[The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind] Meme Madness!

I promised Dawn I'd do this meme, and though I'm not that big of a fan of such things, this one seems like a fun thing to do. Please feel free to steal it if you wish.

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.

"Silence," she whispered as she found a pale blue vein and plunged the needle and the heroin into his system.


2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can, what do you touch or are you nearest to touching?

A strangely purple box of Kleenex.


3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

CSI:Miami (Still watching it actually.)


4. Without looking, guess what time it is?

Tuesday!


5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?

11:49 PM Central Standard Time.


6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

David Caruso and fireworks.


7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
   

I was in the park a short time ago watching the fireworks.


8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?

Ummm... I don't know. It was either email or porn.


9. What are you wearing right now?

Shorts and a t-shirt.


10. Did you dream last night?

Yes. Everyone dreams. But, I don't remember it. I just remember waking up and wanting steak really badly.


11. When did you last laugh?

Somewhere around question #8.


12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?

The usual things. Some white pine paneling (real wood, even), some pictures, art, whips, chains, some raw meat and a telephone.


13. Seen anything weird lately?

Nope. But, I have a weird definition of what is and isn't weird.


14. What do you think of this quiz?

It's not entirely unlike getting slugged in the face by a very nice old woman.


15. What is the last film you saw?

In Bruges. (Sorta. I only watched a bit of it, and I've got to finish it up later).


16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, where would you live?

Paul's house.


17. Tell me something about you that few people know.
    

I'm damn good with a chef's knife. And, I could probably fly a spaceship if I had to.


18. If you could eat only one food all the time what would it be?

Beer.


19. Do you like to dance?

Nope. I hate dancing.


20. George Bush. First thought:

Inhuman, cock-sucking, worthless, fucking war criminal. America is so much better than him, and we should hold him accountable for his crimes.


21. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was your first thought?

Shaving would be nice.


22. When is the next time you will have sex?

Payday.


23. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say 'Duck'?

Pan-seared Foie gras.


24. Favorite planet?

Pluto, dammit!


25. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list or caller id?

A wrong number.


26. What is your favorite ring on your cell phone?

"From my heart and from my hands, why can't people understand my intentions." Oingo Boingo's Weird Science.


27. What did you last eat?

I nice, thick, grilled rib eye steak with a baked potato and roasted asparagus with lemon butter (I was too lazy to make Hollandaise).


28. What were you doing 20 minutes ago?

Formatting the page for this meme. You'll notice the dandy numbering I've managed to set up. It's soothing to my OCD.


29. Name the brand of shoes you’re currently wearing?

Dan's Brand. They're so comfortable, it's almost as if I'm not wearing shoes. They're transparent too.


30. Bright or Dark Room?

Dark. I look damn good in the dark.


31. What do you think about paparazzi - evil or just doing their jobs?

I think they are nothing more than a product of our creation. For some reason, we've got this bizarre obsession with celebrities that goes beyond the work they do and it requires a nearly constant invasion into the lives they lead. Personally, I think celebrities should just be left alone to go about their lives like any other normal person, and if they want the attention, let them get a vapid reality show like Gene Simmons, Denise Richards, or whoever.


32. If you’re in a room with two beds,which one would you choose?

The other one. It's always the other one.


33. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Writing.


34. What was the last email you read about?

It was on Snopes.com, and it was about an email that's being passed around about some basketball player's wife not letting a woman doctor save his life while he was choiking on a chicken bone.

It was a hoax.


35. How do you like your eggs?

Currently, I like them unfertilized. I'm not ready to be a dad.


36. What’s a phrase that you say a lot?

"Aside from that."

I'm working on getting that out of my public communication rotation, but it's not easy since it's a pretty nifty transitional phrase.


37. Who told you he/she loved you last?

Some woman named Christine.


38. Last furry thing you touched?

DogCat. He's currently cowering/sleeping beside me since the fireworks really freak the poor, little furball out.


39. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
    

Lots.


40. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?

I actually found a camera a couple of days ago that has a roll of film in it, and I've not used that camera in about a decade. So, it should be pretty interesting to see just what the hell is on there.


41. Favorite age you have been so far?

Forty. It means I'm still somehow among the living.


42. Your worst enemy?

My skin.


43. What is your current desktop picture?

This one:


I actually like it a lot on my desktop. It's kind of soothing. If you'd like, go ahead and make it your desktop.


44. What was the last thing you said to someone?

I found the Swiss cheese!


45. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly which would it be?

I think with a million bucks, I could easily get a pilot's license.


46. Last time you vomited?

February. I had the flu.


47. The last song you listened to?

"Walking on Sunshine" from Katrina and the Waves (it was in a Macy's commercial a few seconds ago.


48. Did you ever get a trophy? If yes, what for?

Yup. I've got a bunch. Some are from skiing. I've got a bowling trophy. I've got a pool trophy. I've got a trophy from the Pinewood Derby. I've also got several plaques and whatnots.


49. If you could punch 1 person in the face, who would it be?

George Bush. I'd like to see just what kind of "cowboy" that petulant little wannabe really is.


50. What is the closest object to your left foot?
    

My right foot.

Well, that was fun. Hope you enjoyed it.

-DP

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Posted By Dan to The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind at 7/04/2008 11:03:00 PM

[The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind] Independence Part Deux.

Here ya go...

So, what's everyone's plans today?

Hopefully, you're not all plopping down to slide around the internets since I know there are much better things to be doing.

Anyway, since I'll be gone most of the day, I figured I'd leave you with a semi-open comment thread for you folks to debate which is better:

Small Town Fourth of July celebrations?

Or, Big City celebrations?

Personally, I have the luxury of having near immediate access to both since, just up the street, Milwaukee does have its Big City parties and excitement, and my odd, little town of South Milwaukee is the sort of swinging blue-collar hellhole that remains eternally locked in the mid-Twentieth Century (seriously. There are houses in my town that still use rotary dial phones hard-wired into the wall).

Anyway, I'll let you kids debate. I'm off to blow things up.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

And, to my non-American readers, Happy Friday! What are you doing today? I give you permission to celebrate right along with me.

-DP

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Posted By Dan to The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind at 7/04/2008 10:42:00 AM

[The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind] The Woo-ship, LOLipop.

Now, to continue that whole Lawsonomy silliness, I thought I'd post this.

Yes. I am getting silly.

It's too bad Lawson wasn't a part of the Scientology scam. This would totally make a kick-ass pan-galactic surfboard for Xenu. Or, Tom Cruise.

Anyway, originally, I was just going to extract the words and have them scroll across the sky like the beginning of Star Wars, but that was way, way, way more work than I wanted to try on this, the beginning of my holiday weekend.

-DP

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Posted By Dan to The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind at 7/03/2008 02:53:00 PM

[The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind] Poppies!

I was playing with my Photoshop, and found this one to be a little neat.



It's a poppy, and I like how, with just a little tweaking, I managed to get a nice, smoky, opium-den background. I didn't change any of the colors. I fiddled with the lights and darks and used a layer mask to erase the changes to the poppy so it would stand out a little better.

What do you think?

Does this sleeping Poppy pop?

-DP

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Posted By Dan to The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind at 7/03/2008 02:32:00 PM

[The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind] Independence.

Before I begin my latest collection of stream of consciousness rattling, here's a picture to absorb:

America has become such a strange place.

I don't know what this flag means to me anymore. I know what I would like it to mean, and I know what it has meant in the past. But, the actions of this country at the hands of a corrupt and greedy few have changed the meaning of this flag from one of hope, of freedom, and the potential of a better life beneath its colors, to something that should be feared for the manic, violent and unpredictable people it represents.

I can't imagine what people in the far parts of the world think and feel when they see our flag. I don't want to imagine it. To think what America has become, and how our bloodlust and ignorance divides us, I am ashamed. After all, how is it possible to love something which tries so hard to be feared?

I was born here. I was raised here. I can toss these thoughts of torture and fear into the back of my mind and, like a beaten and battered spouse, I can pretend to be proud of my country and its actions when I step into public. But, those bruises can only be hidden for so long, can't they? And, when someone asks what happened, my country will turn me into a liar.

I am not proud to be an American, and I most certainly won't be until we do the right and honest and just thing.

Those who hurt us should indeed pay. Those who did not? Well... Sadly, it's far too late for that, isn't it?

-DP

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Posted By Dan to The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind at 7/03/2008 11:17:00 AM

[The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind] Big Old Jet Airliner...

For today's picture, I'm going to show you the airplane factory at the end of my street:

Naah... Not the greatest of shots, but I kind of like this building. It was built by a complete woo-spewing crackpot named Alfred Lawson. Still, aside from his odd religious-economic-baseball-playing proclivities, the guy was, in fact, a pioneer in the field of aircraft travel. So, depending on which end of the check-in line you're standing, you can either thank or curse the goofy man.

We used to play here when we were kids, and the abandoned building, still housing a few old Depression-era machines, was occupied by the homeless town drunk we affectionately called "Tooth" because, well... he only had one. Unfortunately, all the airplanes were gone by the time we got there; otherwise, I'm pretty certain my childhood could have been considerably more tragic after piloting a stolen airliner straight into Lake Michigan at the other end of the street.

-DP

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Posted By Dan to The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind at 7/02/2008 01:01:00 PM

[The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind] Boom Dee Yadda!

Here's a crawly thing for you...

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is your garden variety orb weaver. But, I'm not exactly an entomologist. Sure, bugs are fascinating little things, but I'm not about to go out and study them that closely. I just like looking at them, and that's about all I need to know.

Now, I like this little dude. He (I'm assuming it's a he by default, but again... not an entomologist), is just sort of lurking on my trumpet vine. He picked a pretty smart spot since that thing is a freakin' shopping mall in terms of insect traffic, and I imagine in a few weeks, that spider will be fat and happy.

I just hope he doesn't leap out on me when I'm walking past his little hiding spot while taking out the garbage.

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Posted By Dan to The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind at 7/01/2008 11:55:00 AM