A Little Behind on Memes

Monday, 23 February

Week Number 157
1) If you could eliminate (or lessen the effect of) one emotion from your life, which would you choose? I'm pretty sure this is the same as the prior week's first question, but the answer is unchanged. I need to have all of my emotions, all at the same strength.

2) What is the nicest imperfection in your Significant Other? Number 1, I hate the term "significant other" as it implies that one of us is insignificant. That is just wrong. As for a quality that is considered an imperfection that I like... I don't know. His imperfections are, by nature, annoying. I love the whole package - the whole Luis Gomez, perfections, imperfections, and everything in between. He would not be Luis without those things.

3) If one thing you own were to become a religious relic, what would you pick? Oooo, fun question! Does this mean just one thing, or can it be a collection? Hmmm. I know. I'm going to make my mondo-cheep be the religious icon. That would be cool. Everyone should pray to da cheep!

Tuesday, 24 February

(I'm looking for a new Tuesday meme, since I don't see the need to answer endless questions about my sex life.)

TMI Tuesday #175
1. What do find is the most exciting part of a new sexual encounter?
2. Do you have "a most exciting part of a sexual encounter" with a usual partner?

I don't feel the need to share this. And I wonder about the authors of this meme, that ALL they want to hear or write about is sex? Sex is a part of life, but should not be all-consuming.

3. How open and honest are you about your life with someone you just met? I'm quite honest across the board. Why not? Life is good, and there is little that I won't discuss.

4. How open and honest are you about your life with someone you work with? Just as much. What's changed?

5. How open and honest are you about your life with a casual acquaintance who lives in your neighborhood (or the parent a your child's friend or...)? Again, same answer.

Bonus (as in optional): Define a "normal" as in "normal relationship" or "normal sex life". Well, how I define normal and how others define normal may not have any similarities. Who am I to impose my ideas/ideals of "normal" on someone else? I think Grissom said it best: "Freud said the only abnormal sexual behaviour is not to have any." There's your answer. It is not much different for relationships in general.

Wednesday, 25 February
WW #44

1.) You're on a trip taking a tour through the jungle. You have a backpack with some food, some first aid supplies, a pocket knife, a flashlight and a couple bottles of water. Some how, you get separated from your group. By night fall you haven't found your group and haven't heard them looking for you. How long do you think you would be able to survive on your own? I have a tough time with this. On the one hand, I have little physical strength, maybe a quarter what a normal person has. I am not a person with stamina. On the other hand, I am stubborn as hell and a survivor, a fighter. I honestly don't know. I'd like to think I would, for a goodly time.

2.) Do you think it's okay to lie to spare someone's feelings? Why? Well, a little white lie never killed anyone but if it is something more serious, I would not lie. Sometimes the truth, while a bitter reality, is in the long run more of a service. But if someone tells me that s/he got a new haircut and asks how I like it and it is perfectly hideous, I'd smile, biting my tongue all the way and say it looks great. If it was a close friend, though... no. I would again see that as a disservice.

3.) If a talking "Aislinge" doll were made, what are THREE phrases it would say? Good gods. I say a lot of things... I've no idea. I suspect I could give it three facial expressions that would be me all over, though!

4.) If the super power to be able to read minds at your own will were possible, do you think it would be... cool and helpful, intrusive and wrong, manipulative or maddening? Explain why you would or wouldn't want to be able to read anyone's mind at your own will. Well, it would be all of those things at different times. I always tend to feel that this is not a good ability to have. People's thoughts should be private. As open and honest as I am, there is still a lot - a LOT - going through that absolutely should not be uttered. I'd hate to "hear" all the things people are thinking about me. So mostly it would be invasive and wrong. Once in a while it would be helpful and it would be manipulative, but heck, I can be manipulative without that kind of assistance!

5.) Drunk confessions, are they the things people can't bring themselves to say sober or just crazy ramblings of an influenced and intoxicated mind? It really depends on the person, but it is usually things that one would not utter sober. Alcohol tends to bring out the hidden emotions.

6.) What brings out the worst in you? Mmmm... high stress that is too much for me. It is hard to know exactly what that is. Triggers are all different... most of the time, I work best under stress but there is a line that will occasionally get crossed and then I am very difficult.

7.) Do you think long distance relationships work? Have you ever been in one before? Yes and no. I feel that intimacy is key and long distance doesn't allow for that.

Thursday, 26 February
3x Thursday: 02/26/y2k+9:

The Time (in whatever context that means)?
1. Do you have a calendar on your wall? What's it of? Do you like it? Why/why not? If you don't have a calendar on your wall, what do you do when you need to look at the days and months ahead? I have two in my work office and two at home, one in my home office and one in my kitchen. I don't use them for the date or timekeeping, I love the images. At work one calendar is of volcanoes and the other is of astronomy images.

2. Do you wear a watch? Why/why not? If you don't wear one, how do you keep track of your time, appointments, when to eat, go to bed, etc? I ALWAYS wear a watch when out of the house. At home, time is less important, but I usually have a good idea of the general time. I do not wear it when I go to bed. Luis does - he never takes his off. But I have only one item that I wear all the time - my claddagh ring.

3. How do you keep track of appointments (of all kinds) in your life? I have a Franklin Covey binder that I just completely live by. I love it. It is a very good, comprehensive organiser that goes everywhere with me.

Friday, 27 February

Q1 - Foreclosure: Millions of Americans are currently facing home foreclosure. For some, real estate and mortgage fraud is to blame, while for others it is a combination of using their home as an ATM machine and living beyond their means, or job losses or resetting adjustable rate mortgages. If you were in charge, how would you manage the housing crisis in America. Would you simply reset everyone's mortgage to more affordable rates, allow those who bit off more than they can chew to lose their homes, take everyone's situation into account on a case-by-case basis, do nothing, do something else, etc.?

What makes you think I'd sign myself up for THAT?! Good gods. This sort of thing is not my strength. And I will be honest, I don't see a way out of this. I do think Congress should have been slapped around for this. They agreed with the Head Mental Midget and pushed it through that anyone should have a house. I doubt it would be anywhere close to this bad with just those using their homes as an ATM or those who've lost their jobs.

Q2 - Troop Withdrawal: A new poll indicates that a majority of Americans support President Barack Obama's plan to send nearly 20,000 U.S. troops to the conflict in Afghanistan. What do you think of President Obama's recently announced plan to have U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by August 2010?

I didn't know about it, so at this point I don't have an opinion.

Q3 - Success: In large numbers, U.S. teens today express a troubling contradiction when it comes to ethical readiness for the workforce. At the same time, they express confidence in their preparedness to make the right choices in the future, they freely admit to unethical behavior today. Those are among the key findings of a new study from Junior Achievement and Deloitte, the results of which reveal considerable ethical confusion among teens regarding what types of behavior are appropriate in order to succeed. Do you think it is possible to be successful beyond even your wildest dreams by playing by the rules, or is some level of unethical behavior required to succeed beyond measure?

Mmmm. Tough one. I do believe that success is completely attainable by ethical means, I have faith in that. I certainly did not do anything unethical to get to my position. I may not be the perfect employee, but I did not stab someone else, steal something, falsify records or anything illegal or immoral to get to where I am. I also don't earn $500,000 so I suspect people would say I am not that kind of successful. But I know I'm more successful than many who do pull in $500,000 annually - I'm happy.

However, everyone who truly earns their money, whether it is $40,000 or $400,000, has to work their way to that point. No one handed me anything and no one handed the others I work with anything; we all did our time in the trenches and worked our way to our positions. We all did our time. And maybe some people just immediately step into the high-end positions, but that is not typical (unless maybe you inherited a company). The ones who are CEOs at 22 are not necessarily doing something unethical either... It is the CEO who has earned honest money but suddenly reaches a point where too much is not enough.

But there will always be people who cheat the system or do illegal and/or unethical things to get to the next level. But I do firmly believe that people get what they give. Look at Enron... karma is just one of those things...

I'm sorry, what was the original question...?

Q4 - Picture: According to market research released at the end of 2008, the most lucrative consumer segment within the digital camera market is mothers, defined as females between the ages of 25 and 44 with children under age 12. Mothers exhibit particularly unique preferences and behaviors when it comes to digital photography, the research concluded, and will account for more digital camera sales in 2009 than any previous year. Think for a moment... what were the last three pictures you shot with your camera, and what do you plan on doing with them?

The last three images I shot were taken around 0530 this morning of the snow falling. I did not actually have any specific plans to do something with them, but I may post one or two of them on here. I use my camera all the time. I am between 25 and 44 and have no children. I'd probably take images of my child if I had one, but I take images of the sunrise, my house, nature, friends, the kitty... I'd like to think I have broader horizons because I've noticed that a lot of parents only take images of their kids... YAWN.

Saturday, 28 February
(I do three different Memes on Saturday, that is a heavy meme day)
Saturday 9: Liar, Liar

1. What is the last "white" lie that you told? I do recruiting. I am going to burn in hell for the white lies I've told just this week. I certainly don't need to share them.

2. Can you forgive a liar? Sure, almost always. People often lie for innocuous reasons. I wouldn't hold it against them. But if it is an ongoing thing or something done to be purposefully destructive, I'll terminate the relationship.

3. Do you tend to exaggerate or underestimate? Oh, golly, yes. Who doesn't?

4. Do you hold a grudge? 99.9% of the time, no. It simply isn't worth it. I'm learning to let go of the few grudges that I do hold.

5. What's the biggest lie you've ever told? Oooohh, I don't know. I have told them. But I can't recall the biggest one.

6. Are there times that you feel that it is okay to lie? See above, under WW #44, Question #2.

7. Did you ever end a relationship because of lies? Certainly.

8. Do you think you can tell when someone is lying to you? Most of the time, yes, but there are plenty of people who 1. do it so well that I might never know and 2. believe what ever it is that they are saying so much... Scary, isn't it?

9. Have you been caught lying? Yes.

Saturday Six - Doctors & HealthPosted by Karen in Saturday Six, tags: health, meme, memes, Saturday Six
It’s that time again for this weeks Saturday six and this weeks theme is Doctors & Health, so without further a do let’s get on with it:
Do you rush straight to the doctors when you feel ill? No, most of the time, I don't.

Do you have trouble trying to make an appointment with your doctor? Not at all. Medicine is not socialised in the United States, so if I need to, I can see him the same day I call.

When was the last time you visited your doctor? Um... two weeks ago.

When someone close to you is ill, are you caring and considerate or do you try to stay away so you don’t catch anything? Uh, I'm an EMT, I don't get to stay away from sick people!

Have you ever made the excuse that your ill to get off work/school/college etc? I suppose everyone has.

What really annoys you about people when they are ill? Whining.

Patrick's Place
Saturday Six - Episode #255

1. When you write on your blog, are you more often trying to entertain, inform or persuade? Mostly just write. I like to inform, too, but this is for me and just happens to be a public forum. It works for me.

2. Do you feel you’re successful most of the time? Yes, I do. I'm not widely read but I'm happy anyway.

3. Do you consider yourself to be more bold online than in person, or the other way around? No, I'm the same everywhere I go.

4. Who would be most embarrassed if they read your blog? I suppose anyone mentioned... no, not really. Maybe Luis - he finds in unfathomable that I share so much information with the world.

5. Take the quiz: What Kind of Communicator Are You?

When you're arguing with someone:
You make it clear where you stand
You get intense and emotional
X You try to be as persuasive as possible
You stick to the facts and speak as logically as possible

Your friends know you as:
Insightful
Inspiring
X Funny
Empathetic

If you were write a book, it would likely be:
Non-fiction about a very specific subject
X A humorous memoir
A self help book
Fiction

You can't stand talking to someone who is:
X Uninterested
Boring
Moody
Dishonest

Do you curse?
Yes, a lot
Not usually
Only when you're upset
X Only when doing so is witty

If nothing else, you are:
X A straight shooter
Able to think under pressure
Interested in truly connecting with people
Someone with a great imagination

If you want to break the ice, you will:
Ask a provocative question
Tell a story that you've rehearsed in your head a bit
Introduce yourself and ask others to do the same
X Make fun of yourself a little

You Communicate Honestly
You don't mince words. You are to the point and all about the facts. However, you are charming enough to tell people the truth yet still not offend them. It's likely that you have a hilarious, no holds barred sense of humor. And you sure tell an entertaining story!

You're also quite open. People can ask you anything, and you don't shy away from controversial conversation topics.

6. What do you think the biggest change has been in your online writing in the past year? Not writing about certain topics. I like to write about anything and every thing. It's hard to leave out big things like what goes on professionally. If I worked in a retail chain or something it probably wouldn't matter as long as I didn't give away company-specific secrets. But with what I do it's not that easy.

Monday, 2 March

Week Number 158
1) What is the single most important moment in history for organized religion? No idea. I'm not religious. I guess Jesus' birth was a biggie, assuming you believe that. I don't believe that he was the son of god, and not for a second do I believe that Christmas is his real birthday and we just happened to have that one piece of information right!

2) What is the most dangerous thing you have ever done on purpose? I don't know. Drive every day?

3) Who is the one person you’ve hated the most in your lifetime? There aren't too many people to hate that way.