advantage to keep people guessing. You arent a killing machine, but when you do decide to let loose, watch out! Dinner is served, with some fava beans, and a nice chianti! Hannibal Lecter 45% Michael Myers 40% Captain Spaulding 40% Freddy Krueger 30% Jigsaw 30% Buffalo Bill 30% Jason Voorhees 10% Pinhead 10% Leatherface 5% Candyman 0% created with QuizFarm.com

HUMOR: Happy Friday the 13th

My brother, Harmonica 23, sent me this. I thought it was good enough to pass on. - OlderMusicGeek

ENTERTAINMENT: A Couple of Bizarre Audiofiles

I found these at a site for awards on Australian radio when I was looking for something else, but they're too good not to share.

Surreal FM

The Dangers of Toenail Clippings

CULTURE/SOCIETY and SCIENCE: Results to a Personality Test

This is the result of a test from Similiarminds.com that compares your feelings on various personal things to the ways others answered.

statement	%male	%female
I am embarrassed to have people see my home.	92%	91%
All the problems I have had in life have been my fault.	82%	86%
I act without planning.	80%	82%
I am not easily annoyed.	77%	85%
I absolutely do not want to be average.	76%	79%
I don't respect people with strong ties to organizations, groups, or even family.	74%	86%
I think marijuana should be legalized.	73%	80%
I expect people that care about me to be very accommodating to my sensitive feelings.	73%	64%
I focus on what's missing in my life or me.	72%	74%
Fun is the most important thing in life.	69%	76%
People have trouble reading me and that's fine with me.	68%	76%
I am always in the same mood.	68%	81%
I am very adventurous.	68%	75%
I am easily intimidated.	67%	60%
I am always joking.	65%	71%
I am a large-sized person.	65%	70%
I choose friends whose loyalty I can predict.	63%	62%
I think emotions can pollute objectivity.	61%	70%
I act quickly without thinking.	57%	54%
I don't follow the rules.	55%	64%
I am very good at saving money.	54%	57%
I am socially awkward.	52%	58%
I don't like when things don't make sense.	51%	49%
I am more attentive than physical or cerebral.	48%	44%
I feel the need to adhere to the standards of correct behavior.	48%	48%
I am not always honest with myself.	46%	39%
My thoughtfulness and charitable nature are my foundation.	46%	36%
I do not understand the world enough.	44%	38%
I am frequently helping others but I forget about myself.	43%	37%
I am good at getting people to have fun.	41%	36%
I think people would not like me if they really knew me.	39%	37%
I act at the expense of others.	38%	42%
I like to look weird.	37%	42%
I am easily confused.	37%	28%
I am a creature of habit.	36%	37%
I have a lot of energy.	35%	35%
I am defensive.	35%	33%
My life is defined by loneliness.	35%	42%
It hurts to see people who have what I want.	33%	33%
I am easily influenced.	30%	27%
People sometimes don't appreciate all the work I do for them.	29%	29%
I go after what I want.	24%	24%
I frequently make fun of people.	23%	31%
I don't like happy people.	20%	23%
I am devoted to religion.	20%	18%
I am demanding.	18%	18%
I am often late to work.	16%	16%
I am easily frightened.	11%	6%
I am strongly influenced by the good moods of others.	7%	3%
I wish I was better looking.	2%	2%

Take Free Percentile Test

ENTERTAINMENT: A Bizarre Video Using Albums Covers

My much younger brother, Harmonica 23, once again sent something hilarious that I have to pass unto you.

WARNING: It makes much use of blood!

A bizarre video using albums covers

ENTERTAINMENT and CULTURE/SOCIETY: Which Horror Movie Character Are You?

My brother, Harmonica 23 , sent me this result he got from a internet quiz.



I found it pretty amusing, and decided to try it for myself...



I can't say I approve of the comment on the mentally challenged. But unfortunately, I suppose there might be a bit of truth in the description, though I'm not exactly sure how much. But the description was funny enough that I'm glad I did it.

If you want to try it, click on the link below. The links in the picture just take you to the website, but not the quiz.

Which Horror Movie Character Are You?

Please feel free to put your results in the comments. I would love to see some other descriptions.

ENTERTAINMENT and CULTURE/SOCIETY: Which Superhero Are You?

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 75% Superman 70% Robin 70% Green Lantern 60% The Flash 55% Supergirl 50% Hulk 45% Wonder Woman 30% Catwoman 30% Batman 30% Iron Man 30%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

I have to admit that I was surprised by this result. I was expecting Superman. Who is also rather geeky, but always striving to do the right thing.

But now that I think about, I suppose I am more like Peter Parker than like Clark Kent...

POLITICS, CULTURE/SOCIETY and SPIRITUALITY/RELIGION: Marriage is Love

Full Petition Text from MILLIONSforMARRIAGE.com:

I do support the right of every American to marry, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples. I believe that marriage and other civil rights protections are essential to making all families safer and more secure.

By signing this petition, I agree to support efforts to make marriage equality a reality in our country, and to oppose any attempts to discriminate against GLBT couples and individuals.

MILLIONforMARRIAGE.org

Vote No on the Marriage Federal Amendment - Don't write discrimination into the Constitution
An earlier blog of mine on homophobia and parenthood - Warning: Gay rights people won't like what I say on parenthood

ENTERTAINMENT and CULTURE/SOCIETY: My Personality Compared to Movies

What Classic Movie Are You?

personality tests by similarminds.com

Well, I wasn't quite sure what to make of this result when I first saw it. I thought, "Well, this thing is totally off." But the more I thought about it, they more it made sense. After all, I did do a junior year abroad thing in England where I traveled by train by myself over much of Europe and did hitchhike across Wales, England and Scotland. Then after college, I lived in a small country in southern Africa for 6 years and another southern African country for six months. And I traveled around by hitchhiking checking out 4 different countries there. So I guess I am a bit of an adventurer, though I haven't travel much like that since becoming a dad. But I would do some safer traveling with my daughter if I had the money.

But I still think I'm more like "Prof. Jones" than "Indiana"!

So takes the results of this test as you will.

Now this other test...

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

This sounds a lot more like me. A lot of people find me weird, quirky, offbeat and strange. But the people who seem to like me seem to really like me quite a bit. The others just think, "O-kay!" Sounds like a cult classic to me.

HUMOR and CULTURE/SOCIETY: Male Restroom Etiquette

A long overdue video has finally been made! - OlderMusicGeek



There's only two things missing in this video.

1. Not enough stress on washing your hands.

I mean I don't know how many times I've seen or heard men leaving without washing their hands. I mean, think! What's on your hands, guys?! You really want to touch people with those hands? Or you think people want to be touched by you, or touch anything you touched?

and 2. Throw your paper towels in the trash can, and your toilet paper in the toilet.

I worked in restaurants and stores when I was younger, and I had to clean both rest rooms. The women's rooms were never much work. But the men's room would always have paper towels all over the floor, especially near the trash cans. And little pieces of toilet paper would be around the stalls.

I mean, com'on! If a dork like me with no hand-eye coordination and no athletic skills can get the paper towel in garbage can and the toilet paper in the toilet, I don't know what's the problem with the rest of you guys.

Okay, I'm not the cleanest guy in the world, but this is stuff that really shouldn't be left out and about.

HUMOR, SPIRITUALITY/RELIGION and CULTURE/SOCIETY: A Short Religious/Etiquette Inquiry

I just a short question about religion and possible etiquette here.

When a person sneezes and the other person says, "Bless you.", does it still count if the other person is an agnostic or atheist?

ENTERTAINMENT: Lord of the (Stick) Dance

I found this on the YouTube website. I found it amusing, and if you're into the Irish folk dance/Irish tap dance/Lord of the Riverdance/Micheal Flatley thing, you might find it amusing too. - OlderMusicGeek



My favorite YouTube videos

ENTERTAINMENT: Pictures of The Indianola National Balloon Classic

This is a video containing pictures I took when my daughter and I went to The Indianola National Balloon Classic this summer. I also threw in some photos I stole from Eric Soroos at this website. Check it out. (And, yes, I'm having fun with the movie maker!)

ENTERTAINMENT: My Daughter's Fashion Photography

I am very pleased to introduce the fashion photography of my wonderful daughter. Enjoy... (p.s. If you want, you can skip the photos and just watch the video at the bottom.)













(Sorry about the layout. I just trying to get them side-by-side, but apparentally I'm doing something wrong. I still learning HTML-speak.)

HUMOR and CULTURE/SOCIETY: Never on a Hallmark Card

Another email from The Sassy Witch. - OlderMusicGeek

My tire was thumping.
I thought it was flat

When I looked at the tire...

I noticed your cat.

Sorry!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heard your wife left you,
How upset you must be.

But don't fret about it...

She moved in with me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking back over the years
that we've been together,

I can't help but wonder...

"What the hell was I thinking?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on your wedding day!
Too bad no one likes your husband.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How could two people as beautiful as you
Have such an ugly baby?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've always wanted to have
someone to hold,
someone to love.

After having met you ..

I've changed my mind.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I must admit, you brought Religion into my life.
I never believed in Hell until I met you.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
As the days go by, I think of how lucky I am...
That you're not here to ruin it for me.

####################################################

Congratulations on your promotion.
Before you go...

Would you like to take this knife out of my back?

You'll probably need it again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy birthday! You look great for your age.

Almost Lifelike!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we were together,
you always said you'd die for me.

Now that we've broken up,

I think it's time you kept your promise.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

We have been friends for a very long time ..
let's say we stop?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I 'm so miserable without you
it's almost like you're here.

=====================================================

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy.

Did you ever find out who the father was?

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Your friends and I wanted to do
something special for your birthday.

So we're having you put to sleep.

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

So your daughter's a hooker,
and it spoiled your day.

Look at the bright side,

it's really good pay.