Pretty interesting quiz

1)The phone rings; who do you want it to be?
I generally cringe when the phone rings, despite who it is

2)When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
I put it in a cart corral

3)In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?
Listener unless I'm really comfortable

4)Do you take compliments well?
I try to and generally do

5)Do you play Sudoku?
Yes

6)If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
Did I stash my Xanax and a phone before being abandoned? Otherwise, I'd have a major freakout, probably pass out, then pull my shit together, recall my scout training, and get back home

7)Is your room messy?
Ooooh yes

8)Did you ever go camping as a kid?
Yes

9)What was your favorite game as a kid?
Loved outdoor stuff like hide and seek, loved Super Mario Kart, and enjoyed a number of board games

10)If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was married, would you go after them?
No (and I'd probably leave an anonymous tip with the spouse), cuz to me, cheating is not sexy

11)Have you lied to get out of a date?
Date? What's that?

12)Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?
What do you think? That's a major NO. (I've been known to bring about conversions before though)

13)Do you like to pursue or be pursued?
be pursued

15)Do any songs make you cry?
Yes, and I will NOT list them

16)Are you continuing your education?
Got a BA in Music, plan on more self-inflicted punishment sometime soon

17)Do you know how to shoot a gun?
I've only shot BB guns, but between Ghost Recon and TV, I'd prolly figure it out

18)If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed?
Cats (then notebook PC, music files, CDs, Roland disks...) And I'd stand on the patio with a hose at my room so my Roland didn't burn up cuz I'd be PISSED

19)How often do you read books?
Often, however I rarely get one finished in any remotely understandable time

20)Do you think more about the past, present or future?
At this point I see them as one

21)What is your favorite children's book?
The Polar Express (which is why everyone who contributed to the bastardized movie version should die)

22)What color are your eyes?
I say brown, but there's yellow and bluish green

23)How tall are you?
5'8" or 5'9"

25)Do you have a secret fetish?
A couple

26)Have you tried sushi?
Hell to the no--I'm not looking to die (talk to my microbiologist best friend about that)

27)Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?
Multiple times

28)When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
Several years ago

29)When was the last time you were at Church?
Um...that's been longer than I'd like

30)Where was the furthest place you traveled today?
A few blocks from here

31)What was your favorite job?
A combo of elements from the pool, Rivoli Theater, video store, MMC Theatre Dept, VBS, and Walmart

32)Do you like mustard?
yes

33)Do you prefer to sleep or eat?
sleep

34)Do you look like your mom or dad?
both, but mom's easier to

35)How long does it take you in the shower?
5-10 min if I'm in a hurry or just needing to get clean; Much longer (hears gasps of eco-conscious readers) if I'm able

36)Can you do the splits?
definitely not

38)If you could fast forward your life, would you?
nope

39)What did you do for New Year's?
nothing

40)Do you think The Grudge was scary?
No, as with all of the copycat Japanese rip-offs that use the same crap editing of an Asian girl with wet hair and call it scary

41)Could you relate to a character in Mean Girls?
i think not

42)Do you own a camera phone?
yes

43)Do you have an "ex box" with pics and letters from past lovers?
not so much

44)Was your mom a cheerleader?
yes

45) What's the last letter of your middle name?
L

46)Do you like your middle name?
yeah

47)How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
it varies, but usually 6-8

48)Do you like care bears?
not anymore

50)Do you know how to play poker?
no

51)Do you wear your seatbelt?
yup, usually

52)What do you wear to sleep?
Wouldn't you like to know?

53)Anything big ever happen in your hometown?
A Guinness Book World Record was set here for the largest time capsule in the world (opening in 2025) and a pretty large miniseries was filmed here (but they used the name of a nearby town that happens to kind of hate us)

54)How many meals do you eat a day?
3 with snacks in between

55)Is your tongue pierced?
no

56)Ever meet anyone you met on myspace?
no

57)Do you read myspace bulletins?
yup

56)Do you like funny or serious people better?
funny

59)Ever been to L.A.
nope...and I have no will to, either

60)Did you eat chocolate today?
Yes, in the form of cookies I baked yesterday that have cocoa and coffee in them

61)Do you use cuss words in other languages?
almost never

62)Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?
Depends on how much respect I have for the musician

63)Do you hate chocolate?
God gave us the trees that give chocolate, coffee, and vanilla--how dare I speak against his will!

64)What do you and your parents fight about the most?
everything

65)Are you a gullible person?
no--I have an unbelievable bullshit detector and I see the stuff many people don't

66)Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy?
no--if you do, you're not happy, you're co-dependent

67)If you could have any job what would it be?
Work from home (or anywhere I chose) creative writer (lyricist/novelist/poet/etc)

68)Are you easy to get along with?
yeah

69)What is your favorite time of day
I'm a night person

Blog I Was GOING To Do Yesterday (Music quiz)

These things are just fun and sometimes eerily true so I'm doing another...

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY?" YOU SAY?
Ordinary

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
All Is Full of Love (I LOVE this song and it totally fits if you know me)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Honey

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Too Late

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Music on a Long Thin Wire 1

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Unforgiven

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
The Dance

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
Little Bit O' Soul

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Poem to a Horse

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Pray for Me

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Hold Me Tight

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Hot Stuff

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
People Ain't No Good

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Screaming Infidelities HAHAHAHAHA....fricking wonderful

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Cut the Cord

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST??
Something to Remember

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Erlkonig (The Elf King)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Sign from the Hills

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Rodeo-Hoe Down

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Fire Inside the Man

Holy 200 Posts Batman! (and some 'green' talk)

I just realized that my last post was number 200! I've been blogging on this, my first and only true blog for years now. If anyone is reading, I really do appreciate it. I've slowed down my posting frequency, partly due to having FT job and partly do to lack of readers. I've been told however that I should continue writing, if only to practice writing and get a sort of therapy from releasing my thoughts into the world, giving them a place to live besides my very thought-filled head.
At some point I will print this entire blog (I know, the trees!) and keep it for myself to reflect on. I think reading it even now would show me just how far I've come and how much I've gone through in the past few years.
Speaking of the trees, I find it interesting how earnestly everyone seems to be embracing the "green" movement. How is it that we're just NOW doing it? Did it really take the name change to get us set straight? I was raised in the "eco" generation. Everything was eco-conscious, eco-friendly, ecological, etc. I've been "green" my whole life in many regards due to a very early (2nd grade) introduction into an Earth-friendly lifestyle. My class choir concert was an environment-themed production with songs about the dying flowers and "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" signs. I picked up litter as a scout on our adopted mile of highway on more than one occassion. I have made an effort since elementary school to plant flowers and trees and not litter. I asked my parents to recycle in the 90s but was told it would be too much of a hassle.
Since I've been working at Walmart, which is trying to integrate solar and wind power into its stores and is very progressive on helping the planet, I've become even more aware. We are required to recycle while on the clock. In other words, if I have a Pepsi from the machine while on my 15 min. break, I have to toss the can/bottle in our recycle bin. Walmart now recycles cans, bags, newspapers, and plastic bottles for its employees, who are encouraged to bring the stuff to work. Since I have this ability, the fam has finally joined me in my recycling goals and sort their pop cans from the rest of the garbage and puts plastic bags under the kitchen sink. When the container gets full, I make a bag of bags and a bag of pop cans and drop them off at work on my way in the door (go Walmart for putting bins right in the front doors).
Mom's going even further and sorting out any 1 or 2 grade plastic materials and dropping them off weekly/biweekly at our recycle center.
Fun facts:
+For every bale of cardboard (all of our boxes, etc. get cut down and thrown in the baler instead of the trash) 17 trees are saved by recycling!
+Walmart uses enough plastic wrap each year to cover Texas (I think we should, to keep 'em fresh)
+One recycled pop can saves enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours (and I think that statistic was based on old-style CRT (tube) TVs, so it would be hours more with a new LCD
+Walmart now recycles its pharmacy bottles, hangers, old paperback books that are pulled, and film canisters (among other things)
+This year, Walmart led the pack by switching every brand of laundry soap from standard to concentrated, eliminating about 1/3 of the plastic from each bottle and removing millions of gallons of water from the shelves--after all, why buy water when your machine fills up with it anyway? The smaller jugs allow for the same (or more) amount of washes, allow for more to fit on a shelf, require fewer trips by semi trucks, waste less water, etc

One more fun fact, though not specifically green-related, Walmart is working on putting clinics in its stores. We already have vision clinics and pharmacies, but have now started (with a test store in the South) to have medical clinics. Yes, those medical clinics. You will one day be able to use WM as a one-stop-shop when you are sick. Feeling cruddy? Go to WM to buy Puffs and OTC meds, then get an apointment with a doctor, get a prescription, and fill it at the pharmacy under one roof. What makes this cooler is that the clinics won't be anything like standard cold, impersonal, high-cost doctors' offices. They are designed by the same firm that creates the look and feel of Starbucks and Barnes & Noble, meaning they have warm colors, rich textures, comfy waiting room chairs, and an overall homey feel. You will also be referred to as a "guest", not a patient and can shop around if the wait will be long, getting a page when they're ready to take you in. Lastly, in making sure it keeps with WM ways, the costs will be low (like our $4 prescription drugs that kinda took the med world by storm).

I NEVER thought I'd sound like a walking WM commercial and there are, of course, things I don't like about the store's past/present, but having been an insider and hearing what the public doesn't hear, I've seen that it's a very progressive, proactive company that does care about a few more things than making money. I'll admit I still think Target is WM's cooler younger sibling (and Shopko is it's retarded cousin), but it's still got some big things goin' for it.
BTW, it is Walmart now, not Wal-Mart, as the company has had its first overhaul in logo and design scheme in over a decade. Gone is the smiley face (YES! I'd always hated it and it fits that it would be canned when I worked there) and in its place is the "spark" (which looks like an asterisk). I can explain the whole thing if you're interested, but won't here. Also gone is "Always low prices...Always" and in is "Save money. Live better."

Anywho--I intended to do a formulaic post from a generic quizzy thing and ended up posting this behemoth! I guess I found my answer as to whether I should keep posting....

Much love,
Stephen

Songs of the Day: "All Is Full of Love" by Bjork and "Darkest Hour" by Charlotte Martin