Life in the Foothills of the Headlands

Brief post to show I'm alive

2008-08-29T01:06:16Z

Just making a quick lookin to LJ to show that I'm still alive. Don't bother to reply to this message; I probably won't be back to see it until mid-December, when I'm finished with this semester.

I didn't expect this result...

2007-11-24T01:35:40Z

Discworld quiz under the cut:

Which Discworld Character are you like (with pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Lord Havelock Vetinari

You are Lord Vetinari! Supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork! Cool, calculated, and always in control. You graduated from the assassins guild, but failed a course on stealth and camouflage, because the professor never saw you there (even though you attended every class). You always seem to know what everyone is thinking, and after a conversation with you, people feel that they have just escaped certain death.

Lord Havelock Vetinari

63%

Death

56%

Commander Samuel Vimes

50%

The Librarian

50%

Carrot Ironfounderson

44%

Greebo

38%

Cohen The Barbarian

38%

Rincewind

31%

Esmerelda (Granny) Weatherwax

31%

Gytha (Nanny) Ogg

13%

Surprised not...

2007-09-01T17:11:36Z

...except for the "cool" part. Via malkingrey

Pottermemeology

2007-08-07T19:05:30Z

Yes! It's a Potter Meme! And it's behind the cut!

I'm Snape? Cool. Courtesy of deedop.

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Since when am I elite anything?

2007-07-14T03:17:03Z

Thanks to kristine_smith for the latest memeage.

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

But I expected a G....

2007-06-25T01:29:49Z

Mingle² - Online Dating

amyirene_40 @ 2007-06-16T21:26:00

2007-06-17T01:28:40Z

From sartorias via kristine_smith

If there are one or more people on your friends list who make your world a better place just because they exist, and whom you would not have met (in real life or not) without the internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.

Another meme

2007-06-03T02:42:34Z

This one is presented in honor of the Weird Fortune Cookie Collection.

You Are a Fortune Cookie

You're a rather normal person, except that you have extraordinary luck in life.

People want to be around you (even when they're a little sick of you), in hopes of being lucky too!

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

I've been 7 Thinged

2007-06-02T01:10:27Z

Seven Things Meme

I've been tagged by deedop. I'm spectacularly lacking in facts that both random and interesting, but I'll do my best:

The Rules:
Here are the rules: Each person tagged blogs 7 random facts about themselves, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1) I'll be fifty next month, and over the years have done things that should have resulted in some pretty severe damage. Despite this, I've never broken any bones*, never needed stitches*, and never had anything wrong that required going to a hospital. When people start talking about their health, I get really quiet.

2) In a reversal of the standard geek sterotype, my parents live in my basement (okay, my house doesn't really have a basement, but they live on the first floor and I live on the second).

3) I don't have a televison. I've never watched much TV, and last winter I realized that it hadn't been turned on since the last episode of Angel aired. So I unplugged it and freed up the space in my living room. However the parents have television, and every now and then I'll visit with Mom and watch whatever happens to be on Animal Planet, so I'm not completely cut off from modern culture.

4) Bruce Springsteen patted me on the shoulder and told me that he hoped I'd get a chance to enjoy some of the concert (that was in 1979, during my rock n roll years - his band was doing a sound check and he was roaming the hall, making sure everything was the way he wanted it. I had stepped out of the office for a bit to watch, and he stopped to chat for a moment. I told him that I'd miss most of the show because I had to work, and he was nicely sympathetic. I should note that my function during this time period was to be the sober, level-headed person who watched the box office and counted the money.)

5) I live a little over 15 miles from where I was born.

6) I cannot sing. I was kicked out of third grade choir because I was so awful that I threw everyone around me off tune. This does not stop me from singing VERY LOUD when I'm alone in my car with the radio cranked up.

7) I love glass. I particularly love large lumps of non-representational brightly colored glass that is useless for anything except looking neat and collecting dust.

I'm supposed to tag 7 people now, but I've waited so long to do this after being tagged that I think this meme has already passed on to where all good memes go. If there's anyone reading this who hasn't already done it and wants to participate, consider yourself tagged.

* I think I broke the big toe on my right foot skydiving. But I knew that broken toes don't get put in a cast or anything, so I didn't bother to get it x-rayed to find out for sure.

**There were some wounds that probably could have used a stitch or three, but butterfly bandaids and adhesive held everything together, and I've always been real good at healing. My body would be hell to identify - I have no scars at all.

Not the most cheery result....

2007-05-26T21:01:08Z

Meme courtesy kara_gnome

Which mythical creature resides in your soul? (11 Results + Pictures)

CERBERUS

You are a cerberus. A cerberus is a massive, black, three-headed dog. In Greek mythology there was a cerberus that guarded the gates of Hades, near the river Styx. The cerberus represents all that is dark and evil. The cerberus stands for death, darkness, despair, and degradation. The cerberus is a fearsome creature that is intimidating and ominous. It is violent and ill-tempered.
Take this quiz!

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Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

My spinoza on life, the universe, and everything

2007-05-19T21:14:28Z

This is a neat quiz. Thanks much to quietspaces.

Your Score: Baruch Spinoza

You scored 55 realism, 61 rationalism, 27 materialism, and 44 atomism!

Your philosopher is Benedictus de Spinoza (November 24, 1632 - February 21, 1677), named Baruch Spinoza by his synagogue elders. Along with Ren� Descartes and Gottfried Leibniz, he was one of the great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy. He is considered the founder of modern Biblical criticism. His magnum opus was the Ethics.

You believe that what we think of as "God" and "Nature" are two names for the same reality, namely the single substance that underlies the universe and of which all lesser "entities" are actually modes or modifications. There is, in each rock, tree, animal and human, a bit of the same essence; deep down we are all the same. Your compassion for others is therefore as deep as your compassion for yourself, and in all things you see the same spirituality you see when you look in the mirror.

Link: The Philosophy Test written by Datamouse on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

It is amazing that I'm on anyone's friends list

2007-05-13T15:18:10Z

Whoa. Check out that interpersonal score.

(this meme was brought to you by quietspaces

Your brain: 0% interpersonal, 120% visual, 200% verbal, and 80% mathematical!

Congratulations on being 400% smart! Actually, on my test, everyone is. The above score breaks down what kind of thinking you most enjoy doing. A score above 100% means you use that kind of thinking more than average, and a score below 100% means you use it less. It says nothing about how good you are at any one, just how interested you are in each, relatively. A substantial difference in scores between two people means, conclusively, that they are different kinds of thinkers.

Matching Summary: Each of us has different tastes. Still, I offer the following advice, which I think is obvious:

Don't date someone if your interpersonal percentages differ by more than 80%.
Don't be friends with someone if your verbal percentages differ by more than 100%.
Don't have sex with someone if their math percentage is over 200%.

Link: The 4-Variable IQ Test written by chriscoyne on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

An Animated Thingee

2007-05-11T01:13:37Z

Well, it was animated when I made it. It doesn't appear to be moving now, however.

This is karenetaylor's fault.

Edited: Ah ha! Originally, I had copied the image to my computer, and pasted it to LJ from there. When I replaced that with a direct link to the meez site, suddenly there was movement!

Aw, lookit this - I'm DEEP

2007-04-14T01:27:11Z

You Are Emerald Green

Deep and mysterious, it often seems like no one truly gets you.

Inside, you are very emotional and moody - though you don't let it show.

People usually have a strong reaction to you... profound love or deep hate.

But you can even get those who hate you to come around. There's something naturally harmonious about you.

What Color Green Are You?

Big Surprise (not)

2007-04-07T23:40:31Z

Meme courtesy of a major portion of my friends list. However, unlike most of them, I am a SINGLE-MINDED nerd - note the teeny-tiny scores in all the other categories.

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Social Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Drama Nerd
Musician
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Memeage from the world of newsgroups!

2007-04-04T23:48:47Z

Yes, this was found on a genuine, old-fashioned, USENET-style newsgroup. Who'd have ever thunk it?

You’re St. Melito of Sardis!

You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins.

Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

Oh dear (a meme, of course - did you expect anything else?)

2007-04-01T15:34:17Z

What type of Fae are you?

amyirene_40 @ 2007-03-11T21:06:00

2007-03-12T01:08:55Z

Gakked from juliabk

YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST, I WANNA KNOW YOU... I want to know 34 things about you. I don't care if we never talk, never liked each other, or if we already know everything about each other. Short and sweet is fine... I just wanna know you better.

1. Can you cook?
2. What was your dream growing up?
3. What talent do you wish you had?
4. Favorite place?
5. Favorite vegetable?
6. What was the last book you read?
7. What zodiac sign are you?
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
9. Worst Habit?
10. Do we know each other outside of Livejournal?
11. What is your favorite sport?
12. Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
15. Tell me one weird fact about you.
16. Do you have any pets?
17. Do you know how to do the Macarena?
18. What time is it where you are now?
19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
21. Would you be my partner in crime or my conscience?
22. What color eyes do you have?
23. Ever been arrested?
24. Bottle or Draft?
25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?
26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
27. What's your favorite bar to hang at?
28. Do you believe in ghosts?
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30. Do you swear a lot?
31. Biggest pet peeve?
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33. In one word, how would you describe me?
34. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

I Have No Blog But I Must Meme

2007-01-30T02:08:20Z

You Are Romanticism

You are likely to see the world as it should be, not as it is.

You prefer to celebrate the great things people do... not the horrors they're capable of.

For you, there is nothing more inspiring than a great hero.

You believe that great art reflects the artist's imagination and true ideals.

What Art Movement Are You?

Me-me-me-me-memeage

2006-12-21T17:14:11Z

My very own aristocratic title: Her Eminence the Very Viscountess Amy the Perplexed of Lower Slaughter Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

The 12 Days meme

2006-12-16T21:15:02Z

Just to be contrary, I like the new journal entry format.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, amyirene_40 sent to me...

Twelve blackhanddpants drumming

Eleven words piping

Ten libraries a-reading

Nine hostas gardening

Eight writers a-publishing

Seven cats a-writing

Six paperweights a-hiking

Five bo-o-o-ooks

Four tim powers

Three cleveland indians

Two giant schnauzers

...and a travel in a kent state university.

50 SF books

2006-11-26T03:34:12Z

Better late than never. My, I have read a decent amount of SF over the years.

50 Significant SF novels list from the SFBC
Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk* beside the ones you loved.

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien (shamefaced admission: I like LotR, but I don't love it.)
The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
Dune, Frank Herbert
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin *
Neuromancer, William Gibson * (wow, did I love this when I first read it. I tried reading it again a few years ago, and bounced right off it.)
Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick (I never could get into Dick's novels, although there are several of his short stories that I really liked)
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley (oh yuck. I was mildly fond of the Darkover stories, but I barely made it 50 pages into this. )
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (If they'd listed any of his short story collections, there'd have been one honkin' big asterisk next to it)
The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe (I keep meaning to read this, but it looks too much like work)
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras (the short story was okay, but I barely made it through the novel)
Cities in Flight, James Blish
The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett * (Unlike many Pratchett fans, I started with this one and loved it right from the start.
Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
~~Deathbird Stories~~, Harlan Ellison
The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester *
Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey*
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
~~The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever~~, Stephen R. Donaldson (I slogged through the first three chronicles and vowed Never again!)
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
Gateway, Frederik Pohl
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
~~Interview with the Vampire~~, Anne Rice
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin *
Little, Big, John Crowley
Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon *
The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith *
On the Beach, Nevil Shute (on the other hand, I love most of Nevil Shute's non-SF novel. Trustee from the Toolroom, A Town Like Alice - great books)
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Ringworld, Larry Niven
Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
Timescape, Gregory Benford
To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

Super powered meme

2006-10-11T01:49:42Z

Time Control

You're powers are 86% Mental, 72% Emotional, and 69% Physical!

You've got the terribly dangerous power of time control. Why so dangerous? Time is a delicate thing. For the most part, you can duplicate many other powers, such as super speed, super reflexes, etc. But, you can also jump time, goign back into the past a little bit or forward to the future a little bit. Messing with time this way can be dangerous. Make sure you don't do anything to break the present.

If you want someone more submissive, try any of these for sidekicks:
Elasticity, your knowledge of stretching time may give them insight to their own powers
Super Speed, your ability to keep up with their fast ways will help them learn.
Telepathy, your control of time will expand their concept of the speed of though.

If you want someone your equal, try any of these for partners:
Laser Eyes, their precise control and offensive abilities go well with your control of time and defensive abilities.
Size Control, what goes better together than time and space?

If you want someone more dominant, try any of these for mentors:
Invisibility, their ability to go undetected might teach you how to slip by others using time.
Gravity Control, their ability to control gravity, itself able to affect time, would teach you well.

Avoid Absorption, their take and give additude has nothing in common with your powers.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on Mental
You scored higher than 99% on Emotional
You scored higher than 99% on Physical

Link: The Latent Super Power Test written by Quixotico on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Political Meme

2006-09-17T03:07:59Z

Neo-Liberal

You scored 47% Personal Liberty and 25% Economic Liberty!

A neo-liberal believes in moderate government intervention on personal matters and moderate to high government intervention on economic matters. They believe in a social safety net or welfare state and try to balance personal liberty with safety or security. Some neo-liberals believe in more foreign intervention or war then most other leftists. Others are more like Centrist Democrats. More authoritarian-leaning Neo-liberals (such as personal 40/economic 30) are the result of a "fusion" between "old left" and "new right" tendencies.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on Personal
You scored higher than 99% on Economic

Link: The Politics Test written by brainpolice on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Awwww

2006-07-21T01:26:58Z

I am a
Daisy

What Flower
Are You?