Cool internet personality test

I picked this up from Patrick's blog. It is interesting, fun, and surprisingly accurate. Not entirely (I'm not that feminine!) but pretty close on a lot of things.
Scroll over the color blocks to see what each color indicates.



And click on the "Respectful Experiencer" to take the test yourself.

Hangin' out with the glbt

I got to hang out with gay people today!! In real life, in the flesh. (The flesh was covered. Don't get any naughty ideas.) University of South Carolina Upstate (Spartanburg) hosted a thing they called Bodies of Knowledge Symposium. There were 5 speakers from different areas within the glbt community, mostly from academia, who discussed a variety of topics. The symposium was attended by members of the local colleges, faculty and students, assorted community members and me.

It was heady and intellectually stimulating. I'm excited. I'm also very tired. I left the house at 7 this morning and got home at 10:00 tonight. And my sinuses are infected again. Or still. This is the third sinus infection I've had in 2 months, and I suspect the infection never left. It went on the down low for a while until it could build up a head of snot with which to lay me low. My cheeks, brow, and top teeth have hurt all day. I'm tired, but not sleepy. I drank a lot of coffee and tea today and ate some chocolate on the way home from Spartanburg. So I'm tired and wired. I'll wind down eventually, but until then I'm gonna blog for a while. I missed my blog buddies today. Oh, but I feel so energized (intellectually and emotionally, not physically) and I'm so excited about all the possibilities. I'll probably be talking about it some more over the next few days. Or I'll get distracted by other events in my life and forget to mention it here. With me ya' never know. :)

addendum on the stray dog story

Diva and Sproing say the black dog's name is KittyKitty, because he comes when they call him KittyKitty. S pointed out that the dog would come if you called him Shitface as long as you said it in that tone of voice. My children are picking up some colorful language from the older boys. Oy.

stray dogs and sex education

Diva and Sproing have recently been engaged with a stray dog that showed up over the weekend. He is a medium size black dog who looks like a cross between a Labrador and a basset hound. Yes, strange. The kids want to keep him closed up in our garage. I want the dog to go away. He is a sweet dog and can follow simple commands. He obviously belongs to somebody.

The children also like to play with the neighbor’s dog. This dog, Gabby, lives behind us. Her fenced yard backs against our back yard. Diva and Sproing have figured out how to “accidentally” let Gabby out of her yard. They do this, and then play with her. She’s a playful pup and enjoys the attention.

I was working in the kitchen the other afternoon and the kids were hanging around. We started discussing the black dog. I told them to leave him alone, don’t pay him a lot of attention and don’t feed him! They said he likes to play with Gabby. He likes climbing up on Gabby. I asked for more detail, and Diva said “He’s humping.” Ah, it all makes sense now. Black dog won’t leave soon, not of his own free will.

This of course led to an interesting discussion. I explained that some female animals go into heat when their bodies are ready to make babies. They give off a smell that attracts the male and makes him want to mate with her. Keep it simple but informative, Mom.

This story wouldn’t be blog worthy if it stopped here. No, Diva had another question. Isn’t it wonderful when youngsters are inquisitive? Mom, she says, do people do that too? No, women don’t go into heat. Sex and reproduction work differently in people. I explained that for people, sex is also a way to show love and connect emotionally. But you don’t do that, Mom! Sproing piped up to say we had to do it in order to have Light and Twitch. Ok, Diva conceded that we probably had sex twice. OMG it was all I could do to keep from laughing!

But wait! There’s more! Diva understands that of course Daddy can’t have sex anymore because he had that operation. (squelch snort) Um, that operation just disconnects the tube that carries the sperm that fertilizes the egg in a woman’s body. It doesn’t affect a man’s ability to have sex. She wasn’t so sure. I suspect she still thinks her Daddy can’t have sex. (NOT the way it works honeychile!) Diva wants a baby sister (DEAR GOD NO!!) but since Daddy can’t have sex anymore, that won’t happen.

I got a distinct impression from this conversation with Sproing and Diva: there is obviously no reason for their Mom and Daddy to have sex.

Do you ever wish you were a fly on the wall in this house?

Attention: current or former residents of Chicago

I'm having fun with MapQuest while I research college graduate programs. I'm looking at Chicago right now. The layout of this city is strange. I have questions.

1) Why is there such a small area of East streets in the city? There are like 4 or 5 blocks of E Ohio St, E Chicago Ave, E Superior St. The west side spreads out for miles. W Chicago Ave for instance. Where does that sucker end? How do you know if you live on the west side of town? Where does it start? The first block of West Chicago Ave? You are practically in the lake there.

2) I must have some aspects of an adolescent boy. Why am I so amused at the streets named Wacker Drive? There are lots of them. Well, it is one street but the name changes with the location. S Upper Wacker Dr., S Lower Wacker Dr., W Wacker Dr., W Lower Wacker Dr., (I am getting more amused as I type this) E Lower Wacker Dr., E Upper Wacker Dr. and E Wacker Dr. Oh, and I just notice E Wacker Place.

3) And speaking of street names, I see E Upper South Water Street. What’s up with that? How in the hell do you people get your pizzas delivered?

...it was a very good year

You Belong in 1957

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

The amusing thing is that I wasn't born until 5 years later.

Kidlets and clothes, told in rambling stream of consciousness

Did I tell you that Light and I took Diva out to get some clothes? I actually had a good time. We went to the mall, did JCPenny. We got 2 pairs of shorts and two tops to match, and I think we got one pair of long pants. I forget exactly. Then we went to The Fashion Shack, the discount place that sells name brand irregulars. She got a pair of jeans there. She was giddy. Light seemed to enjoy it, and was extremely helpful. I was happy being out with my two girls. Then I got tired and we went home. I think everyone had a good time. Although Diva still needs more clothes, at least she's got something to wear now.

This morning I got up and helped the kids get ready for school. I didn't set my alarm because Superman had his set. I don't hear his, even though it is on the headboard shelf very near my head. I hear mine, but he doesn't. How strange is that? Anyway, he turned his alarm off and went back to sleep. Didn't wake up until 7:00. He needed a shower and the kids need to be out of the house before 7:30. Twitch was ready to go when I got up, and was almost awake. I ran a bath for Diva and bathed her myself. Soap on the washcloth, she's in the tub. I wash her back, neck, front, arms, legs, then she turns over onto her belly in the bathtub. I washed her fanny as she rinsed off her front. She rolled over to rinse the rest, then stood up. I handed her the washcloth to wash her face and proceeded to let the water out. I got her a towel and she took over from there. The whole ordeal took less than 5 minutes. That's what I call a business bath. No playing; we mean business here.

They took meds, but no breakfast because we were late. They can get breakfast at school if they get there early enough. I'm afraid they may have missed it, unfortunately. No good mommy points for that slip-up.

I took everyone to school so Superman could get his breakfast and hie himself off to work. This is one of the reasons I'm home now. I'm satisfied, pleased to be doing this. Right now. It will wear thin, I'm sure, especially when Sproing has one of his uber-cranky mornings. But this is what I do and it gives purpose to my day. (See Patrick? Purpose, productivity!)

Back to my original thought. Clothing for my kidlets. Diva has some new clothes. However, Sproing doesn't. I don't know what has happened to his pants exactly. I know his favorite green pants got ripped the other day and have been declared "totalled" by the arbiter of all things fabric. (me) He's a picky boy with strong opinions. He wears what he decides he likes, and nothing else. The green pair was one of his two "acceptable" pants. Now he's down to one pair of jeans, which he got wet yesterday afternoon.

[aside story] He wanted to wash his hair yesterday afternoon. I suggested he take a bath or shower for an easier, less messy shampooing experience. I'm just Mom, what do I know? He took off his shirt, I think, but left his jeans on. I'm not sure if he washed his hair in the sink or leaned over the edge of the tub. I was afraid to look. He bounced into the kitchen about 5 minutes later with nary a stitch of clothing covering his beautiful ebony skin. He was looking for some pants. I asked where the jeans were. They were all wet, down the front and the back of the pants, he said. Why? How? I asked, as if I wanted to know. He forgot to take them off when he bathed. I didn't want to know. [end of aside]

This pants dance has been going on for a while. I was peripheral to it before now. Now that it is my headache, too, I'm not going to put up with it. Superman has been washing Sproing's 2 pairs of pants every other day. Not me. After I took the kids to school I went to my favorite big box store and found some more pants for the small boy. He will probably like them.

Here's the thing about boys and girls. (No, not that thing. I mean another thing.) At this age (10 yrs old) buying clothes for Sproing is much easier than buying clothes for Diva. That is a general truth, and applies for a wide range of ages. Diva is there now. Light was like this at this age, too. They have their own tastes in style and color, etc. They differ from mine. I cannot see, do not notice things they like. If I pick out something for them, they most likely will not approve. Girls this age also change shape much more than boys do. And the shape-shifting occurs erratically, disproportionally. Diva fits better into women's size pants but is still comfortable in girls tops. I cannot buy clothing for her without her being present.

Boys, on the other hand, are much easier. Twitch was, Sproing is. I know what colors they like. There aren't as many color options for boys. This simplifies things considerably. Today I got 4 pairs of pants, a belt, and some new underwear for Sproing. Although he is picky about what he likes to wear, I am confident enough to make the purchases. And I think he'll like them.

Another aside: Light reads and comprehends stream of consciousness writings very well. Her teachers have been impressed. She scores well because this is how I have talked to her all her life. I can't help it. She's had to learn. Voila! Instant college prep! Good mommy points? Or simply the result of my brain function?

My interesting day so far, and it's early yet

I messed up my computer this morning. I was trying to uninstall something I downloaded but accidentally began to uninstall my display device thing. The program that configures the display. Or something. I really have no idea what I'm talking about. That's part of the problem, and how I got all messed up in the first place. I managed to fix what I broke, but haven't been able to do what I originally intended. Very frustrating!

I didn't sleep well last night. It was later than it should have been when I went to bed, and I woke up at 3. The plan was to go into work this morning. I'm supposed to be working out my 2 weeks notice. Because of the vertigo I couldn't work last week and they managed just fine without me. I thought I would drive today just to see all the kids and tell them I'm leaving for good. But as I was lying in bed chasing my thoughts last night I decided I didn't want to do that. I don't know why exactly. It's possible that we need a clean break, and that break already occurred when I wasn't there last week. Or maybe in my mind I'm already finished with the bus and just can't bring myself to get back on it. Both seem plausible.

Since I had told the boss I'd be there this morning, I went. He was putting another driver on the bus too, just in case I had trouble with the vertigo. This other driver is the one who drove the route last week. I went out to the bus, talked to the driver and told her she can go ahead and drive today if she wants, that I'd rather not do it unless they just needed me for something. She and the monitor are doing fine. So I gave her the rest of the paperwork I had for the route, took my window cleaner and left.

Well, I didn't actually leave just yet. I waited for the boss to get in, and talked to him about my decision. He was cool with it. He thought I wanted to work out this last week of my notice, but I told him that unless he really needed me, I'd be better off not driving. I can tell he's concerned about me. He is a friend. Assuring me he's not trying to pry, he asked if there was something wrong. He knows me well enough to know something is wrong. I told him it had nothing to do with the bus or the job, but he knew that. Honestly, I have no idea what's going on. I'm waiting for something and need some down time to prepare for it, or find it, but don't know what "it" is. He seemed to understand as much as this can be understood, I guess. He said to call him if I need anything or if he can help in any way. I'm going to miss working with him. He's a great boss. A pain in the ass sometimes, but overall a great boss.

So I came home. I'm very tired, should probably take a nap. I have some errands to run, but that can wait until late morning or early afternoon.

I'm uneasy. When I left the bus office this morning I felt like I need to cry, but I don't know why. I'm not particularly sad to be leaving the job. I can see any of those people whenever I need to. Maybe it's a sense of relief. Or maybe I am un-well. I can feel myself beginning to lose my mind. That sounds worse than it is. I say "lose my mind" because I'm not sure how else to explain it. It might be another big bout of depression moving in. I'm having trouble concentrating and making simple decisions. That is a classic symptom of depression. I'm easily distracted (more than usual? What do you think, Light?) and a bit jumpy. Obviously I need a tranquilizer ;) It has been very hard for me to deal with all the cleaning going on around here. Is that a symptom or a cause? I have no idea.

I have had some healthy food, including protein this morning, and am well hydrated. What I need now is sleep. So I'm going to take a nap. Let's see how I feel this afternoon.

The right meme at the right time

My beloved Cog tagged me for this one, and I'm so excited. This gives me the opportunity to tell another story! (I will try to be brief. Brevity is not my strength.)

As Cog says, I must, under the blogger rules of conduct, perform the following:

1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages).

2. Turn to page 123.

3. Find the 5th sentence

4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog.

5. Tag 5 people.

Alex Unlimited: True Chemistry by Dan Jolley, my brother-in-law!!!

p. 123, fifth sentence:

"He didn't look scared, worried, or upset in the slightest."

I tag Warrior Scout, Sageweb, Steve, Monkey, and Steven

And now I want to tell you about my brother-in-law, the author Dan Jolley. I'm so proud of him. This is Superman's brother. He's very creative. He makes his living as an author now, although it took a few years for him to become that well known and published. He has worked hard to realize this dream. He started out writing for comic books. He's done some graphic novels, too. This particular book is his third in the Alex Unlimited series. I've read the first one, but haven't gotten to the second yet. The first Alex Unlimited book was very good! These are books aimed at "young adult" readers (who actually tend to be teenagers, but whatever)

The dangerous dynamic that is friendship

My dear friends: Pay no attention to the subject of the article below except as it pertains to the story I am about to tell.

The story I am about to tell is true. Some names may be altered to protect the clueless.

I know a woman named Shelly. We've known each other for 11 years, maybe longer. She's funny, full of energy, has a sarcastic sense of humor, and quite intelligent. Shelly and her husband and five children live in an old farmhouse in a very small community a few miles outside of our city. They are practicing Catholics, Shelly particularly faithful. She has a meaningful spirituality that does more than pay lip service to the Catholic traditions.

Shelly has homeschooled her children since the oldest one was in 3rd grade. (I think.) Two of the five kids have graduated high school now and are gainfully employed. Every Halloween she puts on a big party for the kids and their friends and parents. It is wonderfully fun. This year's theme will be super heroes and villains. Yes, it is April and she's planning the party. It's that good.

Our family is large and very busy with lots of random stuff. Her family is large and busy with lots of random stuff. We don't get together very often, though when we do we always say "We need to get together more often! We have so much fun together!" The Halloween party is our annual social contact with them. Shelly is an accountant and manages the local H&R Block office. She does our taxes, charging us a reduced "family and friends" rate. So we see her a couple of times between February and April, depending on when we get our tax info together and over to her.

The tax event occurred this week. I went in to sign the forms on Monday. We sat and chatted for a while. I took about 3 or 4 dozen pens that her son had dug out of the dumpster behind the store. (Pens disappear from this household at an alarming and mysterious rate.) We discussed my change in employment status, and my plans for the future. I mentioned I want to do something with the GLBT community, possibly more of what I'm doing now with C and S but in a more in-depth way. That is one of my thoughts, anyway. There are a lot of directions this could go. Anyway, we were talking about me taking in young gays (and lesbians, too, if the gals need a place) who have been kicked out of their homes, or for whatever reason need a place to stay.

Then she asked me a question that took me by surprise. I should have expected it, but I wasn't thinking. She said "What will you do to fix them?"

......ah.....well...... Nothing. They aren't broken.

I said they are born that way. There isn't anything wrong with it.
"Yes there is, but whatever... they can't live that lifestyle!"
Why not? It isn't a choice.
"Well, they can chose not to act on those urges."
Would you deny someone the right to be in a loving committed relationship?
Duh, of course she would. That is the clusterfuck* this conversation is careening toward.
I'll save you the gory details. I'm sure you've heard them all WAY too often anyway.
We remained civil. Friendly, even. We eventually changed the subject. (I noticed the big box filled to the brim with hundreds of ink pens. That distracted me right there. ADD isn't always a bad thing :) )

This afternoon I received an email from her, a forwarded thing that has half a dozen "fwd: fw:FW:"s in front of it. I post a small portion of it here for demonstration purposes only.

McDonald's Comes Out of the Closet
Donald E. Wildmon
Founder and Chairman

McDonald's CEO: Company will put full resources behind gay agenda

McDonald's has signed on to a nationwide effort to promote "gay" and "lesbian" business ventures. According to McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner, McDonald’s will aggressively promote the homosexual agenda. In remarks on McDonald's Web site concerning the company becoming a member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), Skinner wrote: "Being a socially responsible organization is a fundamental part of who we are. We have an obligation to use our size and resources to make a difference in the world … and we do."

It goes on for many more paragraphs, getting uglier all the while.

I've been shielding myself from stuff like that. I've been getting my news from Joe.My.God or Michael-in-Norfolk. There are other, more thorough gay news sources; you probably know the biggies. I'm not a big news hound, and these guys are my faves. My point is that I'm not on the mailing lists of American Family Association, Focus on the Family or any of those. Not anymore. I was shocked all over again at seeing reference to the gay agenda, gay and lesbian put in quotes. For the last year or so I've immersed myself in information and connections with homosexuality and the glbt community. I forgot how different it is out there.

This is an example of one reason I don't have local friends. Just about everyone I knew, everyone I considered a friend, holds these homophobic opinions. They have severed the relationship. I think Shelly and I can remain friends. I want to. She's pretty good about not letting differences ruin a friendship. But we won't be as close as we were, not as long as she remains homophobic. The ironic thing about this is that Shelly's sister is a lesbian. "Aunt B" lives in a small mobile home at the other end of their driveway. I also have my suspicions, as does Light, about Shelly's oldest daughter and daughter #3.

*clusterfuck is my new favorite cuss word for the week. I'm trying to raise my score on the cuss-o-meter.