Take A Hike!

Okay...don't mind if I do! Next week I'm going to take an opportunity I have to hike along the Katy Trail - yippee! Not only will this give me a chance to spend several refreshing weeks outdoors, it will also give me an idea of how prepared/unprepared I am for my planned hike of the Appalachian Trail. Of course, there is a sizable difference between the two trails - the Katy Trail runs approximately 225 miles across the state of Missouri (USA), while the Appalachian Trail stretches a good 2100+ miles from Maine through Georgia...I'm looking forward to both! (I'll have more to say about my hike along the Appalachian Trail as that time draws near)

I will have somebody moderate comments for me while I'm away and I will even have a "report from the field" posted while I'm gone. Amazing, huh? Who knows, by the time I get back I might even have something worthwhile to talk about for a change! (not likely)

Gracias to the following kind people who took the Spanish quiz last week:

kathcom | Marsha | Libby | mon ami Rob-ours | Aunty Helpful Dictator | the sweet, lovely and talented woman who blogs | Julie

I was surprised that only 7 people "participated," but this makes giving shout-outs easier since most of those who did are people I already link to anyway. I know a couple readers thought it was a real quiz on their knowledge of the Spanish language, but had they just went ahead with it anyway they might have gotten a laugh or two. Maybe alot more were thinking the same thing? I had asked one final question about rating My Webbed Feat and had a few more surprises. Some quiz-takers had very low opinions of the content of my posts (hmmf! - well, I never!); everybody seemed to like the widget I keep in the sidebar (although nobody seems to be listening to the music in it very often); the fancy and interactive scrollboxes I like to use do occasionally make it difficult to read text along the edges (I had kinda been noticing this myself); and perhaps I should have called the 'quiz' a 'questionnaire' (jazz up this blog with a little class). I really get a kick out of putting these surveys/quizzes/questionnaires together, so I'm glad I found Survey Monkey!

Hopefully I have endeared myself enough to everyone to get away with a few weeks of hiking without losing any readers - nay, not readers, but friends rather.....
~

Yo Querro Answers!

Si Habla Espanol?
 Some of my recent online conversational topics have had quite an international feel to them lately, so I was reminded of a little 'Spanish quiz' I once sent to everybody I knew via email. Most of us got a little chuckle out of it so I thought I'd post it today. (If you're thinking I just don't have anything to write about, you'd be correct!) (If you want to take the silly little quiz click here!)

 On that 'international' note.....In case anyone besides me ever wondered, a citizen of the Phillipines is only referred to as a Filipino (as opposed to Phillipino) simply because it just looks better with the F istead of the Ph. This I know thanks to my favorite Filipino friend, Lizza!

P.S. I'm counting this post as an 'interactive post' (#002) because I not only offered a quiz, but also included the use of scrollbars! Please take the stupid quiz so I can report some amazing stats on the 'interactivity' of my blog! heehee

Have a good weekend everybody!~

I, Digress

In honor of World Earth Day (which I only became aware of thanks to this blog) I'd thought about doing my part by "recycling" one of my old posts, but since I'll be doing that often enough anyway I've decided instead to put a rush on the most recent post I've been working on. Coincidentally, the last panel of cartoon content is unusually timely...

I've always thought 'I, Digress' - as a word-play on 'I, Claudius' - would be a nice title for a book containing a collection of my short stories. As is my wont, instead of actually putting the collection together (or even finishing my stories!) my mind began thinking about ancient Rome. (Yes, I'm so easily distracted that the simple phrase 'I, Claudius' led my mind down an alternate road of thought heehee) Anyway, somehow I eventually digressed even more and started to wonder what an ancient-Roman Jerry Seinfeld standup comedy act might be like. Now, I'm not enough of an artist to actually illustrate this concept, say in a cartoon or something, and I am in a rush to get this posted today, so you'll just have to use your imagination (if your computer will let you) for this first bit.....

(the scene: Roman amphitheatre filled with audience watching the famed comedian performing...)

Jerromus Seinfeldius: Did you ever wonder why they call it the Parthenon?
(murmurs throughout crowd)
Jerromus Seinfeldius: I mean, I've never seen it ON anything, have you?
("hey, he's right about that...")
Jerromus Seinfeldius: Maybe they should call it the ParthenOFF instead.....

J.S.: Did you ever notice that Cassius and Brutus are always standing just a LITTLE too close to Julius Caesar???("that's true - they're always right up in his personal space for some odd reason...")
J.S.: I mean, come on, Julius HAS to notice this, he's gotta be like "Hey, Cassius, and you, Brutus, you two are KILLING me - give me some breathing room already!"

J.S.: And what's the DEAL with Caligula? I mean, come on - making his horse the emporer!?!
(more murmurs and chuckles)
J.S.: We all know that a horse is never going to bring about any real change in government anyway. You already know exactly how he's going to vote every single time when it comes time for the 'yeas and nays...'
("it's funny 'cause it's true!")
~

And since I had already taken it that far, I got to thinking about what a prehistoric dinosaur version of Jerry Seinfeld would be like...(scroll as necessary)

~

Today In History (briefly)

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Nurse, I need that report filed - stat!

My interactive post (#001) wasn't quite the smashing success I'd thought it would be. Statistically, that is. Less than 1/4 of the people who visited my blog this weekend actually took the follow-up survey. I guess anybody who hasn't read my blog in the past might not have been aware that I probably wasn't really trying to conduct any type of serious, legitimate survey - the entire thing was just a silly joke. I wondered also if maybe people were afraid to 'interact' with my post by listening to the songs in the widget - afraid clicking on anything might mean they would be buying something. (which they wouldn't) By the way, the majority of those surveyed said the use of said widget was a 'hip' and 'trendy' form of laziness. (which is true) Nevertheless, I had fun putting it all together and am satisfied with the little test run. Hopefully somebody got a chuckle out of it as well... Having said all that, the winning versions (by majority vote) were: I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton (unanimous) On Broadway - Neil Young Lay, Lady Lay - Melanie Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan (unanimous) Scarborough Fair - Queensryche These Boots Are Made For Walking - Nancy Sinatra (unanimous) The majority of survey-takers were not excited about their participation, although everyone who started the survey finished it (thank you). And, finally, all but one participant voted this blog 'the absolute best!' (hmm...makes me wonder who was being honest and who wasn't...) And no, I didn't doctor these results..... ~

INTERACTIVE POST #001

'Interactive' as in 'I'll post this on the INTERnet and then you can ACT like you really gIVE a d*mn!'

Let's give this shiny, new idea a test run! Have a quick listen to the different versions of the songs in the widget to the left...next, follow the link below to take the survey...then, wait for the exciting results to be posted! In the meantime, feel free to leave me an interactive comment...

~ This is an interactive post! ~You can participate by taking Interactive Survey #001.

Back With A Splat

I'm Back (PART II) Wow. I really don't have much to say right now, so I think I'll just do us all a favor and not post anything today! Wow. After such a lengthy absence from posting I feel like my blog is the bug on your windshield (or should I say monitor) that you ran into on the way to some other, better blogs. Splat! I've still got some fine-tuning to do (layout, link updates, worthy content), but I was pleasantly surprised to see 57 visits in the last 3 days and also some wonderful comments from marsha, Terra Shield, Lizza and C J. Although I've got alot of new ideas in mind, I've decided that for the most part I'm going to stick with my same old style/content. Looking back, I had more fun with more people just being my goofy self than I ever did trying to keep my blog seeming 'up-to-date' or whatever. One of the things I'm for sure going to continue doing is hiding little jokes & comments in pop-ups - as silly as it is, it's one of my favorite parts of blogging and I still can't believe how few people ever notice how often I do this. Some of my newer ideas will include interactive posts, surveys, music playlists, mystery posts and much, much more! (possibly even another greatest internet meme of all time!) Okay, I'll stop bugging you now..... ~

Back With A Splash

I'm Back (PART I) Q: What happens to the shallow end of a swimming pool when you add more water to it? A: It depends. Wow. Quite alot has happened during the 2 years, 8 months since my last post..... I wonder - will anybody still be willing to read my nonsensical drivel? Will I still be as witty, insightful, and creative as ever? And where shall I begin? Hmm...for starters, I guess I can test the waters by discussing at least one of the major occurences during my absence. Let's start with something light-hearted and non-controversial such as Olympic gold-medalist Michael Phelps. Although young and still wet behind the ears, Mr. Phelps made quite a splash at the Olympics. The swimmer has a bubbly personality and is quite easy-going; when asked to comment about his calm demeanor and non-confrontational personality he replied that he "doesn't like to make waves." Unbeknownst to many, he once tried to get into the professional boxing circuit, but threw in the towel after charges of corruption surfaced - seems he was allegedly looking for someone who was willing to pay him to take a dive in the ring. The incident left him with a sinking feeling and he later pooled his resources to begin his Olympic training. And people say I have a dry sense of humor.... Whew! This comeback post has really left me feeling drained so I'll finish here. Oh, and I know this may sound shallow, but I do want to take credit for that opening joke up there. It depends. Get it? * I realize this post isn't going to cause any ripples in the blog-world, but please don't think I'm all washed up - I just don't want to start off setting the bar too high..... ~