My Habits and Indulgences

Fallmode has requested that her readers follow in her footsteps and list their habits/addictions (this topic that was originally begun by Clarity25, at least in "this neck of the DiaryLand woods"). I found Fallmode's list to be quite entertaining.

Before continuing, I must confess that I have a big dislike for habits and addictions, especially those that are unhealthy and/or stereotypical in nature. To those of you who have unhealthy and/or stereotypical habits/addictions... No offense.

No, I'm not trying to be a squeaky-clean saint. No way. Not me. It's just that I grew up watching adults (seemingly every other one) selfishly indulging in bad habits as if there would be no tomorrow without them, and it was a major turn off. I just didn't want to be like them when I grew up.

Not all of the items in my list can actually be called habits, and none are blatantly unhealthy. Some are just regular routines or are favorite indulgences that I cannot avoid when they are placed in front of me. If they aren't in front of me, then I don't think of them (most of the time). Several of them may seem somewhat silly. I have decided to ignore the part of me that doesn't like looking silly... and publish them anyway.

As you are reading these and possibly thinking, "Nerd!" please keep in mind that I scored a 19 on the nerd test, meaning that I have very little nerd in me. :-)

Habits that came and went:

1. Eating ice - This was definitely a habit (but certainly not unhealthy or stereotypical). I first started eating ice in the very hot summer at the end of my 4th-grade year. I didn't just eat it out of a glass. I would actually get an ice tray out of the freezer every hour or two and eat a few of the ice chips. The colder the ice, the better. I loved it when it cracked in my mouth. This was an irregular habit, though. I would go a year or two without eating ice, then I would begin again for a few months or a year, then stop again for a year or two. I am no longer "addicted" to ice and have not been for quite some time.

2. When I was in grade school and early junior high, I started going to sleep with the sound of a fan running. This habit began during the same hot summer that I began eating ice. Besides the cooling effect of the blowing air, I was lulled to sleep by the white noise. It also drowned out the sound of the TV and of my parents talking in the living room. I outgrew it by the time I reached high school.

3. In about the seventh grade, I started listening to the radio all night long. I would keep at a barely audible level (above the sound of the fan, though), so that I felt as if I was imagining the music rather than really hearing it. If I had set the volume any louder than that, it would have kept me awake instead of lulling me to sleep. That being said, there were many times when a favorite song of mine would come on in the middle of the night. The familiar sound would wake me up, and I would lie there in total comfort and peace, listening until it ended. Amazingly, I was always able to fall asleep again fairly quickly afterward.

Continuing habits and indulgences:

4. Working on my Macintosh computer (writing, scanning photos, surfing the internet, etc.). - Using a Macintosh is like driving a Mercedes instead of a Windows cement mixer. They are simply so much fun to use that most Mac users find themselves making up reasons to "drive" somewhere just for the sheer pleasure of it.

5. Peanut butter cookies. - The only earthly cookie endorsed by the gods.

6. Eating breakfast - I cannot even conceive of starting my day without eating a bowl of cereal (or, every once in a while, a heavily sugared bowl of oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon). As for my favorite cereal, absolutely nothing beats Golden Grahams. I cannot get enough of them when they are in the house. Regrettably, they're too expensive to eat on a regular basis.

7. Showering in the morning - "A habit or an indulgence?" you ask. Yes! Definitely both a habit and an indulgence. That hot water performs amazing magic on my sleep-dulled senses. It dramatically increases my energy level. I can almost feel it washing away the negative "vibes" that have built up over the previous 24 hours. Oh yeah... My friends probably appreciate the "unintended" side effect of my lack of body odor, too.

8. Reading in bed every night before going to sleep - Since I was a very young boy (when comic books were my favorite reading material), I have read in bed before going to sleep. In fact, the only way I could fall asleep was to keep reading until the book dropped out of my hands. Now, for the first time in my life, this habit has suffered a major setback. For the past several months, I have been almost completely unable to read in bed (or anywhere else either). Instead, I lie there and stare at the several hundred books on my bookshelves (they line the walls of my bedroom) and try to figure out which one looks even slightly intriguing. Thus far, none of them have. Because of this, I end up just lying there, staring at them (and the ceiling and the walls) until I cannot hold my eyes open anymore (this quasi-meditative state is almost comforting in its own way). On the rare occasions that I have tried to read, I usually had to give up after only a few pages, and I wouldn't bother with that book anymore. I sincerely hope this is just a passing phase.

9. Cursing the majority of other drivers - This is completely justifiable behavior in this region because most drivers here are long past the age of retirement, and they all drive with an attitude that clearly says, "I am your elder. I have earned the right to be self-centered, selfish and oblivious, and you have to respect me for it -- as you tag along behind me at 25 mph in a 45-mph zone." When these elderly drivers pull out in front of you, they are completely unconcerned with the fact that they are going to be holding up a long line of traffic (and around here it is their evil goal ALWAYS to pull out in front of you, even if you are the only other driver for a mile in either direction).

10. Muting Bush - Very strictly kept GOOD habit - For several years now, I have muted the TV news whenever there is even a hint that President Bush is going to speak -- even if it is only for a few seconds. His twangy voice, his obvious lies (including sins of omission), his smugness, his juvenile obnoxiousness, his incoherent speaking style and his self-righteousness drive me insane (notwithstanding his secretly taped admission that he used drugs in his youth). Believe it or not, I just now muted him while writing this paragraph because CNN is running a clip of him speaking in Brussels, Belgium. He will soon be within earshot of Clarity and Eric in Germany, relatively speaking.

11. Sometimes I talk too much when in the presence of others, especially if I am in a hurry or nervous.

12. Not being serious when visiting with others. This only happens in person, not when I am writing to them.

13. Sneaking out of a bar or house party whenever I am with a group of friends. My friends frequently try to talk me out of going home if I announce my intentions to them; so I have learned to keep my intentions a secret. I eventually just sneak out the back door after going to the restroom. It is also possible that I occasionally sneak out in order to avoid the possibility that they won't care if I am leaving. :-)

That's it. It was a struggle to come up with that many. I guess people's habits are more noticeable to those who live and work with them every day. However, I'm sure very few of us would allow someone else to list our habits for the whole world to read. N'est pas?

Those Runamok Dreams

On Valentine's night, I had a very strange "erotic" dream that started out promisingly enough, but then fell completely apart, as usual. Why do my dreams always have to fall apart? Theoretically, it is my own imagination that is fueling my dreams, so why do I do that to myself? I have always had a vivid waking imagination that has never taken ridiculous or unpleasant detours. Why is it, then, always doing so when I am asleep?

Or is it possible that my subconscious, sleeping self is really separate from my conscious, waking self? And, even worse, my subconscious, sleeping self despises my conscious, waking self (for any number of valid reasons)? Is my subconscious self, therefore, determined to stick it to my conscious self by teasing it with the promise of good dreams every night and then ruining them just when they are starting to get good? The evidence overwhelmingly supports that theory.

As I was saying, I had a very strange "erotic" dream on Valentine's night. It was also, literally, the most "clinical" erotic dream I had ever had. For some unknown reason, I found myself in an actual sex seminar, something like one might see on a low-budget HBO or Showtime "documentary." I'm sure there were other men there, but I only remember about five or six women and myself (which was fine by me). As the dream began, the female instructor was pointing to and describing the more exciting and popular parts of the female anatomy, using several different seminar attendees as her subjects. These female attendees also happily allowed a hands-on inspection by those of us who were not willing to take the instructor's word for it. ;-)

For the short period of time that this part of the dream lasted, it seemed to hold great promise; nonetheless, it was a bit too clinical for me. Unlike the stereotypical men of the world, I'm a big fan of intimacy. While sex without intimacy is all kinds of fun while it is happening, the aftermath is surprisingly depressing. Don't get me wrong, though. I would gladly have suffered the depression by registering for several more such seminars if my dream had lasted longer -- and had not gone in the wrong direction. It's just that I would prefer to have a dream encounter with a woman I love, even if I am not exactly sure who she was once I wake up.

Brief, Seemingly Irrelevant Departure from the Dream Story

This past Friday evening I watched "Dateline NBC" (normally, I cannot stand watching that sort of program). The story revolved around five or six people who were determined to lose weight before they went to their high-school reunion. When they finally attended the reunion, many months later and many pounds lighter, they all sat at a table together and were admired by all of their old classmates. I'm definitely not overweight, but I enjoyed the show, nonetheless.

Back to the Dream Story

While I was "inspecting" yet another naked female seminar attendee :-), a third naked woman began styling my hair. I remember the instructor explaining in the background that this was part of what we were supposed to experience. I certainly wasn't fond of the idea, and, if I had not been distracted by all those wonderful naked women, I would have had the presence of mind to make her stop. [Question: What the hell kind of a meaningless twist is this to have in a sex dream, anyway?]

Just as my naked "beautician" was half finished with my hair (so that I resembled a cross between Cosmo Kramer and Brittany Spears), and just as I was beginning to analyze more thoroughly the intricacies of the female specimen in front of me, the dream switched locations. Suddenly, all of us sex-seminar attendees were sitting together at MY high-school reunion! We were on display for everyone to see (although, thankfully -- and oddly enough, considering it was a dream -- we had our clothes on)! But I still had that ridiculous, half-finished hair style!

Why?!!

It was bad enough that all those wonderfully naked women were now clothed and back to normal, but this new situation only added insult to injury.

At first, I walked around the back of the room, embarrassed beyond words that my old classmates would be thinking all sorts of untrue things about me, so I avoided eye contact with them. I kept wanting to run out of the building and head for the hills, but I couldn't make myself do it (typical dream behavior, eh?). The other seminar attendees seemed not to be bothered by these new circumstances at all. Of course, this wasn't their reunion, so what did they care?

I felt completely trapped in this dream, which is unusual for me, because I am usually conscious enough to realize when I am dreaming. This awareness frequently allows me to wake myself up from bad dreams that are clearly unrealistic. This dream wasn't unrealistic enough, though (in other words, no monsters or other scary beings to make me skeptical of the reality of the situation), so it took a short while longer for me to break free and wake up. When I did, I was incredibly relieved that the reunion had not been real.

A Slightly Tangential Conclusion

While writing this entry, I had a wild idea for the future: When is Apple going to invent the "iDreamPod"? In using such a device, we would be able to select a different series of dreams every night from a large dream library, clamp the "electrode buds" onto our temples and drift off... We could even create customized "dreamlists." Apple would be so confident of their device's abilities that they would offer a 100% money-back guarantee to any dreamer whose dream is hijacked by his own obnoxious subconscious, or who wakes up before his or her dream session is finished (with exceptions for real-world interruptions, such as spouses elbowing you in the eye, phone calls, natural disasters, alarm clocks, etc.). In fact, people could even get on the internet and share homemade personal dream files with one another (but NOT anonymously!). Naturally, the new professional dream-making industry would also get in on the act by selling a wide variety of professionally produced dreams via Apple's online iDreams Store. A weekly "Top-40 Dreams" list would be prominently advertised. In the tradition of yoga and meditation, certain "new age" dreamlists could even be used to instill a sense of peace, well being and/or purpose in people who need that sort of nightly boost.

Wouldn't that be fun?

Furthermore, with Apple in charge, there would also be no fear (at least among Macintosh users) that malicious hackers would ever succeed in hijacking our dreams with something like "Bride of Chucky" or "Freddy Kruger" dream viruses.

Remember, you heard it here first, folks. Those of you who know my real identity will vouch for me if some thief tries to steal my idea. Right? :-)

Sincerely, MJW (YouNameIt)

I've Been Tagged!

Would you believe me if I said that Clarity tagged me? Well, she did! She must have 267 people in her favorites, yet she tagged the likes of me! I'm hon... Oh, no! Wait! This is bad. Now I have to reveal my excessively eclectic musical tastes to the world. I guess that means I've been honored and "exposed" at the same time. Soon, you'll all know why I tried to keep my tastes a secret. Thanks a lot, Clarity. :-)

Believe it or not, I've been debating on whether or not to do another music survey for the past week, but I couldn't make up my mind. Now, since being tagged, I have decided to include both surveys in the same entry, so you can get a more complete picture of my musical tastes (which still amounts to only 10 percent of my overall tastes).

Clarity's forwarded survey comes first. I encourage her and everyone else to do the second one, if you are of a mind to do so. Based on a Google search, the second survey appears to have been making the rounds of DiaryLand and other journal sites. I simply cannot remember who I got it from, though (I found it while eavesdropping on strange DiaryLanders that I don't know).

---------------------

Survey Number One

1. What is the total amount of music files on your computer?

My iTunes counter says "575," but I have a few more songs that are not listed in iTunes; therefore, I don't know the exact number (less than 600, though).

2. The last CD you bought is?

I believe it was Leo Kottke's Dreams and All That Stuff (1974).

3. What is the last song you listened to?

An oldies instrumental that I can only categorize as a combination of rock, folk, jazz, bluegrass, New Orleans funeral blues and lighthearted pop. It's title is Washington Square by The Village Stompers (a No. 2 hit in November 1963). I had heard this song a few times over the years on oldies stations, and I absolutely loved it (I'm a nut for certain types of instrumental music). I just found a copy of it the other day, so the "newness" has not yet worn off (and it never will). It's one of those "dance-around-the-house-when-no-one-is-looking" songs, or at least it is for me. I do this in a subdued, mature manner, of course. :-)

After writing the previous paragraph, I looked in the book, Billboard's Top Pop Singles, 1955-1993, by Joel Whitburn. He says of The Village Stompers: "Greenwich, New York Dixieland-styled band." That partially explains the eclectic nature of their "sound." If you click on the links, you can read what others have said about The Village Stompers. I only went there after writing this section, so it was a pleasure to see that I am not alone in my opinion. The group was much more than just a pop-fluff band.

4. Five songs you listen to a lot or mean a lot to you?

I don't like listening to the same songs over and over. My brother used to do that when we were growing up, and it drove me crazy; although lately, with the convenience of iTunes, I'm starting to listen to certain songs on a more regular basis than would previously have been the case. As for songs that mean a lot to me, there are so many, and they all fit into different categories, so I cannot designate any five above any other five -- at least not without picking arbitrarily; but I'm going to do so anyway, "for the sake of this survey."

The following songs mean a lot to me both philosophically and emotionally. Four of them are oldies because the musical world seems to have abandoned me in recent years; or maybe I've abandoned it...? Nah, it abandoned me. :-) These songs are extremely random (and in no order) and could easily be replaced by any combination of other songs.

1.) "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas (1978) - One of the ultimate philosophical songs. I don't listen to it a lot though (even by my strict standards), because I have to be in the perfect mood to appreciate it fully. Those of you with degrees in English might be interested to know that one or more of the members of Kansas received their degrees in English before forming the band, hence the excellent lyrics.

2.) Louise by Leo Kottke (1972) - No Kottke song has ever been released as a single. You have to listen to his albums to hear his music. Kottke's deep voice may or may not be an acquired taste (he's chiefly an instrumentalist), but it doesn't take very long if you are willing to try, and it is definitely worth the effort (but not in every case). "Louise" and "Tiny Island," both of which are found on the excellent Greenhouse album, are just indescribably addictive (at least to me). It took me a while to become addicted to them, but I'm very glad I did. Click on his linked name to read the very long list of cities on his present concert tour. He still has millions of dedicated fans.

3.) Midnight in Moscow by Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen (1962) - If I had listed these songs in order with my favorite of the five in the No. 1 spot, this would probably be it. "Midnight In Moscow" is very much like "Washington Square" (see question 3 above). For me, this is one of the greatest feel-good songs of all time. [After clicking on the link, Read Steve Rumley's customer review. It's the third one in the list. He describes the song and the group perfectly.]

4.) Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer (1998) - filled with uncharacteristically poetic lyrics, as well as a "happy" sound, that has been almost nonexistent in the music world in recent years.

5.) Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg (1981) - This song was playing on the radio once as I neared the town where my Iranian girlfriend and I had found one another -- and where she was unexpectedly living again. Our relationship had ended a few months earlier, and the final lines of this song almost got the better of me as I approached the city limits. No song has ever done that to me before or since.

5. Who are you going to pass this stick to? and why?

"Stick"? Why is it called a stick?

Since my list of favorites is too short to pick and choose, I will simply "tag" everyone therein who has not already done it.

---------------------

Survey Number Two

1. A song whose lyrics you thought you knew in the past, but about which you later learned you were incorrect.

There are several such songs, and I cannot think of any of them at this time. However, just to throw something out there, how about 99 Luft Balloons by Nena (1983) (the German version)? Hahahahahaha

2. Your least favorite song on one of your favorite albums of all time.

This question is too strange. I don't have any idea.

3. A song you like by someone you find physically unattractive or otherwise repellent.

I'll pass on this one, because, with my luck, the person I named would probably some day accidentally click on this entry. If you've read my One in a Billion entry, you would agree that the prudent thing for a person with my luck to do is to say nothing. Ha? Ha?

4. Your favorite song with the name of a city in the title or text.

Another oldie: The City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie (1972).

5. A song you've listened to repeatedly when you were depressed at some point in your life.

It is amazing how this answer took on a life of its own, and I even deleted a bunch of it.

As I say in the first survey, I cannot stand listening to any song repeatedly, unless I am bound and determined to make myself hate it (and why would I ever want to do that?). A couple of years ago, during a particularly bad period of time, I listened to a relatively small selection of songs (by a variety of artists) over and over (this was when I first started grasping the significance of iTunes and mp3s); however, Leo Kottke's "Greenhouse" album (1972) is particularly well suited to repeated listening, although no more than a few times in a given month. If you are into acoustic-guitar solos by one of the greatest guitarists on earth, then this is the album for you.

That bad period of time was also when I developed a taste for some of the more obscure oldies that are referred to in some parts of this entry. By about 2001-2002, I had grown sick to death of listening to the same "Top 40" and "alternative" music every day. I could go on and on about why this is so, but I don't want to do that (at least not in this entry). I also can no longer stand listening to the same 200 or 500 stereotypical oldies songs that are played in an endless loop on most automated "oldies" stations. Those songs have long since lost any meaning or feeling that they may have had; so there is no escape there either.

YET I LOVE MUSIC PASSIONATELY. In fact, I need music. So what was I to do? I had no idea. Then, one day after having heard an obscure and beautiful oldie on an internet radio station (I think that was the case), I decided I would search for as many songs as I could find that fit that category. They would have to be songs that I had heard very few times in my life. That way, they would be both "new" and different, and I could then be excited about music again. At the same time, and seemingly contradictorily, these songs also had to have a certain feeling of nostalgia about them, and a certain "clarity of sound" (for lack of a better term). It has been a lot of fun researching and finding these old songs, which is no easy task since I don't always know the names of the songs or the artists that I am searching for. I love doing investigative work, though.

Has it worked to focus my attention on obscure oldies? Definitely. Can't you tell?

Finally, now that I have rambled on for four paragraphs, I have suddenly remembered one song that I used to listen to almost on a nightly basis: The Great Wheel by James Asher (1989). I always listened to it when I went to bed, especially if I my mind was racing, and I couldn't get to sleep. This is one of the few songs that I can listen to it over and over because it is not a typical song. Instead, it is a 30-minute-long, soft instrumental that is intentionally designed for relaxation (no, it's not one of those ridiculous "crickets-and-birds-chirping-above-the-peaceful-ocean-surf productions -- gag!). It may not suit everyone's tastes, though.

6. Ever buy an entire album just for one song and wind up disliking everything but that song? Gimme that song.

Oh, yes. Many times. Luckily, though, I bought most of my music collection in second-hand stores, so I never lost too much money when I made such mistakes. One example: Several years ago, I bought Duane Eddy's Greatest Hits for a dollar or two. Eddy became famous for his excellent 1958 hit, "Rebel Rouser" (a rock-guitar instrumental). How could I possibly go wrong buying an album full of his best songs? Well, I definitely went wrong. I didn't like any of the other songs, not even one and not even a little bit.

7. Your favorite song that has expletives in it that's not by Liz Phair. 

Cinderella by Firefall (1977). - An absolutely beautiful song, though. But it is merely a favorite song, not my only favorite.

8. A song that sounds as if it's by someone British but isn't.

No idea. What kind of silly question is this?

9. A song you like (possibly from your past) that took you forever to finally locate a copy of.

Twisting By the Pool - Dire Straits (1983) - I couldn't find it anywhere. Finally, about a year ago my oddball neighbor (a member of a local rock band) threw out a whole bunch of albums because he was moving. I found them shortly thereafter in our shared dumpster when I was emptying my own garbage. In order not to look like an indigent, I waited until dark and then went out to the dumpster and "rescued" them. :-) The album containing "Twisting by the Pool" was in the collection.

10. A song that reminds you of spring but doesn't mention spring at all.

Hands down, without a doubt: Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra (1978), the unedited version. - This is one of the greatest "feel-good" songs of all time. Some of the lyrics go as follows: "Mornin'! Today's forecast calls for blue skies. -- Sun is shinin' in the sky. There ain't a cloud in sight. It's stopped rainin'. Everybody's in the play, and don't you know, it's a beautiful new day..."

I highly, highly recommend it to anyone who wants to celebrate life for a few minutes. Even if you hate life, you will be unable to resist celebrating it while this song is playing.

11. A song that sounds to you like being happy feels.

Once again, "Mr. Blue Sky." However, if you need another one: Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer (1998). That song is almost in a tie with "Mr. Blue Sky" in this category. Actually, I could name quite a few songs.

12. Your favorite song from a non-soundtrack compilation album.

This is the kind of question that I can imagine was written by a college student with an overly analytical mind, who foolishly stayed home one Saturday night to write this survey instead of going to the bar. :-)

13. A song from your past that would be considered politically incorrect now (and possibly was then).

Once again: "Cinderella" by Firefall (1977).

14. A song sung by an overweight person. White Sandy Beach by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, a Hawaiian singer (now deceased) - A friend of mine from Oklahoma loaned me one of his CDs just last night, thinking that I would like it as much as she does. I told her not to hold her breath. I like "White Sandy Beach" a lot, but the rest of it is as bad as I had imagined.

15. A song you actually like by an artist you otherwise hate.

This is just random: Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison (1988). I don't really hate Poison, though; I'm just not into their music.

16. A song by a band (whose members actually play instruments) that features three or more female members.

Walk Like an Egyptian by the Bangles (1986) - I assume they actually played their own instruments.

17. One of the earliest songs that you can remember listening to.

This would be one of those obscure oldies: "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat (1968). According to Billboard Magazine, it was number one for five weeks that year. When I was about seven years old (a rough guess), I remember hearing it on the radio as we were driving from South Dakota to Missouri to visit relatives. I immediately loved it and lay down in the back seat and just disappeared into it. I had no idea what its name was at the time, but I never forgot that sound. I heard it very few times after that. Many years later, in college, I bought a nine-volume compilation album. Imagine my delight when I discovered that song in the collection. That might have been the first time I learned its name, too.

18. A song you've been mocked by friends for liking.

Not fully mocked; they were just surprised that I liked it: Bathwater by No Doubt (2000). - I cannot listen to that song anymore, though, because it gets stuck in my head for days afterwards. The same thing (being mocked) would probably have been true of Ugly Girl by Fleming and John (1999), but no one I know has ever heard it. I cannot listen to it anymore either, because it also gets stuck in my head.

19. A really good cover version you think no one else has heard.

Wonderland By Night" by Leo Kottke (1994). It is a cover of Bert Kaempfert's 1960 hit of the same name. Kaempfert's original was number one on the charts for three weeks in 1961 (according to Billboard). I love both versions.

20. A song that has helped cheer you up (or empowered you somehow) after a breakup or otherwise difficult situation.

There are quite a few such songs, actually, many of which are listed in this survey.

21. What was the last song you downloaded?

Live version of Seven Bridges Road by The Eagles (1980). - The most perfectly synchronized harmonies I have ever heard.

22.(a) An album you love that is flawless from start to finish (in other words no song skipping necessary)?

"Greenhouse" by Leo Kottke (1972).

22.(b) The song that made you get the album in that first place? No particular song. I got it because I had heard another Kottke album playing in a local music store. I asked the manager for the name of the artist and the album. I never bought that album though. A couple of years later, when I found "Greenhouse" in a store in another town, I debated for a month or two before buying it. I seldom ever throw caution to the wind and buy an album "sound unheard," but I kept remembering how much I had liked Kottke's other album. So I bought it and have been a huge fan ever since.

23. Give me the song title which you think best describes who you actually are. Explain

"Reality, What a Concept" by Robin Williams (1979) - Actually, that's a comedy album title, not a song title, but it sure fits my way of thinking. Haha. No, really, it does!

24. Now give me the song title which you think best describes your personality. Explain.

No. 24 is a distinction without a difference from No. 23, but: "My Feet Are Smiling" by Leo Kottke (1973) - Why? Just cuz... :-)

25. Quick – your favorite clever song lyric!

Lyrics from The Girl from Ipanema by Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto (1963):

Tall and tan and young and lovely,
The girl from Ipanema goes walking,
And when she passes, each one she passes goes, 'Ahhhhhhhh.'
When she walks, she's like a samba
That swings so cool and sways so gently
That when she passes, each one she passes goes, 'Ahhhhhhhh.'"

26. A romantic song that is NOT cheesy & your favorite lyric from that song.

"Cheesy" is a very subjective term. I will, therefore, pick a song with beautiful lyrics and hope they aren't "cheesy." I acquired "Stardust" by accident a about two or three years ago (if I remember correctly). I didn't know what it was, but I immediately fell in love with it. The lyrics are far more beautiful when accompanied by the music.

Lyrics from Stardust by Nat King Cole (1957):

And now the purple dusk of twilight time
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb

Always reminding me that we're apart

You wandered down the lane and far away

Leaving me a song that will not die

Love is now the stardust of yesterday

The music of the years gone by

Sometimes I wonder why I spend

The lonely night dreaming of a song

The melody haunts my reverie

And I am once again with you

When our love was new

And each kiss an inspiration

But that was long ago

Now my consolation

Is in the stardust of a song

Beside a garden wall

When stars are bright

You are in my arms

The nightingale tells his fairy tale

A paradise where roses bloom

Though I dream in vain

In my heart it will remain

My stardust melody

The memory of love's refrain

UPDATE: Greg Dragon (YouTube commenter, ca. 2014): "I'm thinking that heaven has Nat King continuously singing Stardust over the intercom."

Your Life Colors

A few weeks ago I found one of those online "personality" tests that many DiaryLanders like. This one is called Your Life Colors. It is somewhat similar to one that Clarity25 mentions in a recent entry. I think those of you who read my diary would enjoy taking it (it is free).

My results are as follows. I make comments in brackets regarding the accuracy of each section of the test:

"You scored mainly in the Water-Sky quadrant. This 'Blue' quadrant highlights the water sign of your personality and your tendency to be cool and free-flowing in most circumstances." [MW comments: This is very true, but I am often too "free-flowing." Why? Because I hate the stereotypical serious adult personality. Life is too short to treat every moment like it is serious business (as for "depressing" business? Well, that's another matter :-). And yet, I even try to laugh when it is depressing).]

"Water from the sky provides the necessary resources for growth, and this is a feature of your approach to life. You will enjoy the freshness of new ideas and actively seek these out, either by talking to others or by reading." [MW comments: One hundred fifty-seven percent true, although it has suffered somewhat lately, due to the toppling of so many of life's dominoes, all in the wrong direction, and all at the same time.]

"People who map into this quadrant will enjoy examining problems or making discoveries. Consequently, you may sometimes tend to take your time in coming to decisions which affect your day-to-day life." [MW comments: This characteristic has shaped my destiny more than most.] "If there are any uncertainties, your natural reaction will be to postpone things until you are sure." [MW comments: I have been doing this for quite some time lately, as I take a detour around those fallen dominoes and try to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. What sort of job/career might I enter that will not make life feel like a meaningless chore forevermore?]

"You are unlikely to enjoy conflict situations which, more than likely, will create stress for you." [MW comments: Absolutely true again, unless the conflict involves politics, which I love to argue about. Aside from that, though, I cannot stand being anywhere near conflict, even if it doesn't involve me. I even hate watching it on TV (in those embarrassingly stupid "reality" shows) because it reveals the really low-rent, ugly side of life.] "In these circumstances you may well be a 'worrier' and this could affect your health." [MW comments: I'm not so sure about this. I definitely feel excessive amounts of stress during and after conflicts, but I seldom worry about the cause of the conflict; although I may occasionally worry about the results of the conflict.] "As a result, you will usually move to defuse any potential conflicts well before they occur." [MW comments: Absolutely true, which sometimes backfires. I'm sure most of you have seen shows like Tru Calling and Early Edition, where the main characters know what is going to happen before it happens. When said characters try to change the course of history so that certain events don't happen, they instead cause new conflicts to arise. That's me, at least when it comes to sensing approaching conflict. :-)]

"You will be a considerate person and choose your words carefully so that you don't upset others." [MW comments: This is another rule that I follow religiously, although, when I screw up, it is usually on a scale that cannot be measured by even the most sophisticated human technology. Read this entry to see what I mean.]

"Sometimes however, you may be so subtle that people don't realize what you are feeling about a particular issue. You may need to check that people fully understand your views and incorporate these into their decision making." [MW comments: This is true too, but it is the result of having been made fun of so much back in grade school (and again in high school) when I was "the new kid in town" (why do kids like to do that to "new kids," anyway?) I was a bit innocent (or naive) as a fourth grader, when my family moved to a small town (less that 400 people), where the kids swore (I couldn't believe my ears the first time I heard a kid my age use a swear word), were very obnoxious, "knew everything" about sex, and had great senses of humor. I was made fun of constantly for being so innocent, and for having a less-than-funny sense of humor. I eventually learned that it was wisest not to say anything without first determining if it was or was not something that would cause kids to make fun of me. By the time I had reached high school (and was definitely no longer naive), then college (where I worked very hard on improving my sense of humor), I had become a very subtle person in more than a few ways, but usually only when participating in conversations with large groups of people. I am sometimes so subtle, in fact, that I am not even heard. On more than a few occasions, I remember that I would say the same "funny" thing in several different gatherings, but no one would laugh or even react, even though I personally thought I had said something that was worth laughing at :-). Finally, in the fifth or sixth gathering (for example), I would repeat it again, if the conversation was relevant to my statement, and someone would finally hear me and begin laughing hysterically. Just the validation and ego boost I was looking for.]

"Being a sky person, you may well have a strong imagination which causes you to fantasize about the future." [MW comments: One of these days, I may publish portions of my unfinished novels and short stories here (but don't hold your breath). Then you can read my "fantasies" for yourselves. Where did my fantasizing come from? I used to theorize that my body was able to synthesize its own hallucinogenic drugs, which would then flow, in timed-release fashion, through my blood stream and into my brain. :-) It was at those times, thankfully, that my desire to write was the strongest. Regrettably, due to those recently toppled dominoes, I am very rarely able to fantasize about the future anymore. Needless to say, I am a bit annoyed by that.]

"Future possibilities interest you greatly whereas the past is something you can readily put behind you." [MW comments: Nope, just the opposite is true now. Even in the past (no pun intended), I was not able to put the past behind me (that may be one of the reasons that I have a degree in history, and it is also why I love well written time-travel stories). However, there once was a time when I had a completely equal passion for both the future and the past.]

"However, be careful that you don't live too much in the future. There are the realities of day-to-day living to think about." [MW comments: OK, when the survey says it this way, it may have a point. I certainly am "taking my time in coming to decisions which affect my day-to-day life," as it says above. I am well aware of the fine line between being patient and waiting too long. That is what has been bothering me the most lately, especially while waiting for a reply from the South Dakota State Historical Society, where I recently applied for an archivist's position. At the end of a forty-minute phone interview, the State Archivist said the person selected would hear the announcement within a week. It has now been three weeks, and I haven't heard a word. I'm pretty sure that means I didn't get the job. Oh well. At least I tried.]