too much information

note: loyal readers, fellow bloggers, and poor folks who stumbled upon this while searching for "haunted hamburger", "pee pants", "robert palmer", and "stacia micula" (you know who you are): i am busier than a one-armed paper hanger this week, so forgive me if i don't manage to post daily and am less than hysterically funny when i do manage to pound something out for you. after some sleep (dreaming of large paychecks, no doubt), i should be back to my usual self. in the meantime, feel free to peruse my much more entertaining "blasts from the past"....or suffer through the informative questionnaire below.

i suppose i should grab the baton from kal.

31 (at least that's the way it started out) questions

name: i am spartacus.

nickname: duff

astrological sign: the crabby one

age: same as garfield...well, actually, he's a month ahead

height: 5'2" (with eyes of blue and a ponytail swingin' round...)

weight: about five pounds more than i'd like to be

occupation: several- preschool teacher, radio dj, babysitter extraordinaire, barefaced avon lady, muse

birthplace: poudre valley hospital, ft. collins, colorado
marital status: i'm too young for all that grown up stuff. maybe i'll allow myself to be tied down by the time i turn 30.

how many children: in my class? twelve. personally? none- i'm a big kid. (also, see answer above)

do you drink (alcohol): on extremely rare occassions

do you smoke: nope

favorite outdoor activities: hiking, kayaking, taking about a billion photos while hiking and kayaking, lounging in kiddie pools and hoping the air conditioning guy will make an appearance

favorite indoor activities: indoor rock climbing, cooking, boning up on useless musical trivia, and, of course, the usual preferred indoor activity- playing board games. (what were you thinking? pervert!)

favorite colors: blue, purple, green (coincidentally, of all the haircolors i've had, those were my favorites- though purple's at the top of that list.)

favorite type of music: 80s

favorite musical groups/performers: inxs and duran duran are my top 2 (in that order). other favorites include: depeche mode, u2, the cult, the killers, marvelous 3, and various hair bands.

favorite song at the moment: one? one???? how about five?

favorite song of all time: "take on me" by a-ha

favorite current song, alternative: "somebody told me" by the killers

favorite current song, non-alternative: "don't cha" by the pussycat dolls

song that never fails to put me into a good mood: "don't change" by inxs

should the song above fail, i'll play: "rush" by big audio dynamite, "we are the normal" by the goo goo dolls, "dream all day" by the posies, "saturday night" by ned's atomic dustbin and "meet el presidente" by arcadia. if that doesn't work, i'll probably just throw stuff until i feel better.

what's in your home cd/cassette player right now: let's see- the alarm clock has the goo goo dolls live cd, my discman has the killers (i think- i haven't worked out in a while), and my cd player has billy idol's greatest hits, galore (the cure), and one of the moody blues' greatest hits compilations

what's in you car cd/cassette player right now: kick- inxs

do you play an instrument: errr...not since the flutophone in elementary school

what kind of guitar do you play: uh, none.

have you ever gone skinny-dipping: yes, though not nearly as often as i'd like

as a child, what did you want to be when you grew up: fashion designer

what would be your dream job now: full time dj

have you ever been convicted of a crime: nope

places you'd most like to visit: australia, barcelona (again), the bottom of the grand canyon (ditto), florin (a reference i seriously doubt anyone will get), hawaii, and the inside of val kilmer's ranch.

your first car: 1989 plymouth sundance. i had to give it up at 213,000 miles- though it was still going strong. gosh, i miss that car.

dream car: ford mustang cobra
car you drive now: 2001 ford zx2- the escort that thinks it's a sports car

favorite season: old bay...oh- you meant "season", not "seasoning". uh......late spring

favorite holiday: halloween

favorite hobbies: photography, reading, perfecting my kissing technique, blogging (egads, i'm lame- aren't i?)

favorite sport to play: tennis, soccer

favorite sport to watch: underwater basket weaving

least favorite sport to watch: anything involving asu (i'm still a little bitter over a basketball game)

most humiliating moment: any time a boy found out i liked him in high school and/or college

do you have any siblings: yes

do you get along with your parents: yes, though it has not always been the case

favorite place to chill: in front of the air conditioning vent?

favorite place to visit: arizona, maine, disneyworld

what is your bad time of day: i am not a morning person

what is your good time of day: any time i can squeeze in a nap

favorite flower/plant: cacti- hard for me to kill

favorite subject in school: history

least favorite subject in school: math- in any of its many horrible forms and varieties

favorite authors: laurie notaro, bill bryson, augusten burroughs, dave barry

favorite book genre: humorous memoirs

favorite book: i have a couple: the little prince, by antoine de saint-exupery and seven
tattoos, by peter trachtenberg

current book I'm reading: we thought you'd be prettier, by laurie notaro

favorite magazine: rolling stone

favorite movie of all time: real genius

other favorite movies: pump up the volume, singles, threesome, tombstone, the princess bride, drop dead fred, pcu, the crow

favorite actors/actresses: val kilmer, johnny depp, keanu reeves (though wild horses could not drag me to the theater to see the matrix), christian slater, jeremy piven, owen wilson, drew barrymore,

favorite cartoon character: bashful the dwarf

favorite food: steamed blue crabs with old bay seasoning

chocolate or vanilla: chocolate chip cookie dough

favorite alcoholic drink: hmmm...well, i've learned the hard way not to drink excessive amounts of vodka, tequila, goldschlager, or an entire bottle of white wine by myself

what is your bedtime: probably a good deal earlier than i actually crawl into the sack

worst enemies: boredom

interesting fact about your childhood: the first time i kissed a guy was during a visit to ocean city, new jersey, when i was about 4. i got off the kiddie ferris wheel and kissed the operator on the cheek. as i recall, the whole crowd went "awwwwww". then, i became much too shy to ever do that sort of thing again.

the first thing you think of in the morning: taking a whiz

favorite thing to do when you're home alone: wander around in the buff

things that make you feel good: wandering around in the buff

things you don't like: walking in front of a mirror in the buff

worst feeling in the world: the way i felt when a couple of perfectly good teeth were extracted

scariest feeling in the world: knowing i have to say "goodbye" to someone

best feeling in the world: it's been too long for me to recall that one....but hearing from an old friend would be a close second

do you get motion sickness: sometimes.....more than i used to, unless i'm the one driving
roller coasters - deadly or exciting: exciting
thunderstorms - cool or scary: both

pen or pencil: depends on what i need it for

do you like to drive: other people crazy? yes.

do you sleep with stuffed animals: on occassion

did you have imaginary friends or a blanket as a child: security blanket. i left my favorite at a motel in mississippi, but i still have the others

what is on the walls of your room: a couple of keith haring posters, a couple of framed de grazia needlepoints that mama made for me when i was little, a sesame street calendar, a dry erase board......and a "comedy" mask my sister gave me. (at least, i think that's where it came from.)

what words or phrases do you overuse: the f-bomb, "dude"

coolest things anyone ever gave you: totally unexpected gifts. as i recall, the stereo happened the same evening my college boyfriend told me he loved me. i immediately went into shock. my current one replaced my portable phone for me soon after we started dating. finally, a good friend (and former backup) knew i wanted the inxs absolut vodka ad and bought a postcard version of it off of ebay for me a couple of christmases ago.

how would you characterize your political leanings: i'm not exactly a fan of most republicans

if you could pick one super-human power, what would you choose: the ability to stuff myself into a tiny spandez outfit and not look like a cow

favorite quotes/lyrics/poems:

"it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

"i'm kidding. it's yet another in a long series of diversions in an attempt to avoid responsibility."


chris knight:
Was it a dream where you see yourself in, sort of, sun god robes, on a pyramid, with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?

mitch taylor:
no.

chris knight:
why am I the only person that has that dream?


susan:
can you hammer a six inch spike through a board with your penis?

chris knight:
not right now.

susan:
a girl's gotta have her standards.

and my favorite from that movie.....

if there's ever anything i can do for you . . . or more to the point, to you, you let me know, okay?

musical geekery, part deux

due to popular demand (well, lack of complaints, actually), i've come up with another 5 pairs of bands for you to mess around with. your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to find the links between the following:

general public --->fine young cannibals

english beat --->big audio dynamite (the pair above contains a clue)

the doors ---> simple minds

duran duran ---> a-ha

madonna --->cyndi lauper (this one's for kal)

you know, all of these 80s groups have inspired me to share this with you:



i got a perfect score on the music section. (how about you, kal?)

here's another 80s quiz:



perhaps one of these days, i'll get that 80s page on wnok set up.......but not today.

by the way, while blogsurfing today, i came upon a couple of interesting blogs.

here's the first...........and here's the second.

enjoy, gang.

oh, and my fan called in today, but he was quite same. so, instead, here's a classic offering from him.

radiofancruddy

mindless amusement

i'm in the mood for a little mindless entertainment today.

this came from shaun:

There's no doubt about it: you're eccentric. You wear your heart on your sleeve. You don't hesistate one bit when it comes to talking about squeamish topics. Although you like to have peace and quiet, you often find excitement in a random crisis or two. Take the What Pulp Fiction Character Are You? quiz.

i'm not into pulp fiction (believe it or not, it's actually possible to live a full and meaningful life without worshipping tarantino....or so i'm told.), but i figured "why not?". besides, maybe this'll inspire shaun to post again before october.

this one came from kal:



hmmm....last time i took it, i was r2d2. ah well...



that'll work- as long as i don't have to make out with enrique. his mole scares me more than a little.

here's one i found on a random blog:

Sufficiently Sexy
You scored 76%!

60%-79%

You are very sexy!

It would seem though that you may come across as too strong and too sure of yourself, or that you don't come across as sure enough at times. You have sex appeal though and I'm sure that you get noticed, but don't be afraid to be alluring sometimes, just not in a trashy way. Be aware of your non-physical qualities.

You scored higher than 60% on Sex AppealLink: The Ultimate Sex Appeal For Women Test

note: there was an image for this, but it kept screwing up my format- everything was pushed down. so, i guess you'll just have to picture some hot chick just lounging around, being sexy.

okay- one more treat for you procrastinators out there. (are you a lizard yet, kal?)

dinner and a show

on my way home from work last night, i witnessed something so odd i almost had to pull into the parking lot. (well, not really- my need for sleep outweighed my need to satisfy my curiousity.)

i was driving home after the truck race (yee haw!) around 11:30. traffic was pretty light, so i had an unobstructed view of columbia's nudie bar on my route to the highway. usually, the only interesting sights there involve an alarming number of minivans and a stretch suv or two. however, last night i saw a different sort of vehicle.

you would think that with all of the patrons at these sorts of entertainment venues, food would be provided. as i recall, the one time i set foot in such an establishment (no- i was not there for amateur night or anything like that), there were chicken wings and nachos being delivered to tables. most places advertise their buffet and grill amenities.....mostly the buffet, though. (which i personally would never touch. i mean, are sneeze guards really enough in that sort of a place? i think i'll take up fasting instead. thanks.)

i guess someone else was of the same opinion as i, because as i drove by, chinese food was being delivered to the strip club.

which leads me to wonder- did the driver have to pay a cover charge?

what if strip joints offered takeout? would anyone take advantage of such a service? how many poor shlubs would order hamburgers and pizzas, hoping that one of the girls would pull up with their food? am i the only one who wonders about this kind of stuff?

in semi-related news, there was a blurb in the newspaper last week about two "entertainers" getting into a fight at the club a couple of block from the radio station. i don't recall what exactly started the fight, but it ended with both girls being told to go home and one tackling the other in the establishment's parking lot.

in unrelated news, the phones have been eerily quiet. my fan must be on vacation or something. (sorry to disappoint, digi- but i'll keep working on it.)

2:30 p.m. update: guess who was just on the other end of the phone line.

radio fan-noticed

this was an uncharacteristically tame conversation for him. perhaps we'll have something truly priceless tomorrow.

so much to say.....

it's been a busy week, but friday's finally here, and i actually have a decent chunk of time to mess with my blog. (you guessed it- another stimulating truck race.)

so many things to talk about, so many missed topics to catch up on....

....and do you think i actually wrote any of those possible topics down as they flitted through my tired brain earlier today?

of course not.

after a quick perusal of my regularly visited blogs, i've noticed an alarming number of folks have taken the personality defect test.


Emo Kid
You are 42% Rational, 14% Extroverted, 42% Brutal, and 28% Arrogant.

You are the Emo Kid, best described as a quiet pussy! You tend to be an intuitive rather than a logical thinker, meaning you rely more on your feelings than your thoughts. Not only that, but you are introverted, gentle, and rather humble. You embody all the traits of the perfect emo kid. You are a push-over, an emotional thinker, gentle to the extent of absurdity, and so humble that it even makes Jesus puke. If you write poetry, you no doubt write angsty, syrupy lines about depression, sadness, and other such redundant states of emo-being. Your personality is defective because you are too gentle, rather underconfident in yourself, decidely lacking in any rational thought, and also a bit too inhibited.

I probably made you cry, didn't I? Fucking Emo Kid.

To put it less negatively:

1. You are more INTUITIVE than rational.

2. You are more INTROVERTED than extroverted.

3. You are more GENTLE than brutal.

4. You are more HUMBLE than arrogant.

Compatibility:

Your exact opposite is the Smartass.

Other personalities you would probably get along with are the Hippie, the Televangelist, and the Starving Artist.

*

*

If you scored near fifty percent for a certain trait (42%-58%), you could very well go either way. For example, someone with 42% Extroversion is slightly leaning towards being an introvert, but is close enough to being an extrovert to be classified that way as well. Below is a list of the other personality types so that you can determine which other possible categories you may fill if you scored near fifty percent for certain traits.

The other personality types:

The Emo Kid: Intuitive, Introverted, Gentle, Humble.

The Starving Artist: Intuitive, Introverted, Gentle, Arrogant.

The Bitch-Slap: Intuitive, Introverted, Brutal, Humble.

The Brute: Intuitive, Introverted, Brutal, Arrogant.

The Hippie: Intuitive, Extroverted, Gentle, Humble.

The Televangelist: Intuitive, Extroverted, Gentle, Arrogant.

The Schoolyard Bully: Intuitive, Extroverted, Brutal, Humble.

The Class Clown: Intuitive, Extroverted, Brutal, Arrogant.

The Robot: Rational, Introverted, Gentle, Humble.

The Haughty Intellectual: Rational, Introverted, Gentle, Arrogant.

The Spiteful Loner: Rational, Introverted, Brutal, Humble.

The Sociopath: Rational, Introverted, Brutal, Arrogant.

The Hand-Raiser: Rational, Extroverted, Gentle, Humble.

The Braggart: Rational, Extroverted, Gentle, Arrogant.

The Capitalist Pig: Rational, Extroverted, Brutal, Humble.

The Smartass: Rational, Extroverted, Brutal, Arrogant.

i figured for sure i'd be a smartass or class clown. maybe i should redo a couple of those questions pertaining to confidence.

--------------------------------------------------------

okay, that's taken care of. now...what else was i going to do tonight? oh yes, my exercise in musical geekery.

as you may recall, the object of this little exercise was to find the connection between the two artists named. larry took a crack at this, as did guitarroy and kal. (i'm also giving freewriter props for acknowledging this post.....and because i still haven't managed to add him to the links to the left.)

anyway, here's what i had in mind:

l.a. guns --> blind melon

tracii guns of l.a. guns was one of the original members of guns n' roses, of which only axl "the album will be out soon" rose remains.....and axl just happens to be a cousin of shannon hoon, the lead singer of blind melon.

depeche mode --> erasure

vince clarke started out as a member of depeche mode, then formed yaz (yazoo) with alison moyet, and after a failed ten track concept album (featuring ten different guest vocalists) invited andy bell to join his 1985 endeavor...erasure.

michael jackson -->george harrison

this was actually painfully simple, though a little obscure. weird al covered both artists on his 1988 album even worse.

chic -->duran duran

in 1985, during duran duran's little reorganization, members andy and john taylor (who are unrelated, for those who didn't already know/care) formed the power station with robert palmer and drummer tony thompson. the latter was a member of chic, as was producer bernard edwards.

here's a bonus tidbit for true nerds: i've mentioned before that michael des barres took over vocal duties for the band during live aid. well, one month after live aid, the power station (with michael officially installed as lead singer) had a brief guest appearance in an episode of "miami vice".

alice cooper -->new edition

in 1989, alice cooper had a hit called "poison". the following year, bell biv devoe had a hit called.... you guessed it- "poison". and (drumroll, please) bell biv devoe was comprised of three members of new edition- michael bivins, ricky bell, and ronnie devoe.

care to tackle a new set? let me know, and if anyone's interested, i'll come up with five more for you. (hell, i'll probably do it even if no one's interested.....just because it amuses me.)

...and i'm spent.

eye candy and crappy driving

before i get to the point of this evening's post (i figured it might be a novel idea to actually have one, for once.), let me announce that there was an eye candy sighting today at work.

one of these days, i'll figure out how to sneak a picture of him.....so you can either swoon or say "uh....another one of those "personality things", eh?" (i am notorious for developing crushes based on personality....but that's best left to explore in a future post.)

where was i? (sometimes cute boys make me forget what it was i was thinking/talking about/doing. i call it "hunk-induced amnesia"....if i remember right.)

---

anyway, tonight's post is actually inspired by a genius out on the roads of columbia this evening.

(i think it really says something that south carolina allows you to get your license without subjecting you to any sort of driving/written test as long as you can somehow prove that another state considered you fit to operate some sort of vehicle on the open road. however, those bastards took my missouri license, which had a very good picture of yours truly, and would not give it back, saying that it had to be sent back to missouri so they'd know i moved. *hack hack cough cough bullshit! cough cough hack hack*

i wanted to kick somebody in the kneecaps after that line of crap.)

but this evening's post isn't about the special folks at the dmv (which, by the way, i am to visit next month...and this time i'm keeping an iron grip on my old license.)- it's about some of the folks they actually let behind the wheel of a car.

there i was, minding my own business, driving home from this evening's babysitting gig on a winding two lane road, when i abruptly had to slow down at an intersection. normally this would not be a big deal. however, what i found strange was that there was no apparent reason for the stoppage. the light was green, and had been for quite some time.....yet we were at a standstill. i stuck my head out the window and saw the reason for the stoppage. a wayward driver had gotten himself into the left turn lane, then realized he actualy needed to go straight. instead of letting the folks who knew where they were going cross the intersection and then take the opportunity to correct his error, there he was, sitting in the left lane, with his right turn signal on. the kind soul at the front of my lane was waiting for the guy to go, but apparently the guy didn't understand the gesture.

had i not still been in a good mood from this morning's eye candy sighting, perhaps i would have come up with a few gestures of my own.

i'd barely made it through that intersection and gotten back up to third gear when another gifted driver made his presence known. two cars ahead of me, this new station wagon was zipping down the road with its left turn signal flashing. since there weren't any obvious left hand turns on this stretch of road, and this vehicle didn't look like it was equipped for a spontaneous run through the woods, i was more than a little confused. the signal was turned off briefly, but then resumed its flashing as soon as the car pulled up to the train tracks. i was hoping the driver would follow through on his turn at that point (a darwin award for sure!), but no......he crossed the tracks safely, and then, with left signal still flashing, executed a right turn into the gas station.

wow.

as he turned, i noticed the temporary tag on the car. (until recently, south carolina didn't have temp tags.....some of the other interesting quirks of south carolina may be explored soon.....like if my fan doesn't provide me with any good blog fodder this weekend......but i digress.) i'm guessing his license came free with the car's purchase.

---

speaking of driving, tomorrow evening, i will be blogging while monitoring another truck race. (yee haw!)

this will allow me plenty of time to think up a new musical challenge. with that in mind, feel free to tackle the current one if you have not done so already.

at long last...

perhaps i should have used the good camera to capture this.

oh, how the mighty have fallen.

so there i was, speeding home from work...i mean, i was obeying the speed limit to the digit....and the latest from the pussycat dolls (one day i will be toned enough to look hot running around in lingerie and then i will wander around in public wearing nothing but frederick's finest and a trench coat and will randomly stop in the middle of the sidewalk and break into song and then men will flock to me and throw themselves at me and....oh, uhm...i like the song a little. where was i?) ended, and wnok went to commercials and suddenly i heard something that almost caused me to run off the road.

biz markie.

yes, folks, the man who rapped/sang/whatever about the love of his life who was loving on someone else has sunk to a new low.

which reminds me- does anyone else recall a parody of that song? i was in middle school when it came out, and every time i heard "just a friend", i wind up singing

oh baby you

you got the disease

but you say it's just a rash

but you say it's just a rash....

it's okay- it's probably just me. (though my classmates started it- i was not nearly so culturally aware.)

anyway, biz is now rapping about pepto bismol.

i shit you not.....and apparently he's got that sort of thing under control, too......thanks to the new cherry flavor.

anticipation

chocolate and music...mmmmm

i need motivation....inspiration.....and one of those delightful chocolate pies from burger king. (i can't think of the actual name, but there's chocolate and probably about 50 grams of fat involved in this delightful, sinful little creation.)

for some reason, "faith", by george michael, has been running through my head for the past hour. ah, george.....i thought he was into chicks until i was flat-out told otherwise a couple of years ago. oh well- still wore his jeans well in that video.

when i traveled to europe (paris and madrid) in high school, i had the pleasure of dining at the hard rock cafe in paris. it was the only time i have ever eaten at a hard rock (usually i just visit the store), and i wound up seated under george's jacket. (i guess it would've been the one that wasn't set on fire in one of his videos- must've been a "stunt double" or something.) no one else at my table understood why this was a big deal. (then again, i was misunderstood for most of my high school career- isn't that what teen angst is all about, after all?)

i wish i'd taken a picture of it.

perhaps i'm thinking of george as a result of reading an article (the decluttering project continues!) on little richard earlier this afternoon. you see, it seems that, once again, i am the last to find out the news:

little richard is gay.

i had no idea. seriously. well, actually, i had no idea until a couple of months ago when i read some article about him. but still........so much for that odd crush i had on him when i was little. (please don't ask me to explain it- i don't fully understand where it came from, either.)

oh, and lily tomlin? yep- you guessed it. (though i never did. another magazine article took care of that one for me, too.)

the solution is obvious: i need to stop reading magazines.

oh- and don't even mention a certain diver from the olympics in the 80s. i was crushed when i found out the truth about him.

 

speaking of boys who dig boys (lily tomlin excepted, obviously), i miss citrus' wit. now, even the anecdote he posted a while back is gone. however, the link will stay, just in case he decides to take up public blogging again. (well, and because i hate goodbyes.)

........and now the song in my head has switched to "boys and girls" by blur.

oh, yes- speaking of music, how about scrolling down a little and pondering a few musical connections? it'll make the day go by faster- really.

something for digitalicat's titillation

two calls today- this was the highlight.

radio fan-raunchy tunes

dammit, digi- i told you to just breathe heavily and hang up.

such devotion is rare.

blogsurfing and musical geekery

i found a few things while wandering around the blogosphere this morning. (i wasn't awake enough to begin pounding out an entry of my own yet.)

check this out.

this little diversion comes courtesy of kal. (i'm sticking it on my radio webpage, too.)

i got a pretty good giggle out of this this morning. (though i'm not ashamed to admit "out of the blue" was one of the first tapes i ever bought.)

speaking of music, since i'm here at the station all day, i'm inspired to write about musical sorts of things.

i had a thought on the way to work, which was a little surprising, as i was (and still am) half asleep (but the paycheck will be HUGE! well, maybe a little bigger than usual, anyway)- not exactly the ideal condition for yours truly to come up with brilliant plans.

here goes: find the connection between the following pairs of bands. it may take one step...maybe more than one....possibly more/fewer steps than i need. at any rate, if you have time to kill, take a crack at the list. i'll try to remember to put up my answers after a few folks have a taken a shot. (i predict larry, penny, kal and kristin will be all over this. digitalicat, however, will be too busy making obscene phone calls.)

let me use this one as an example, since it'd be a pretty tough one to get (unless you're as much of an 80s music geek as i am):

u2 -->the cult

bono of u2 was good friends with michael hutchence of inxs (in fact, during a concert right after michael died, "one" was dedicated to his memory), who was up for the role of jim morrison in the doors...a role currently being played (on tour) by ian astbury, of the cult.

(yes, i fully realize the magnitude of my musical geekiness....and i can cook too!)

your turn:

l.a. guns --> blind melon

depeche mode --> erasure

michael jackson -->george harrison

chic -->duran duran

alice cooper -->new edition

okay, that should keep you busy for a little while.

rest assured that i'll be back- it's going to be a long day.

finally- one of those pictures i promised you a week ago. nothing like delayed gratification, eh?

there i am, braces and all, with montezuma's castle (arizona) in the background.

find more pictures from my trip here.

who needs to go out on a friday night?

this should be short, since i'm at work and have to get a few things done so i can leave by 1 a.m.- and come back 5 hours later.

sleep? what's that?

it's amazing what a great motivator poverty can be, isn't it?

one of the great things about coming into the station tonight (besides the slightly larger paycheck) is that i was able to talk my way into getting taco bell. i managed to suck down 4 tacos and most of an orange soda without spilling any of it on my white tank top......an unheard of feat, as i rarely make it through the day without slopping something onto myself. (this, is why i usually sport clothing from the grey family, as it camouflages spills better than white does.)

then again, there's about a quarter of a can of orange soda left.

it feels like i have a hunk of tortilla stuck on one of my rear brackets. i should probably dig out the trusty toothbrush and take care of it here pretty soon. i'm headed back to the orthodontist monday for a new wire (i think), reattachment of a couple of brackets (those damned hooky ones keep snagging on random bits of food), and a new color (the sparkly green bands i should've gotten last time). somehow i doubt he'd be thrilled to see a gift from taco bell clinging to my molar.

you know what? that remaining orange soda is going to taste great with the minty fresh taste left by my toothpaste.

lesson learned: think before you brush. ugh.

okay- back to work. wait- before i go- kal and penny brought this up.

i took it, clicked for results, and got an error message.

perhaps my time would be better spent on another taco.

a little food.....a little music.....

i'm currently dining on that beloved buffet staple- three bean salad. (the good thing about the keyboard condom on this computer is that i don't have to worry about slopping something between the keys while i eat. i do miss the clicking sound the keys make as i pound them, though.) it's the basic version- wax beans, kidney beans, and good ol' green beans, with a few onion chunks doing the backstroke in a delightful vinaigrette. (which i have probably misspelled, from the looks of it.) i'm down with most variations on the basic recipe.....in fact there were only two exceptions. the first bastardized version featured lima beans, which i never have (nor ever will) liked, and the second, for some strange and horrible reason, replaced the vinegar with oil, which was just plain wrong.

since i'm trying to hold off on a much needed trip to the grocery store, i'm eating an unusual combination for the third night in a row- three bean salad (it's okay- i usually sleep alone, and it's common knowledge that girls can eat all the beans and broccoli they want without suffering any ill effects), some lemon pepper fish filets i found in the freezer (throw a little extra lemon pepper on there, and they taste just fine), a couple of hunks of cheese (a girl's gotta have her calcium, of course), and i believe dessert will be one of the pints of ben & jerry's chocolate fudge brownie lowfat frozen yogurt. (after all, "lowfat" means i can eat twice as much, right?)

okay- so maybe it's not that weird, but it's certainly a far cry from the smoked salmon quesadillas, tacos, or cheese-smothered chicken enchiladas (with homemade guacamole, of course) that i'd whip up if i had the energy and supplies. (i swear i don't eat mexican every night- just maybe 3 or 4 times a week.)

enough about food. i'm grabbing the baton from larry:

1. The person (or persons) who passed the baton to you.

uh, yeah- see above.

2. Total volume of music files on your computer.

errr....ahhh...my computer? none. i'm one of those old fashioned "cd" people.

3. The title and artist of the last CD you bought.

please, everyone knows djs don't have to buy cds! (just kidding- i still do.) the last one was - hang on, i have to look- the last one i bought was "show & tell" by silvertide.......the last ones i bought and have actually listened to are "discozone" by o-zone and "the duran duran tribute album"- the only two things i've ever purchased on ebay.

4. Song playing at the moment of writing.

i'm not listening to anything right now, though i have a couple of duran duran singles (from the second boxed set) and depeche mode remixes loaded into my cd player.

5. Five songs you have been listening to of late (or all-time favorites, or particularly personally meaningful songs)

five favorites: "take on me"- aha
"don't change"- inxs
"the reflex" (not the crappy remix version)- duran duran
"the promise"- when in rome
"fire woman"- the cult

6. The five unfortunate victims to whom you will afflict with this musical baton.

my tags generally go unanswered, so feel free to take up the baton if interested.

7. Super bonus question: Do you dance by yourself when you think no one is looking?

yes......that's the only acceptable time to work on my ill cabbage patch skills.

not quite a poolboy, but you take your thrills where you can

my original plan was to crawl into bed early for the third night in a row.

however, that was before the two-hour phone conversation with mama this evening. (yes, larry- i took her to the bathroom. however, i must point out that i was quite open about it, though she thought she could be slick and take me in undetected. unfortunately for her, i inherited her supersonic sense of hearing and pointed out the telltale background noise.)

but you didn't come here to read about that, did you? (surely someone out there did an odd search, so i don't suppose i could rule it out....)

anyway, it was of vital importance that i relay the events of the past few days to her, from wacky two year olds to the eye candy that has made not one but two visits to our preschool this week. (i swear i had nothing to do with that last part......really.)

of course, you don't want to be bored to death with my wacky misadventures with the two year olds, so let's talk about the hunk that was strolling around the grounds.

before i tell you this brief tale, let me preface it by saying the following:

~i am happily taken. (settle down, dear- i'm not shopping for a replacement.)*
~however, i am neither married nor buried, therefore i may look, ogle, and flat out stare- especially if i happen to be wearing sunglasses at the time and can pretend that i'm actually looking at my two year olds, who are probably busy splashing each other and trying to figure out the mysteries of the elmo sprinkler.

*i will, however, continue to flirt with larry and digitalicat relentlessly.

anyway, our air conditioner has been on the fritz lately, causing my room to resemble one of those industrial freezers (before monday's "repair"), and then a warm oven (after monday's "repair"). unfortunately, when it's 90 degrees outside (makes you want to move out here, doesn't it?), opening the window does not exactly bring relief.

so, the a/c folks had to be coaxed down from charlotte to repair their original repairs. this was not necessarily a bad thing. you see, one of the guys sent down monday was....how to put it?..... not terribly unattractive. usually, i'm a "personality" kind of girl, but i'm afraid even i had to give "frank" (that's what the shirt said, but who knows- his name could really be "cletus" or something equally.....err......unique. sensing that, despite his boyish good looks, this might deminish his luck with the ladies, perhaps "cletus" felt the need to borrow frank's shirt. i don't know, and i haven't really had the chance/chutzpah to ask.) a second look. and a third. (to be fair, the third look happened when i held the door open for him monday as he was finishing up his work.)

anyway, after spending the better part of the day tinkering with our air conditioning, "frank/cletus" headed into the building for one last time- as i was passing by the front door. so, i opened it for him. somehow, this led to a conversation about needing some sort of paperwork signed. i wandered around the building in search of someone with some sort of authority, and then "frank/cletus" told me that it didn't matter if the person who signed the paperwork had any authority, since it was just a work order anyway.

well, in that case......... so i signed it. then i kicked myself for signing my legal name, because if "frank/cletus" was so in awe of my sparkling wit and personality (clearly demonstrated during the brief conversation that followed) and felt the need to google me, he wouldn't find me. or at least i don't think he would. hang on- let me check...........

nope, not me. though there are a few sites that appear to be german and something about a "small penis humiliation site", which, i assure you, does not involve me. (i've certainly never been that drunk.)

anyway, when i got to school yesterday, my room was hot. to confirm that this was not just wishful thinking on my part, i checked with the teacher next door. her room was hot, too, and i don't think she'd laid eyes on "frank/cletus", so i'm pretty sure she her opinion was uninfluenced.

when i wandered into school this morning, my room was even hotter.

since we were looking forward to a 90-something degree day anyway, the game plan was to take the kids outside and play in the pool. since i'm a "hands on" sort of teacher (two year olds are a great excuse to jump in mud puddles, splash in wading pools, and run around in an elmo sprinkler without causing folks to wonder if you're completely nuts.), i donned the controversial tankini (you'll have to hold out for the book on that one), a pair of board shorts, and jumped right in to the wading pool. when my assistant came outside, we were discussing the temperature of the room and the likelihood that "frank/cletus" would receive our distress call and pull up in our parking lot, like a knight in shining armor.....well, a dull navy blue uniform including a shirt that may or may not have been his. i was in the middle of a dramatic retelling of the meaningful conversation that "frank/cletus" and i engaged in the other day when my assistant's eyes got big and she made a couple of noises as if to indicate that the topic of our conversation had just appeared.

and so he had. with shirt untucked (but, sadly, still on), "frank/cletus" had arrived to free us from the oppressing heat in our classrooms.

and there i was, splashing around with my kids, pink (have i mentioned how much i hate pink? too bad it was the only color in stock when i bought the damn tankini) tankini, blue camouflage board shorts, hair up, yet somehow falling down, soaking wet- there i was.

thank goodness he was a good 50 feet away. (i also like to think that, like me, "frank/cletus" did not have the patience to mess with his contact lenses this morning.)

two trips in and out of the building later, "frank/cletus" acknowledged my existence.

"hi," he said.

aha- so he remembered our deep, meaningful conversation from two days ago! were i single, i'd be totally in like flynn. (actually, no i wouldn't- i'd probably be too stunned to function and would have replied by smoothly throwing myself into the wading pool or something.)

"hi," i replied.

i was in the middle of sharing this profound experience with my assistant when she pointed out the bizarre scene unfolding before our eyes. without going into too much detail (i have coworkers who read this), let's just say we witnessed a courtship ritual/phone number exchange that involved enough folks to start up a game of basketball.

were i single, man...i mean, i had a head start and everything. after all- he said "hi", which counts as our second conversation. at that rate, i'd be the one checking the phone every 5 minutes to make sure it was working and using the time in between to flip through my dusty copy of the rules, searching for the proper length of time to wait before calling.

but i'm not. i'm taken...which frees me up so i can spend my time blogging about conversations about conversations about eye candy.......and coming up with ways to sabotage the a/c.

(totally kidding- i'd rather have a comfortable room- really.)

not my best- go read kal instead

i have a raging headache, and i'm convinced the only thing that will make it better is tacos. however, since i refuse to put taco bell on my credit card (i don't carry cash) and i'm too lazy to put clothes on and drive there anyway, i'm settling for a creative hamburger helper/taco shell creation.

ah well, i've eaten stranger combinations.

which sort of brings me to dishes. thank goodness i don't have any exes trying to claim mine.

i'm tired, headachy, and irritated with UPS. so, i'm going to take the easy way out and find a couple of things for you to amuse yourself with.

you'll need to take this one yourself- my results hit too close to home to share.

try this one, too.

i must admit, i was a little surprised by my result:

Congratulations, You are slightly high maintenance
"You are slightly high maintenance but don't worry, its a healthy amount. Make sure you don't get too comfortable with it though we would hate to see you becoming more high maintenance."

i figured i was lower maintainence than that. ah well, i guess i'm more demanding than i thought.

speaking of being demanding.....right now, my body is demanding food and sleep.

peter pan and a natural pirate?

so, he's free. innocent. not a molester.

i'm pleased.

however, i'd be more pleased if michael could get into some sort of therapy.

i'm sure this'll be a topic on many blogs today, but will anyone else share this? not many.

which reminds me of the charming story about thriller that i forgot to tell you the last time i included that link.

first off, let me start by saying that to this day, i hide my eyes during that scene when michael turns into a werewolf. when i was younger, i used to hide my head under my security blanket. nowadays, i just look in another direction (i look vaguely more dignified and mature, i think.)

when i first saw the video i swore i would never wear contacts- they looked too awkward and painful- besides, they turned your eyes this horrifying shade of yellow. (i also swore i'd never drive when i was about that age......thank goodness i changed my mind on both counts.)

anyway, my dad had a copy of the "thriller" album- on cassette for sure, and i think it may have been one of the first cds he bought, as well. my little sister and i were easily amused, so one day we got the bright idea to make a haunted house in our basement and use "thriller" as the soundtrack. (the single, not the whole tape- it's hard to scare someone to the tune of "billie jean", unless there's some sort of paternity suit involved.....you know, that made so much more sense in my head. )

so, we'd banish daddy to the upstairs and run down to the basement armed with my collection of glow in the dark gummy bracelets and the glowing ghosts my sister owned. (i can't for the life of me remember where those ghosts came from, but i wish we'd gotten more- they were quite cool.) the bracelets went on the floor, to serve as the "path" for daddy to walk along, and i think there were a couple of glow in the dark shoelaces that were used on occasion for the same purpose. the ghosts were carefully placed on the bar, stereo, et cetera, where they would appear to levitate eerily. the tape would be cued up, one of us would hide (usually in the bar area), and the other would summon daddy to the stairs. he would be led downstairs and around the basement in the dark while michael sang, vincent rapped, and one of us jumped out and threw the ghosts. as soon as the song was over, the lights would come on, and daddy would be sent back upstairs while we set everything up again. lather, rinse, repeat.

more than once, dad was given the haunted tour of the basement 4 or 5 times in an hour.

man, those were the days.

---

i found this on stef's page .

Your Seduction Style: The Natural

You don't really try to seduce people... it just seems to happen. Fun loving and free spirited, you bring out the inner child in people. You are spontaneous, sincere, and unpretentious - a hard combo to find! People drop their guard around you, and find themselves falling fast.

What Is Your Seduction Style?

i'm a natural? excuse me? i thought i was more "girl next door"- the type that's always "just a friend". forgive me- i must have gotten sidetracked by all the guys who were apparently beating down my door.......my little sister must have answered it while i was upstairs with my nose in a book or something.

while we're at it, this was on both larry and danikabur's pages:

What kind of pirate am I? You decide!
You can also view a breakdown of results or put one of these on your own page!
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

all right. time to check in with a few fellow bloggers, mangle a few more magazines, and search for my lost gummy bracelet collection.

travel, trivia, and finding myself on the web

yes, multiple posts in one day. maybe i'm making up for all those days i skipped.....or maybe i'm just not in the mood to take care of any of the little "projects" i dragged into work with me today.
actually, you know what i'm in the mood to do? if i didn't have to go to work for the next few days, i could totally see myself hopping in the car for an impromptu road trip. i've wanted to see the florida keys for a while now, and if i stopped by the dry tortugas (i think you have to take a boat or something to get there, though), i could probably get my little national parks passport stamped a time or two during the trip.

perhaps i can squeeze in some sort of a long weekend to head down there at some point.

i've always been fond of travel. i figure the world's too big to stay in one place your whole life. i've been to most of the states (i'm missing alaska, hawaii, washington state, oregon, idaho, montana, utah, and i really shouldn't count texas, since i've only been to the airports), mexico (twice), spain (madrid and barcelona- on different trips), france, and canada (prince edward island, new bruswick, nova scotia, quebec, and manitoba- though that was a short-lived trip- across the border, where we were detained while my dad was called (i was under 18 and on a road trip), and back across the border upon our release.)

additionally, i've lived in five states- wyoming (i have one of those rare wyoming social security numbers, which i am quite proud of), colorado, maryland, missouri, and south carolina.

before i'm 30 (creeping up on me way too quickly), i'd like to go to:

~montana- one of my college roommates lives there, and i'd love to hike in the area.

~hawaii- not on a honeymoon, either- i'm too young for all that grown-up marriage stuff

~barcelona again- i'd like another shot at gaudi's architecture.

~some sort of island- i'm working on bermuda with mama in the spring, so maybe this one will get fulfilled soon.

~mardi gras, again.

~wyoming....well, again. it's been nearly fourteen years since i last set foot in wyoming, and there are a few places i'd like to revisit.

of course, i have a few other places in mind, too- but this list is a good start. besides, i should probably spend some of my time working to pay for my travel habit.

---

i've spent the day flipping through a bunch of magazines i'd saved (i'm a pack rat- i'll admit it), trying to pull out the important articles and ads, and tossing the rest into a recycling box. in fact, if i share a few interesting tidbits i've found, i can recycle some of the stuff i tore out:

~the working title of the beastie boys' album licensed to ill was "don't be a faggot".

~fee waybill, of the tubes, now plays polo, and he's played dr. frank n. furter in a michigan summer stock production of the rocky horror picture show for the past several years.

~the record for "loudest concert ever", formerly held by the who (charlton athletic football ground, london, 31 may 1976) is currently held by manowar (hanover, germany, march 1994)- an eardrum-shattering 129 decibels. (as blender magazine pointed out, a jet taking off registers 150 decibels.)

~fergie of the black eyed peas was on kids, incorporated in the 1980s, then became a member of wild orchid in the 90s (i actually saw them in concert once- though i can't for the life of me remember the name of their hit song). jennifer love hewitt was also a member of kids, inc.

~darby crash of the germs committed suicide hours before john lennon was shot on december 7th, 1980.

~terry chimes, drummer for the clash, is now a chiropractor in london.

~jane's addiction was named for jane bainter, a housemate of the band. her signature was part of the band's first logo, and her picture was on the band's early flyers.

~slash is actually british.

~the opening words mumbled at the beginning of def leppard's "rock of ages" don't actually mean anything.

~neal smith, drummer for the alice cooper group, now makes a living as a luxury real-estate broker in connecticut.

~moby's great-great-great uncle was herman melville. his grandfather was major thomas melvill, who participated in the boston tea party. he was also the subject of "the last leaf", by oliver wendell holmes.

~"hey man, nice shot", by filter, is about the r.budd dwyer, the pennsylvania state treasurer who shot himself in front of tv cameras in 1987. he'd called a press conference to proclaim his innocence on bribery charges. some tv stations aired footage of the whole event. ew.

~whitney houston was considered for a role as a bond girl. however, given her poor health and mental instability, she was ultimately passed over and the role went to halle berry instead.

~elvis costello was banned from saturday night live for 12 years after playing the anti-corporate tune "radio, radio" in 1977.

~the first episode of mtv unplugged, taped on halloween 1989, featured squeeze songwriters chris difford and glenn tilbrook, as well as syd straw and the cars' elliot easton.

~bruce murphy, of men without hats, now works as a cosmetic dentist in ottawa, ontario.

~steven sweet of warrant paints pictures of pets in l.a. oh- and his real name is steven chamberlain.

~before they joined fleetwood mac, lindsay buckingham and stevie nicks made an album of their own. they were both topless on the cover, because buckingham didn't like the blouse nicks bought for the shoot.

~"the chain" is the only fleetwood mac song written by all five members of the band.

~dennis elliot, of foreigner, makes a living as a wood turner in florida, and has work in the smithsonian's permanent collection.

---

wow. that's a whole stack of pages i can add to the recycling pile. much love to blender for looking up all that stuff so i don't have to.

---

people get to my blog in some interesting ways. aside from the ones who get here from my radio page, my blogger friends' pages, and randomly passing through, i've popped up in searches for "moe's calories", samantha fox (a.k.a. stasia micula), my bouncy adidas shoes (the a3 megaride) , and some one even searched for my full (albeit non-legal) name.....and my blog came up as the second result.

perhaps i should broaden my range of topics so i show up on some really odd searches....or not.

in case you're curious, i don't show up on the first page of a search for "duff" yet, though another duff who muses randomly does.

one day, dammit, i will surpass hilary duff and show up at the top of the results for "duff". just not today- i'm not even showing up on page ten.

then again, does hilary have a devoted fan like this guy?

radiofanstimulation

ah well- time for another interesting diversion......either rollerblading or working on those arizona vacation photos. anybody have a coin i can flip?

saturday adventures

you know that nap i mentioned yesterday? it didn't happen. i worked until 3, went home, crawled into bed with the latest laurie notaro book....and then got back out of bed five minutes later when asked if i wanted to go to subway. (i know, i know- given my past experiences with the local subway, you would think i'd have moved on to another sub shop by now, but noooooo- going to our subway is always an adventure.)

the good news: they've hired slightly more competent help.

the bad news: they're doing away with the "sub club".

you're killing me here, folks. i've participated in your free sub program for as long as i can remember- since my childhood in baltimore. the first subway sandwich shop i'd ever seen went in down the hill from our house when i was still in elementary school. (feel free to correct me on that, mama.)

so now i have a nice little stack of sub club cards- most of them completely full- at it seems they are now worth approximately squat. fabulous.

anyway, after a semi-satisfying meal at subway (i mean, come on- would it have killed you folks to put more than five banana papper rings on my footlong? really.), our next stop was one of those big, obnoxious national chains to pick up a copy of eerie, indiana on dvd for my dad for father's day. i'd planned on getting a copy for myself, too. (i watched it religiously when i was younger and was heartbroken when the show was cancelled.) however, most of my plans go awry- and i was foiled by the realization that there was only one copy of the show to be had. since i'm currently in "devoted daughter" mode, i'm doing the "big girl" thing and mailing the dvd to dad, as originally intended, instead of being selfish and keeping it for myself. (besides, this way someone else can buy the series for me in a month and 5 days.....along with my duran duran tickets, of course.......i mean, you know, if you want to.)

anyway, after picking up the gift (and a couple of fraggle rock dvds- who knew they were out already?), the next stop was the card shop to find appropriate cards. my dad's card was easy- grandpa's not so much. (he's not amused by my sense of humor, i'm afraid, and most of the other offerings were either designed for a three year old to send or else too gushy and sentimental for me to look at without wanting to gag.) while i was at it, i replenished my birthday card supply (you don't want to know how far behind i am on mailing those....) and bought a couple of beanie baby bears.....including the special pope bear, whiuch was a little religous for my tastes, but will probably be some sort of collector's item some day.

that done, it was off to buy soap and a couple of pairs of khakis, since two pairs bit the dust a while back and i've been too cheap to buy more. i found a fantastic pair of orange pants (i don't know what it is with the sudden fondness for orange lately- i've always been a blue kind of girl), but i'm sorry to report they were too big. (well- not that sorry- it's nice to know i've gone down a size since i last bought pants.)

i hate the mall- which is why i only visit every six months, and spend the rest of my time trying to scrimp and save.

oh- and our mall has an escort policy. i was highly disappointed that i didn't get carded, though my companion was quick to point out that it was because he looks old enough to be my guardian. (next time, i shop alone, dammit!)

anyway, after our little shopping trip, there wasn't any time for my nap, so we headed straight to the cheap movie theater (the only kind we ever went to when i was little, so it brings back memories each time we shell out a buck fifty each to see a flick that we could probably just go ahead and buy on dvd for roughly ten times as much in a theater without reclining seat or movable armrests) to see "hitch". i thoroughly enjoyed the film, though there was an actor in it i'm trying desperately to place. you know- one of those faces you know you've seen before but can't remember where. (it's right up there with getting a song stuck in your head but not knowing the title, or who it's by, or some other little bit of nagging trivia.) aside from that, and the kid two rows back who insisted on hurling his lemonheads across the theater and the woman who actually answered her cell phone during the freaking movie, it was an enjoyable experience.

after turning down tacos (i know- a shocker, but i wasn't the least bit hungry and i'm trying to watch my girlish figure), we headed home and i spent some time putting more arizona photos in the album. (i bought more photo sleeves at the card shop.)

were i not so lazy, i'd go back to the appropriate entries, add the photos, and then link back to them here- but i am lazy, so i'll simply add the photos to this post later on today. (i'll try to do better next time- really.)

in the meantime, serious work needs to be done around here (or at least that's what they keep telling me).

a few diversions

i'm too sleepy to write a deep and meaningful post this morning, so how about a few little diversions to keep you busy while i nap?

i found this through larry's site:

Which Annoying B-list Celebrity Are You?
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey.

woo-hoo! pauly shore is on my page!

interesting trivial tidbit- pauly came to my radio station about a year ago and wound up getting talked into making a drop (one of those short bits that you hear between songs) for yours truly. if i can find the file and figure out how to put it on here, i will.

totally made my week. (then again, i suppose it says something about me that i liked son in law- a lot.)


while babysitting last night, i flipped through the channels (after the kids were in bed, of course) and found one of my favorites- the breakfast club. i love that movie. nothing like spending an hour and a half ogling a young judd nelson, playing a guy who's a bit rough around the edges. (actually, it was only about fifteen minutes, since the movie was over halfway over by the time i tuned in, and the parents came home after the second commercial interruption.)

i was totally reminded of the secret i should send to post secret.

i was also reminded of this:




Take the Which Brat Pack Character Am I? Quiz




(forgive me if i already have it posted somewhere on here- though i think it's just on my radio page.)

i suppose i should also chase down a couple of tests that i haven't seen posted anywhere else......


Nggghhaahhh!
Grrr arrr Rum and Monkey.

uh, i'm not sure either, though i do look kind of like that when i first roll out of bed in the morning.

You Scored 70% Correct

You are a solid child of the 80s You'd never confuse Tiffany from Debbie And while you may not know Prince's first #1 hit You know every word to Little Red Corvette

How Much Do You Know About 80s Music?

i should have scored higher, but i would've had to cheat and look up a couple of dates......and the microsoft question threw me a little.

by the way, i think this site is hilarious. perhaps one day i'll stick it over with my permanent links.
ok, guys- that's it for this episode. perhaps i'll come up with something better after a long nap.

taking care of business

you'll have to fogive me for not posting anything the past couple of days- i've been exhausted (in addition to my usual day job, i've been on wnok all week) and i'm afraid my beauty sleep takes priority over blogging.

anyway, i somehow managed to get tagged the other day by my mossy friend, and i promised to do something about it today. (well, thursday, which ended about an hour ago, technically.) anyway, my list is below. i'll try not to repeat too many of anyone else's answers, but i can't make any serious promises, since i'm not looking at mossy or larry's lists while doing this.

(1) No repeats from other lists (or as few as possible)
(2) In order to be considered an 80s band, they must have released an album in the 80s.(i'm going to use 1979-1990 here- hope the sticklers don't mind too much.)
(3) "Alphabetical" implies that if it is a single person, you list by the last name but a band that has a person's name is listed by the first word. Therefore, Michael Jackson and Jethro Tull would both be under "J".

a-adam ant, aha, art of noise, air supply (i can't believe i thought of that one *cringe*), aerosmith, bryan adams, rick astley, paula abdul

b-big country, david bowie, toni basil, bon jovi

c- cinderella, the cure, culture club, the cult, club nouveau, the clash

d- depeche mode, duran duran, ian dury, dexys midnight runners, michael damian

e-eurythmics, sheena easton, expose, the escape club, english beat

f- fleetwood mac, falco, samantha fox, lita ford, fine young cannibals

g-j. geils band (or maybe this goes under "j"- whichever), debbie gibson, guns n' roses, genesis

h- haircut 100, hooters, hall & oates, human league, whitney houston, bruce hornsby & the range, george harrison

i-inxs, icehouse, information society, billy idol, donnie iris

j-rick james, michael jackson, joe jackson, the jacksons, the jets, joan jett and the blackhearts

k-k.c. and the sunshine band, kool & the gang, the knack, johnny kemp

l- julian lennon, lisa lisa and cult jam, loverboy, kenny loggins, l.a. guns, cyndi lauper, huey lewis & the news

m-madness, musical youth, moody blues, men at work, the monkees, eddie murphy, mr. mister, bobby mc ferrin, richard marx, milli vanilli

n-new kids on the block, new edition, nelson

o-billy ocean, ozzy osbourne, sinead o' connor

p-poison, prince, robert palmer, pet shop boys

q-queen, queensryche

r- ready for the world

s-siouxsie and the banshees, billy squier, donna summer, rick springfield, simply red, starship

t-talking heads, taco, til' tuesday, tommy tutone, bonnie tyler, tina turner, tears for fears, the time, tiffany, times two

u-ultravox, u2

v- van halen

w- whitesnake, white lion, stevie wonder, warrant, steve winwood, wham

x-xtc

y-yaz, yes, paul young

z-z.z. top

i will probably add to this later (when i'm a little more awake). in the meantime, i'm tagging jo-anne, kunstemaecker, sojourning crow, and kal

oh- i stole this from larry

Which Evil Criminal are You?
A Rum and Monkey crime.

and here's one i dug up:

Your IQ Is 130

Your Logical Intelligence is Exceptional Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

woo-hoo! i'm not as dumb as i look!

has it really been twenty years?

i have some time to write an actual blog entry tonight, but i'm not sure how entertaining it might be.

i was flipping through the latest issue of rolling stone today (the june 16th issue, which i'm sure arrived at your doorstep at least a week ago. sometimes i wonder if my mailman takes my copy home to peruse before delivering it to me.) and found out two very interesting tidbits:

~vh1 is going to revive "storytellers". among the bands to featured in upcoming episodes: coldplay, dave matthews, green day, and bruce springsteen. (it's almost enough to motivate me to pay for cable- almost.)

~twenty years after live aid, bob geldof has teamed up with bono to organize live 8, about which bob geldof says, "This is not Live Aid 2." (i left the caps because i took the quote from the live 8 website.)

has it really been twenty years since live aid? i remember my dad had the vcr tied up during the entire event back on july 13, 1985. he taped the entire concert, dropping whatever he was doing every 6 hours (like clockwork) so he could change the tape. the concert at wembley, the concert at jfk- all of it's on tape somewhere in his collection in kansas city. when i was in college, i raided his collection to watch nik kershaw, adam ant, queen, and duran duran, among others. (however, i did not feel the need to watch elton john's performance again, because my only clear, specific memory from the original broadcast was elton singing "don't go breaking my heart", with kiki dee. at the time, i thought kiki's voice was much deeper and that they were both guys. i'd rather preserve that memory the way it is, as i'm sure reality would not be nearly as amusing.)

geeky trivia question: which artist performed at wembley stadium, then boarded the concorde and flew to the u.s. to perform at j.f.k? are any of my readers nerdy enough about music to answer this without looking it up?

i bought my dad the dvd set when i was last in town- just after his birthday, but i'm sure it's not the same.

this time around, there will be five concerts- not just two- all taking place on july 2nd:

london- hyde park

the lineup includes: Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Sir Elton John, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Robbie Williams, U2, REM, Velvet Revolver, Bob Geldof, The Killers, The Cure, and several others.

paris- versailles

the lineup includes: Jamiroquai, Craig David, Andrea Bocelli, Placebo, and a handful of others.

berlin- brandenburg gate

a-ha is playing here, along with Crosby, Stills and Nash, Brian Wilson, Lauryn Hill and a few others. (since the fugees are rumored to be back together and working on another album, does that mean that pras michel and wyclef jean will be on hand, as well? i'm predicting they show up as "special guests" during lauryn's set.)

rome- circus maximus

the lineup includes: Duran Duran, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and a few others.

(i'd root for The Power Station to play as well, but, well, that's hard to do without robert palmer- although michael des barres filled in for palmer the last time around.)

but wait- my musical trivia nerdiness has just increased!

so i googled "michael des barres" to find out if he was still alive and could, therefore, potentially fill in for robert palmer once again, and not only is he alive, but he was freakin' murdoc on macgyver! (even at the tender age of nine, i thought murdoc was hot.)

anyway, where was i? right- concerts.....

 

philadelphia- museum of art

this concert will feature Will Smith (host), Bon Jovi, Maroon 5, P Diddy, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, The Dave Matthews Band, Sarah McLachlan, Rob Thomas, 50 Cent, plus a few others.

 

for more details and the full lineups (i only cut and pasted select bits and pieces, obviously), head over to the official live 8 website.

 

and of course, no cause would be complete without very own wristband. (i'm considering it.)

and on that note, it's time for me to get back to work.

just another manic monday......

are the bangles running through your head now? you can thank me later.

i'm supposed to be doing real work right now, but perhaps this will keep you busy for a minute or two (thanks, sojourning crow.)..........

You scored as The Mad Hatter. Are you a failed writer? If so, I suggest you commit yourself to the nearest asylum before you find yourself old and alone with only the wild rabbits and mice that have invaded your basement for friends. The Mad Hatter 63% The Red Queen 63% The Catapillar 50% The White Rabbit 44% The Cheshire Cat 44% Alice 25% Could you survive Wonderland? created with QuizFarm.com

adventures in driving and devotion, part 2

before i get today's post underway, let me share with you the latest tidbit from my overzealous listener:

radio_fan-ear_candy


i'm flattered, i think. (no, not really)

since i've only been here an hour this morning , i haven't fielded any of his calls yet today.....but i'm sure they're coming. (no pun intended.)

if you scroll down, you'll notice i also added that phone call from earlier this week to this post.

some people have way too much free time on their hands. thank goodness i'm not high enough on the totem pole to get sent out on remotes- i'm sure he'd show up to say "hi"- and probably try to whisper sweet nothings in my ear.

---

while i'm giving you updates, i am pleased to report that my tire is finally in (3 weeks later), and should be on my car later this morning. (they don't know about the nail i picked up in my front driver's side tire- it'll be a happy surprise for them. shhhh!) i have no idea where i keep picking up nails- it's not like i'm cruising around construction areas on my lunch break, ogling the construction workers. (well, not every day, anyway.)

since my car is being taken care of while i'm slaving away at the radio station, i am driving the dreaded automatic suv. as you may recall from my last encounter with this blasted vehicle, i am not an automatic kind of girl. i drive a stick- period. i'm used to numbered gears and stuff, which is part of what led to a little confusion the last time. however, i am pleased to report that all is fine and well with the suv's transmission- i didn't screw things up badly enough to cause it to fall out or explode or anything. (knock on wood). so, before i left for work this morning, i had to pass a brief test:

is there a clutch in this car?

uh, no?

right. so, does your left foot need to do anything?

it needs to hold the floor mat in place?

yes. why is there a circle around the "d" for "drive"?

it means "overdrive", which means i shouldn't use it.

*exasperated sigh* no. it means "use this gear".

oh. what about the numbers? 2 worked pretty well last time, though i couldn't get it about 60mph.

maybe i should drop you off.

just kidding- it wasn't that bad. since the countdown that precedes me was ending early, i grabbed the keys, promised not to break the car, and made it to work without incident.

well, i got a little peeved at the guy in front of me who was too busy talking on his cell phone (complete with hand gestures- as if the other person was actually in the car or something) to drive, but after several deep breaths and a couple of loud verbal observations about his driving skills (and, i'll admit, a hand gesture or two of my own), i was fine.

okay, time for some real work........though i imagine i'll be back later to add to this.

---

and so i am. check this out.

after my air shift at wnok, i wander across the hall and run the kim komando show on one of our sister stations. this is something she talked about today.

have you ever checked your counter to see the strange ways people wind up on your blog? someone today did a search for "pee next stall" and i popped up. i can't decide whether to be pleased i ranked so highly on a search, or to be slightly disturbed that not only did someone perform a search on that topic, but that i came up first on that sort of search.

sometimes, i think you folks out there are more than a little odd.

okay, back to better procrastination through surfing the net......