quote this

So, here I am, finally getting to the meme from Random Musings! I had a few ideas in mind, but it actually has taken me this long to settle.

Here's the deal:

1. Read the quotes in the list.
2. Read the last quote on the list closely, and choose a quote that somehow builds off one of the central ideas or values in the quote--critiques it, extends it, turns a good joke on it, whatever.
3. Type or paste your quote at the bottom of the list, and link to the blog of the person you're following.
4. Tag someone else. Or someones else.

And here are the quotes:

1. Ideals are very important in one's life. Without ideals you cannot move - whether you achieve them or not is immaterial. But one must try and approximate them. --His Holiness the Dalai Lama
2. You shall know the truth, and it shall make you odd. --Flannery O'Connor (re: Changa)
3. Truth is more of a stranger than fiction. - Mark Twain re: bodhibound
4. ...how can you measure the life of a woman or man? In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or the way that she died. - Jonathan Larson, Rent (re: Random Musings)
   

Interested? Add your quote to the list and leave me a comment to let me know!

arrrgh - I've been hit!

Okay, so it's just with a meme, courtesy of B from My Other Blog is a Lexus. Six things, eh? Hm.... let's see if I can even count to six on a Monday.

1) Link to the person that tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least 3 people at the end of your post and link to their blogs.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6) Let the fun begin!

In response to article 3:

• I have stupid pinky toes. I'm fairly certain that I've broken the right one a half a dozen times or so and it's got some strange bumps. Let's not even discuss the nails...
• I have a weather pinky finger. Maybe I've knocked this one around a few too many times, too, but my right pinky is a very good barometer.
• The dealership washes my car at oil changes. I figure that's often enough.
• I have all the phone ringers and tv set on the lowest possible volume, but stereos cranked.
• I know how to cure roe.
• I go off on tangents a lot.
  

Tag three? You're it! Leave a comment and let me know if you pick this up so I can come over and read!

I am sloth. I feel bad about it, but still do nothing

Okay, eventually I catch up. Christine at Chicken Scratch told me about this meme eons ago [at least, like, a week or two], so here I am finally getting around to it. It's a birth month meme - traits are listed that are supposed to apply to you. hm.... but do they ... ?

I'm October:

OCTOBER:
Loves to chat. hm. Have I had coffee yet?

Loves those who loves them. So far...

Loves to take things at the center. also likes it when things make sense. What the heck is this supposed to mean??

Inner and physical beauty. in others? like, of course. in me? aspire.

Lies but doesn’t pretend. um.... I'm having issues reconciling this ...

Gets angry often. that could depend on your definition of "angry"...

Treats friends importantly. absolutely!

Always making friends. eh ... kinda tough to do around these parts, actually

Easily hurt but recovers easily. nope. takes me waaaay too long to realise I'm being screwed and by that point, it's so over

Daydreamer. that would be a yes

Opinionated. yes, but I'm a Libra: an opinionated fence sitter.

Does not care of what others think. I'd rather not, but often do

Emotional. have I had coffee yet?

Decisive. what? remember the Libra thing? Okay, sometimes I am. Sort of.

Strong clairvoyance. strong is a bit of a strong word...

Loves to travel, the arts and literature. well, yeah.

Touchy and easily jealous. have I had my coffee yet?

Concerned. just randomly and in general? no. about wars and famine and the environment? yes

Loves outdoors. as long as I can get to a real bathroom when needed

Just and fair. okay

Spendthrift. despite my desires

Easily influenced. sadly, more often than I catch myself

Easily loses confidence. yep

Loves children. who's going to say no to this one?? besides, I have The Most Awesome Child!


So, where do you fit in? The list is here.

seriuosly old newness

So....um...yeah. This is what happens when you find out that you can do a Technorati search on your flickr photo stream and find out all sorts of places where people have used your [Creative Commons tagged] photos. Then you think, hey!, I should do a Technorati search on my blog! I haven't done that in ages! And then you discover that you were tagged for a meme, like, nearly three months ago and didn't clue in.

Oops.

Turns out today is a meme kind of day - as in, I wasn't sure what I was going to write about. With sincere apologies to mothergoosemouse for the lateness in responding, here it is: 18 new, previously undivulged [I think] things about me.

1. I've never smoked, but I kind of like the smell of some nicotine products. But that only goes for some brands of Canadian smokes and pipe tobacco. I've never met an American cigarette that I could be within 50 feet of.
2. I am, by turns, horrified, intrigued and confused by skin: blackheads, zits, skin tags, moles, stray long hairs.... bizarre stuff.
3. If I have any say in the matter, I prefer my sandwiches dry: no mayo, no mustard, no butter or margarine.
4. I don't like going to movie theatres.
5. Nudity's fine by me.
   
6. I shudder at the thought of something going wrong with my knees or ankles. Other body parts? Eh. Doesn't bother me. Knee or ankle joints? Serious cringing.
7. When my adult eye teeth came in, they were over top of my baby eye teeth: both baby teeth had to be pulled and I had a retainer to bring the adult ones down.
8. I had to have my last baby teeth pulled in grade 11, so I could get my braces.
9. I have three toenails that are a little on the thick side.
   
10. Mr.Q thinks they are the grossest things ever in the history of gross things.
11. I talk to myself at work. It's a lab thing.
12. I talk to myself outside of work. That's a crazy thing.
13. I don't understand the concept of hanging onto regrets.
14. I like cereal. A lot.
15. I quite literally kick Mr.Q when he snores.
16. I like to eat lunch alone: it's my me time.
17. I don't always [hardly ever] separate darks and lights.
18. I like pigeons.

What? Tag people at this late date? C'mon, this meme is now so last season! But if you do want to do it, or did it way back when, leave a comment and let me know. Otherwise I may not get around to reading it for some ridiculous amount of time.

meme me

Before the meme can be begun - an announcement! Jenny, of Mama Drama fame, is now The Bloggess as well! Okay, so that means you must go over and read. After you read here, of course. Or go and then come back. Whatever works for you.

And now: the meme! Tagged by Mackey, here are a few bits and bites of me:

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:

• hanging dark sheets over my windows to try and sleep during the 23 1/2 hours of sunlight I was enduring during the northern summer
  
• swatting at mining truck tire sized black flies
  
• fishing for pike
  
• trying to convince Mr.Q that normal people don't react to food the way he does
  
• starting my first website at Geocities [oh, wow.....need to update that...]
  

5 snacks:

• Oreo Thinsations - newly discovered
  
• does coffee count?
  
• grapes
  
• chocolate
  
• Triscuits
  

5 songs I know all the lyrics to:

• Old Bloody Orange
  
• Don't Get Around Much Anymore
  
• Boots or Hearts
  
• John the Rabbit [in it's orignal form and as edited by Mr.Q]
  
• A Moth is Not a Butterfly
  

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:

• pay off my father-in-law
  
• get a second car [any suggestions]
  
• go on a damn nice vacation. or two. or three.
  
• redo our floors and bathrooms
  
• invest the rest
  

5 bad habits:

• speaking too quickly and quietly
  
• grinding my teeth
  
• chocolate
  
• the internet
  
• getting distracted
  

5 things I like to do:

• cuddle with the Magpie!
  
• cuddle with Mr.Q. As long as he hasn't been sweating or eating too many onions.
  
• poke words around. Though you wouldn't know that, lately.
  
• take photos
  
• harrass the dog and/or cat
  

5 things I would never wear again:

• large, pastel-hued glasses
  
• an eye patch with a butterfly sticker on it
  
• a dickie
  
• a printed turtleneck
  
• braces [but medieval retainers are just fine...]
  

5 favourite toys:

• laptop
  
• camera
  
• Palm Pilot
  
• cell phone
  
• the Magpie's blue ball

Feeling inspired? Do this one and let me know!

baby shower!

It's like buying a new car or a new purse: once you have a baby, it seems everyone else does too. And, there are three more on the way: Liz, Christina & Tammie are all en route and, in their honour, a couple of ladies of the 'sphere have solicited our best and worst advice on their behalf and are rounding it all up in one convenient location. So, here you have the nuggets of wisdom I received:

Assvice: "get that baby on a schedule right away!" Are you kidding me? The Magpie had no schedule whatsoever for the first entire six months of her life. I could not tell you from one day to the next when, if, how or where she would nap or eat. Period. Would she fall asleep in the stroller on our evening walk? Would she feed every half hour or every two hours? Would she decry the notion of sleeping in her crib and demand the comfort of our bed, or would she only pass out in the window seat or across my legs? Schedule, my ass. I could plan nothing. Fortunately, for those six months, she also slept through anything. Once I got my pregnancy hormone ravaged brain around that, it was suddenly all good.

Advice: "you guys are so laid back, you'll be fine." Okay, not technically advice, but this was the best thing anyone - in this case, the public health nurse - said to us in the early, early days. Related to the lack of schedule, but also to pretty much everything else that came down the pipe, not freaking out unless it was really and seriously warranted has sort of become our mantra. It took a lot of doing [I'm not really known for not freaking out...], but damned if it doesn't work.

Congrats to these three expectant mamas [though not expectant for long!] and be sure to head over and check out the baby shower. There are photos! There are games! There are prizes! C'mon!! Exclamation marks mean it's good!!

Real Moms ...

Tagged [again!] by Jodifur, but this time by name, here is my Real Moms... declarative statement, photo, explanation and "Real Moms. Making..." closing:

Real Moms know when their baby is about to wake up.

I have no idea how or why, but I almost always wake up with literally a minute to spare before the Magpie rouses herself. Am I hearing her stir? Does she somehow realise that I am conscious? Are we sending mutual waking vibes? She does not fully quiet down until Mr.Q and I go to bed and, this, despite the fact that we are ridiculously quiet people and barely even have the television on in the evenings. And we are obviously on the same schedule, though it doesn't really follow the clock. Regardless of what time she feels it necessary to wake, my eyes are open just before hers.

The logical being in me blames the minute pre-waking noises that must be emanating from the baby monitor. The part of me that keeps one skeptical eye fixed on the moon and reads my daily horoscope likes to believe it's a sign of good mother-daughter bond.

Real Moms. Making mountains pots of gold out of mole hills.

Have a Real Moms epiphany? Post it and leave me a comment so I can come over and read it !

for my listening pleasure

Tagged by Jodifur, by the sheer power of reading her post, here are seven songs that I am listening to and loving now:

1. Safe and Sound, Hawksley Workman. It's not from his most recent album, but it's a song that I've recently acquired and it is insanely beautiful. I swear, he may now be up at the top of my Celebrity Guys I'd Threaten to Hypothetically Leave Mr.Q For [sorry, Bono]
2. Poets, The Tragically Hip. Don't tell me how the universe is altered, when you find out how he gets paid.
   
3. The Alphabet of Nations, They Might Be Giants. From the Magpie's CD collection. I now know more countries than I did before. Sad, but true. I'm rather suspicious about West Xylophone, but have yet to look at an atlas to confirm my doubts.
4. Think You Should Know, Jacksoul. Smooth, easy listening jazzy R&B for the car.
5. I Got Rhytym, Denzal Sinclaire. Smoother, rich jazz for the car.
6. Everybody Loves Saturday Night, Music Together Drums CD. From the Magpie's music class. She adores this entire disc.
7. I Don't Feel Like Dancing, Scissor Sisters. No, it's now new. Yes, when I think about it, it's incredibly obnoxious. But it is really good for Jolly Jumping.

Feel like letting me on your current listening? Post it and leave me a comment!

fun on Monday

It's another Fun Monday! Aren't you lucky? Today, per Beccy at Peppermint Tea, I am to post a recipe that would inspire and yummy photo of my meal. Here you are:

Sushi:

1 notepad
1 pen
1 take out menu for Kick Ass Local Take Out Sushi Place
1 phone
Cash

Combine notepad and pen (pencil may be substituted). Record desired items from Kick Ass Local Take Out Sushi Place - be careful, it is very easy to over-order at this step.

Phone in order. To ensure order will be ready by dinner begin ordering at least two hours in advance. (Bonus! This will shave 10% off your order!)

Approximately 10 minutes before the order is finished, bundle up baby and dog and walk up to Kick Ass Local Take Out Sushi Place.

Pay for order (for optimal flavour and nice feeling, be sure to leave a nice tip) and return home.

Sushi is ready to eat. Leftovers may be stored in fridge for a day or two - but don't expect to have many.

fun on Monday

As dictated by Min over at Mama Drama, today I must post a bad opening sentence for a novel and a photograph to set the scene of said sentence.

oh, okay .....

**********
Upon entering her apartment in the stale night air of an another uneventful Wednesday, it hit Marianna with all the sudden realisation of a toenail pried back a little as it is stubbed against something that catches it, like a baseboard or fridge grating: when the crime detectives come to investigate her disappearance, as they invariably do for everyone is this wrong-side-of-the-tracks end of town, it will very likely appear as though only her cat ever lived here - a coffee drinking, internet shopping, take-out eating cat, but a cat none-the-less.

god help her

For this week's Crazy Hip Blog Mamas carnival writing prompt, the question is: "What parts yourself do you hope that your child gets from you?".

Whoa. That's a full question...

I suspect the list is longer of things I don't want her to get from me; Mr.Q and I [how good am I at picking a mate?!] manage to compliment each other in most things. I have bad eyes, he doesn't. I'm allergic to latex and strong scents, he's allergic to everything else. I have bad knees, he has a bad elbow. He has cavities, I had braces.

So, the Magpie, in theory has the chance to turn out perfect. Yep, perfect. If all of our combined faults manage to cancel each other out. If not - if all our faults are dominant traits - well, she's screwed.

So, what would I like her to get from me?

• Strong teeth, and no wisdom teeth.
• Left handedness ['cuz we're taking over the world, baby!]
• Tenacity. Some people have been known to refer to this as irrational stubbornness. But I choose to tenaciously ignore them.
• Nice hands. Mine are now going to pot with incessant hand washing, but they used to be quite nice, if I do say so.
• The desire to try. New things. Anything [almost anything]. As with stubbornness tenacity, this isn't always a good thing [you should see my resume] but it's the only way to live.

There are so many other things I want for her, but they are to be her own. Should she grow up to love her life, then it is all good.

Loving her life as a toothy, left-handed, stubborn tenacious, fine appendaged, open minded woman, that is.

tagged

By sheer virtue of having read my way to the bottom of her post [now that's powerful!], mackey has tagged me with the following:

1. Do you like the looks and the content of your blog? For the most part. There are always things I think could be improved, and I'll probably go for an aesthetic overhaul just for the sake of a change in the near future.

2. Does your family know about your blog? Not Quarter Rest (so far as I know). I have other, private blogs to keep them content.

3. Can you tell your friends about your blog? A few, yes. But I haven't.

4. Do you just read the blogs of those who comment on your blog? Usually. I'll at least check them out a couple of times to see if they update frequently or have posts of interest. I read almost everyone through feed service now, so it's easier to skim someone for a few weeks as a trial.

5. Does your blog positively affect your mind? Um, hell yeah. This is the path to sanity, my dears. Mr.Q can only put up with so much. The rest goes here!

6. What does the number of visitors to your blog mean? I'd be lying if I said that I don't look at my numbers on occasion. I mean, if I didn't want readers, I'd just have a paper diary or private blog, no? I get my weekly stats email and it's nice to see a few hits.

7. Do you imagine what other bloggers look like? Of course! Having said that, I hate having my own image out there -I'm never happy with it - which is why it's probably a good exercise for me to do try the weekly video blogging.

8. Do you think blogging has any real benefit? For me? Yes - see sanity reference. In general? Absolutely. There are some amazing people out there that I never would have met otherwise and this is a great forum.

9. Do you think that the blogosphere is a stand alone community separated from the real world? No, for the most part. So much of the blogosphere is about the real world. I have no problem seeing the people I interact with online as real people, in the real world - not just an online avatar.

10. Do some political blogs scare you? Do you avoid them? I avoid the ones that scare me. Others, I read on a regular basis.

11. Do you think that criticizing your blog is useful? Random attacks are completely out of the question. I did, however, submit myself to the lovely ladies at I talk too much and got an eye opening. If you ask, it's all good.

12. Have you ever thought about what would happen to your blog in case you died? No. But now I have to. My will has everything going to Mr.Q, and he does know my login...so I guess he gets to take over. Aren't you lucky??

13. Which blogger had the greatest impression on you? A single blogger? Can't do that. Check out the blogroll - I am inspired by aspects of everyone in there, which is why they're rolled.

14. Which blogger do you think is the most similar to you? I wouldn't curse anyone with that!

15. Name a song you want to listen to? Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol. It's a mellow kind of day.

Tagging: my rule is not to, but if you are so inclined to post your answers on your site, leave me a comment or drop me an email and let me know!

mini-meme

Taking my cue from the Crazy Hip Blog Mamas, here are five things you might not know about me.

1. I can wiggle my ears
2. I have taken a fencing class
3. I have only tried smoking once in my life, and it did not agree with my stomach. [okay, that might have been the vodka, but the cigarette certainly didn't help matters]
4. A disturbing proportion of my celebrity crushes are on significantly older men...
5. I have been known to wake up in the middle of the night, scratching my arms.

Any of those require further clarification? Leave me a comment and let me know - because, hey it's also International Blog Delurking Week, so get on it and delurk, already!

[heh. delurk. d'lurk. dlURK. oh man, I did not get enough sleep last night...]

more me

A tag!! Hillary has requested ten random things about me, so here goes:

1. Though mentioned here & here before, I have a fear of moths [extended, by virtue of similarities, to butterflies]. They are just way too unpredictable and could whack into you with no warning. Seriously. uuuugh.
   
2. After I open a can of pop, I have to turn the tab 90^o before I drink from it. I don't know why, I just do.
3. My left eye has only very fuzzy peripheral vision - the result of amblyopia.
4. This means that, despite being strongly left handed, I actually do better golfing and shooting right handed.
   
5. Yes, I have fired guns. When I was around 12 to 15. Targets only.
   
6. I got my tattoo for my 29th birthday crisis.
7. I haven't decided where I want my next one to go, but I have a couple of ideas of what it could be.
8. My ring size is was 4 1/2.
9. I like watching So You Think You Can Dance, but can't stand Dancing With the Stars.
10. I would shave my head for [a worthy] charity.

And there you have it. A few more bits about me. Feel inspired? Divulge a little more about yourself on your site and leave a comment here to let me know!

tagged upside the head

Actually, it's babyQ who has been tagged by The Creep over at Mama Grouch, but I think she'll forgive me for answering on her behalf. Here goes:

3 Things That Scare Me

• my dad coughing
• my dad sneezing
• my mom making the noise I just made back at me, too close to my ear

3 People That Make Me Laugh
I only just started laughing, so that would be:

• mom
• dad
• um... mom

3 Things I Love

• baths
• the blue fish on my bouncer chair
• going for my morning walk

3 Things I Hate

• getting put in my bouncer when I want to be on my tummy
• getting put on my back when I want to be on my tummy
• not being on my tummy

3 Things I Don't Understand

• why can't I be on my tummy 24/7?
• when I'm on my tummy, why can't I get over there?
• why does yelling not help me get over there?

3 Things On My Floor

• my play mat
• washcloths
• the dog's tennis ball

3 Things I'm Doing Right Now

• napping
• vibrating (I'm in my bouncing chair, alright?)
• probably snoring (I'm a little stuffy these days)

3 Things I Can Do

• roll onto my tummy!
• drool & giggle at the same time
• kick like a demon in the bath

3 Ways to Describe My Personality

• inquisitive (I'm working on my vocabulary)
• chatty
• when I'm tired: bipolar

3 Things I Can't Do

• Get.Over.There.
• roll from my tummy onto my back
• eat a cheeseburger

3 Things I Think You Should Listen To
mom makes me listen to "real" music

• Hawksley Workman: Treeful of Starling
• Sting: Ten Summoner's Tales
• Denzal Sincliare: denzal sinclaire

3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To

• dad coughing
• dad sneezing
• mom trying to sing along to a song that she hasn't figured out all the words to yet

3 Absolute Favorite Foods

• um...I don't eat food yet.

3 Things I'd Like to Learn

• how to Get.Over.There. Now. Damn it.
• how to grab at all the thing people keep waving in front of my face
• how to read: I'm pretty sure mom and dad are paraphrasing

3 Beverages I Drink Regularly

• hey, I'm only 3 months old! My options are sorely limited!

3 Shows I Watched as a Kid

• The Daily Show
• Beverly Hills 90210 reruns
• Good Eats

3 Others to Tag??

• Normy - have I made it before he heads off to Korea?
• Olivia - hm...does she regularly read QR?
• um. any other takers? (RainyJakob? do you do memes?)

virulent tagging

Mackeydoodle tagged me with this one...I think I did something similar on my old site, but I wanted to fill this out again without looking, just to see the differences.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
March 1996: Wrapping up my bachelor's degree, planning my move up to Yellowknife (Mr.Q was already there) and looking for a Shiba Inu puppy.

Five snacks I enjoy:
good chocolate
Pringles light
graham crackers
babybel cheese
celery and peanut butter

Five songs to which I know all the lyrics:
Ice Cream (Sarah McLachlan)
Smoke (Hawksley Workman)
Eliot (Sarah Slean)
Surrounded (Chantal Kreviazuk)
Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Duke Ellington)

Five things I'd do if I were a millionaire:
invest a little
donate a little
spend a little
travel a little
give a little away

Five bad habits:
chewing gum
waffling
ignoring my disorganisation
not keeping my thoughts off my facial expression
leaving dirty dishes on the counter

Five things I like doing:
taking photos
writing/blogging
singing/playing an instrument
getting lost
hangin' with the cat, dog and Mr.Q (and soon to be babyQ)

Five things I would never wear, buy or get new again: (never's a harsh word...)
really uncomfortable [but cute] shoes
paint edger from the as-seen-on-tv store
anything pink and frilly
a tight perm
sale underwear

Five favourite toys:
camera
Palm Pilot
pencil
electric piano
guitar

Select five people to tag:
because I've done a similar one in the past and tagged people with it, I'll deny the urge and let this one go.