The Geeky Escapism Quiz

The Geeky Escapism Quiz

In each segment give yourself 2 points if you can answer to the affirmative on the first question, 1 if you can answer yes to the second, but not the first, etc. (ie. Don't give yourself 3 if you can answer both- just take the 2 and be happy) Is that as clear as supernatural enchanted fog?

A.
2 Pointed ears are a great investment because they can be for an Elf or Vulcan costume.
1 Pointed ears are so cool!
0 W.T.F.?

B.
2 You named your child after a character from Star Trek, Dr. Who, or LotR.
1 You named your pet after one of the above.
0 What's LotR?

C.
2 You've used ten sided dice.
1 You've used a compass for recreational purposes. (Either kind)
0 How many kinds are there?

D. A dangerous creature jumps out at you.
2 You fire your phaser.
1 You pull out your sword or wand.
0 Dude, it's just a cat.

E.
2 You know what TARDIS stands for.
1 You know the name of Han Solo's spacecraft.
0 Wait, wasn't that Harrison Ford?

F.
2 You currently play role playing games.
1 You used to play role playing games.
0 Is that something kinky?

G.
2 You've read the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
1 You've seen the films.
0 They wrote books about that?

H.
2 Your favorite number is 42.
1 You want to visit Platform 9 3/4
0 You still think the number 69 is funny.

I.
2 You want a pet tribble.
1 You want a pet dragon.
0 Dragons aren't real, you moron, and what the heck's a tribble?

J.
2 Elves are beautiful and have a great love for music.
1 Elves cook and clean at Hogwarts.
0 You mean, like Santa's elves?

Bonus Question
2 You can name the hologram character in the Red Dwarf series.
1 You have the theme from Quantum Leap on your cell phone.
0 You're thinking of going back to the Han Solo question.

Now Score Yourself

20 or above: You win a genuine time machine.
16-19 : You win an all expense paid trip on the spacecraft of your choice.
12-15 : You win a free membership on http://www.fanfiction.net/
8-11 : The Great Gazoo will visit you in your dreams.
3-7 : Voldemort will visit you in your dreams.
Below 3: You obviously have a life outside of geeky escapism and therefore need nothing I have to offer. I chase you off with my +2 Saber.

Wasting Time

My blog's been neglected, but I got a nudge from my niece to post something, so here goes.

My daughter, (we'll call her N), left Blue Like Jazz (by Donald Miller) on the table next to me. I picked it up, but was forbidden from reading beyond her book mark. She's like that -very specific in her commands, but surprisingly vague about herself. For instance, she'll say, "You have to drive me to beauty school." I say, "When?" She answers, "I don't know." Then any length of time later (a few minutes, a couple of hours, the following day...) she suddenly says, "I have to go NOW. Come on, get in the car!"

Sorry, I've strayed from my original point. In this book Donald Miller writes ...(drat, I can't find the exact quote. N has this weird thing about not writing in books) anyway, it says something about the devil spending more energy on getting us to waste time rather than tempting us to do actual evil. I thought that was very poignant, very C.S.LewisScrewtapeLettersish. Sitting on my butt playing solitaire is a complete waste of time. I could be cleaning, praying, reading to the kids, writing my novel (Now some would say, and I won't give any names **my husband** that writing my novel was a waste of time. ).

But the point I'm unsuccessfully making is that if you suddenly realized this was your last moment alive, will you be glad you'd just spent the past four and a half minutes making Harry Potter icons for your LJ (ha ha, sorry N) or do you wish you'd made that phone call to the friend you've been neglecting, baked cookies with your little brother, or wrote a love note to your husband? ...just a thought.

p.s.
Of course, insert your own examples if you don't have a husband and if your little brother is 68... not that 68 year olds don't enjoy baking cookies. I'm just saying...never mind.

Zombies, Cats, and Writing

It's a very zombie day. You know, one of those days where you have to wear your zombie shirt? Lucky for me that I have one. (thanks to my niece, Jasmine.)

Do other people have as many scraps of paper as I do? I have sticky notes, old receipts, and tiny papers all over the house with page numbers, phone numbers, random quotes, words, recipes, lists... It's unending. Do you want examples? No, of course not, but I'll give you some. These just happen to be a few that are within reach.

"Her uncle suddenly looked thin and drawn."

"Combine 9 & 10"

"Tortilla chips for our Lady G. 350'"

"Pearlescent milky glow" (no idea what that's about)

"His eyes tore at her like claws -Bill" (No that's nothing naughty. He's a fellow writer with an amazing command of the language.)

and last but not least, and this one I think my daughter wrote- "True Story True"

Ok, and for our dear Mr. Grey who thinks I'm "somewhat illusive " I'll sign this post.

~Amanda The Zombie Queen ;)

motorcycles revisited

I'm thankful that so many people I've talked to (in cyberspace and in person) are concerned about our motorcycle safety. The insurance company isn't overly worried, apparently. They gave my husband a very cheap rate, taking into account his age, marriage status, and driving record. They weren't concerned about his one motorcycle accident because it was so very long ago. I wasn't around then. Well, I was around but not around him. I was probably no older than eight. (Yes we are that far apart in age.)



The insurance company was concerned that we understood that we aren't covered by damage occurring in nuclear blasts and the like. As if the first thing we'll think of after we're nuked would be, "Quick honey, call Geico. The paint on the motorcycle has burnt off."



I went on my first ride last weekend. Holy cow it was fun! I stupidly forgot to take pictures. If it isn't raining this weekend, I'll bring out the camera and we'll do a photo shoot. According to my husband, I looked sexy, but I sure felt like a space-man in my helmet. Maybe he was just being kind. Either that or he has a thing for aliens. Actually he does. Hmm.....



OK, whatever else I had to say has fallen out of my brain. That's what comes of interruptions. It was imperative that I suddenly build a two inch tall cardboard chair. I'm sure you understand.

Motorcycles

Motorcycles have always held a certain mystique for me. They represent freedom, bravery, individuality - plus they're super sexy.

I love the old motorcycles. Having one from the 1920's or 30's would be a dream. I love the ones that look like Sergeant Murphy's in the old Richard Scary books. You know, the red one with the shoes inexplicably hanging off the back.

Many of my characters ride motorcycles. I've never ridden one unless you count the time when I was about seven and my friend's dad rode me around the corner to my house from theirs. I was petrified for the entire thirty seconds.

I've always liked the look of motorcycles, though. They make me smile when I see them on the road. There's a man who rides one to the small neighborhood library we go to. He looks exactly how a burly motorcycle riding guy should look and he sits in the library and reads. I love him for it.

So when my husband said, "What would you say to us getting a motorcycle?" I didn't need convincing. I think he just enjoyed the verbal exercise.


"It would be practical for commuting," he said.
"Sure," I said.
"It's easy to find a parking space."
"Great. Let's get one."
"They get great gas mileage."
"I know. Plus you'll look hot on it. Let's go for it."
"We can finance it."
"Whatever you think is best," I said.

So, we bought one. It's a black Honda Shadow. It's new, but it's beautiful. I don't know how we're going to manage the payments, but somehow we'll get by. I just need to convince him to hang a couple of shoes from it.

Sci Fi vs. Fantasy

I just read a
Very cool piece on SF vs. Fantasy
by Lawrence Watt-Evans
(Those funky colored words are a link to it, in case you can't tell.)
**
So, I got to wondering- am I writing a science fiction novel or a fantasy? I created a quasi-rational reason for the existence of Fir Na Gealai' and their extraordinary abilities. So, according to this article, I suppose it causes The Whimsicality of Perception to tend toward SF.

There are huge flaws in the science, though.
I've read SF books and seen SF movies with big holes in the science and/or the plot and it doesn't spoil the fun for me. But I happen to like both SF and Fantasy. My husband, on the other hand, doesn't like fantasy very much but enjoys SF and he doesn't like flawed science in his SF. It destroys the illusion for him.
**
So, just a little something to think about.
**
**Here's a random shot of my Douglas Adams collection. It's poor quality because it's just a still shot taken from my towel day video. I just thought perhaps it would spruce up today's post.**

Saturday Photo Time and Shameless Bragging

It's Saturday. Time for photos and shameless bragging.

First up is a lovely piece by Daphne and Fiona called, "Doll and Pony Show in The Sandbox." So many of our days are spent with pink and sparkly things.

Which reminds me, my teenage daughter said that sparkles are the herpes of the craft world. When one person has them, everyone ends up with them. Hmm, I'm not sure how I feel about that, but there ya go.

Next up is our kitty on a heart rug. This picture is a bit deceptive. He's not normally so docile. Do you know what I saw in the pet store? Little nail caps for cat claws. What'll they think of next?

If I've done this correctly, this:

Adina Deck Teaser

should be a link to the teaser trailer that my daughter is in. She plays a girl with an online boyfriend. She's the girl in the striped shirt in the opening shot, and once in the middle wearing a tank top and a computer and in the very last shot she's on the computer. The movie itself is a short film meant to teach teens and kids about internet safety and that sort of thing.

I got published!

Ok, that's taking it a bit too far. I merely got a letter to the editor put into the National Catholic Register newspaper. I've had letters to the editor and letter to the columnist put in before. It's not a great feat of writing prowess, but it's gratifying in a way.

Oh, what was the letter about? I'm so glad you asked. ;)

I was defending an article about the film "Hellboy." A columnist had written favorably about it because of the Catholic elements. Somebody had written in to say it wasn't a good movie, spiritually speaking. I refuted that and said that it was, but of course I wrote in an unabashedly eloquent manner. (LOL How modest I am today.)

I guess I'm just in a good mood.