ironychan has been having fun with Google autocomplete. In fact, it looked so much fun that I'm ripping off her idea with "does" plus the various letters of the alphabet! It's not stealing if you call it a meme, right?

"does a root canal hurt": From someone hoping against hope.

"does bella become a vampire": The very first suggestion; answer: not quickly enough.

"does coffee have calories": Are you that person I watch order a low-fat sugar-free decaf mocha? You do know that some day you'll have to eat something that's not composed primarily of synthetic compounds, right? And that preservatives don't actually make you live longer?

"does demi lovato cut herself": Why is this the number one suggestion? How come when I play this game, it's less funny and more faith-in-humanity-destroying?

"does extense make you bigger": And several variations thereof; also, two inquiries about eHarmony; the Internet's priorities in a nutshell.

"does fedex deliver on columbus day": Only if you're white.

"does god exist": Next time on JFG Your Existential Questions, find out whether life has meaning.

"does hpv go away": :(

"does ibuprofen contain aspirin": Also, do grapes contain apple juice?

"does justin bieber have a girlfriend": He's actually waiting for you to ask him. I suggest you sneak into his bedroom to do so.

"does kohls drug test": Maybe the people who asked "does kristen stewart do drugs" would know?

"does lightning come from the ground": Because I didn't think you people needed to know how many people search for "does lady gaga have a willy".

"does miley cyrus have a tattoo": I think that's actually just her face.

"does naruto become hokage": Gesundheit!

"does obama smoke weed": Only because he hates America so much.

"does precum contain sperm": Yeah, condoms are a bitch, aren't they?

"does quick fix synthetic urine work": Try Kohls.

"does rogaine work": Maybe, but it's really not worth the mocking when the guys at the office find out.

"does size matter": Because Google is really going to give you a different answer to that question than every other aspect of our culture? (By the way, the Greeks thought that little penises were the prettiest, so build yourself a time machine and you'll be golden.)

"does the moon rotate": . . . okay, it's been a while since the Internet has said something so stupid, I couldn't even be snarky about it.

Every single suggestion for U was about UPS, except one about USPS. Boring. Next!

"does vodka have calories": Don't worry, it's clear! Clear stuff is basically like water, right?

"does weed kill brain cells": Only the bad ones. It's like weeding your garden. You weren't using those brain cells anyway.

"does xanax get you high": Just get some weed, dude. Ask Obama--he can probably hook you up.

"does your period stop in water": I've always kind of wondered why people think this. Do they think their vaginas have ESP? (Apparently there is a little bit of support for the phenomenon, but the whole myth still freaks me out a little.)

Nine out of ten results for Z were about prescription drugs. Because that's the only thing that gets to begin with Z in our culture.

Stolen from deadvole!

Give me the title of a story I've never written, and feedback telling me what you liked best about it, and I will tell you any of: the first sentence, the last sentence, the thing that made me want to write it, the biggest problem I had while writing it, why it almost never got posted, the scene that hit the cutting room floor but that I wish I'd been able to salvage, or something else that I want readers to know.

An awesome meme via fish_lanterns (who gave me some really cool answers).

Leave me a comment and:

1. I’ll respond with something random about you.

2. I’ll challenge you to try something.

3. I’ll pick a color that I associate with you.

4. I’ll tell you something I like about you.

5. I’ll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.

6. I’ll tell you what animal you remind me of.

7. I’ll ask you something I’ve always wanted to ask you.

8. If i do this for you, you must post this on yours.

What are the longest and shortest songs in your iTunes Music Library?

Shortest: Technically, "Take Back" by Green Day, from Nimrod, at 0:02. But, for actual songs, not gags, it's the Horrible Theme from Dr. Horrible, at 0:10. (Beating Five Iron Frenzy's "When I Go Out" by one second.)

Longest: Technically, "The Cross of St. Andrew" by Five Iron Frenzy at 34:10, but most of that track is dead air--the song itself is only like three minutes long. The longest ACTUAL song is "Tall Ships" by Show of Hands at 21:56. (Good song, too.)

As long as I'm memeing . . .

Go to your calendar and post the first sentence of the first entry of every month for the year. Skip memes if possible.

January:
I'm back from Rome as of yesterday.

February:
My leg hurts even more where I screwed it up yesterday.

March:
It's 5:17am, and I'm still awake because I had to finish writing a paper.

April:
Hoooooly crap, tonight is bad.

May:
For those of you who've heard me rant about the very common misuse of the term "to beg the question", and to prove that it is possible to gracefully use the term the way it was originally intended, I'd like to offer a rare correct usage I found in an article on Augustine that I'm reading right now.

June:
Why do people always want to describe themselves as "weird" or "kinda crazy"?

July:
Tomorrow I head off to Vietnam!

August:
After a trip that involved airports in four different countries on three different airlines, I made it in early yesterday morning.

September:
The proposal for my Senior Honors thesis is due on Monday the 15th.

October:
I'm studying Buddhism in my Good and Evil class right now, and my textbook has this poem in it that I thought was beautiful, so I had to post it (mainly so that I won't lose it when I get rid of the book).

November:
Hm. It's been over 24 hours, and I'm still short of breath, only now I've got a ton of nasal congestion.

December:
My rule when I'm writing fiction, especially for class, is that I try to never tell the reader anything she could figure out for herself.


So, pretty much, my blogging this year was more of the same: lots of complaining about my workload, lots of imagining that I was getting sick (although, that one in November turned out to be an honest-to-God illness that made me miss classes and everything--I think I'm getting over my hypochondria).

Remember this one? I'm doing it again. (Um, if you commented last time and never got something from me, comment again and I won't count you in the "first three".) Stolen from ironychan this time.

PAY IT FORWARD: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment here on my LJ. The gift could be anything, but you will receive it within 365 days (probably sooner). The only thing you have to do in return is "pay it forward" by making a similar agreement on your livejournal.

mizujada and I both liked the random song/poetry meme so much that we wanted to do it again--I told her that if she'd do it, I would too. Well, she did, so I am too. I think this one is actually better than the last one.

(Have you guys met mizujada yet? She's cool--you'll like her.)

( I Believe Something'll Have to Change )

Every time I do one of these things, I realize how weird my music collection is--a conglomeration of the really popular, and the incredibly obscure. In the lines quoted above, we've got Simon and Garfunkel and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but also the Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus and Mighty Squirrel. (Also, there might just be one from Simple Plan. Don't judge me! Their music is funny as hell, if you think about it.)

Stolen from ironychan.

Put your MP3 player on shuffle, and write down the first line of the first twenty songs. Post the poem that results. The first line of the twenty-first is the title. Skip instrumentals, songs in foreign languages, and songs with the title in the first line.

(I cheated and left out some of the more embarrassing songs. My iTunes is full of "Why do I even have that MP3?" songs.)

( 'Twas Homeward Bound One Night )

(I'm going to skip the part where I say, "I don't usually post these, but . . ." because people say that EVERY TIME.)

( Congratulations! You are: an Ancient! )

I had to leave one question blank--I don't think it's acceptable to burn ANY books, but that wasn't an option.

The reading went pretty well. Before I start my homework for the night, I thought I'd share a meme.

Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line(s) from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song. (Skip the instrumentals, the remixes and the mashups) (I also skipped any songs where the first line was the same as the title--boring!)
Step 3: Let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly.

1. Wind passes right through my skin as I fall down . . . Cannonball, by Five Iron Frenzy
2. I know the sound of each rock and stone, and I embrace what others fear . . .
3. So boy that girl can break a heart, it's like a work of art . . .
4. If there's someone you can live without, then do so.
5. "Good God, don't jump!"
6. Every time I'm thinking 'bout the day coming round, well I'll be strong . . .
7. Desmond has a barrow in the marketplace. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Dai, by the Beatles
8. Young Herc was mortal now . . . but since he did not drink the last drop . . . The Gospel Truth, from Hercules
9. Heard you say that no one seems to care 'bout you . . .
10. Standin' on top of the edge it feels like it's goin' down . . .
11. In simple English, this is truth, so see if this makes sense to you . . . Blue Mix, by Five Iron Frenzy
12. What I wouldn't give for a river right now . . .
13. Two to one, static to the sound of you and I, undone for the last time . . .
14. It's these substandard motels on the (lalalalala) corner of 4th and Fremont Street.
15. Maybe it's not over yet, somewhere inside him there must be some new dream . . .
16. Look at me, I will never pass for a perfect bride . . . Reflection, from Mulan
17. I got your letter, and the poetry you sent me . . .
18. In this world there's a whole lot of trouble, baby, in this world there's a whole lot of pain . . .
19. Home. Is this a quiet place where you should be alone? Space, by Something Corporate
20. Why is the world in love again? Why are we marching hand in hand? Theme from Flood, by They Might Be Giants

I had to look up the lyrics for a lot of those . . . as good as my memory for dialogue and poetry is, I'm terrible at discerning lyrics in music. I can listen to a song for years without knowing what all the words say.

Also, I think that my randomizer on iTunes isn't set random enough, because it gave me several from the same artists.

From this post.

floorlamps requested A good book you've read, preferably recently but also just in general.

( A very good book indeed )

ifeelfinite asked for More photos of your cat!

( Of course I'm happy to oblige )

And finally, wynd_flowers wanted to see Your favorite cup, mug, glass, flute, shotglass, or stein, or whatever else you always drink out of. Doesn't matter whether it's a Dixie cup or a crystal goblet, as long as it's your favorite.

( Right this way )

Meme I shamelessly stole from deadvole: Ask me to take pictures of any aspect of my life that you're interested in/curious about - it can be anything from my favorite shirt to my cell phone. Leave your requests as a comment to this entry.

This is an AWESOME MEME courtesy of amberdulen! Since I knit, whatever you end up with will probably be knit, but you never know . . .

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment here on my blog. I don't know what that gift will be yet, but you will receive it within 365 days. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making a similar agreement on your blog.

Aaaaand GO!

I don't usually post quiz results, but . . . this place is going to be dead a day or two longer, and this was interesting anyway.

Via Jay at Dispatches from Blogblivion (previously Accidental Verbosity), who had some comments of his own.

You Are 12% Democrat

If you have anything in common with the Democrat party, it's by sheer chance. You're a staunch conservative, and nothing is going to change that!

You Are 16% Republican

If you have anything in common with the Republican party, it's by sheer chance. You're a staunch liberal, and nothing is going to change that!

I think what we have here is a basic statement about the inefficiency of labels. Either that or proof that I'm indecisive.

I generally avoid memes, but what the heck.

(Click here to post your own answers for this meme.)

✓ I miss somebody right now.	✓ I don't watch much TV these days.	✓ I own lots of books.
× I wear glasses or contact lenses.	× I love to play video games.	× I've tried marijuana.
× I've watched porn movies.	× I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.	× I believe honesty is usually the best policy.
× I curse sometimes.  (I dunno--very, very rarely)	✓ I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.  (College tends to do that.)	× I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.

( it goes on... )

I finished my final project around 1:30 this afternoon, three and a half hours before it was due. Go me! It was really easy, as I had predicted, and I actually almost enjoyed it. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through the junk in my desk to get it packed. Tomorrow I pack EVERYTHING! ^^

I am SO happy to be done. You have no idea. My first year of college is over, and I SURVIVED!

In celebration, have a meme! (Taken from floorlamps, whose version of it was amusingly one-sided. ;) .)

( My Life: the Soundtrack )

This is how it works: Comment on this entry and get a letter (if you want to play).

Then in your journal, write 10 words beginning with that letter, including an explanation of what the word means to you and why.

eikanokarasu gave me the letter P! Soooo . . .

1. P is for PONIES! They never fail to brighten my day, and that's about all you can ask from a five dollar piece of plastic.

2. P is for Pink, which is everywhere at this place and which soaks into the deepest crevices of the brain, there to stay forever.

3. P is for my Panther, which came in a box with several other P things as a going away to college gift from somebody very special. His name is Lando, and it is agreed that he looks like Lando Calrissian.

4. P is for Palisade Peaches, which are grown about an hour away from my home and are without a doubt the best peaches in the West. Some people say they're better than Georgia peaches, but I've never had a Georgia peach, so I reserve judgment. Next to berries, peaches are my favorite fruit.

5. P is for potato soup, one of my comfort foods. One of the best things about being home is eating hot bowls of my mom's potato soup, with lots of cheese.

6. P is for pain; I still haven't figured out what's causing mine.

7. P is for Pascal, whom I still remember and miss. We had good times together. I still sometimes get sad because I didn't make very good decisions in that relationship.

8. P is for the Parthenon, the presence of which on this list should need no explanation. I remember walking up the Acropolis and seeing it, and . . . it's unbelievable. You might know it's huge, you might know the subject of every metope in the frieze and every measurement of the building, but when you walk up to it, it's the most amazing experience.

9. P is for Penguin Classics, which don't have nearly the appeal of, say, Loebs, but which are cheap and easy to find, and are thus really cool.

10. P is for Plikt, a character from Xenocide and Children of the Mind who has always fascinated me, mostly because she has the most awesome name.

(I'm going to bed now, so anybody who asks for letters won't be getting them until later, but they will come!)

I got out of classes at 12:30 today (I love Fridays!). After lunch, I went out and worked on my self portrait for art class for a little while. (The assignment was kind of strange . . . we took this big piece of paper, and he told us to draw in charcoal a perfect square on it, one inch from the edge of the paper, with a perfect circle inside of it, all lines one quarter of an inch thick. Didn't tell us what it was about or anything, but until we'd tried our best. Then he said we had to turn it into a self portrait.) While I was working on it, my professor came in. And told me I should minor in art. Again. ^^;;;

I had to stop sooner than I wanted to, because I had to get back to the dining hall, because the board of directors was having a 'round table' discussion, where we could talk about concerns and stuff on campus. That went very well. I'm extremely glad I went, because the table I sat at had a lot of wild party type girls, so I got a chance to make sure my own (very not wild or party type at all) view was heard.

And after dinner, I washed all my laundry and cleaned my room. Now everything is tidy and nice and I feel very accomplished. It's good to get all this out of the way, though, because I have plenty of work to do this weekend. (Mostly reading. Always with the reading. >.<)

Aaaaand, also, here's that LJ Comment meme again, because it's interesting to watch it grow:

( Read more... )

Via Accidental Verbosity, we have the MyHeritage Facial Recognition site. Right now, you can go there and find out what celebrities you look the most like. (Apparently when it's out of beta it will also have some actually useful options. Don't know whether they'll be charging for that.)

( I wonder if this means my face is old-fashioned. That'd be cool. )

I'd love to see what results some of you guys get. I ran it on my mom, and oddly enough, both of us got Nicole Kidman as one of our results. (That's the only result we had in common--we don't look anything alike.)

Best blonde joke ever? I'm not convinced, but I'll let you decide.