Friday 5: Taboo!

This week’s 5 is inspired by the party game called Taboo, in which players must make their teammates utter key words by giving them clues. The twist is that each key word is assigned five Taboo words, and players are forbidden from using the Taboo words in their clues. For example, one key word might be milk, and its Taboo words might be dairy, cow, drink, white, and carton. Your clue might be something like, “It’s a beverage from Bessie,” or “You add it to coffee,” or “The land of BLANK and honey.”

Your task is simply to answer these five questions without using any of the Taboo words or phrases. Challenge yourself not just to avoid using the words, but to think of fresh, new answers to these sort of cliched meme questions!

1.Who’s making a positive difference in your life?
Taboo words: friends, family, husband/wife/spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend.
My boss--if only because that paycheck allows me to buy groceries and put a roof over my head, and that's postitive, right? (And did I mention I got a raise this month?)

2.Where would you like to be right now?
Taboo words: home, bed, anywhere but here.
Europe. France, Norway, Scotland...they're all good to me. *g*

3.What’s the first thing you’d do with a $5,000 (or your local equivalent) gift?
Taboo words: save, debt, vacation, payments, invest.
Update my passport and buy a plane ticket.

4.What super-power would you really like to have?
Taboo words: invisibility, x-ray vision, flying, strength, transform.
Not being seen--oh, wait...I already possess that power. How about mind-reading?

5.What’s your favorite sound?
Taboo words: laughter, music, ocean, wind, ____’s voice.
Falling rain.

Thursday Thirteen 118: Moon Songs

I'm still stuck on the moon. Last week I listed thirteen quotes about the moon. This week I present thirteen songs with moon in the title. This was a surprisingly easy list to compile off the top of my head!


1. Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven)


2. Clair de Lune (Debussy)


3. Blue Moon (Sha-na-na) (lyrics)


4. Allegheny Moon (Patti Page) (lyrics)


5. Moon River (Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's) (lyrics)


6. Moonlight in Vermont (lyrics)


7. Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival) (lyrics)


8. Moon Over Miami (Many artists, this version by Connee Boswell)


9. Moon Shadow (Cat Stevens) (lyrics)


10. By the Light of the Silvery Moon (Doris Day) (lyrics)


11. Moon Over Bourbon Street (Sting) (lyrics)


12. Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra) (lyrics)


13. Moonlight Serenade (Glenn Miller & His Orchestra)




LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Lucy Woodhull * Stephanie Adkins * Adelle Laudan * Elise Logan
Alice Audrey * Midnight Moon Cafe * Shelley Munro * Desi
Janice Seagraves * Megan Rose * Hootin' Anni * Smittenly Written
Lauren Murphey * Cambria Dillon * Jennifer McKenzie
Ella Drake * Storyteller * Christina de Lorenzo * Paige Tyler
Inez Kelley * Colleen

You can find more Thursday Thirteen participants HERE.

Concert Finale

I can't believe tonight is the last Concert on the Square of the season. Where have the past six weeks gone?! How can summer be almost over already? It simply doesn't seem possible, yet here we are in the final week of July, only three days before August descends upon us.

Concerts on the Square is a Madison tradition now in its 26th year. Performed by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra on the grounds of the State Capitol, the concerts are free (donation supported) and held over six successive Wednesday evenings during the summer. People are allowed to set blankets out on the lawn starting at 3pm, and lawn chairs can be set up in the two streets near where the orchestra sets up. It's like a picnic with a few thousand of your closest friends and neighbors.

Although their "American Celebration" concert usually draws the biggest crowd, this year's saw a smaller than usual turnout due to iffy weather and being rescheduled to Thursday. While the weather for the season's first concert was stiffling, sweaters and sweatshirts were a must for celebrating our nation's birthday. The last few weeks have been much more temperate.

The biggest crowd was three weeks ago, for their "Blockbuster Movie" night, which included music from Superman, King Kong (2005), ET, Schindler's List, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Kids in the crowd (as well as my friend Kim) were counting down to the Star Wars finale. The Square was packed nearly all the way around, from the King St. corner (bottom right) where the orchestra sets up on the Capitol terrace, around to Wisconsin Ave (top center) in one direction, and over to West Washington (left center) in the other. Space was only to be found in the sections bordering the State St. corner (upper left). We have taken to sitting along the sidewalk on East Washington, near the Capitol.

The colored boxes on the map represent information, merchandise, and over-priced food vendors (not a brat or burger--or any real "picnic fare" to be found among them). We usually stop somewhere en route for a picnic dinner, or pick up cold sandwiches and beverages at Walgreen's on the Square. The Chocolate Shoppe ice cream booth is the only vendor we frequent. We'd be willing to give business to others, were the selections not so pretentious.

While the majority of the music performed tends toward classical, there are some suprises every year. The "Blockbuster Movie" night, for example, or the oddest themed concert this season, "Verdi Meets Elvis." Only in a summer concert could you combine the music of Verdi and Beethoven with that of Elvis and Stephen Foster! This evening's offerings are all classical and include works by Bizet, Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov.

I leave you with a couple of crowd shots taken three weeks ago. As you can see, it is wall-to-wall people of all ages and ethnicity, enjoying a summer eve and great music together.

One Pink in a Sea of Yellow

I took this one just last week--that one pink flower
rising above the yellows called to me.
Lovely, isn't it?

Daisies

Finally uploaded a few pictures. I know, I know -- I'm such a slacker about that this year. So sue me. *wink*

Friday 5: Usefulness

1. What’s something in your possession that has long outlived its usefulness?
I guess that would be the heavy grey/black plaid flannel shirt I wear as a jacket. It was my Dad's, and I took possession of it when he died in 2001. I've been wearing it to work this week, with the weather so cool for July. It's still warm, but the seams and cuffs are showing some signs of stress these days. I'll get rid of it when it either completely falls apart, or I find a comparable replacement.

2. Who in your life has proven to be a very useful person to know?
Um...myself. Seriously, people come to me when they need help or advise.

3. For group projects requiring collaborative planning and then collaborative execution, in what capacity are you most useful?
I usually do okay in either, depending what needs planning, but I usually prefer being in on the execution more than the planning. Give me a task with clear directions of what you want, and I'm pretty much good to go.

4. What’s something someone gave you that you didn’t think much of but later became surprisingly useful?
The tool kit my parents got each of us girls for Christmas, my freshman year in college. They got us each one because younger sister wanted one. At the time, I didn't think much of it as there were other things actually on my wish list I would have prefered, but boy has it proved useful over the years! It looks similar to that pictured here, except mine is blue. The utility knife isn't that great, but I have gotten a lot of use out of everything else in the kit.

5. What is the most useful book in your house?
Duh...the Dictionary. I haul it out at least once a week (and not just as a door stop).

Thursday Thirteen 117: The Moon

From nursery rhymes to poetry, songs to classic literature, the moon has long been a popular literary subject. This week we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's walk on the moon. In honor of such, here are thirteen quotes about the moon.


I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it.
~Albert Einstein

The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand.
~Frederic Lawrence Knowles

Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.
~Mark Twain

See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...we need silence to be able to touch souls.
~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta

They say true love only comes around once and you have to hold out and be strong until then. I have been waiting. I have been searching. I am a man under the moon, walking the streets of earth until dawn. There's got to be someone for me. It's not too much to ask. Just someone to be with. Someone to love. Someone to give everything to. Someone.
~ Henry Rollins

Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.
~Les Brown

There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.
~George Carlin

Don't tell me the sky is the limit, there are footprints on the moon!
~Unknown

The moon, like a flower / In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight / Sits and smiles on the night.
~William Blake

Fear can sometimes be a useful emotion. For instance, let's say you're an astronaut on the moon and you fear that your partner has been turned into Dracula. The next time he goes out for the moon pieces, wham!, you just slam the door behind him and blast off. He might call you on the radio and say he's not Dracula, but you just say, "Think again, bat man."
~Jack Handy

For most people, we often marvel at the beauty of a sunrise or the magnificence of a full moon, but it is impossible to fathom the magnitude of the universe that surrounds us.
~Richard H. Baker

Soon as the evening shades prevail, / The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the listening earth / Repeats the story of her birth.
~Joseph Addison

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
~Buddha

Bonus:
I don't know if there are men on the moon, but if there are they must be using the earth as their lunatic asylum.
~George Bernard Shaw


LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Elise Logan -1 * Elise Logan -2 * Stephanie Adkins * Alexia Reed
Alice Audrey * Cassandra/Cora Zane * Shelley Munro
Jo * Americanising Desi * Hootin' Anni * Harriet * Adelle Laudan
Hazel * Ella Drake * Paige Tyler * Janice Seagraves
Lauren Murphey * Jamie Babette * Christina De Lorenzo
Mary Quast * She Became a Butterfly * Auntie Q
You can find more Thursday Thirteen participants HERE.

SC238 -- A Note For {You}

For this week's sketch challenge at SCS. This one was a really quick and easy challenge for me, not only because of the clean layout, but also because I still have a ton of these little "inchies" stamped up and matted from weeks ago, still waiting to be used. I managed to whip up four cards in less than an hour tonight, before heading up to Concert on the Square. Hard to tell from the scan, but the wings of the punched butterfly are curled up, so that it looks like it has just perched on the card.

Stamps: Butterflies & Birds (Inkdinkado), Sweet Little Sentiments (Stampin' Up)
Paper: DCWV
Ink: Basic Black, Pink Passion (SU)
Accessories: Square Punches (Marvy), Butterfly (Martha Stewart)

What Mexican Food Are You?

You Are a Quesadilla

You are easy going and very laid back. You find a lot of happiness in life. You're content to go with the flow, and you can't stand uptight people. You are a loyal friend and family member. You truly put other people first. You enjoy feeling comforted and comforting others. You believe life is about the simple pleasures.

What Mexican Food Are You?

Hmmm...Can't say quesadillas are one of my favorite Mexican foods, but this does seem to fit. Sometimes I think of others too much, and not of myself near as often as I should, to the detriment of my health. I am definitely easy-going and have an aversion to the anal contingent of the population, though.

{Java}

Happy Birthday, Viola!

Stamps: Special Thoughts (Coffee --Inkadinkado), Birthday Whimsy (greeting--Stampin' Up)
Paper: DCWV
Ink: Basic Brown (SU)

Dear History Channel

Dear History,

Fix your damn RSS feed already! I'm tired of getting the same damn update 100 or more times in one day. This has been going on for almost three weeks now, and I have now sent two complaints on the issue, with no results. Be assured that I am not the only irate subscriber. Since 1am this morning, I have received the same three notices 28 times each That's 84 "updates" in thirteen hours! Now, for those who have the feeds sent to a service such as Google Reader, this may be nothing more than an extremely irritating inconvenience. But one cannot help wondering how many email or mobile device accounts have been frozen over the past three weeks by your inattention to this problem. PLEASE FIX YOUR DAMN BUG -- NOW!

Thank you.

Thursday Thirteen 116: Veggies I Actually Like

I admit it, I am particularly fussy when it comes to which vegetables I will eat. There are some I can't eat raw, such as tomatoes, and some I plain do not like. Here are thirteen that might actually make it onto my plate:

* Spinach
* Broccoli
* Brussels Sprouts
* Carrots
* Corn (on or off the cob)
* Green Beans
* Green Peas
* Potatoes (Is there a more versatile food??)
* Sweet potatoes
* Iceberg lettuce (not so fond of other varieties)
* Zucchini (Soup or fried...yum!)
* Pumpkin (preferably in a pie)
* Pickles (I can't eat raw cucumbers, but love midget dill pickles, especially Milwaukee's Midget Dills)



LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Stephanie Adkins * Maya Doyle * Janice Seagraves
Lori Johnson * Colleen * Christina De Lorenzo * Nicholas
Shelley Munro * Harriet * Brenda ND * Jana * Hazel
Jill Conyers * Paige Tyler * Inez Kelley * Alice Audrey
Lauren Murphey * Jamie Babette * Mary Quast
Storyteller * Adelle Laudan * Sue * AD


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.

Scaling City Center West

You never know where you might find art around the city, and this is a prime example. These rock climbers can be found scaling the City Center West building on Junction road. Personally, that dude's hand would constantly freak me out if I had that corner office.

(Click images for a larger view)

The Queen's Meme No. 1

I was invited to participate in a new Tuesday meme. Not sure if I'm up to this today, but we'll give it a try. Feel free to play along on your own blog!


The Blog Outside The Box Meme
This meme is all about using your imagination. Free your inner blogginess. Step outside the proverbial blox (that's blog + box for all you non-blog speakers). Answer these ridiculous situational questions and post them on your own blog. Here's the situation for today. We won't tell a soul. And remember: Don't end up in the dungeon.


1. You are in court. You are in deep doo-doo. What did you do? ('Cause if you want, I might could talk to the judge and get your sentence reduced to Bloggingham dungeon time.)
Hmm...good question. I'm sure it's not for offing my rude neighbors. One, no one in the building would miss them and two, I'm pretty sure I could hide the bodies without getting caught.

2. Your blog just became a best-selling book . What is the title of your book ?
Title?? It has to have a title? Okay, there are two things I suck at: titles and characterization. Seriously. I can do dialogue. I can do description. I can BS my way through almost any topic, a finely-honed skill after years of college lit classes in which I rarely read the entire book assigned. Umm...what was the question again? Did I mention I am also well-versed in the art of digression? (WordTrix: The Art of Digression)

3. It is midnight. The phone rings. It is Michael Jackson calling from the Great Beyond. What would you like to ask him?
Dude, do you have any idea what time it is? Get an afterlife!

4. You are having your future told. The fortune teller looks in the crystal ball, screams and leaves the room in fright. What did they see?
Please tell me she can't see inside my mind. It can be a dark and scary place in there.

5. You're blogging along, minding your own blusiness (that's blog + oh...you know) when Google unexpectedly puts an Objectionable Content Warning on your blog. Your own mother is afraid to enter! What, pray tell, did you do to warrant it? How did this happen? Do you think you deserve it? Just how objectionable are you? Do tell.
Uh-oh...Someone saw that nasty post about Microsoft/Hotmail I posted earlier this year regarding their constant meddling with an email system that didn't need "fixing"? I'm sure that was the most swearing I've done in...well, months, at least, and we all know they deserved it.

6. You suddenly become God Of The Universe. What would your first Commandment be?
Thou shalt have chocolate for breakfast every day. And lunch. And dinner. Don't forget dessert.

7. And finally, what secret would you like to tell the Queen? Not to worry. What happens in Bloggingham, stays in Bloggingham.
Now if I told it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?

Friday 5: Holes

1. Where can you go for a really good bagel, and how do you like yours?
Bagels Forever, University Ave. I'm partial to the cinnamon raison, lightly toasted, with cream cheese (plain or blueberry).

2. What is your favorite style of doughnut?
Bavarian cream filled bismarck.

3. What’s your favorite flavor of Lifesavers?
Wintergreen

4. What O-shaped breakfast cereals do you like?
Umm...none. I prefer Cinnamon Life.

5. How do you feel about onion rings, and where can you get some good ones?
YUCK! No onions!

Thursday Thirteen 115: Books Read

Books read since mid-April...

Read anything good lately??

LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Alexia Reed * Jenna Bayley-Burke * Janice Seagraves
Alice Audrey * Maya Doyle * Emily Ryan-Davis
Adelle Laudan * Devilish Southern Belle * Sherilee
Shelley Munro * AD * Harriet * Shopannies * Brenda ND
Jennifer McKenzie * Paige Tyler * Lauren Murphey
Mary Quast * Sue * Jamie Babette * Julia Smith

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.

Book Banning

I can't believe I had not heard about this incident in the Milwaukee area before reading Tess Gerritsen's blog, as well as her awesome post at murderati. Book banners really make me itch.

From what I've seen, all challenging/banning books does is a) make obvious how big a small-minded idiot someone is and b) increase sales of the "controversial" book. Authors look on having a book challenged as an honor, a source of pride. If you don't want to read a certain book or author, DON'T READ IT! But please do not tell me that *I* cannot read it, if I so choose. Heck, I may not even like the book, but please allow me to decide for myself. I am a (reasonably) intelligent person, capable of thinking for myself.

And you know, this is the truly wonderful thing about libraries: they have something for everyone! If you don't care for a particular genre or author, don't read them. If you prefer Christian fiction, fine. Whatever floats your boat. Or maybe your interest lies in biographies or histories. Whatever. Others may prefer the classics, romance, westerns, or urban fantasy. That is entirely their prerogative. No two people enjoy exactly the same tastes. Even within genres peoples' tastes differ. I like romantic suspense, as well as paranormal thrillers and romances. Others prefer historical romance or romantica. Some prefer a "cozy" mystery, while others like a cutting edge sleuth who refuses to play by the rules. That's their choice. Not yours.

Here is another truth book banners seem to forget: If they are allowed to dictate what others can or cannot read, that means the reverse is also true, that people can then dictate what they can or cannot read. How would these so-called "Christians" feel were someone to say they could no longer read the Bible because it depicts rape, torture, sodomy, kidnapping, murder, fratricide, necromancy, genocide -- not to mention how erotic the Song of Solomon is? I'm thinking they wouldn't be quite so quick to decide what others could read.

Please pass the calamine lotion--I think I'm beginning to itch...

Let Freedom Ring

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone is enjoying a safe and happy holiday.

Yesterday I posted two fourth of July cards made for this week's SCS sketch challenge. Today I share what most of the cards sent out looked like. First, I started with my new "Let Freedom Ring" set from Papertrey.

I started by positioning several of the stamps on my largest acrylic block. My apologies for the poor image quality, but I do not have a digital camera and clear stamps on acrylic do not scan very well. Still, I think you get the gist of it.

Next, I stamped those images repeatedly on a sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 inch white cardstock in Real Red, basically making my own designer paper, or what stampers call a "one sheet wonder," so that it looked like this:

Next came the cutting. I had intended to use that week's card sketch from SCS, SC234, but it just looked too plain and blah. So...I pulled out these eagles I already had stamped up, matted them, and positioned them in the lower right corner, popping them up for dimension. Looked much better, in my opinion. White brads in the upper left corner helped balaance out the finished cards.

Stamps: Eagle (Wildlife Reserve--Stampin' Up), OSW image (Let Freedom Ring--Papertrey)
Paper: Cherry Splash (Bazzill), Kraft and Navy (Wausau Papers), White (Xerox cardstock), designer paper (DCWV)
Ink: Navy Blue, Real Red
Accessories: Oval Punches (Marvy), Brads (Hot Off the Press)

Stars and Stripes Forever

The sketch challenge at SCS this week, SC235, was to use nine small panels with the same shape and size and nothing larger than the panels on top of those nine. The panels could be any shape, though most chose to use circles or squares, and there were a lot of stars and butterflies used this week. Here are the two I came up with. For the first, I had these stars punched to use on another card made last week, but then didn't like how they looked, so they were just sitting on my craft table. As soon as I sat down with this sketch, I knew I was going to use those stars, and managed to whip this card up in about fifteen minutes. That's probably the fastest I've ever had a card come together!

Stamps: None
Paper: Wausau Papers; Designer scrap (source unknown)
Ink: None
Accessories: Star punch (EK Success), 1-1/4" circle punch (EK Success), Brads (Making Memories)


While searching for red brads to use on the above card, I came across a sheet of patriotic hypoxy stickers. I had used one or two off the sheet a year ago, and no more. As soon as I looked at them, I knew there was another card in the making for this sketch. This one took all of about ten minutes.

Stamps: None
Paper: Wausau Papers (navy blue)
Ink: None
Accessories: Patriotic Hypoxy Stickers (Source unknown)

For more cool designs using this sketch, check out the SC235 gallery.

Thursday Thirteen 114: Patriotic Sing-A-Long

In honor of the upcoming Independence Day, here are thirteen patriotic songs of the United States of America. Feel free to sing along with me!

(Note: I had this done up before Janice posted her list last week. You'll note there are many differences between the two!)

Yankee Doodle Dandy

America the Beautiful

You're a Grand Ole Flag

God Bless America

God Bless the USA (The one song that can absolutely make me tear up)

The Star-Spangled Banner

Stars and Stripes Forever (What's the 4th of July without a little Sousa??)
(Click here for lyrics)

When Johnny Comes Marching Home

This Land is Your Land

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Armed Forces Salute

This is My Country (Lyrics by Don Raye; Made popular during WWII)

Lincoln Portrait (Aaron Copland, nar. by Ken Anderson)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens:

Stephanie Adkins * Adelle Laudan * Alice Audrey
Alexia Reed * Maya Doyle * Mary Quast
Shelley Munro * AD * Harriet * Jill Conyers * Colleen
Inez Kelley * Pamela Kramer * Jamie Babette
Jennifer McKenzie * Paige Tyler * Janice Seagraves
Elise Logan * Julia Smith * Carleen * Storyteller
Devilish Southern Belle

(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Canada Day

Wishing all my friends north of the border a safe and happy holiday!