YouTube Playlists: The New Mixed Tape

While I've never been the recipient, I've certainly put together and assisted in the putting together a couple of mixed tapes/cds. (Showing my age...I remember making mixed tapes!!)

I was putting together a playlist tonight of YouTube videos and started thinking about how several songs reminded me of a guy I used to go out with in college. It wouldn't even be too hard to pull them together into a playlist and email the link to him.

I probably won't-- we're not that close anymore, even though we still MySpace but it got me thinking of a new way to tell someone you like them. Or even better--you could break up via YouTube Playlist.

1) Carrie Underwood's "Before he cheats"
2) Beyonce/Shakira "Beautiful Liar"
2) Anastasia's "I'm Outta Love"
3) Beyonce "Irreplaceable"

Yeah--that should be effective.

Who would you make a playlist for?

Text Message Forwards....

Amongst my friends, I'm generally known as the one who will send on the "50 questions about you" forwards. The Blonde sends on the happy fuzzy emails involving angels, kittens, and girl power. My former voice teacher sends on all of the warnings (most of which I Snopes back to her). The bawdier forwards come from just about everyone in my inbox.

But now, I've started getting short and usually bawdy jokes via ...text message. So far, I'm not a big fan.

I'm a fairly regularly user of texts, it's how my-friend-the-lawyer and I primarily communicate and I've learned from years of experience and utter obliviousness to read the disasters sent by the Blonde. I recall fondly one text that I understood without question on first reading--but when I reread it later I realized it was neither coherent nor really comprehensible. Amazing what the brain can put together when functioning on more than one level.

Could I put out a request though that if you're going to text me--let it be from you. I get excited when I see a message from the Brunette (The Blonde's "Will and Grace" counterpart) and then it's a forward. Yuk. Plus, I know that most people have text message plans but not everyone does and some people a) have to pay when they get messages that they can't block and b) can't tell who they are from if it doesn't say in the message.

This has been a public service message from the HL. Happy Halloween!

Gemstone Quizzes

Just returned from a weekend in Chi-town. Had some Halloween festivities, I was in a vintage flower child dress with my hair straightened. It's definitely time for a trim.

Quizzes du jour focus on the jewelry box and it looks like I match up pretty well:

Your Gemstone is Topaz

Comforting, considerate, and stable. You are down to earth and grounded.

What Gemstone Are You?

Which Rare Gem are you? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Sapphire You are a Sapphire. This magnificent gemstone comes in many other colours: not only in the transparent greyish-blue of a distant horizon but also in the gloriously colourful play of light in a sunset – in yellow, pink, orange and purple. Sapphires really are gems of the sky, although they are found in the hard ground of our 'blue planet'. Blue is the main colour of the sapphire. Blue is also the favourite colour of some 50 per cent of all people, men and women alike. We associate this colour, with feelings of sympathy and harmony, friendship and loyalty. Sapphire 83% Emerald 67% Diamond 33% Ruby 17%

What kind of jewel are you? Pearl Classic and lovely, you are exquisitely feminine. Click Here to Take This Quiz

Quizzes and Personality Tests

What Jewel Are You?

You're a Sapphire. You seem to be unreachable, but deep inside, you are really a nice and warm person. You are elegant and get along well with people once you know them.
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Vocabulary Additions

Time to make a few additions and refreshers to the vocabulary. It happens every time I make a major move. Honestly I was in New York for so long I don't really remember what the words I learned there were--outside of the obvious like kvetching, schmata, and that the "City" is Manhattan Island only while the "Island" refers only to the portion of Long Island that is Nassau and Suffolk County (Queens and Kings/Brooklyn counties don't count.).

Refresher vocabulary

Kitty-corner: diagonal, usually on a street corner. Also known as caddy corner.
Fortunately my mom used this when I was growing up, so I knew what that meant.

New vocabulary:

Stop-and-Go Lights: Traffic lights.
I got very confused. Stop-n-Go is the name of a chain in Illinois. I think it might also be a store somewhere else, maybe a grocery in Iowa? I keep thinking they are referring to a store that I'm supposed to turn at, rather than just the stop light.

Coulee: The Valley region that makes up the La Crosse area.
There are lots of things around here labeled "Coulee."

I'm sure I'll say something in the next month that will have a slightly different meaning than my intention but that makes life interesting!

Cute Photo Break

Courtesy of Sibling-the-Elder:

LolPines

Total cuteness! And am I dated because I can remember when the series came out?

Marianne's Illness...another other ladies' maladies

M pointed me today to a news story from the BBC entitled Why heroines die in classic fiction. It's a light look at what might have actually caused the serious illnesses that are described in works of the past.

As we have gained Pickwickian syndrome from Dickens, it obviously does us good to at least consider the symptoms described. I would have liked to see a little more meat to this article though. It rushes through the diseases possible and gives one only a glancing suggestion at what might have been wrong.

Still, it's good to know more was wrong with Marianne than wet slippers.

The Latest In Computer Woes

You'd think my computer would cooperate. I've updated the living daylights out of it. It's gotten a new case, new memory, a new card in it that runs the flat monitor that I got a couple of months ago.

So WHY won't it play sound? According to the computer--which I'm not especially prone to believe, it neither has a sound card of any sort nor does it have a wireless card. When I look inside the computer, as near as I can tell there is a sound card and a wireless card that was working in Chicago before my computer crashed the last time.

I need someone more computer savvy than I am to come wave a magic wand and make it all better. I make wicked cookies and bake a really good loaf of banana bread...

Connecting with the Past

So while I should be unpacking, going to the grocery, and doing other useful things, I took a few minutes this morning to track down an old friend.

Isn't it amazing what this interweb of ours does? I've not seen Jr. H. since the summer after we graduated from high school, though we emailed a couple of times early on in college. We were close friends in high school, sharing most of our classes and each of us with an older sibling two years ahead of us. His sibling and mine were voted "Most Likely to Make a Million Bucks. " Between us there was a congenial rivalry for class position, though neither of us were ever really in the running for valedictorian.

I went to New York and he went to one of Indiana's top uni's and that was pretty much it. He's not on Facebook or MySpace or LinkedIn (as near as I can tell), so I went to Pipl, ZabaSearch, and ultimately just hit up Google. As a result I got an address current to 18 months ago and--- his wedding pictures.

I suppose it might be slightly voyeuristic of me to browse through said pictures, decide his bride is beautiful and note that he hasn't changed very much in the last 8 years (not something I can say for all of my classmates!). But I think it's cool! In just a few minutes I can find out the region of the country he's been living in and that he is a newlywed. Still can't find an email address but I figure we'll both show up at the ten year reunion to exchange those. Whereas even two decades ago I might need to scour phone books or just wait for those reunions (no one goes to the five year--truly), I can satisfy my curiosity about an old friend unobtrusively and over a cup of tea.

And if you find this--searching for me--Congrats to you and Mrs. Jr. H.

Can You Tell I'm Back? More on a Claire Day

Wading through some of the email. Certainly not all of it. But they're back to public library stuff at On a Claire Day and I was pleased to see they had updated a popular misconception about libraries holding onto patron records indefinitely. Today's (10/23) was also an amusing commentary on "policing" the patrons.

Very much enjoying this mainstream comic's look at public libraries! Good job!

Quiz on a Tuesday? Yarn....

Yes, I missed another Sunday. So apparently y'all are just getting occasional quizzes when I get them posted. It's been a tough couple of weeks.

And according to my incredibly patient mother, my stash "isn't as big" as she thought it would be. Sounds like justification to go out and buy more yarn---doesn't it?

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Shetland Wool. You are a traditional sort who can sometimes be a little on the harsh side. Though you look delicate you are tough as nails and prone to intricacies. Despite your acerbic ways you are widely respected and even revered.
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Greetings from Wisconsin

Live from LaCrosse, Wisconsin--it's the Hedgehog Librarian!!

With the help of Sibling-the-Elder and Mother-the-Incredibly-Patient, everything in Chicago was packed, loaded into a truck, and we set off for the bluffs. Only to have the car break down. That would be the car that broke down two weeks ago. Apparently the repair job that was done was not of a quality that it should have been. AAA will be hearing from me, as will Midas. Also, I have a rather lengthy note to send to U-Haul as to why, based on their customer service, I cannot imagine renting one of their trucks again. Truly, if you need a truck, use Penske and give me a call. I have the cell number of a guy who can help you.

With an apartment complex recommendation from one of my new coworkers, I had rented an apartment sight unseen. Walking into it was a pleasure. I have a truly spacious and lovely place with a balcony overlooking the bluffs and a bus stop less than a minute walk from the front door. I see myself becoming the bed and breakfast for many a friend who needs to escape, regroup and enjoy a little view of nature. At least one is already planning a trip.

Things still feel rather unreal. Because it's a first time alone, I had to go out and buy a lot of things that my roommates have always had: microwave, toaster oven, wireless router. This only adds to the unreal feeling because "I" don't own these things, therefore someone else obviously must.

Anyway, I'm back online, my desktop computer has been fixed (Thanks to ex-roomie's current bf) and I might catch up on email this week. Maybe. Right, who am I kidding.

Off to fix another pot of tea.

Sunday Quiz: Late and Southern

I do apologize. I was with M for the weekend and I forgot that I was supposed to have a quiz for y'all's enjoyment.

Countdown to end of my time at current library: 3 days. Moving in to the new apartment: 5 days. Percentage of stuff packed: 15% (if I'm lucky)

But in between picking out my china pattern (finally and if you get a cream or white option--I want the white) and establishing that I do need a china elephant creamer (apparently he's worth about 5 times what I paid for him--cool!), I have managed to scour out an appropriate quiz.

Your Score: Dixie Royal

You are 87% true Southern!

You are pure belle or gentleman! You know your Jones Soda, Nehi and RC colas, your Moon Pies and sweet potato pie; you'd absolutely die without air conditioners in the summer, and you've seen Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes (or read the book!). Your grandmother lives in an antebellum home and has a cook who makes the best fried chicken and asparagus casserole and summer squash and everything else in the world. And you know the taste of honeysuckle and the feel of grass between your toes.
You are blessed.

Link: The Southern-ness Test written by gwennykate on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Losing Time....

It will come as zero surprise when I note that I'm of the nocturnal variety. I've been trying recently, though, to get to bed by midnight. It's been an absolutely miserable failure.

Part of it probably has to do with trying to squeeze things in this final week+ in Chicago. But I'm consistently amazed when I think it's just past midnight and it's already 1 a.m. Where does the hour between midnight and 1 go? Every bloody night it's the same routine. Have things at a decent wrap up point at about midnight. Look at the clock again, realize it's 1 a.m.

Who is sneaking off with my hour?

I blame the New York office :)

Sunday Quiz: TMNT

My car died but it meant I got to hang out with a friend longer than I'd anticipated, which was cool, and it means no work for me Monday! Let's just hope they can fix the alternator tomorrow--I feel strange car-less.

Quiz idea courtesy of Trina, who Inter-System Loaned a copy of the new TMNT movie.

Which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle are you?

You're Leonardo! You're somewhat of a perfectionist though you are a mature, selfless and disciplined person. You have strong morals and have good leadership quailities. You spend much of your time trying to find your centre and are very loyal and studious. Your weapon is the Twin Katana Swords.
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Which teenage mutant ninja turtle are you?: http://www.blogger.com/%27http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=" 2210n= created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Donatello You are intelligent and peaceful...maybe you should consider going into a different line of work. Even though you are friendly, you should try to fit in with other more often. Donatello 79% Mater Splinter (The Rat) 61% April O'Neil 50% Leonardo 46% Michaelangelo 36% Raphael 32%

She's Got a Ticket to Ride...

If you happened to be on Clark Street this evening the little hedgehog flying north on the back of the shiny new motorcycle was me. (There was also some southerly flying on the return trip.)

My-Friend-the-Lawyer got a Silver BMW--the model that broke the land speed record last year. It's shiny...and I got the be the first girl to go for a spin on it. Very cool!! Zoooooom


[Helmets were worn by all participants, no one has a death wish.]