People, Please!

Like Ali, I have to work on my holiday enthusiasm this year. I enjoy being together with the family, since it's about the only time we can coordinate schedules. And although it's not my rock star's favorite environment... I love all the chattering and general shenanigans of loud and loving people socializing.

Yet with my sister's separation and pending divorce, and my youngest brother worrying about the mortality of his mother-in-law... the search for perfect gifts to give seems more a burden than joy. Most likely since we're all to the point in our lives where we can afford to obtain that which we need, no matter what time of the year. We're also a practical lot, and would rather give you a gift card or cash rather than buy you something you won't enjoy or use.

As well, I make sure the bills are paid before I go holiday shopping. So while I will eventually look forward to shopping for my boys, it wasn't first on my agenda the day after Thanksgiving. Fortunately, I have a couple of leave days yet to burn. That is likely when my shopping commence, as my retail part-time gig blocks upcoming evenings and weekends.

Understanding all that... imagine my disbelief when I overheard the following question:

"Finished your Christmas shopping yet?"

Oy freaking vey!

"I haven't always been a bad girl."

That line convinced me I have to get this book:















And this one's going to my mom:
















I have been having the MOST fun with my Amazon wish list!

How I Spent My Thanksgiving Vacation

Now I have the whole series, glee!! Even it was a bit underwhelming to rip open the wafer-thin box. Eight episodes don't go very far.

In other news... I totally know what to get my boys next. Watching Evan play Guitar Hero II last night was HYSTERICAL! The boy has rhythm. Although... it's big, dorky, white boy rhythm. It was so cute to watch them having such a good time.

For the Girls

In the spirit of feasting in the name of thanks, here's some eye candy:


I do feel a teensy bit guilty for missing his game return. Apparently, he was quite the motivational force to KU's latest win! So what that it was against Tennesee State (who?).

Now that he's off the bench, momma got plans for Sasha. Ha!


I am SO in a better mood than this morning!

Obi Wan: I felt a great disturbance in the Force

.. as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.

Peter Jackson won't direct 'The Hobbit' or LOTR prequel (clicky)

Although not from the same movie, it still works. Jackson and New Line are breaking up, over money. Those prenups are more important than you realize!

That's all I have today, folks. It's been a hard week for levity. This week, a year ago, was the beginning of the end for my personal goddess. I'm grateful the last words I received from her were happy and optimistic.

Every once in a while, though... I'm still pissed she's gone. This too shall pass.

Equal Time

No longer do I need worry about neglecting the DC comics heroes.

While at the post office, I found these:

Like golden age comics, the postal service has been around long enough not to care if they're PC or not. So that's is the only comics option you get. Don't go crying to your mama, hippie.

Giving Thanks

As I had to put on my iPod this morning, to drown out two blathering coworkers wasting time chatting over the wall... I was reminded of those things for which I should be thankful. And not only because the first song playing was the Renholder mix to A Perfect Circle's "Judith" (thank your god).

Lyndy's 2006 List of Superficial Things To Be Thankful For:

Diet Sunkist soda-- when you feel like cheating on Diet Coke

Peanut butter M & Ms-- even more addictive than the Kissables heroin

Southwest airlines Ticketless Travel funds and Rapid Rewards-- no longer need I worry about eating a penalty for changing airfare. And after only eight roundtrips in two years, I get free flight!

Munchos chips-- and thank you, Frito Lay, for not making them in a bigger bag. Otherwise, I'd always have a sodium headache.

Bath & Body Works body cream-- extra thick, and super smelly. Bonus on getting free stuff coupons in the mail all the time!

Hip vampire movies (like Underworld)-- beyond the cuties in black leather and corsets, for introducing me to new music. While it's heavier than I'd seek out or listen to for long otherwise... it does fit a need to suit a mood.

Ethnic Gourmet's Pad Thai with tofu-- thank you for reminding me of fun thai lunches with the Goddess

Working with a crew all younger than me-- has made me feel fun again... and also affirmed that I haven't turned out half bad!

and lastly, thank you, iPod-- for keeping me from wanting to strangle idiot people!

That's Queen Geek to You!

I felt a pang of dilemma this morning, trying to decide what style of checks to reorder.

When you're a comic fan, it's hard to be loyal only to Marvel, or only to DC.

Fortunately, Marvel upped their offer, by including my girl Elektra:



Marvel wins!






And I'm really having to resist ordering the coordinating checkbook cover:


It's got my man Daredevil!!!








Aww, crap... I am so screwed! I hate paying money anyway for checks, since I really only use them to track what I pay online. The internet minimum order will last me like two years!

But they're so dang cool!

No Excuses, Then I Know

So Jerry Cantrell wants to continue making a living off the Alice in Chains band name. Got themselves a new lead singer, and a tour VH1 promotes for them eighteen times an hour.

I suppose he should be allowed to do that... it's a free country. But isn't it a *tad* bit, oh, say... TACKY?!?

Granted, if they are Cantrell's songs, he can has the right to perform them no matter whom sings. And, it's not the first time bands have continued on to heightened success (Brian Johnson says "thank you, Bon Scott!") It just seems a bit cheap to continue using the Alice in Chains name.

Or maybe I'm just upset at the fact ten years have passed too quickly, after remembering where I was at the time most of their music was put out. Kinda feels like The Surreal Life... without all the bad plastic surgery, and (not likely) accidental flashing. Don't worry, booze and crazy behaviour are still welcome!

Oy

Update

You need to go get the Rocco Deluca and the Burden album. It's really that good.

New To Review

The other night, I watched a documentary with the best name...

I Trust You To Kill Me

Although the band may not have had to suffer as much as claimed, they seemed to sound pretty good. It also probably doesn't hurt they're signed to Kiefer Sutherland's label.

I'll report back after listening to the album. What new music are you listening to?

Friday Filler

Nothing interesting going on at the ranch. I've been working at the store the last several nights, with a 9-5 shift tomorrow. D is working on the wedding video we shot last weekend. Took monster and a friend to see "Flushed Away". I didn't stay to watch it, but the boys thought it was pretty hysterical. I would have rather it been Wallace and Gromit.

Yahoo! must have a slow news day... the main news story was a "who are you" personality test. It said Star Trek, so of course I had to follow the link. It's more of a read than you'd think, so plan accordingly:

Star Trek Personality Test Results: INTJ
This test says you are an INTJ (Introvert, Intuitive, Thinker, Judger).* In Star Trek, you share a basic personality configuration with the characters of Jean-Luc Picard, Seven of Nine, and T'Pol.

"Things are only impossible until they're not." - Picard

Qualities
People like you are generally autonomous, reserved (perceived by others as "aloof"), and intellectual. You sometimes give the impression you have no need of others, but you're intensely curious and driven to learn. You're cautious with others socially and respond best to people who don't push you to be friendly or affectionate. You appreciate when others follow your lead and accept your advice in the helpful spirit in which it is intended. You're calm by nature and feel off-balance when confronted by highly emotional people.

You're highly organized and expect the same of others. You analyze automatically and enjoy seeing patterns and trends. When your mind is made up, that's it, which means that while you're definitive and strong, you can be stubborn and arrogant. You live in a world of ideas.

You respond best to other people's needs when they tell you about them clearly. You value honesty greatly and you're excellent at employing constructive criticism. You prize people who listen to you and respect your ideals. You are somewhat contemptuous of those who don't pay attention to what you say and extremely contemptuous of those who can't do their jobs well.

Goals
Your primary goal in life is achieving independence and being able to live according to your own standards. Your reward is continual expansion of your competence and knowledge.

Work
You are almost completely project-driven. Though you won't work against your fundamental principles, the current job before you can consume pretty much all other considerations. You will perform all-out for a superior you respect, but you have a sometimes unfortunate tendency to let bosses know when they've lost your admiration, or when you disagree with them.

You lead and follow equally well, as long as you believe that what you're doing will work. Perceived futility can make you shut down, and you will suffer intense feelings of failure if your end product is not "perfect." A good supervisor will give you praise for all successes. A bad one will only add to your stress by pointing out problems you already know about for which you are probably already punishing yourself. When stressed, you may deny blame out of self-preservation.

Make sure you market yourself and your ideas at work, or you may be taken for granted. All too often, the logic of your strategy can be lost on others, so don't resent it when asked to explain your actions.

Relationships
Social skills may be your undoing, especially making small talk at parties or flirting with strangers. You feel everything very deeply, so you've learned to keep what you feel to yourself. This combination can alienate people instantly and even make stubborn suitors give up in frustration.

On the flip side, you can learn to interpret others' visual and vocal signals with expertise if you're willing to make the effort. You're better at understanding people than you may think, and you work hard at relationships you care about. But beware answering someone's request for emotional support with advice and solutions.

Jobs
Good careers for your type include being a starship captain, intellectual property attorney, news analyst, design engineer, software developer, inventor, Webmaster, architect, and ex-Borg

They missed the mark a bit with the "can't socialize well". Otherwise, I'm happy with the results. And I look good in tight jumpsuits, score!

You can read about other personality types here. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and they'll give you several other acronym links.

There is also a Star Wars personality test, but I haven't tried it yet. I don't care as much for quizzes where to you have to tally points/answers. Guess I've been spoiled by Blogthings and their button clicks.

PS: Hug a veteran. Even if you don't have a uniform thing like *some* people I know. They're special.

Best Election Coverage Yet

I found this through a string of Friends-of-Ali blogs. The writer appears to be from Seattle, and very funny.

I'm not sure if it is his original work, but I loved it all the same. How can you go wrong? Comics+politics=humour!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006
ELECTION DAY 2006 - WHOSE SIDE IS YOUR FAVORITE SUPERHERO ON?

It's mid-term election day here in the States, which means that tommorrow 1/3 of the country will be cautiously happy, 1/3 will be pissed off, and the other 1/3 will have no idea that there was an election in the first place.

It's times like these that make me wonder how superheroes would vote. Is Captain America a Republican or a Democrat? What about Batman? It's tempting to attribute one's own political beliefs to one's childhood heroes, but that would be wrong. We're in a No-Spin Zone here at Dave's Long Box, so I have examined the evidence and decided on a political party affiliation for some of my favorite heroes without regard to my personal beliefs.

So, in an effort to piss off readers of all political persuasions, here then is the breakdown. I can't wait for the Green Lantern fans to start flaming me in the comments section...

SUPERMAN – MODERATE REPUBLICAN
Small town values and big city pragmatism inform Superman’s middle-of-the-road political beliefs. On the one hand, his upbringing in rural Kansas forms the bedrock of Superman’s values system. On the other hand, as Clark Kent, Superman works in bustling cosmopolitan Metropolis for a big city liberal newspaper, The Daily Planet. Superman is a fiscal conservative who has a healthy distrust of big government – don't forget his arch-enemy Lex Luthor was President of the United States for a while. He’s moderate on most social issues like gay rights (Jimmy Olsen is his best pal) but is pro-capital punishment. Hey, Superman, it doesn’t matter if you cry after executing some Kryptonian criminals – you’re still pro-death penalty.

WONDER WOMAN – SOCIALIST
Wonder Woman was raised in an all-female society, a monarchist utopia with strong socialist overtones and plenty of hot girl-on-girl action. Wonder Woman came to “Patriarch’s World” with a clear liberal agenda but a willingness to crack skulls if need be. She’s heavily into social justice, environmental issues, and sisterhood. Wonder Woman is not beyond sticking a high-heeled red boot up your ass if you get in the way of her Sapphic Socialism

GREEN ARROW – TOTAL FUCKING COMMUNIST
Green Arrow is a loose cannon, politically speaking. He’s somewhere to the left of Alec Baldwin on the political spectrum and he’s armed to the teeth with those crazy-ass arrows of his. Green Arrow is an unapologetic leftist. He's always bitching about how the Justice League are a bunch of fascists and railing against “The Man.” He’s soft on drugs – his sidekick Speedy was a frickin’ junkie! An advocate of redistribution of wealth and his own pinko version of justice, this modern day Robin Hood wants to take your hard-earned money and give it to some soup kitchen or something. Go smoke another joint, hippy!

GREEN LANTERN – REPUBLICAN
The squarest superhero in the DC Universe (and that’s saying a lot), Green Lantern is also one of the most conservative. A former test pilot and current galactic police officer, Green Lantern has always been a running dog for The Man. Dude carries a WMD on his ring finger and flies around reshaping reality according to his idea of The Way Things Should Be. Total neocon. (I am so getting hate email for this.)

BATMAN – INDEPENDENT
Batman is a true independent, a man of solid principles and baffling contradictions. This may be because he is mentally ill. Batman has an almost paranoid distrust of government institutions, yet believes in the rule of law. He’s an urban vigilante, yet he’s a proponent of gun control. Batman is anti-death penalty to a fault – how many times has he had to capture the mass-murdering Joker and return him to Arkham Asylum instead of the electric chair? Contradictions be damned. Batman follows his own moral compass, and Batman is always right. When Batman votes, he weighs all the options and chooses the best person for the job, regardless of party affiliation or whether they are actually running for office. In other words, he writes-in BATMAN on every ballot.

SPIDER-MAN – DEMOCRAT
“With great power comes great responsibility.” That’s 100% Democrat. Spidey is as much about taking care of the little guy as he is about clobbering bad guys. Spidey grew up poor, watching his Aunt May trying to stretch her Social Security check each month and scrambling to make ends meet as a freelance photographer for that yellow rag The Daily Bugle. Nowadays he’s working as a teacher in a New York public school. Recently Spidey was duped by reactionary neocon superheroes into supporting their oppressive agenda in Marvel’s Civil War mini-series. Total democrat.

DAREDEVIL– FAR-LEFT DEMOCRAT
Let’s see: Rich, highly-educated skirt-chasing Manhattan defense attorney. Total liberal. Enjoy that Streisand concert, Daredevil.

IRON MAN – NEOCON REPUBLICAN
No Marvel hero has better Republican credentials than Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. He’s a billionaire industrialist and weapons manufacturer with an Ivy League education and a drinking problem. He’s a staunch anti-communist and served as Secretary of Defense (can we have him back?). In Marvel’s Civil War storyline, Iron Man has drawn a line in the proverbial sand. He wants all superhumans to register with the government, and if you’re not with him, you’re against him. And if you’re against him, look out. He’ll classify you as an enemy combatant and throw your ass into his Negative Zone prison, where U.S. courts have no jurisdiction. No, he’s not considered a supervillain, why do you ask?

THE HULK – LIBERTARIAN
“Hulk just want to be left alone.”

CAPTAIN AMERICA - TRUMAN DEMOCRAT
Cap is a man out of time. Thawed after 50-odd years of suspended animation, this living legend from World War II is guided by old-fashioned American values and unshakeable principles. In other words, he’s got a bit of a stick up his ass. Captain America can’t even recognize today’s political parties, which have mutated in the decades he’s been on ice into bloated, hypocritical ideological monstrosities whose divisive policies makes him sad. Makes him cry, even. Cap believes in small government that stays out of private lives, a strong national defense, and pulling oneself up by one’s boot straps or shoelaces or whatever is handy. However, Cap is opposed to legislating morality and believes that government has a responsibility to help out the less fortunate and defenseless, like kids and puppies. Cap is a walking Frank Capra movie with a mean right hook. He votes his conscience, not along party lines.

GHOST RIDER - UNAFILLIATED
The Spirit of Vengeance, Ghost Rider is the ultimate protest voter. He always votes against the incumbent and anyone who endorses helmet laws. Vengeance is his.

posted by David Campbell at 4:42 AM

Kansas Breathes a Sigh of Relief

Last night was a pleasant mix of election coverage, KU basketball, and songs from the '80s. Winners all the way around.

Though the VH1 commentators on those "best of" shows have to go. They are freaking predictable and annoying. Chris Booker, I'm talking to you. Any of those fools that have appeared as experts on more than one made-for-VH 1 need to get a real job.

Oh yeah, and Bret Michaels? Be honest and admit you're bald under the hats and bandanas. Shave off the skullet and embrace the new century. Even Leif Garrett came around.

Conversely, David Coverdale has aged very handsomely. Why, hello there!

Sorry, Honey

This will probably be a disappointment to my anti-establishment, rocker boyfriend. Though he'll be the first to agree that I didn't as much attract him... as I lured him in and kept him from leaving once he agreed to date me. That boy was the sanest piece of stability I'd seen in a long time. He wasn't going to get away!

He's even a good sport to keep his day job, since I don't want to stress about money. So he may play a yuppie at work... it's just a necessary evil. Necessary to make the money to be evil! Oh wait-- I'm the evil one, not him...

What type of person do you attract? Your Result: You attract Yuppies! You attract the very well-dressed, job oriented type of people. They usually have their finances together, are 'middle of the road' on most topics, generally happy with the 'main-stream' of things. If it is stability you are after, these are good people to attract, if you seek adventure, it may be time for an overhaul.
You attract artsy people!
You attract unstable people!
You attract geeks!
You attract rednecks!
You attract models!
What type of person do you attract? Quizzes for MySpace

Yeah, the whole attracting unstable people thing? Not sure why that is. But believe it or not, folks... I am NOT the oddest person I know! In fact, it's kinda surreal... when my friends come to me for advice!

Interesting...

Degolar wasn't sure how accurate his quiz results were, but as for mine:

Your distinct personality, The Doctor, might be found in the most of the thriving kingdoms of the time. Your emotions and feelings are reality based. You are not misled with half formed ideas nor are you given to radical or high risk experimentation. You follow the tried and true and do not waste time thinking about things that cannot be seen, touched, heard, felt, or smelled. One the positive side, you can become an exceptional expert in your particular area of the helping professions. You can deliver and maintain consistent and beneficial service to others. You do not lose sight of the reality of the situation and can usually control your own emotions. On the negative side, your emotions may want to be sensually satisfied which might lead to too much food, drink, or other sensual pleasures. Interestingly, your preference is just as applicable in today's corporate kingdoms.

Talk about feeling guilty for every past "let's play doctor" tease! Guess I was supposed to be thinking like that?

The quiz is quick and interesting enough. Tell me what you find: Take the Kingdomality Personal Preference Profile quiz

Just Great!

I am a fairly paranoid person, even when feeling healthy. So after two days of being ill (chills, pills, it was no thrill, kids)... this is the horoscope I get?!?

Daily Extended Forecast for November 03, 2006
Provided by Astrology.com

Exploring your surroundings in greater detail is never a waste of time -- especially now, when things are entering a great state of flux. Even if it doesn't feel that way, things are about to change very quickly -- and very dramatically. Make a special effort to get a clearer picture of the way things are now, so you'll better understand how things change. Appreciating the difference is the best way to learn a valuable lesson about how you can grow

Aren't horoscopes supposed to be motivating or vaguely supportive? Criminy!