My Name Is...

 We have a lot of amazing toys, because that's just how we roll. One of our movies is Princess Bride. We both read the book about the time we started dating and then saw the movie together, so this year for our dating anniversary hubs got me the quoting Inigo Montoya bust. Push a button on the back of his base to hear one of his six iconic phrases. And he came with a little handbook for vengeance! 

It's titled Meditations on Vengeance, and it looks almost exactly like a miniature version of my copy of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius just, ya know, more vengeancy.

How to Date a Nerd Blog Hop Stop

Sue, what is the nerdiest thing about you?
Oh wow. That's some stiff competition right there. Haven't you heard that I'm about the nerdiest girl in the land? I'm well-versed in Dungeons & Dragons, have been to Star Wars Weekends multiple times, and had a medieval wedding (with archery!). If I had to pick just one thing that was my nerdiest trait, though, it's probably that I still sometimes write letters from my elf character to his friends (in the D&D world that my brother shut down over twenty years ago) as he chronicles his experiences in a great battle. No, those letters are never sent anywhere. They are all on purple stationary because that's his favorite color. Ok, yeah, deeply nerdy. I warned you.

Sue, can I add this book to my list on Goodreads?
Oh yes you can! Just follow this link: Goodreads How to Date a Nerd.

Don't Want No Motherf*cking Elves on My Motherf*cking Shelves (or Trees)

At first thought I might write a post to argue with Jen's, but then watched this video and, well, she's right.

Duck, Duck, Goose (and Destiny): Animal Wisdom

Do you ever see an unusual animal, or see an animal at an unusual time or place, and think to yourself, "This is significant"? That is the heart of interpreting the spiritual wisdom of the natural world. One of the most well-known books on the topic is Animal Speak by Ted Andrews (photo left). Sometimes it even seems like the Universe is trying desperately to communicate with us, such as when we see the same animal over and over in unusual circumstances.

A handy online resource for interpreting a variety of animals is Animal Totems on Lin's Domain. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you find a list of over 100 animals with links to individual pages explaining their spiritual significance. Since they were featured in the blog post title aren't you curious about the energies of duck and goose?

Duck
Emotional Comfort and Protection
Ducks are connected to feminine energies, the astral plane and emotions through their connection with water. Ducks remind us to drink deeply from the waters of life. Find comfort in your element and with those of like mind and spirit. Ducks teach you how to maneuver through the waters of life with grace and comfort. Psychologist and therapists often have Ducks as a totem, assisting them to help others move through emotional tangles.

Goose
Communication and Imprinting Your Life Path
A Goose totem reflects a stimulation of childhood thrills and the belief in stories and legends. The stories we loved as children often reflect our life quest. Think about the stories that affected you the most and see what in them you took into your adult life. The Goose also helps in communication, especially with the written word. It is also a symbol of fertility and marital fidelity. Goose people have an innate belief that there is just one special person for each one.... Their honking call speaks of the fulfilled promises that great quests bring.

How do you discover *your* animal totem? Ted Andrews has some exercises in Animal Speak to coach you through the process. You can try meditation or opening yourself up to being observant. Sometimes you only need to realize that you are drawn to a particular animal and have been collecting, doodling, or otherwise expressing an interest in it. Some animals are with us forever, for instance my husband has a steady relationship to both Wolf and Hawk, while others show up just long enough to help us out, such as my temporary interests in Flamingo and Squirrel (technically Scrat).

Because of my ebb and flow of interest in specific animals I can vouch for their healing and inspirational qualities. A few years ago my life was out of control - I was angry all the time, exhausted, and feeling desperate. I noticed that my interest in otters had been growing. Thanks to the Virginia Living Museum logo I had both a hat and a jacket with the otter prominently displayed so it kept that interest at the forefront of my mind. Who can resist a cute hot-pink hat with a playful otter on it? Not me. Fortunately I put two and two together, looked up the message of otter, and promptly embraced it as my (at least for now) totem. Recovery wasn't immediate but over the last two years I have gently and steadily improved. What was otter's message?

Otter
Joy, Primal Feminine Energy
Otters awaken curiosity. They remind us that everything is interesting if we look at it from the right angle. The Otter totem is connected to the primal feminine energies of life: the elements of both Earth and Water are present in Otter medicine. With an Otter totem, you must remember the beauty of a balanced female side, creating a space for others to enter our lives without preconceptions or suspicions. Otter teaches that balanced female energy is not catty or jealous, but it is sisterhood and sharing with others. Otter expresses joy for others. Remember that all of us, both men and women, have a feminine side. If an Otter has entered your life, it may be time to find some play time in your life, to awaken your inner child. Allow events to unfold naturally in your life. Be careful not to hang on the material things in your life that bind you or become a burden. Become Otter and move gently into the river of life.

 What animal speaks to you?

The First Mate is a Monkey

Need the lyrics? Posted those here.

Your Week in Soogle 2/25/10

Nothing is more entertaining to us than finding out how people get here. There has been a sudden uptick of searches for "stuck thoughts" and today someone got here from New York using the exact phrase "thoughts that get stuck in my head." Ha!

The phrases "Which way did he go, George?" (Looney Toons) and "Ghost Hunters Fan Fiction" continue to be popular. With that strong convergence of cartoons and hauntings you'd expect we'd get far more hits for Scooby Doo. WHERE ARE YOU, SCOOBY DOO? There, hopefully that will help.

Rounding out the top searches and highlighting our nerdy, intellectual side were the numerous searches for "philosophy jokes," "origami statistics," and "creativity quotient" that landed here this week.

And last but not least, the anonymous viewer who spent five minutes reading about Colbert Fan Fiction? Come on, man, leave a comment or something! 

Sound, Light, and Titanium Are Toys, Too

When it comes to Toys and Fun it's hard to beat ThinkGeek. Some of my favorite things this week:

• Dick Tracy wishes he had this bluetooth watch that displays who's calling your cellphone. 
• A keyboard made out of light. Do you hear me? A KEYBOARD MADE OUT OF LIGHT.
• A titanium spork in case you get that promotion to rule Heck. I've heard that Phil is moving on (but, hey, you didn't hear it from me).

You can keep up with the latest ThinkGeeky toys by following ThinkGeekSpam on Twitter.

Philosophy Jokes

Found some great philosophy jokes over at the Personality Cafe. Particularly enjoyed the link to the Close-to-complete Ideology and Religion Shit List. Also, in my perfect universe the Jerry Springer Show would actually be as described in NightRiser's post. Would a philosophy cable channel succeed? I'd like to think so.

Compare and Contrast

Thanks goes to my hubby for this very entertaining idea. What sort of latte would a Gnome drink, anyway?

Get the travel mug, regular mug, mousepad, or greeting cards. (Other items also available.)

What is Your Modern Communication Style?

Broadcaster: You love blogging because it gives you a chance to really get your stuff out there for others to see. It might be opinion, expertise, or just things you find interesting. Now you love Twitter because you can bark out 140 character info bites whenever you feel like it. More than anything else you just have the need to express yourself. Sometimes you notice the reactions that are flowing back but other times you don't.

Connector: If you blog, your favorite part is that you and your peeps (meaning your closest friends and family) can keep up with and tease each other. You have probably fallen in love with Facebook because it has all the best parts that you liked about blogging without all those trolls and other world-wide-web creatures. You watch YouTube videos that people in your circle recommend and probably have a Flickr account because even if you don't post things yourself you like to be able to leave comments for those you love.

Explorer: You might have a blog but it would look a lot like a Broadcaster's. You spend your internet time finding new things and sharing them with like-minded people who will feed their explorations to you... so that you can go explore those things. Primarily you Digg, Stumble around, and find the internet del.icio.us. You have your fingers in everything but don't feel the need to bond via the web like your Connector friends do. You enjoy Mashable.com because investigating how people interact is sometimes more satisfying for you than interacting.

Gamer: You've probably never blogged, nor are you likely to tweet or facebook. You're here for one very serious purpose and that is maximum fun - whether it be measured in kills, points, quests, or some other scoring system. You use things like Vent,  message boards or your game consoles to keep in touch and your gamer group may bond over game-themed videos. You don't have to hide it, we know you watch The Guild. 

Info-Junkie: Why have a blog? There's no time to write anything when there are all these wonderful things to READ on the internet. You enjoy Fark, Slashdot, Scribd, and various blogs and news sites that you've discovered. You mastered RSS readers early and have a hard time understanding people who don't want to enjoy everything the web has to offer (meaning information, of course). For you, internet communication is incidental: sharing must occur because that is the most efficient way to parse information.

Networker: If you have a blog or Twitter account they are associated with your business. You are a member of LinkedIn, have a profile on Guru.com if you freelance, and may have explored Facebook because of all those articles that came out about how it was the best place to connect for job opportunities. You RSS articles from key trade journals and receive filtered news from major business sources like WSJ or FastCompany. For you the internet is not a toy, it is very serious business.

Shopper: For you the internet was the solution you had been looking for to accommodate your shopping needs and your communication is focused around that. Your particular interest might be designers, saving money, or general style, and when you use a social website you optimize it for your shopping needs. You probably connect to other shoppers through lists and reviews, like on Amazon.com. If you are a saver you might be disappointed that Froogle never took off (fyi, they are trying again with Google Product Search) and you check sites like the Yahoo! Shopping deals. If you are a style guru you probably enjoy things like Kaboodle, StyleHive, and Wists. You're not particularly likely to have a blog unless you've got a solid circle of like-minded shoppers that you need to connect with on a regular basis. Even so, you are more likely to use message boards and shopping sites to share information.


Do you have just one of these modern communication styles or are you some kind of hybrid?

*Updated 11/30/09 to correct the oversight of Gamer. They are a particular brand of communicator.

That Special Time of Year

For @JWOcker, a small sample of our Halloween decor stored away. Yes we put everything back in its box, including lights with those wicked little plastic trays you have to pop them back into. That's what makes us extra creepy. Time to decorate!

Malawi's MacGyver

If you missed William Kamkwamba on The Daily Show you can watch it over on his blog. I wouldn't be able to do justice to his story (primarily about a boy and his windmill) by trying to tell it here in an abbreviated form so just go check it out. He's brilliant.

King of Pop? Apparently More Like Pharaoh of Pop!

We've often speculated that Elvis escaped to the stars (or Route 66... same thing) but now we have proof that Michael Jackson escaped through time. It's good to know that he didn't die he just traveled back to Egypt to rule as an eternal Boy King. Go see the evidence in Chicago. (Pics and articles on NBC, the Telegraph, and Chicago Sun Times.)

Story via J. W. Ocker of O.T.I.S.

Update: amusing review by The Inquisitr.

Oh Captain, My Captain

Tonight Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion) said that if he got to 100,000 followers he would show up at Comic Con on Saturday and "whip that place into a frenzy." How could I let Captain Mal down? I re-tweeted for over an hour to drive up his hits. Can't you help a Captain out?

Oh, it's so true..

You Are Dusk

You are a naturally idealistic and creative person. You look forward to nights where everything is possible. You spend most of your energy on play. Work is okay, but the true you emerges after the work day is done. You're an offbeat type that doesn't like rules or schedules. Life's too short to waste at a desk in a cube. Whether you spend your night socializing or working on side projects, you like that your time is yours.

Are You Dusk or Dawn?

I Can Give You a Buzz

You Are Coffee

You are highly ambitious and goal oriented. You feel like there isn't enough time in your day to get it all done. You are outgoing and creative. You love talking with people, thinking up crazy plans, and then acting immediately on them. When it comes to caffeine, you'd like a refill. You can almost always use an energy boost. Life is too short. You're going to get as much out of it as you can. You live for today.

Are You Coffee or Tea?

Quote of the Day

"Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers." - Richard Lederer collection of student essays and answers

If I Ever Go to a Reunion This is Totally What I'm Going to Tell Them...

Your International Spy Name is Anaconda Shriek

Your Code Name: Sunburn You Reside in: Cairo Why You're a Good Spy: You're agile

What's Your International Spy Name?

Maybe you should check out the International Spy Museum.

I could survive for 44 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Created by Bunk Beds.net

I say, does anyone want to play a game of Scrabble?

You Are Scrabble

You are incredibly clever and witty. You can talk your way out of (and into) situations easily. You are an excellent decision maker. You are good at weighing the options in front of you. You're the type of person who can make something out of nothing. You are very resourceful. You know a lot of things. Most importantly, you know when people are wrong - even when they won't admit it.

What Board Game Are You?

Blog post title is a nod to one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite movies talking about one of my favorite games. It was Sir Didymus in Labyrinth, of course!