April 15, 2008

A Mitzvah for a Blogger Friend in Need

I have not posted memes or quiz answers in a very long time, and have no intention of resuming after this post. However, because Enbretheliel asks so nicely and is in need of our prayers and good wishes and acts, I offer this small mitzvah--an answer to her tag:

1. Do you associate reading particular books with the places you read them or events of the time you read them?

Unfortunately, in one case, quite vividly. I think I was reading Stephen King's Four Past Midnight or a collection of his short stories--I know it by looking at the cover, when my mother died. I never finished the book.

On a happier note, but a sadder book, I read Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner on a flight home from Sacramento California.

Similarly, I finished my most recent read of The Sound and the Fury on a flight back from Boston.

2. Do you remember the books you read or do they fade quickly? Or do you remember some better than others? How about remembering details like character names, not just overall plot?

Some books remain with me and pluck at me. Chief among those are Henry James's The Golden Bowl, which struck me as a very odd predecessor to the absurdist dramas of Samuel Beckett. It seemed to me that throughout this entire book there were four or five disembodied heads that swirled around making life miserable for one another.

Tom Sawyer is another. I think of Aunt Polly looking over her glasses and under her glasses, but never through her glasses for so small a thing as a boy.

Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance haunts all of my reading--most particularly the hair collector and the beggar-maker.

As a general rule, however, I forget most of a book and retain a sense of it or a scene or two. For example, I remember very clearly the climactic scene from Silence by Shusaku Endo. Same with near the end of The Violent Bear it Away, l was stunned by Flannery's venturing into the world she did.

But I've gone on too long. Suffice to say that some books, stylistically or incidentally remain firmly in mind, while other evaporate out of my head almost immediately.

3. Have you ever forgotten you've read/own a book and borrowed/bought it again?

All the time, particularly with unmemorable books that sound as though they ought to be memorable.

Not that I remember, if you don't mind such a perversely ironic answer.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 10:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 21, 2008

Ten Favorite Cities

TSO listed his, here are mine:

Washington D.C.
Boston
San Antonio
San Diego
Everglades City (hardly even a town, and lovely)
Naples, FL.

Well, I guess I don't have ten. I do have a short-list of ciities I would like never to go to again, or in the event that I've never been there, to be spared that ordeal:

Atlantic City
St. Louis
Seattle
New Orleans
Miami
Las Vega
Los Angeles

And may favorite near neighbor city:

Victoria, British Columbia

Posted by Steven Riddle at 4:22 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 19, 2006

Five Quotes--Via Mixolydian Mode and Mama T

Five quotes that describe you or your belief systems from the Random Quote Page

If there is anything the nonconformist hates worse than a conformist, it's another nonconformist who doesn't conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity. --Bill Vaughan

I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it. --Groucho Marx

If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little. --George Carlin

Those who flee temptation generally leave a forwarding address. --Lane Olinghouse

Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time. --Georgia O'Keefe

And then some sundries I just wanted to keep around:

"Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped."Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)

"I know not, sir, whether Bacon wrote the works of Shakespeare, but if he did not it seems to me that he missed the opportunity of his life." J. M. Barrie

"A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers." H. L. Mencken

"The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, 'Is there a meaning to music?' My answer would be, 'Yes.' And 'Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?' My answer to that would be, 'No.'" Aaron Copland

"There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking." Thomas A. Edison (And Edison's own association with and sympathy for anti-semites and proto-nazis certainly goes a long way to proving this point.)

"One should absorb the colour of life, but one should never remember its details. Details are always vulgar." Oscar Wilde

"Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying." Ronald Reagan

"If you scatter thorns, don't go barefoot." Italian Proverb

Posted by Steven Riddle at 7:19 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 7, 2006

Oddest Food

Okay, I've freighted your mind with weighty issue enough today. So a poll, answer, if you please in the comments box:

(1) What is the oddest food you've ever deliberately eaten? (We're not counting swallowed flies or accientally ingested spiders here--this is food that you chose to eat.)

(2) What food do you really, really like to eat but many people around you find utterly revolting?

My answers:

(1)This is a tough one. On the plant side I've had stewed nettles, fiddleheads from maidenhair fern, and the cabbage palm "cabbage" and the stewed seeds of a local ground-cover cycad (I think--although it strikes me that they would be likely to be filled with taxine, so perhaps it was something else). On the animal side I've had fresh nautilus, Cassiopeia jellyfish (served as a sort of dried chip), scorpions, a bread made primarily from bees (and yes, surprising it was sweet), and most revolting of all holothurian. Google it and look for a picture. (In grad school we used to have "phylum feasts" to see how many phyla we could cover in one meal and throughout our career. My brave and intrepid little group managed a great many of the more common phyla--we balked at a few because of the rarity of the animals.

(2) Stewed okra, pickled okra, fresh okra, fried okra, gumdoed okra, fricasseed okra. People think of this as a southern thing, but I got into the habit from my Grandma who lived in South eastern Ohio at the time. She took me out to her garden and showed me one of the loveliest flowers I had ever seen and told me it was the flower of the okra plant. And later that season I got to eat my grandma's fresh cooked okra--yum!

Posted by Steven Riddle at 7:48 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

August 2, 2006

I'm Always Ready to Talk about Books

Book Meme

1. One book that changed your life: Honestly, I'm not certain there are any, the closest might be Tom Sawyer or Winesburg, Ohio.

2. One book that you've read more than once:
See above and add to it Turn of the Screw by Henry James

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
(excepting the Bible) Tom Sawyer or perhaps Robinson Crusoe (might be something useful there).

4. One book that made you laugh:
The Wit and Wisdom of Oscar Wilde

5. One book that made you cry:
The Kite Runner and I was on the plane-trip home--how embarrassing.

6. One book that you wish had been written:
A really good ghost story like those of M.R. James--either a collection or a novel.

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
The Kinsey Report

8. One book you're currently reading:
The Book of the Dead

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
Gilead--tried three times now to get enough of a running start to get through it--failed miserably.

And I pass this on to TSO, if He's willing, Brandon S., who could answer in the comments, and Zippy, if he has the time and inclination.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 1:36 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

January 30, 2006

A Meme A gain

Probably as a ploy to see if I were paying attention, Erik tagged me. So here's my response:

Four Jobs
1. Children's Librarian
2. Night manager at Sewer Line Maintenance
3. Museum cataloger and photo developer
4. My present position

Four Movies I Would (and do) Watch Over and Over:
1. Harry Potter (any of them)
2. Miss Congeniality
3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
4. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie

Four Places I Have Lived:
1. Pensacola, FL
2. Norfolk, VA
3. Fairfax, VA
4. Columbus, OH

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch: (Don't expect sophistication here)
1. Jimmy Neutron
2. Spongebob Squarepant
3. Fairly Odd Parents
4. Rachel Ray (Sometime Iron Chef America or Good Eats)

Websites I visit daily (well, not quite daily, as I usually go a couple of days a week without even checking email):
1. Listed Blogs
2. Library Thing Library Page
3. Yahoo/Google/search pages
4. On-line Books Page

Favorite Four Foods
1. Olives--any size, any shape, any color, stuffed with just about anything
2. Pizza
3. Macaroni and Cheese
4. Chicken and Dumplings


Four Places I Would Rather Be:
1. Key West/Dry Tortugas
2. Naples, FL
3. La Jolla (but not anywhere near town)
4. San Antonio, TX

But the truth is, on a permanent basis, nowhere else on Earth. I love where I live.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:56 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 5, 2005

The Seven Meme

Not that you really wanted to know:

1. Seven things to do before I die

* Visit Uluru and Shark Bay
* Visit Romania/Transylvania
* See my son happily married/otherwise engaged in vocation
* Visit Stratford-on-Avon
* Weave a cloth/tapestry
* Play the digeridoo
* Visit Chichen Itza.


2. Seven things I cannot do

* Sing
* Home repair.
* Speak Latin.
* Car maintenance.
* Care of living things--plants or animals.
* Paint.
* Keep patience with rude people.


3. Seven things that attract me to my spouse.

* Her sense of humor.
* Her practicality.
* Her friendliness.
* Her patient endurance in trial.
* Her patient endurance of me.
* Her intelligence, good taste, ambitions.
* Her kindness and softheartedness.


4. Seven things I say most often

* You're the greatest! (To Sam)
* Sweetheart. (Sam and Linda)
* Thanks be to God!
* Cunieverse world (don't ask)
* What do you think? (And not with an attitude--cultivating a response from within rather than reliance upon external resources)
* I love you.
* You can do this. (Said a lot at work AND at home. Coupled with its complement, "You can't if you don't try.")


5. Seven books I love

* The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
* The Great Divorce
* Story of a Soul
* Dark Night of the Soul
* The Golden Bowl
* All of Nathaniel Hawthorne--every word.
* All of Flannery O'Connor--every syllable.


6. Seven movies I watch over and over again (

* Legally Blond
* Miss Congeniality
* Scrooge
* Christmas in Connecticut
* Sunset Boulevard
* Citizen Kane (I'm utterly mesmerized--my wife--mystified and bored)
* Working Girl

7. I have a poor success rate at passing these things one and as this is rather old now, most have probably done it. I don't recall seeing this at TSO's however--so TSO, if you're so inclined.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:32 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 22, 2005

I Confess

Sometimes a meme becomes pandemic. Suburban Banshee--long may she wail--has tagged me for this.

I confess . . .

. . . that responding to this meme rather frightens me (can't say why.)

. . . I actually enjoy holding hands during the Our Father, largely because it so much forces me out of who I normally am

. . . that at one time I did a bad job of discerning a vocation to the Carthusians (praise God!--Camoldalese would have been another possibility had I been aware of them)

. . . I think some people (including myself) think waaaaaaaay too much sometimes

. . . not particularly liking the prose and poetry of Chesterton and Belloc (love some of his poetry), but really, really liking the person of Chesterton

. . . monastic life and complete solitude hold a real and everpresent appeal (though they do not compare with the joy of the Vocation of Marriage and Family)

. . . to viewing blogs and associated projects as having possibilities as apostolates

. . . to being a far nicer person on-line than I could ever hope to be in person

. . . to liking Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, Sponge Bob, and the Fairly OddParents far more than I ought

. . . to being TSO's number one fan and nuisance e-mailer

. . . wishing my blog could be more like Fructus Ventris, Sancta Sanctis, Happy Catholic, and Summa Mamas (but it just ain't gonna happen)

. . . wishing I could do what Tom at Disputations does so well (but then if I did, we wouldn't need Tom, and that would be a terrible shame)

. . . a scrupulous attempt at Orthodoxy which stems from coming from a Protestant background

. . . not really understanding what many traditionalists think or want

. . . not really understanding what most progressives really want

. . . not really understanding why we can't all just get along

. . . to owning no fewer than 41 different Bibles (different translations, different annotations, different assemblies of similar translations, including at least two four column parallel Bibles)

. . . and to having read or studied every one of them

. . . and to still being ignorant of the majority of God's word

. . . being an ardent fan of James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, Henry James and a whole slew of people who bore most people silly

. . . to having won an award for poetry composed in the manner of Finnegan's Wake (First place--a complete set of the critical edition of the works of James Joyce, commentary by Anthony Burgess on Finnegan's Wake and Ulysses, and a guide to Dublin)

. . . to being a complete tea-totaler, having had in my entire college career three alcoholic drinks

. . . but nevertheless liking the strawberry margarita sorbet at a local ice-cream chain

. . . Carravagio, Monet, Renoir, Dali, Tanguy, and Magritte are my favorite artists

. . . I get an enormous fit of the giggles every time I think that someone actually paid money for most of Robert Motherwell's "art" (that should get a rise out of Erik)

. . . getting a rise out of Erik amuses me far more than it ought

. . . loving the St. Blogs community inordinately for what it consitutes in the real world

. . . having grown tremendously because of my exposure to the many opinions, minds, and persons of the people at St. Blogs.

TMI, I know, but this allows me once again to consider the things I am thankful for.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 10:39 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

October 30, 2005

A Sigh of Relief

Against The Grain

This was one of those things I avoided as long as possible. But now it is now longer possible and I reveal the results of this:

"While the image is an inverse of St. Therese of Lisieux's "Elevator to God," it is, nevertheless an extremely appealing image. "

On your blog...

1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to it).
3. Post the fifth sentence (or closest to it).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same thing.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 5:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 19, 2005

TSO Invites Us All to a Meme

Video meliora, proboque; Deteriora sequor

TSO's

7 People I Admire (in no particular order):

1. Pope John Paul the Great
2. Blessed Mary Teresa de Soubiran
3. St. Anthony Claret
4. my grandmother
5. St. Pope Pius X
6. Mother Angelica
7. my wife

My Seven I admire most, in no particular Order:

1. My Grandma Smith
2. My Wife
3. John Paul the Magnificent
4. St. Therese of Lisieux
5. St. Maximilian Kolbe
6. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
7. St. John of the Cross (with St. Teresa of Avila running so close that it would be a photo finish--but to include both my grandmother and my wife I had to choose.)

Posted by Steven Riddle at 12:06 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

October 16, 2005

WOW! They Got That One Frighteningly Right

Results...

HASH(0x8e2551c)
"You are a WASP/Convert"

You've been to a parish bingo game once. Don't
worry, we won't tell. After all, WASPs are
allowed in the Church as well.

We just don't trust you very much.

Provided by


Are You A Cultural Catholic?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:21 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

October 10, 2005

Star Wars Person

Princess Leia

Which Fantasy/SciFi Character Are You?

Don't you believe it. From Julie D.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 8:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 9, 2005

From Summa Minutiae--My Style of Catholicism

QuizFarm.com :: What is your style of American Catholicism?

You scored as New Catholic. The years following the Second Vatican Council was a time of collapse of the Catholic faith and its traditions. But you are a young person who has rediscovered this lost faith, probably due to the evangelization of Pope John Paul II. You are enthusiastic, refreshing, and somewhat traditional, and you may be considering a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. You reject relativism and the decline in society that you see among your peers. You are seen as being good for the Church.

A possible problem is that you may have a too narrow a view of orthodoxy, and anyway, you are still a youth and not yet mature in your faith.

New Catholic

71%

Traditional Catholic

62%

Radical Catholic

48%

Evangelical Catholic

45%

Neo-Conservative Catholic

45%

Liberal Catholic

19%

Lukewarm Catholic

2%

What is your style of American Catholicism?
created with QuizFarm.com

And how the heck does how I view capitalism dictate what kind of Catholic I am? I don't know what a "new Catholic" is, and frankly I don't care because I love the church--her traditions, her innovations, her many forms of Mass, her holiness, her guidance, her Joyous proclamation of the truth, her Saints, her leaders, and all of her people, New, Traditional, Radical, Evangelical, Neo-Conservtive, Liberal, and Lukewarm. I love the Church and thank God daily that I am now a Catholic!

Posted by Steven Riddle at 5:21 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

October 4, 2005

Rum and Monkey: The Historical Lunatic Test


I'm Joshua Abraham Norton, the first and only Emperor of the United States of America!
Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

I've done this one before, but people change over time. Glad to know that I'm the same lunatic today as I was some time ago!

Thanks to Hot Carmel Sundae.


Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 1, 2005

So Who's Surprised?

OKCupid! The Which Historic General Are You Test

A Hippie
You scored 55 Wisdom, 56 Tactics, 50 Guts, and 16 Ruthlessness!



My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 21% on Unorthodox
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 28% on Tactics
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 27% on Guts
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 1% on Ruthlessness
Link: The Which Historic General Are You Test written by dasnyds on Ok Cupid


I may not have been surprised, but I'm very amused. I've seen at least 2 Scipio's around St. Blog's.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 6:41 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

September 28, 2005

Blogging Personality--No Way!

I didn't blog this yesterday when I did it because I thought no way. And since MamaT had the courage to say no way, I thought I could too.

Your Blogging Type is Artistic and Passionate
You see your blog as the ultimate personal expression - and work hard to make it great.
One moment you may be working on a new dramatic design for your blog...
And the next, you're passionately writing about your pet causes.
Your blog is very important - and you're careful about who you share it with.
What's Your Blogging Personality?

This is completely true except--since I've settled on a design for the blog I haven't changed it, and likely won't (although I now have some photo swatches of the real blue I want in the background, so I might go that far.)

I don't regard this as anything near my ultimate personal expression, which can only come through prayer.

And, I'm not particularly careful who I share it with. The whole world is welcome to read if they choose to do so, wipe their feet, and behave themselves as civilized individuals when they visit. It's just about the only neat thing in my life at the moment.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 1:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 22, 2005

Which Emperor

From Noli Irritare Leones--it could have been worse.

you are augustus caesar
You're Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. He had
a lot of drive and skill, possessing a
respectable spirit and the ability to persuade.
His wife was alwasys in his ear, she has a
BIGGER persuasive spirit. He's a God.


What Julio-Claudian Roman Emperor are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Steven Riddle at 4:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 18, 2005

Well, It's the First Time I've Heard THAT Said About Me

From Julie of Happy Catholic:

You are a

Social Liberal
(65% permissive)

and an...

Economic Liberal
(10% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Socialist




Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

I do think they've got their numbers mixed a bit. I think I'm supposed to be 10% socially permissive and 65% economically permissive if their plotting on the graph is correct.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 10:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Well, Of Course. What Else Could It Be?

from Happy Catholic, this quiz:

Your Element is Earth
Your power color: yellow

Your energy: balancing

Your season: changing of seasons

Dedicated and responsible, you are a rock to your friends.
You are skilled at working out even the most difficult problems.
Low key and calm, you are happiest when you are around loved ones.
Ambitious and goal oriented, you have long term plans to be successful.

What Element Are You?

Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:20 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 12, 2005

Here's the One I Was Looking for When I Found t'other












Touchstone

You scored 9 evilness, 27 romance, 27 tragic, and 63 comic!

You are the fool from "As You Like It." Touchstone's name comes from an
Elizabethan word that refers to anything that could be used to test the
genuineness or value of something else. Touchstone tests the world by
making fun of it.








My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 15% on evilness
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 17% on romance
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 37% on tragic
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 87% on comic

Link: The Shakespeare Character Test written by mandi_g on Ok Cupid

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Who Would I Be in 1400













The Prioress

You scored 7% Cardinal, 82% Monk, 52% Lady, and 29% Knight!

You are a moral person and are also highly intellectual. You like your
solitude but are also kind and helpful to those around you. Guided by a
belief in the goodness of mankind you will likely be christened a saint
after your life is over.

You scored high as both the Lady and the Monk. You can try again to
get a more precise description of either the Monk or the lady, or you
can be happy that you're an individual.









My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 0% on Cardinal
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 99% on Monk
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 84% on Lady
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 8% on Knight

Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid

Found by mistake from Julie's Happy Catholic. But I'm always happy to know what my role might be. A little disturbing that I scored better than half of the population on "Lady" but, oh well, there were relatively fewer niches for the withdrawn in 1400.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Wojtyla-Ratzinger Continuum

Brought to you by your friend at Speculative Catholic. Of course, one can pretty much determine one's course through the quiz, but then, that's what makes it all the more enjoyable.

HASH(0x8d9edcc)
Wojtyla! You take after the energetic and
enthusiastic John Paul II (the Great). Your
vision is prophetic and BIG - when it comes to
saints, travel, or crowds you can't get enough!


Where do you fall on the Wojtyla-Ratzinger Continuum?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:10 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

September 11, 2005

From Speculative Catholic

brigid
You are St Brigid's Cross: St. Brigid is an Irish
saint who hand-wove a cross,out of rushes she
found by the river. She made the cross while
explaining the passion of our Lord to a pagan
man.


What Kind of Cross are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:56 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 29, 2005

Something to Astound JCecil3

A quiz found at Dappled Things links one to a "political philosophy indicator." While it will come as absolutely no surprise to those who visit frequently, I think Mr. Cecil will be suitably shocked and chagrined (if he ever stops by any more) by these results.

#1 Liberal

#2 Conservative

#3 Neoconservative

#4 Radical

#5 Libertarian

#6 Centrist

#7 Paleoconservative

#8 Third Way

#9 Paleo-libertarian

#10 Left-libertarian

The juxtapositioning of Conservative against liberal comes from my general tendencies to economic liberalism with very strong socially conservative trends. (Although abolishing the death penalty and registering handguns--both of which I agree with, would both qualify for liberal causes. But I didn't rate the latter as a key issue, because while I'd like it to happen, I have certain sympathies with those who say it shouldn't.) Actually a lot of this may be a result of having my own very strong viewpoints, but being persuaded of the reason of the other side. In short--being generally mixed up.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 12:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 23, 2005

Survey Results that Tell You Nothing You Didn't Already Know

Survey:

Age: Not a subject for polite company
[Gender] Sex: Male**
Location: Orlando, FL
Religion: Roman Catholic
Occupation: Education
Began blogging: (dd/mm/yy): 07/02

Political Compass results:

Left/Right: -3.63
Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.82


IPIP-NEO results:

EXTRAVERSION: 2
AGREEABLENESS: 96
CONSCIENTIOUSNESS: 95
NEUROTICISM: 52
OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE: 84

Track List:

1. Philosophy, et cetera - pixnaps.blogspot.com - pixnaps97a2
2. Parableman - parablemania.ektopos.com - p8r8bl9m8n18
3. Rebecca Writes - everydaymusings.blogspot.com
4. Ales Rarus - alesrarus.funkydung.com - ales2112avis
5. Here I Stand - exiledcatholic.blogspot.com - exiled323catholic
6. Catholicism, Holiness, and Spirituality


**(I have gender only in the sense that man is masculilne--I refuse to be a grammatical element and to succumb to the casual use of a grammatical term to describe my human identity. Please pardon the vulgar pun, but Humans have sex (as do most animals), objects have gender. One of my favorite bugbear/lectures).


Now, you can find more about the personality assay at the above sites or or Fr. Jim's site. The short personality assay gave more extreme results in all categories, the longer mellowed out many things--but as you can see extraversion is still at extremely low amounts. According to the assay, this is somewhat counterbalanced by agreeableness which is very high levels. Oh, who really cares anyway.

And the political thing--that I should be in the same bin with Gandhi, this surprises whom? Not exactly a newsflash. On the other hand, you can see it is a slow day for blogging for me (energies are turned elsewhere in the writing world). So, I present this for your delectation and delight and encourage you to visit many of these other people and learn more from them.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 4:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 21, 2005

Found at a Blog New to Me

Can't say I was thrilled to death with the results--however here they are unvarnished. Interesting the two that should tie. I guess all that jungina stuff about a shadow self may not be so far off the mark!

You scored as Severus Snape. Well you're a tricky one aren't you? Nobody quite has you figured out and you'd probably prefer it stayed that way. That said you are a formidable force by anyone's reckoning, but there is certainly more to you than a frosty exterior and a bitter temper.

Severus Snape

85%

Albus Dumbledore

85%

Hermione Granger

80%

Remus Lupin

75%

Ron Weasley

50%

Draco Malfoy

50%

Harry Potter

45%

Ginny Weasley

45%

Sirius Black

40%

Lord Voldemort

0%

Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...?
created with QuizFarm.com

Found at Catholic Pillow Fight (new to me) via Catholic Light.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 13, 2005

A Gift From TSO

I saw this the other day and only just now had time to actually respond:

Name your three biggest non-reference books (excluding the Bible and text books):

The Libretti of the French, Italian, and German Operas with Commentary and Musical Annotations

A La Recherch du Temps Perdu a single volume French Edition

The Riverside Shakespeare (Was a text-book, but isn't anymore--worn to a frazzle with years of reading).

Name your three biggest reference books:

Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology--Volume S Echinodermata

The Oxford Classical Dictionary

A Compendium of Syro-Phoenician, Akkadian, Sumerian, Egyptian, and Other Ancient Sources

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 29, 2005

Via Julie at Happy Catholic


I am:
Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs)
A quiet and underrated master of "hard science" fiction who, among other things, foresaw integrated circuits back in the 1940s.


Which science fiction writer are you?

At the bottom of the same page, you can find out which composer you are and I'm pleased to announce that

You are:

Johann Sebastian Bach
Only a hundred years after his death was he recognized as possibly the profoundest musical genius of all time.

I would only be happier to be Vivaldi, or anyone who composes extensively for mandolin.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 12:53 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

July 28, 2005

A Quiz Found in My Travels

I think I found this at Zadok's Place, but I don't remember and I wasn't able to get back to the site after taking the quiz. Please accept my apologies for lack of reference.

You scored as Mystical Communion Model. Your model of the church is Mystical Communion, which includes both People of God and Body of Christ. The church is essentially people in union with Christ and the Father through the Holy Spirit. Both lay people and clergy are drawn together in a family of faith. This model can exalt the church beyond what is appropriate, but can be supplemented with other models.

Mystical Communion Model

83%

Sacrament model

83%

Servant Model

72%

Herald Model

67%

Institutional Model

33%

What is your model of the church? [Dulles]
created with QuizFarm.com

Posted by Steven Riddle at 12:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Via Siris



I'm
a Ravenclaw!

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 16, 2005

States Visited

From TSO--

I included only the states I have statyed in or gone to deliberately for some reason, not the ones I have passed through.



create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

Posted by Steven Riddle at 7:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Meme! A Meme!

I have not been as faithful in my blog-reading as I ought to be in the course of vacation--I'm sure you'll all note why. Nor have I written as much as I could have written either about the vacation nor about other matters. That is partially because I spend so much time in conversation with my excellent host that all things I have to say are said before they make it to ether.

However, Father Jim has passed a meme that ask what is atop my nightstand. That is a tough question in a couple of ways because my nighstand amounts to a multi-shelf bookshelf. However sticking to the absolute letter of the law, I will detail what is on the uppermost shelf: a lamp, three piece of fossilized coral from a reef on San Salvador Island, Bahamas; a basalt hand carved Tiki; a Queen Conch also taken from the rubble pile outside the cracked conch shack near the ex-naval station, now research station on San Salvador Bahamas; a polished nautilus (to reveal the mother-of=pearl layer beneath the brown and white exterior; and finally a lump of amethyst. This peculiar array is in deference to my wife's decorator sensibility. Obviously there are other more practical things on the other shelves )among them, books) but, this is the topmost shelf.

As a meme requires a vector and a host, I operating as vector, pass this on to bill (Summa Minutiae), TSO, MamaT, Julie, and Dan (Lofted Nest) unless they should prove to be resistant to its charms.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 7:15 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

June 23, 2005

Neo Orthodox Catholic Wesleyan Methodist

I'm sure that John Wesley would be most interested in the results of the following quiz

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.

Roman Catholic

100%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

100%

Neo orthodox

100%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

61%

Emergent/Postmodern

50%

Classical Liberal

43%

Reformed Evangelical

29%

Fundamentalist

29%

Modern Liberal

29%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Who knew that Wesleyan Methodism and Catholicism were so completely overlapping. I can believe 100% of both apparently without conflict. Somehow, that strikes me as a bit odd--but given me and my usual state of mind, hardly unlikely. I was sorted out by the last question which gave a "trilemma" of which is these statements is most accurate: (1) It is right to Baptize Infants; (2) The theology of Karl Barth is hugely important; (3) God's grace enables us to respond to Him. How then does one choose between 1 and 3, both of which are the objective truth and therefore "the most accurate." Number 2 may be dismissed out of hand as a mere opinion. So always being one to favor Grace, I wound up a Methodist, even though it is right to baptize infants (which would have made me a Catholic). Surely there are doctrinal divides sharper than that between the two churches.

Perhaps what this best reflects is the remnant protestant thought that lingers behind the encompassing Catholicism of my present life. Well, to paraphrase the White Queen in Through the Looking Glass, I can resolvesix irresolvable contradictions before breakfast.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 24, 2005

Via Summa Minutiae

Another quiz--reasonably accurate, though I'd rate the influence of progressive somewhat higher--but they didn't give me a choice of Gentle Giant, Gryphon or Renaissance.

Your Taste in Music:

80's Alternative: Highest Influence
80's Pop: High Influence
Country: High Influence
Progressive Rock: High Influence
80's Rock: Low Influence
Classic Rock: Low Influence
Punk: Low Influence


How's Your Taste in Music?

Posted by Steven Riddle at 4:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 18, 2005

Truly Frightening Answers to the Meme

1. Total number of books I've owned.

The answer to this question is truly frightening. The current accurate census is about 15,000 this does not include last week's bookstore runs. Or the nearly 200 children's books I have waiting for me to bring home. In my life, given the very high turnover rate of my library previously I would guestimate that I have owned very close to 25,000 books.

I should note that a goodone third or so of these are my wife's collection of contemporary Romances/romantic thrillers, etc. Catherine Coulter, Amanda Quick, Jude Devereaux, J.D. Robb, etc. etc.

2. Last book I bought.

A Jesuit study of the books of Luke and Acts, the name of which escapes me at the moment.

3. Last book I read.

Captiva

4. Five books that mean a lot to me.

The KJV

The Riverside Shakespeare

The two-fold gems of the English language--unsurpassed and perhaps unsurpassable. Sorry GBS.

Ulysses James Joyce--for two reasons--the professor who taught the course said one very provocative thing that sent me in search of the truth he knew (The Catholic Church), and Joyce himself convinced me absolutely of the truth of the Catholic Faith in the context of the novel. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't really help it--grace always prevails.

Wilfrid Stinissen's Nourished by the Word: Reading God's Word Contemplatively

Carter Dickson Night at the White Priory Not because it was the best of the Sir Henry Merrivale but because it is the only one I own in a first edition signed copy.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 6:41 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

March 14, 2005

Why Do I Fail to Be Surprised at This?

The Monk
You scored 5% Cardinal, 84% Monk, 47% Lady, and 35% Knight!

You live a peaceful, quiet life. Very little danger comes you way and
you live a long time. You are wise and modest, but also stagnant. You
have little comfort, little food and have taken a vow of silence. But
who needs chatter when just sitting in the cloister of your abbey with
The Good Book makes you perfectly content.



My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 1% on Cardinal
You scored higher than 99% on Monk
You scored higher than 92% on Lady
You scored higher than 25% on Knight
Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid

Posted by Steven Riddle at 12:59 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 8, 2005

What Obsolete Skill Are You?

From Mixolydian Mode I discovered that:

Songs of Innocence, Introduction
You are 'regularly metric verse'. This can take
many forms, including heroic couplets, blank
verse, and other iambic pentameters, for
example. It has not been used much since the
nineteenth century; modern poets tend to prefer
rhyme without meter, or even poetry with
neither rhyme nor meter.

You appreciate the beautiful things in life--the
joy of music, the color of leaves falling, the
rhythm of a heartbeat. You see life itself as
a series of little poems. The result (or is it
the cause?) is that you are pensive and often
melancholy. You enjoy the company of other
people, but they find you unexcitable and
depressing. Your problem is that regularly
metric verse has been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Steven Riddle at 3:12 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 7, 2005

"Nervous" Melancholic

Fascinating Medieval Personality quiz found via Trousered Ape

Here's a summary of my results:

Melancholic

You are a "nervous" Melancholic, with an abundance of black bile. Melancholics are characterized by the element of Earth, the season of Autumn, middle-aged adulthood, the color blue, and the characteristics of "Cold" and "Dry." Famous Melancholics include St. John of the Cross, St. John the Divine, St. Francis, and St. Catherine of Siena.

If you were living in the Age of Faith, perfect career choices for you would be contemplative religious, theologian, artist, or writer.

And, having a score of 85%, I suppose I must be one in spades.

More extensively here.

Take the quiz here

What is truly remarkable here is how much more reasonable many of these descriptions sound. Naturally, they are tending to cluster people so individual differences tend to get lost. I mean any group that contains both St. John of the Cross and St. Catherine of Siena, great contemplatives that I would consider at opposite ends of the scale, must perforce be somewhat vague. But I am considerably better inclined to these analyses than I am to most contemporary ones.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 10:15 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

December 23, 2004

Via Mixolydian Mode

Pirate Monkey's Harry Potter Personality Quiz
Harry Potter Personality Quiz
by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:14 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

November 29, 2004

A Quiz Result with a Zinger

You scored as Catholic. Welcome to the One, Holy, CATHOLIC, and Apostolic Church! You my Friend are a Catholic. You have a strong sense of something outside of yourself and feel drawn to answer profound questions to satisfy your desires. You recognize that truth isn't self-centered or about inventing something new, but rather following the road map of your heart to a bigger picture. You are probably baptized.

Catholic

100%

Jewish

65%

Christian

45%

Anarchist

30%

Buddhist

20%

Cult

15%

Religion
created with QuizFarm.com


And now the zinger--an old complaint, but one I never tire of repeating. Why the heck is there "Catholic" as some sort of distinct entity from Christian. It is this mindset/divide that really defines Catholic identity in the minds of many. My wife had a very dear friend of long duration with whom she had spoken for a great many years. When my wife announced that she was becoming Catholic, the friend's response was, "Well you won't be Christian any more and I don't assoicate with non-christians." (She was following a supposedly Biblical injunction to this effect. However, I wonder how well she functioned as an evangelist if this was truly what she practiced.)

Anyway, for future quizmasters--Catholic is Christian, definitively Christian, one of two "Churches" that has the right and obligation to define the meaning of Christian. We do not sit outside of tradition, we are the tradition which gives meaning at all to the word Christian.

Diatribe over, but sure to rise to the surface again given the next quiz to separate the groups without appropriate modifiers, i.e. "Other" Christians.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 10:45 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

November 6, 2004

Probably Not

You Are a Conservative Democrat

Frankly, the way most other Democrats behave embarasses you greatly.

You pride yourself on a high level of morals, and you have a good grasp on right and wrong.

It's likely you think America needs to get back to its conservative, Juedo-Christian values.

Why aren't you a Republican then? Because you believe the goverment helps more than hurts.



What political persuasion are you?


No, not really. But when in the midst of a quiz you are constrained by the choices. Mostly government tends to hurt more than it helps. But I cannot deny that it DOES help and should help and so I end up with this weird label. On the other hand, I do admire Zell Miller, and I am a Southerner to the core, so it's hardly surprising that I would look to THAT party historically. (Too bad that, like the republicans, it no longer even vaguely represents what it started out as.)

Posted by Steven Riddle at 4:39 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

November 1, 2004

Slap the Candidate

The MOST IMPORTANT SITE EVER to visit before voting. That way you can do it with a clear conscience.


(via Don of Mixolydian Mode)

Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 11, 2004

Another Quiz Result

Quiz from Mr. Bogner's place.

Water
You are water. You're not really organic; you're
neither acidic nor basic, yet you're an acid
and a base at the same time. You're strong
willed and opinionated, but relaxed and ready
to flow. So while you often seem worthless,
without you, everything would just not work.
People should definitely drink more of you
every day.


Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


And I didn't go back and change a single answer. I was so excited with this result. Undoubtedly it would be salt water. 35 parts per thousand salt.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 8:04 AM | TrackBack

June 29, 2004

SECF--Revealed to Me via Disputations

It appears that I am the light side of Mr. Disputations. (Although, having seen some of his outcomes in the past, I suspect he knows too much for the quiz makers and tailors his results. Here, flaky and harebrained as it may be, unadulterated and pure are my own results:


You are an SECF--Sober Emotional Constructive Follower. This makes you a hippie. You are passionate about your causes and steadfast in your commitments. Once you've made up your mind, no one can convince you otherwise. Your politics are left-leaning, and your lifestyle choices decidedly temperate and chaste.

You do tremendous work when focused, but usually you operate somewhat distracted. You blow hot and cold, and while you normally endeavor on the side of goodness and truth, you have a massive mean streak which is not to be taken lightly. You don't get mad, you get even.

Please don't get even with this web site.

If you really need to know visit this place.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:32 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

June 14, 2004

Now Wasn't THIS Worth Finding Out

FFancy
LLight
OOdd
SSkillful
 
CCuddly
AAppreciative
RRefreshing
MMasculine
EExquisite
LLazy
IInspirational

Name / Username:

Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com


Haven't posted a quiz result in some time. This one comes secondarily from Smockmomma at Summa Mamas. I thought the conjoining of lazy and inspirational not only captured the spirit of the blog but the essence of my life.

Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:37 AM | TrackBack

March 22, 2004

What Novel Do You Belong In?

Via Noli Irritare Leones At least it isn't that ghastly Wuthering Heights

JaneEyre
'Tis a great mystery, but somehow you have come to
belong in Jane Eyre; a random world of love,
kindness, madness, bad luck and lunatic ex-
wives. There really isn't much to say about the
place you belong in. It's your place, and
though it seems far from reality largly due to
how random the events are, you seem to enjoy
it. You belong in a world where not too many
people understand you, and where you can be
somewhat of a recluse.


Which Classic Novel do You Belong In?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Steven Riddle at 10:46 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 20, 2004

What Kind of Cross Are You

benedict
You are the Cross of St. Benedict: This cross is
inscribed with several prayers for holiness and
peace including, -May the holy cross be my
light! May the dragon never be my guide- and
-Begone Satan! Never tempt me with your
vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink the
poison yourself!-


What Kind of Cross are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Steven Riddle at 8:13 PM | TrackBack

March 19, 2004

Art Movement

A good second best to the Surrealists



which art movement are you?
this quiz was made by Caitlin

Posted by Steven Riddle at 8:16 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 18, 2004

I Guess When It Comes Up Twice

No matter HOW you answer, you may as well just fess up.

With Peony Moss, we make up the dual font of Modern American Poetry, but why couldn't I be Keats, or Crashaw, or Vaughn. (Possibly because those weren't choices). Oh well, better than Sylvia Plath, at least.

Dickinson
You are Emily Dickinson! Not all that much is
known about Emily Dickinson, probably because
she holed herself up in her room and wrote
poetry. She didn't have very many connections
with the world outside her house, and her
poetry is very introspective and
compartmentalized. You need to get out more.


Which famous poet are you? (pictures and many outcomes)
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Steven Riddle at 10:24 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 15, 2004

Which General of the WONA Are You?

I'll make a nice pairing with Fr. Jim of Dappled Things

  • My #1 result for the SelectSmart.com selector, What Civil War General are you like?, is Lt. Gen. Stonewall Jackson (Confederate): Eccentric Virginian, he was Lee's best general until he was accidently shot by his own men.

    I'd rather be Lee, for whom I have tremendous respect. But this isn't a terrible second. (Thank goodness I wasn't Sherman--I'd have to go out and buy a new personality.)

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:33 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

    March 10, 2004

    What Order of Angels Are You?

    This was a particularly difficult quiz because so many of the answers were so appealing. Thanks to the blogmeister at Transcendence. Now, to be Shakespearean--"Would that it were true."

    Congratulations, you're a Seraph! A member of the
    highest, or first, choir of angels, you are
    purity personified- a being of radiant light
    and love so powerful that even other angels
    find it difficult to look at you. You stand at
    the throne of God, where your primary purpose
    is to love Him and express that love through
    song.


    What Order of Angel Are You?
    brought to you by Quizilla

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 8:31 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

    March 9, 2004

    The Animal Within You

    Via Transcendence--this enormously important personality test.

    I came out a Beaver. Don't know what it means, but they are cute, generally pleasant, and very very mysterious, so I guess it's better than a Wolverine.

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 4:19 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

    March 4, 2004

    Found This Chez Alicia

    and given some prior recommendations I had received thought it supremely coincidental or perhaps providential


    You're Costa Rica!
    You're about as peaceful as anyone on the planet, a real dyed-in-the-wool pacifist.  And why not?  No one really poses much of a threat to you and everything seems to work out, no matter how much violence and insanity rages all around you.  So you relax and appreciate nature and culture while the rest of the world carries on their petty disagreements.  If only everyone could follow your example...
    Take the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 6:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

    February 27, 2004

    Another Personality Quiz

    Lightly seasoned to remove the unsavory

    I'm a generally un***kwitted, moderate, disgustingly generous, relatively well adjusted human being!
    What are you?
    Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

    This makes me:

    Which makes you 78% compatible with smockmomma@aol.com.

    And as this must be the standard of comparison (as it was chez lui that I found this erudite excursion into human diversity), I don't think it's all that bad.

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 6:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

    Historical Lunatic from Two Sleepy Mommies


    Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
    From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

    You are William John Cavendish-Bentinck-Scott, the Fifth Duke of Portland!

    Sometime Marquis of Tichfield, Earl of Portland, Viscount Woodstock, Baron of Cirencester, co-heir to the Barony of Ogle and renowned as the finest judge of horseflesh in England, you took the tradition of aristocratic eccentricity to unprecedented heights. Having inherited the stately home of Welbeck Abbey, you proceeded to construct miles of underground tunnels and a ballroom, in pink, beneath it. The ballroom was complete except for one small detail. It had no floor. Despite this vast home, you lived exclusively in a suite of five rooms, each one also pink.

    Having been turned down by your opera singer objet d'amour, Adelaide Kemble, in your youth, you suffered a broken heart and never married. This did not stop you from caring deeply about the wellbeing of your servants. Occasionally you would even help them muck out the stables. However, you did not neglect discipline, forcing disobedient underlings to skate themselves to exhaustion on your subterranean skating rink. Servants were given strict instructions regarding conduct: if they met you in a corridor, they were to ignore your existence while you froze to the spot until they were out of sight; and a chicken was to be kept roasting at all times in case you felt like sneaking into the kitchen for a snack.

    You became ever more eccentric with age. You built another tunnel, this time to the railway station, through which you would ride your carriage. When you reached the station your carriage, with you inside, would be hoisted up onto the train in its entirety.

    Upon your death, your multitude of titles passed to your cousin, who was obliged to delve into your curious domain to find your body once the servants had reported your absence. Entering your private rooms, he found that, aside from a commode in the centre of your bedroom, the only objects in the whole suite were hundreds of hatboxes, each containing a single brown wig.

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 3:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

    February 23, 2004

    I Claudius

    Could be worse:

    CLAVDIVS
    You're not the fool everyone takes you for. You put on a show to stay under the radar. Underneath your bumbling exterior, you are a shrewd and calculating person. You don't enjoy being in the spotlight, but you can take charge if absolutely neccessary. But trust no one, not even your best friend, because you never know who might betray you.
    You were portrayed by Derek Jacobi.
    Which I, Claudius Character are You? created by Shiny Objects

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 5:17 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

    What Book Are You


    You're One Hundred Years of Solitude!
    by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
    Lonely and struggling, you've been around for a very long time. Conflict has filled most of your life and torn apart nearly everyone you know. Yet there is something majestic and even epic about your presence in the world. You love life all the more for having seen its decimation. After all, it takes a village.
    Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

    One of my all-time favorite books for sheer oddness and "magic realism--" that odd term for Latin American fiction that tends to mean whatever the person wielding it wants it to mean for the time. But surreal or supernatural edginess is how I tend to think of it.

    From Scattershot Direct via Dappled Things.

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 5:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

    February 20, 2004

    Another Result with a Pretty Fish

    I'd rather be Crush--but then, while it's cool to surf, it may be better to be blue.

    You are DORY!
    What Finding Nemo Character are You?

    brought to you by Quizilla


    From Summa Mamas

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 7:46 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

    February 19, 2004

    Awwww! And I REALLY Wanted Elijah

    via Summa Mamas

    You are KING DAVID!
    Which Old Testament Character are you?

    brought to you by Quizilla

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 8:21 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

    February 17, 2004

    This Was Worth a Repeat

    Found Again via Transcendence

    The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
    Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

    LevelScore
    Purgatory (Repenting Believers)Extreme
    Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)Very High
    Level 2 (Lustful)Low
    Level 3 (Gluttonous)Very Low
    Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)Very Low
    Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)Very Low
    Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)Very Low
    Level 7 (Violent)Low
    Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)Low
    Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)Very Low

    Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 3:00 PM | TrackBack

    February 16, 2004

    Brain Balance

    A Quiz from Don that is about as accurate as most--though it pretends to some sort of scientific background:


    Your Brain Usage Profile

    Auditory : 41%
    Visual : 58%
    Left : 50%
    Right : 50%


    You exhibit an even balance between left- and right- hemisphere dominance and a slight preference for visual over auditory processing. With a score this balanced, it is likely that you would have slightly different results each time you complete this self-assessment quiz.

    You are a well-rounded person, distinctly individualistic and artistic, an active and multidimensional learner. At the same time, you are logical and disciplined, can operate well within an organization, and are sensitive towards others without losing objectivity. You are organized and goal-directed. Although a "thinking" individual, you "take in" entire situations readily and can act on intuition.

    You sometimes tend to vacillate in your learning styles. Learning might take you longer than someone of equal intellect, but you will tend to be more thorough and retain the material longer than those other individuals. You will alternate between logic and impulse. This vacillation will not normally be intentional or deliberate, so you may experience anxiety in situations where you are not certain which aspect of yourself will be called on.

    With a slight preference for visual processing, you tend to be encompassing in your perceptions, process along multidimensional paths and be active in your attacking of situations or learning.

    Overall, you should feel content with your life and yourself. You are, perhaps, a little too critical of yourself -- and of others -- while maintaining an "openness" which tempers that tendency. Indecisiveness is a problem and your creativity may not be in keeping with your potential. Being a pragmatist, you downplay this aspect of yourself and focus on the more immediate, obvious and the more functional

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 6:33 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

    February 13, 2004

    A Quiz With Too Many Possibilities

    I've done this one before and think I had the same results. But saw it again at Summa Mamas:

    You Are Romans
    You are Romans.


    Which book of the Bible are you?
    brought to you by Quizilla

    Here's the results changing some of the single variate answers of which I was less certain:

    You are Ephesians
    You are Ephesians.


    Which book of the Bible are you?
    brought to you by Quizilla

    And one last solution altering the same answers to yet another configuration:

    You are Proverbs
    You are Proverbs.


    Which book of the Bible are you?
    brought to you by Quizilla


    Now, I'm going to go and ask some people about which view is truest.

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:41 AM | TrackBack

    February 11, 2004

    All That Green/Gray Above the Mason-Dixon Line. . .

    can just stay green. Color depends on the computer I'm using. Otherwise, here's the map.



    create your own visited states map
    or write about it on the open travel guide

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:07 AM | TrackBack

    February 5, 2004

    Another Important Quiz Result

    Full Disclosure: I started out violet with some answers that probably weren't right on. I turned green by answering things that were just patently untrue and I ended up (with the most truthful answers I could find):


    VIOLET



    You surround yourself with art and music and are constantly driven to express yourself. You often daydream. You prefer honesty in your relationships and believe strongly in your personal morals.




    Find out your color at Quiz Me!


    Posted by Steven Riddle at 8:20 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

    January 31, 2004

    More On Presidential Selection

    When I actually decided to answer a couple of the questions about PACs (with whom I find myself only in mixed agreement, NAACP, ACLU, etc.) I got results that were even more surprising. Obviously this just tells me to pack up my vote and write in Smockmomma or JCecil3--cause there ain't no way
    2-9 are getting my vote the way things stand now.


    Your Results:

    1. Your ideal theoretical candidate. (100%) Click here for info
    2. Kucinich, Rep. Dennis, OH - Democrat (67%) Click here for info
    3. Kerry, Senator John, MA - Democrat (55%) Click here for info
    4. Sharpton, Reverend Al - Democrat (53%) Click here for info
    5. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT - Democrat (49%) Click here for info
    6. Edwards, Senator John, NC - Democrat (48%) Click here for info
    7. Clark, Retired General Wesley K., AR - Democrat (46%) Click here for info
    8. Lieberman, Senator Joe, CT - Democrat (44%) Click here for info
    9. Bush, President George W. - Republican (43%) Click here for info
    10. Libertarian Candidate (29%) Click here for info
    11. Phillips, Howard - Constitution (13%) Click here for info

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 5:27 PM | TrackBack

    January 30, 2004

    In the Interest of Complete Disclosure

    Results picking the best approximation of the truth available in the answers:

    barbieandkennyopry
    Well, I'll swan! Y'all are *Barbie and Kenny* of
    the Grand Ole Opry Collector's Set. Chances are
    y'all will be hitched forever...or at least
    until the cows come home.


    Which Ken & Barbie Couple Do You Belong To?
    brought to you by Quizilla

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:31 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

    January 29, 2004

    Okay, I Admit It, I Saw the Pattern. . .

    . . .and manipulated the outcome. Anything to be associated with Shakespeare. Though I have to say all of the couples are . . . uh . . . interesting?

    romeoandjuliet
    You are Ken & Barbie as the star crossed lovers
    Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Thanks to
    the invention of instant communication, your
    love may be as timeless as your tale.


    Which Ken & Barbie Couple Do You Belong To?
    brought to you by Quizilla

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 6:34 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

    January 28, 2004

    From Olique House via Summa Mommas

    HASH(0x88807c8)
    You, my friend are a true individual. You most
    likely hate trends and are creative. By seeing
    things differently, people either admire you or
    think you are a bit strange. I'm guessing you
    are a lot like me. Perhaps a Good Charlotte
    hater? I hope so. An inspiration to us all,
    continue being you! (If you like GC, I'm sorry,
    I am just expressing an opinion)


    A Deeper Look Inside Yourself (with pics)
    brought to you by Quizilla

    and for the absolute antithesis of my personality nothing could better set the stage than:

    Raver Bear
    Raver Bear


    Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?
    brought to you by Quizilla


    On the other hand--shiny objects that swim, swirl, or otherwise make patterns RULE!

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:28 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

    January 27, 2004

    Test Results from Summa Mommas

    Gryphon Banner
    You're a gryphon. You're very powerful without
    needing to brag about it. Creativity is one of
    your strong suits. Your outward personality may
    change drastically according to your mood,
    which is not always a good thing. You're a
    loyal guardian when you choose to be and you're
    aligned towards *good*.


    What mythical beast are you?
    brought to you by Quizilla

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 6:15 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

    January 15, 2004

    Noted Chez Father Jim

    The Big Five Personality Test
    Extroverted|||||| 30%
    Introverted |||||||||||||||| 70%
    Friendly |||||||||||||||||| 72%
    Aggressive |||||| 28%
    Orderly |||||||||||||||||| 80%
    Disorderly |||| 20%
    Relaxed |||||||||||||||| 62%
    Emotional||||||||||38%
    Openminded |||||||||||||||||| 76%
    Closeminded |||||| 24%
    Take Free Big 5 Personality Test

    Meaningful? Who knows--but here it is. Ask the bloggers who have acutally met me--for a start.

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 12:45 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

    January 14, 2004

    Life As a Motion Picture

    Courtesy of JCecil3


    My life is rated PG.
    What is your life rated?

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:11 AM | TrackBack

    January 10, 2004

    Another Deadly Accurate Quiz Result

    Not! But they are fun and it is interesting to get a glimpse inside the mind of the quiz maker.

    Poseidon
    Poseidon


    ?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
    brought to you by Quizilla

    Later My apologies, I failed to acknowledge Fr. Jim as the source whereat I found this quiz.

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 10:52 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

    January 9, 2004

    It's a Matter of Figuring Out How to Read/Interpret the Questions

    For all four levels of the quiz



    What Classic Movie Are You?

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 11:14 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

    Probably A Little Idealized

    Mr. Bogner pointed out that different results come with different numbers of questions. I don't choose to acknowledge my results on the 45 question version. When I do 18, I come up as Gandhi (another of Erik's favorite people). These are the results of the 9 question--highly satisfactory.



    What Famous Leader Are You?

    The 27 Question Test results in Albert Einstein, who is a hero of mine. Ditto 45 question test (this time.) My ideas saved/will destroy the world. Ha!

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 10:32 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

    January 5, 2004

    My Classic Movie



    What Classic Movie Are You?


    Well, what can one say? I'm an Oliver Stone vehicle--could be worse--I could have been The Doors.

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 1:30 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

    January 4, 2004

    Answering Important Questions

    T.S. O'Rama asks the important question, "Btw, who ISN'T embarrassed buying the Nat'l Enquirer?"

    And I wade in and answer boldly, "I, for one, am not." I enjoy National Enquirer, Weekly World News, and other alternative visions of our present reality.

    By the way, I also was a 46% snob. There are some things that simply aren't done. And then there's the rest. And what's wrong with imported brie, if you don't make a habit of it?

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 7:43 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

    December 24, 2003

    From a Music Blog I Never Visit

    eflatmajor
    Eb major - you are warm and kind, always there for
    your friends, who are in turn there for you.
    You are content with your confortable life and
    what you are currently achieving; if you keep
    in this state you will go far.


    what key signature are you?
    brought to you by Quizilla


    All of which is odd because my favorite compositions are in D minor.

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 5:27 PM | TrackBack

    Another Amusing Lord of the Rings Quiz

    legolas
    Congratulations! You're Legolas!


    Which Lord of the Rings character and personality problem are you?
    brought to you by Quizilla

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 9:38 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

    December 16, 2003

    What Manner of Poetry

    Another endlessly pleasing quiz result:



    I'm terza rima, and I talk and smile.
    Where others lock their rhymes and thoughts away
    I let mine out, and chatter all the while.

    I'm rarely on my own - a wasted day
    Is any day that's spent without a friend,
    With nothing much to do or hear or say.

    I like to be with people, and depend
    On company for being entertained;
    Which seems a good solution, in the end.
    What Poetry Form Are You?

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 7:53 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

    December 15, 2003

    Postmodernism??

    Now, from Mixolydian Mode, a quiz result with which I am truly, truly happy.

    not postmodern
    Whether you harbor some vestige of modernist
    morality or simply fail to see the irony in
    Reality TV, one thing is clear. You are just
    Not Postmodern.


    What kind of postmodernist are you!?
    brought to you by Quizilla

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 1:51 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

    December 8, 2003

    Hows This For Remarkable?

    Don't know how this person came up with their results, but it's pretty darn close to my favorite color and certainly in the very near family. The perfect colors--once streaked through with refractive wave-bottom yellow-white to look like the sand under the still water behind a Caribbean reef.

    you are mediumturquoise
    #48D1CC

    Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well.

    Your saturation level is medium - You're not the most decisive go-getter, but you can get a job done when it's required of you. You probably don't think the world can change for you and don't want to spend too much effort trying to force it.

    Your outlook on life is brighter than most people's. You like the idea of influencing things for the better and find hope in situations where others might give up. You're not exactly a bouncy sunshine but things in your world generally look up.
    the spacefem.com html color quiz

    Posted by Steven Riddle at 3:13 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack