Religion, who am I...

I saw this test on religion over at this witty, bright and interesting bloggers blog. I thought I would give it a go and the following are my results. What is I suppose is the most interesting is that the religion I was brought up on ends up being the one that is next to last as to the one I am most closely connected and or have the same beliefs. My how time changes things once you start living your life and compare all of those early teachings to real life and not a fantasy world. As for my number one result, which is another name for me being agnostic and or atheist, I would have to agree with the results. Anyway, enjoy inspecting the rest of my results and you too can take the test if your are interested by going here. Enjoy...

1.	Secular Humanism (100%)
2.	Unitarian Universalism (97%)
3.	Liberal Quakers (82%)
4.	Nontheist (82%)
5.	Theravada Buddhism (78%)
6.	Neo-Pagan (70%)
7.	Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (64%)
8.	New Age (57%)
9.	Taoism (54%)
10.	Mahayana Buddhism (50%)
11.	Reform Judaism (46%)
12.	Baha'i Faith (39%)
13.	Orthodox Quaker (39%)
14.	Jainism (37%)
15.	Orthodox Judaism (29%)
16.	New Thought (27%)
17.	Scientology (24%)
18.	Islam (22%)
19.	Seventh Day Adventist (21%)
20.	Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (20%)
21.	Sikhism (16%)
22.	Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (14%)
23.	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (14%)
24.	Hinduism (14%)
25.	Eastern Orthodox (11%)
26.	Roman Catholic (11%)
27.	Jehovah's Witness (7%)

5 things about me and so on...

This is a long post but it's not so sad and depressing as the last one. Well that is if you don't mind looking at list about me and my life. Anyway, I got this from another blogger so very long ago and i can't remember who so I'll just give a general thank you to everyone and hopefully one of you will be the one I got this from. Enjoy...

5 jobs I have had:

Bus Boy

Mail Room Clerk

Job Recruiter

Retail Manager

Sexual Health Educator

5 movies I can watch over and over:

Auntie Mame

The Long, Long, Trailer

Happy Texas

Sordid Lives

All About Eve

5 places I have lived:

Grand Rapids, Michigan

New Orleans, Louisiana

Dallas, Texas

Sydney, Australia

Hobart,Tasmania

5 TV shows I love:

Will & Grace

The Golden Girls

Hell's Kitchen

That 70's Show

Judge Judy

5 places I have been on vacation:

Sydney, Australia

Cradle Mountain, Tasmania (Australia)

St. Petersburg, Florida

San Francisco, California

Los Angeles, California

5 types of my favorite foods:

Mexican

Thai

Indian

Italian

Cajun/Creole

5 places I would rather be now:

Touring Europe

Cruising the Greek Islands

Canada

Las Vegas

Japan

5 stores I could not live without:

Old Navy (if I still lived in the states)

Angus & Robertson Bookstore

David Jones Food Hall

Rodd & Gunn

Dick Smith Electronics

5 things I would do if I won the lottery:

Go on a vacation around the world

Put some of it into savings and term deposits (CD'S)

Pay off all my debts

Help my family where I can

Make donations to my favourite charities

5 things I say daily:

I'm alive

I love you, to my hubby

Things have to get better

Where's the cat?

What do you want for dinner?, to hubby

5 things that make my day:

Waking up next to my hubby

A day without pain

Watching the sunrise

Seeing new things starting to grow in my garden

When hubby not only makes dinner but also does the dishes afterwards.

5 things that annoy me:

When my internet connection dropout

Incompetent and rude salespeople

Incompetent people in general

Government inconsistencies

The cat constantly wanting to go in and out. (I would put in a cat door but have o place to put one)

5 things I cannot live without:

My hubby

My family and friends

My books

My iPod

My computer

5 cars I have owned:

Ford Pinto (My first car)

Datsun 1600 Roadster

Ford Fiero

Mazda Miata

Volkswagen Golf

5 of the best concerts I have attended:

Paul McCartney and Wings

Joni Mitchell

Eric Clapton

Led Zeppelin

Elton John (with just him and a piano)

5 favorite restaurants around town I would be seen in:

Marque IV (Modern Australian)

Maldini Cafe (Italian)

Mezethe's Greek Taverna (Greek)

Anapurna (Indian)

Mai Ake (Thai)

5 things I did today:

Checked my emails

Went out for breakfast

Went to the grocery store

Watched some television

Worked on this blog post

5 things in my refrigerator that I cannot live without:

Bottled water (only because I can not drink tap water)

Real milk (it's non-homogenized so the cream floats to the top. Basically straight from the cow)

Salad greens

My home made garlic butter

fresh fruit (currently apples(

5 things in my pantry that I cannot live without:

Cereal

Olive oil

My spices

All of my teas

Chai mix

The shape of things...

I was bored so I took this little blog filler test. Apparently due to the choice of shapes that I prefer the test results say:

You Are Skilled

You are balanced and competent. You value harmony. Other people see you as outgoing, hyper, and even a bit overwhelming. Your ideal romantic relationship is unconventional, wild, and very public. You do best in tasks that require you to be logical, hard-working, and courageous.

The Shape Test

Funny thing is I usually take these little test things with a grain of salt and I will do the same with this one. however, every once in a while it is interesting when the results do say things about you and you agree with them. For the most part I have to agree with these test results. I'm not going to tell you which parts I agree or disagree with. I like to keep you guessing. Until next time take care and Enjoy...

An iPod/YouTube Meme

I saw this meme over here a few days ago and I wanted to try it my self. It was a bit of fun and I enjoyed making the matches with YouTube. I'm also always surprised what my iPod will come up with when it is on shuffle mode, which is all the time. So here goes. My understanding was to turn your iPod/Mp3 player on, then turn it on to shuffle, hit the play button and then make note of the next ten songs that come up. After that find the appropriate YouTube video and list them here. Here's my list. Also like all the other memes I try I never tag anyone to try them I figure if you like it and want to try it you will.

1) Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Paul McCartney and Wings I've always really liked this song.
2) What's Going On - Cyndi Lauper I love her
3) Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics What's not to love?
4) Tinderbox - Elton John I loved hearing and seeing him play this live here a year ago when he came here with just his piano. What a great show.
5) Angel Eyes - Jim Brickman This, along with all of his piano work, mellows me out.
6) Time After Time - Rod Stewart Who knew old rod was going to go so mellow and not be half bad at it?
7) In Private - Dusty Springfield Thank you goes to the Pet Shop Boys for giving us this bit of last minute fun with Dusty
8) Upside Down - Diana Ross A bit of Miss Ross riding the disco train.
9) Dark Star - Crosby, Stills and Nash I could not find a video for this one but this still works. Nice song from their later work1
0) What a Wonderful World - Tony Bennett and k.d. lang I could not find a video of them actually singing but I still love the song and the album it comes from

Flickr meme...

I'm being extremely lazy making this the laziest post ever but here goes.

I stole this from here:

1. Go to your Flickr account (Don't have one? I'm not sure what to do.)
   
2. Go to the sixth page
   
3. Select the sixth picture
   
4. Post it
   

Now wasn't that fun? Well, it was for me because it was easy and as I said I'm being really lazy. Oh and just as a matter of information the picture was taken down at Port Arthur an infamous penal colony from the days of yore here in Tasmania

Am I man enough or how to be a man in 25 easy steps...

One of my blogger friends, Ur -spo, came up with a list of what he believes to be the 25 things that a gentleman should be able to do, accomplish and/or perform. I thought I would see just how much of a man/gentleman that I am. It's a simple list and all you do is bold the items that you can do, accomplish and/or perform. So here are my results:

1. Change a flat tire
2. Tie a bow tie - I don't own one and when I did it was a clip on. (I was five and it was part of my new Easter outfit)
3. Carve a turkey - Let me at that bird. I love carving me some turkey.
   
4. Open a bottle of champagne
5. Change the oil in a car - No that's why God created auto mechanics (As you continue to read my list you will see that this will not be the only thing that I'm grateful to God for creating. Read on and see for your self)
   
6. If asked, you know the name of a good barber - Hubby and I cut each others hair. (There's only so much you can do with a pair of clippers)
7. Have a tailor who knows your measurements - I don't buy that many suits and as for the rest of the clothes they're strictly off the rack. I know that shocks some of you and I apologies but it's just the kind of man I am.
   
8. Tie a bowline, clove hitch, and a square knot - Yes and no, I used to know how when I was a Boy Scout but that was a long, long, long time ago. (Don't pretend you don't know how old I am)
   
9. Chop wood - This is a yes and no. Yes I can but no I don't have to because that's why God built gas fireplaces
   
10. Shoot a rifle - Another yes and no I know how but choose not too as I don't like guns of any kind.
    
11. Make a dry martini - Yes and this knowledge was not good for my health during a certain low period in my life.
12. Keep a checkbook balanced - Once again yes and no, yes I can but no by virtue that I don't have a checking account. (Once again thanking God for creating credit cards)
13. BBQ - Isn't this one a genetics thing? You know all those X and Y chromosomes. If not I'm almost sure that it was chapter 11 or 12 in my "How to Become a Man Handbook" given to me around the 5-6 year old range or as soon as I could read. If I remember correctly there was a picture book version for preschoolers "Baby's First BBQ Handbook"
    
14. Lay a fire - No you say but I thought you were a boy scout. I was but I never said I was good at it.
    
15. Change a fuse
    
16. Polish shoes
17. The ability to read stock quotes in the business section - It should be noted that although I do know this I've never had enough money to invest so while I do know how to do this I'm not sure what ever possessed to me to learn how to do it in the first place Maybe I was bored. Also, I'm just thinking out-loud here, aren't the quotes always in the business section? I mean do they ever put them sometimes next to say the comics? Hmm, maybe that's not such a bad idea. I mean considering recent events. I'm just sayin'...
    
18. Keep score at a baseball game
    
19. Jump-start a car
20. Know how to throw a punch - Only if I have to but I'm not generally a violent person
    
21. Own a tuxedo
    
22. Know how to judge a new wine - I've never been asked to judge a wine but I know a good one when I taste one.
    
23. Do your own taxes at least once in your life - Yes and never again (Thanking God once again this time for creating H & R Block)
    
24. Know how to play poker
25. Carry a handkerchief - Another yes and no, yes I have once and after the experience of carrying a wet, snot laden rage around in my pocket all day pretty well helped me make up my mind that it was not something I would ever be doing again. To be honest I can not for the life of me understand why anyone would carry a handkerchief. I know that it's more environmentally friendly because a tree has to die to make my tissues but I'll take shorter showers to compensate. (Thanking God once more for Kleenex)

I've just read my answers and it sure is good that God is around. I mean look at all the things we wouldn't have without him/her and that's just based on the items I mentioned in the list. I know there's like tons of other stuff he/she has created that we would be lost without. Think about it, microwaves, dishwashers, television. The list could go on and on but I'll leave it there.

Anyway, I got 15 out of a possible 25 which isn't to bad. So I guess I'm a pretty good man when it comes down to it. I definitely know I'm a gentlemen. I mean after all, I did grow up in New Orleans. You learn all about being a gentlemen in the "How to Become a Man Handbook" I mentioned earlier It was in chapters one through five, or was it seven, hang on maybe it was a separate book altogether. Now I'm confused but I know I read it in a book somewhere. All I know for sure is that "Yes Ma'am or No Ma'am" and "Yes Sir or No Sir" are as good as scripture growing up in the south and there can be serious consequences for not using those words. Maybe it's from the "Mind Your Manners Handbook" Southern Edition.

It's all about the food...

Well here it is, five days later and I finally have that meme I've promised. This is the food meme that has made the rounds. I would give credit were credit due if I could remember where I found it but I can't but if I could I believe the credit would belong to this lovely man. So without further adieu have a gander at what I have and have not eaten in my lifetime as well as some things I never plan to put in my mouth. You'd be surprised how many things that weren't on this list that have made it into my mouth, or maybe you wouldn't, and get your minds out of the gutter. Anyway, bon apetit...

1) Bold all the items you have eaten.
2) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (Since I've never been able to strike through things or figured out how I will have to go with mark to things in italics.)

I have to admit that I had to look a few of these things up to find out what they were. There are a few of the dishes I would love to try and definitely will if I ever get the chance.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari - Yes, and then found out I was allergic ending up in hospital for a week
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart – No, and why would you?
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle – Not by themselves but used in making a sauce if that counts.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - Blueberry
19. Steamed pork buns – yes after friends took us out for Yum Cha (aka Dim Sum to some). I have to say never again to Yum Cha but not the pork buns they were great.
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes – Yes, even though I’m not big on tomatoes. We were at a friends house for dinner and I was brought up to not be rude so I ate then and they weren’t half bad.
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras - Yes. and never again
24. Rice and beans – Red beans and rice to be specific and once a week every week growing up in New Orleans. It’s a staple on school lunch menus and it was a staple in our home once a week every week. So I guess that means I actually had it twice a week.
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters – Once and never again
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea – I’ve had clotted cream with Devonshire tea which included warm scones and strawberry preserves
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O – Yes, one to many in my life time, but none lately.
39. Gumbo – Of course, remember I grew up in New Orleans
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal - I like Indian food but this is WAY to hot for me.
44. Goat’s milk – I’ve not actually had a glass of milk but I’ve had plenty of cheese made with it
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala – yes possibly once a week as we get Indian takeaway
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal – A long, long, long time ago
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini – Yes but not my cup of tea or should that be cup of alcohol
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores – Yes, But not for a long time now.
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin – Why would you? When I looked this up all I could find out is that it was some sort of clay.
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake – Beignets from Café DuMonde
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette – Andoulle sausage is a staple in New Orleans and it sure is good in some gumbo.
71. Gazpacho - Yes, but not again. I never understood cold soup
72. Caviar and blini - Yes, but I think highly over-rated.
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie – Yes, but it was so long ago I’m not even sure what flavour it was. I suppose it would have been apple.
78. Snail – Yes, to rubbery for my taste.
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini – Again, one too many in my lifetime
81. Tom yum – A lovely Thai dish that we don’t have nearly enough
82. Eggs Benedict - Yes, my favourite breakfast to order when we are at a restaurant.
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef – Yes and it was delicious.
86. Hare – Not my favourite but will try over again from time to time depending on the restaurants presentation
87. Goulash
88. Flowers – Yes, in a few things but mainly in salads
89. Horse - Yes, apparently we were eating it when I was a child and my mother was getting meat from the downstairs neighbour whose husband was a butcher. The neighbour showed my mum how to cook this meat by sauteing it for a long time in lots of butter. My mother asked the lady what made the meat so tender and that’s when the lady told here it was horse meat. We stopped getting our meat from the neighbor shortly after that revelation.
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam - Unfortunately
92. Soft shell crab – Yes, and it’s very nice.
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish – We used to eat a lot of this growing up but I haven’t had any since.
95. Mole poblano – Love me some chicken mole enchiladas!
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor – One of my favourite dishes but then again I love lobster period
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee – No and never will since I don’t drink coffee
100. Snake

52 things out of a 100 is not bad and of those things not tried there were many that I would so that number of tried things could eventually get bigger. You never know, you just never know.

Movies, movies and more movies...

I too have unabashedly stolen this interesting little meme (Ok it’s not exactly little but is interesting) from Voenix Rising who stole it from here. Using the Entertainment Weekly list of the top 100 movies from the last 25 years:

• Bold the movie if you’ve seen it
• Put asterisks next to the movies you’ve seen and really liked.
• Put a line through the movies you saw and hated. (I couldn't figure out how to put lines through them even after i copied this from Word so I coloured them red)
  

I’ve seen 57 of the Top 100 films. I hated 16 of the 57 that I saw for reasons from to boring, to gory or IMHO just plain stupid. I won’t tell you which is which; I’ll let you guess. I’ve also taken this process one step further and I’ve put movies in italics that I started to watch and finally just gave up on and stopped watching because I just could not be bothered to finish. Once again I did so for a variety of reasons but the main reason was I just could not get interested even though I’d heard how great the movie was supposed to be so said the critics. I usually find I’m a better critic when it comes to the movies I choose to see. If a critic says some movie is a “fantastic, must see, Oscar potential” movie I am a bit leery if not down right positive I won’t like the movie, but if they say the hated the movie then I’m pretty sure I will love the movie and I usually do. Anyway, this was my take on this meme. If you want to try it feel free. Enjoy…

1. Pulp Fiction 1994
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy 2001-03 **
3. Titanic 1997
   
4. Blue Velvet 1986
5. Toy Story 1995
6. Saving Private Ryan 1998
7. Hannah and Her Sisters 1986
8. The Silence of the Lambs 1991 **
9. Die Hard 1988
10. Moulin Rouge 2001
11. This Is Spinal Tap 1984
12. The Matrix 1999 **
13. GoodFellas 1990
14. Crumb 1995
15. Edward Scissorhands 1990 **
16. Boogie Nights 1997
17. Jerry Maguire 1996
18. Do the Right Thing 1989
19. Casino Royale 2006 **
20. The Lion King 1994
21. Schindler’s List 1993
22. Rushmore 1998
23. Memento 2001
24. A Room With a View 1986
25. Shrek 2001
26. Hoop Dreams 1994
27. Aliens 1986 **
28. Wings of Desire 1988
29. The Bourne Supremacy 2004 **
30. When Harry Met Sally… 1989
31. Brokeback Mountain 2005 **
32. Fight Club 1999
33. The Breakfast Club 1985 **
34. Fargo 1996
35. The Incredibles 2004
36. Spiderman 2 2004
37. Pretty Woman 1990
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004
39. The Sixth Sense 1999 **
40. Speed 1994
41. Dazed and Confused 1993
42. Clueless 1995
43. Gladiator 2000
44. The Player 1992
45. Rain Man 1988
46. Children of Men 2006
47. Men in Black 1997
48. Scarface 1983
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000
50. The Piano 1993
51. There Will Be Blood 2007
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad 1988 **
53. The Truman Show 1998
54. Fatal Attraction 1987
55. Risky Business 1983
56. The Lives of Others 2006
57. There’s Something About Mary 1998
58. Ghostbusters 1984 **
59. L.A. Confidential 1997
60. Scream 1996 **
61. Beverly Hills Cop 1984 **
62. sex, lies and videotape 1989
63. Big 1988
64. No Country For Old Men 2007
65. Dirty Dancing 1987
66. Natural Born Killers 1994
67. Donnie Brasco 1997
68. Witness 1985
69. All About My Mother 1999
70. Broadcast News 1987
71. Unforgiven 1992
72. Thelma & Louise 1991
73. Office Space 1999
74. Drugstore Cowboy 1989
75. Out of Africa 1985 **
76. The Departed 2006
77. Sid and Nancy 1986
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991
79. Waiting for Guffman 1996
80. Michael Clayton 2007
81. Moonstruck 1987 **
82. Lost in Translation 2003
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn 1987
84. Sideways 2004
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin 2005
86. Y Tu Mamá También 2002
87. Swingers 1996
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1997
89. Breaking the Waves 1996
90. Napoleon Dynamite 2004
91. Back to the Future 1985 **
92. Menace II Society 1993
93. Ed Wood 1994
94. Full Metal Jacket 1987
95. In the Mood for Love 2001
96. Far From Heaven 2002 **
97. Glory 1989
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999 **
99. The Blair Witch Project 1999
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut 1999