The Daily Snooze II

Subject: Solidarity
Time: 10:36:24 PM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299

I'm used to being the "odd man out." In some ways, its integral to my identity. Since moving over here to AIM I have grown accustomed to the albatross around my neck. Those bloody adverts were my burden for leaching off the paying customers at AOL.

Having an advertisement on my journal was a conscious choice; a known penalty or consequence to remaining within the sphere, however tenuously, of AOL Journal land. It was a given; one I accepted reluctantly but silently as my due for being a parasite on the body blogatic.

What you don't know is I had retained our AOL membership as I have tried to work out how to retain the information in my address book in a machine readable form and as a sop to my wife who doesn't like the change. The Daily Snooze has been left up as an archive.

Now, I find it necessary to also respond in the fashion that others have. The Daily Snooze, even though inactive, is still my journal and the imposition of unsolicited advertising by the PTB's at AOL/Time Warner on my personal, paid-for space is unacceptable. I've been in big fights with AOL before, lost most, won one and frankly, I'm all tuckered out. I'll let some of you fire and brimstone youngsters carry on the fight -- I'm going to slip off quietly into that good night. I canceled my AOL account two nights ago. They've given me a free month (BFD) to allow me to remove the last vestiges of my presence here and then I am gone. Unlike many, I won't be back. If you want to continue reading me, you'll find me over at the Daily Snooze on Blogspot. I've been there for a couple of years and there I will remain for the time being.

See you in the ozone. And So It Goes...

wil

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Subject: MEME: Monday Madness -- "M" Words
Time: 1:45:04 AM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299

Otto uttered, “It's been a while since we've done this; I ask each of you to choose a letter of the alphabet and answer each of the following with a word/group of words that begins with the letter you've chosen... And as always, thanks for playing! =)”

1. Name one color.
2. Name one song.
3. Name one movie.
4. Name one vehicle.
5. Name one food.
6. Name one household item.
7. Name one book.

I chose “M”. Then I immediately regretted it. An “M” color? Finally, the brain cells shifted, the synapses fired and I had it, Mauve. The came the song, sung by the Mamas and the Papas named “Monday, Monday.” I'm on a roll here... “M” movies... hmm, I own both Michael and Monsters, Inc. Mercedes is my “M” vehicle of choice. Mushrooms are probably my most favorite “M” food. An “M” household item, how's about a magazine, or Maalox, or perhaps, money. Finally, there's the “M” book. I'm sure there are millions. Their titles escaped me for the longest time. Then, in a flash, I had it. “Murder, Inc.” Which is what I'm going to do when I get a hold of Otto...

You can play along with the Monday Madness foolishness by visiting Otto at her web site and snagging a set of questions for yourself. It's fun and that bunion you've been nursing will disappear in a flash. Leave a link to your answers in the comments there, while you're at it.

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Subject: MEME: Sunday Seven -- Episode 11
Time: 12:15:04 AM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299


Sunday Seven - Episode 11

Ever thought of changing careers?  This week's "Sunday Seven" will show you the Top 25 jobs for 2005, as defined by Fast Company. 

What makes a top job?  That would mean different things to different people, but Fast Company used several different methods to compile a list of the top 25 jobs, including job growth, salary potential, education level, and room for innovation.

Before the official question, it's time to recognize Kelly of "In My Opinion, and Yes I have an opinion on EVERYTHING," another Vivi Award nominee, as the first person to answer last week's question about Thanksgiving Dinner!  Congratulations to Kelly!

Get ready to start dreaming about alternate career choices.  Here we go:


THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Of the Top 25 Jobs for 2005, list, in order, the seven jobs you'd least like to have, with #1 being the job you think you'd absolutely hate the most.  All seven should be jobs you wouldn't want.

Either answer the question in a comment or answer it in your journal and include the link in a comment.  (To be considered "first to play," a link must be to the specific entry in which you answered the question.)

1. Chicken plucker – I lasted for just a day at the poultry factory when I was 16. My job involved taking the chickens out of their crates and breaking their necks – the next fellow hung them on hooks and removed their heads. It was gruesome...

2. Hog Farmer – today's mechanized “factory farm” operation just sucks the hairy wazoo...

3. Sardine Factory worker responsible for disposing of the “gurry”

4. Medical Health Services Manager

5. Security Sales Analyst – in fact, there isn't a sales job in the world I'd want

6. Advertising & Promotions Manager

7. Actuary

8. Agent and business manager of any sort of celebrities – they all suck.

9. Athlete

10. Personal Finance Adviser

What? You say I didn't follow the directions? So? Wanna make something out of it? I threw the first three in to see if you were paying attention.

You can play, too, if you care to. Just stop by the Meme-Meister Patrick's Lair and he'll fix you right up. Even has them fancy comment thingies so's you can leave a link to your very own answers. And did you know, Patrick has a special formula for eliminating jock itch? It's true ... just ask him.

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Subject: Meme: Unconscious Mutterings – Week 145
Time: 2:15:08 PM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299

Week 145

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Mighty:: Mouse

2. Gotta find time to ....:: sleep

3. Statistic:: lies

4. Midnight:: magic

5. Thaw:: frozen

6. Hips:: fanny

7. Reader:: Rabbit; Cantor?

8. Related:: kin

9. Brilliant:: fraud

10. Posture:: poor

    Get your own words and leave a link to your answers over at La Luna Niña's place. Even the boils on your arse will dry up and disappear if you do. ;)
    

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Subject: MEME: Saturday Six -- Episode 83
Time: 2:35:26 AM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299

Saturday Six - Episode 83

Patrick was heard to utter thusly, “Me?  Miss a "Saturday Six?"  Never!  It's been a spectacularly long week.  And add to that the fact that I've actually been working on these questions off and on all day.  I've changed a few, then changed them back, then changed them again.  I hope you like what I finally came up with!

But before the questions, it's time to recognize the first person to play last week.  That honor went to Jim, of "skelligrants," who was the first person to leave a link to the specific entry in which he answered the questions.  Congratulations, Jim.

To those who aren't sure how to add the address of the specific entry, it's easy:  once you've posted that entry in your journal, go to the bottom of that entry, click the "Link to this entry" hyperlink, then when that page loads, simply copy the address that appears in your browser window.  In addition to the normal web address, right after your journal's name, it will say "/entries/" and a number.  That whole URL is the web address to the specific entry in your journal.

And I don't think there were any first-timers last week.  If there were, they didn't say so, so let me know if I missed someone!”

Here are this week's "Saturday Six" questions.  Either answer the questions in a comment @Patrick's Place, or put the answers in an entry on your journal...but either way, leave a link to your journal there so that everyone else can visit!  If you don't have an AOL journal, you can still play, but of course you'll at least need an AOL screen name, which you can get for free with AOL Instant Messenger, to be able to leave a comment. To be counted as "first to play," you must be the first player to either answer the questions in a comment or to provide a complete link to the specific entry in your journal in which you answer the questions.  A link to your journal in general cannot count.  (Again, if you're playing for the first time, please be sure to say so in the comment!)  Enjoy!

1. You are invited to spend a night, alone, in a large house that is believed to be haunted.  A close friend of yours whom you trust tells you of his or her own experience, and you have sufficient reason to believe that there may be a genuine haunting going on there.  Without promise of any kind of reward for staying the night, would you agree to do so?

Sure.

2. What do you most enjoy about your job?

   The variety of the challenges that came my way each day.

3. Who was the last person you had a conversation with? My wife. What was the main topic of the conversation? The “other” woman; it was prompted by the Adam Sandler/Paz Vega movie “Spanglish.”

4. Take this quiz:   What kind of "smart" are you?

All-Around Smart

You are all-around smart. Essentially, that means that you are a good combination of your own knowledge and experience, along with having learned through instruction - and you are equally as good with theoretical things as you are with real-world, applied things. You have a well-rounded brain.

20% theoretical intelligence
40% learned intelligence

5. What was the last food that you totally ruined -- to the point that it was inedible -- when trying to cook?

A steak – not only was it burned to a crisp but the fat in the pan dripped onto the oven window as I attempted to remove it from the broiler, causing the oven window to explode!

We ate hot dogs and beans that night...

6. STRANGELY-OBSCURE QUESTION #1:  If you had to do over again, would you change anything?
Absolutely. Many, many things. And yes, in reply to the corollary to that question, I have many regrets.
If you have a Reader's Choice question you'd like to see asked (and answered), click the e-mail link on the About Me bar @Patrick's Place and send it to me.

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Subject: Tempest In A Pisspot
Time: 7:55:23 PM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299



Also known as a "thunder mug," a "pisspot" inhabited every sleeping chamber in the house before the advent of indoor plumbing (according to my Great Grandfather Albert, as relayed by the VERY PROPER Grandmother Grace, "It is barbaric to shit in the house!"  Nuff said on that subject). Anyway, this entry has nothing to do with plumbing and everything to do with patents and muddled thinking.

According to this UPI report, the folks down to the US Patent Office must have gotten a good deal on some really good stuff -- they've issued patent number 6,960,975 for an anti-gravity device.

Yes Virginia, in the same week that the State of Kansas decides to require the teaching of "creationism" in the secondary school science curriculum, the loons at the USPO grant a patent on a device that defies the laws of physics. You may now officially bend over and kiss your ass goodbye.



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Subject: MEME: Weekend Assignment #85
Time: 2:38:15 AM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299

Weekend Assignment #85: Magazines, Anyone?

After taxing your brains a bit with last week's assignment, I thought we'd do a pretty easy this week, with a subject that came to me as I was sorting out my recycling:

Weekend Assignment #85: What magazines do you subscribe to and why? This assumes you currently subscribe to a magazine or two, of course, but I'm reasonably confident most of us do. If you don't have any current subscriptions, however, you can list some of your most recent subscriptions or magazines you want to subscribe to.

Extra Credit: What was your first magazine subscription?

Dear John,

What a nosy fellow! Magazine subscriptions ... who'd of thought you were “curious inky”? As it happens, I currently have only two magazine subscriptions.

Sea Kayaker: I got this for xmas from the wife last year, after requesting same for three years running. It's focus is on the less frenzied form of kayaking, sea or coastal kayaking, gear reviews and my favorite, the Monday Morning Quarterbacking of fatal accidents for lessons to be learned. Ghoulish, perhaps, but there is nothing better than learning from others' mistakes with the aim to avoid repetition. Short of getting out there yourself and forgetting your dry suit in a full gale, learning by the death of a fellow paddler is probably the next most memorable method of indoctrination in the basics that spell the difference between life and death.

Sleep Review: This is a trade publication with a primary focus on growing your sleep lab practice. It's secondary focus is on methods and materials of relieving the various ills those with sleep illnesses are prone (heheh – pun intended) to experiencing. A little something my dead brother signed me up for that keeps coming and coming.

Yankee: This is actually the property of SWMBO and woe betide me if I mess around with the latest issue before she does! Death is threatened, I tell you. Death!

While I (we) have subscribed to many magazines over the years, those are the ones we're currently subscribed to. I wouldn't be surprised, if asked again a year from now, to report an entirely different magazine mix or, perhaps, none at all if the economy worsens...

Give our best to the women who own you and strive to have a happy Thanksgiving and a jolly good xmas time.

Wil

PS. This Boy's Life was my first subscription. It was a folio sized monthly with an emphasis on Boy Scouting, I think. Childhood memories are deep in the past and often subject to sloppy seconds in the recall department, so don't hold me to any of that info, if you please.

For those of you seeing this for the first time, AOL's blogfather and resident science fiction author, John M Scalzi, posts a question each week to get the creative juices flowing. Think of it as “Writers Block Antidote” and proceed accordingly. All John asks of you in return is a link in the comments at his blog, By The Way back to your answer. That's not too difficult nor time-consuming, is it? Besides, you know that carbuncle on the back of your head? It will fall off the next time you fall asleep if you do as requested...

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Subject: This Is Veteran's Day
Time: 1:08:15 AM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299
Mood:  Sad



                                                                 Veterans Day, 2005

November 2, 2005

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

Americans owe a great debt of gratitude to those who have sacrificed for our liberty and for the security of our Nation. We express deep appreciation to our veterans -- the men and women who stepped forward when America needed them, triumphed over brutal enemies, liberated continents, and answered the prayers of millions around the globe.

From the beaches of Normandy and the snows of Korea to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our courageous veterans have sacrificed so that Americans and others could live in freedom. As we mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II this year, we remember the millions of veterans who crossed oceans and defeated two of the most ruthless military forces the world has ever known. The freedom that the children and grandchildren of these veterans now enjoy is a monument to their fallen comrades and the generations of patriots who have served our country.

Through their commitment to freedom, America 's veterans have lifted millions of lives and made our country and the world more secure. They have demonstrated to us that freedom is the mightiest force on Earth. We resolve that their sacrifices will always be remembered by a grateful Nation.

With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our service men and women have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor veterans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2005, as Veterans Day and urge all Americans to observe November 6 through November 12, 2005, as National Veterans Awareness Week. I urge all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through ceremonies and prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to encourage and participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I invite civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, businesses, unions, and the media to support this national observance with commemorative expressions and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

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Time: 2:43:12 AM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299

Tuesday Two - Episode 6

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC:    NUDITY

QUESTION A:
You are invited to a party at a nudist colony through a program that seeks to introduce the concept to people who aren't already members.  You know the following things going in:  1) There'll be nothing "inappropriate" going on, 2) You won't know anyone who is there, and 3) You'll never again see any of the people who are present for the rest of your life.  Given these conditions, would you attend?

or

QUESTION B:
While housesitting for a close friend, you discover some nude photos of your friend that were left out in the open, and apparently completely by accident.  Would you look at the photos, and would you tell your friend that you found them?

For each pair, choose A or B, (indicate which question you're answering!) then either answer the question in a comment or answer it in your journal and include the link in a comment.  (To be considered "first to play," a link must be to the specific entry in which you answered the question.)

Remember: choose one or the other in each pair...not both!

After careful consideration, this week it'll be Question B, because no one in her right mind wants to see an obese troll swinging his hotdog and beans around the volley ball court...

First off, I haven't an answer ... only questions. Is it a male or a female friend's house you are taking care of? Were the photos left out as a form of invitation to fantasize about said friend? There are “accidents” and then there are “accidents,” if you follow my drift. So, being a nosy son of a bitch, I'd look at them. If they were artful enough, I might even prepare a written critique. If sufficiently salacious to ignite my libido, I might be moved to write an erotic poem or short story to accompany one or all. And finally, I return to the first question and ask another. Does it matter to me what sex my friend is?

Yes, I would probably talk with my friend about the photos, let them know what I did with them or where I put them for safe keeping (while housesitting, it is considered very bad form to invite others over to the house, but sometimes folks do drop by). And if I were single, well ... we'd have to wait and see what my friend's answer was to the second question above.

You can obtain your own copy of this week's question, leave a link in the comments to your own answer and read the answers of others in the comments over at Patrick's Place. Who knows ... if you work it just right, you might be able to get one of Patrick's dogs to lick your feet!

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Subject: MEME: Monday Madness - Blankity Blanks!
Time: 1:38:04 PM EST
Author:  hewasolddog299

 Otto says: “I apologize for not having these posted earlier; I have no internet at my home... But I hope you don't give up on me! This week we'll fill in the blanks. Thanks for playing!” =)

1. Sometimes I wish I could just _scream_.
2. If I could take a long weekend to _Cape Cod_, I'd be very happy.
3. The world would be a better place if more people would just _chill_.
4. One of my greatest qualities is _irony_.
5. The one thing about me that I need to work on is _tolerating lower life forms like lawyers, newspaper reporters, politicians and christians_.
6. Happiness is _a warm puppy_.

You, too, can be a Monday Madness fill-in-the blanks instant pundit! Just swing on by the Monday Madness web site, copy the questions, sign up for the email notification list or leave a link to your answers in the comments box over there. That awful itching will disappear if you do, too!

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