fun

wordle identity

I love this little tool. It’s not only a cool way to look at the things we’re doing, but it’s a great way to talk about clouds, topics, and the ways things are organized.


click image for larger view

I had created a wordle for my flickr tags. It was fun. So I thought it would be fun to take another look at something I’ve been working at as long as my flickr tags (yes, dear reader, I had actually been working on my thesis topic since 2005).

This is only chapter one of my thesis, but it gives a strong overview of the language I use, the concepts I’m dealing with, and the areas of importance within the thesis. I chose that chapter mostly because it doesn’t have the case studies in it, and partly because it’s a great overview of the thesis.

What I like about wordle is that you can also choose the font, colors, and directions of your cloud. And, being the crazy semiotics lover that I am, I think that this says something about what I’m trying to share with you. So I chose tones that are indicative of the tones that are usually associated with my blog, but that are also very natural colors. I chose a font in which everything fits neatly within one another, showing the overlapping concepts, but that is also very easy to read. I chose the 1/2 and 1/2 horizontal/vertical directions because I wanted to show the ways that these concepts fit in neatly with one another.

That’s my interpretation of it. What do you see?

lio-fen-conda-fro-elly-ish-stingray

This little bit of fun, brought to you courtesy of Build Yourself Wild by the New York Zoos and Aquarium, iswild self conglomeration of several bits (click on the image to see the larger size).  You start off creating an image of yourself that is decidedly human (and I tried to get as close to my real self as possible) and then the real fun starts.  You get to add animals parts to your image to create a “wild you.”

What struck me as interesting is that I chose so many animals with the word “lion” in them without really planning it that way.  They just seemed to look good together (to me).  I chose the African Lion mane (male, of course), the Fennee fox ears, the Anaconda snake tongue (isn’t that the coolest thing?), the Giant tree frog arms, the Lion’s mane jelly body, the Lion fish fins, and the stingray tail.  All in all, it’s a fun piece of work (with glasses and all!).

While I’m sure this is meant more for kids (I forwarded it to Willow so she could have some fun), I found it to be a nice diversion from what I am supposed to be doing (rewriting my thesis).

link found via cogdogblog who found it via Chris Betcha.

tagged

I was tagged by Maria who picked me randomly from blog365. That’s the key here. It’s random. I have to talk to random people? Ack! So, here are the rules:

  • Link to the person who tagged you.
  • Leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours.
  • Post the rules on your blog.
  • Share the seven (7) most famous or infamous people you have met. Or go with the original 7 weird things about yourself.
  • Tag 7 random people at the end of your post. Include links to their blogs.
  • Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Given that I’ve only had a few moments with a few famous people, this is going to be a mix ‘n’ match between famous people and weird things about me.

  1. I met Michael Stipe of REM. I think the rest of the band was there, but I can’t remember. I may have had too many shooters that night.
  2. I met Teri Garr. She bought a chocolate chip cookie from me.
  3. I met Christopher Lloyd. He ate lunch at the restaurant I was working in.
  4. I brush my teeth in the shower. I don’t have to worry about making a mess, and I do it while rinsing my hair so that I’m actually saving water (that’s the plan anyway).
  5. I don’t like strawberries, tomatoes, bologna, or hot dogs. There is some weird link to my childhood and having too many of some of these that makes me cringe when I smell them.
  6. I wear skirts more than pants. I like the freedom they give me (these are free-flowing skirts and very comfortable).
  7. I’d rather be barefoot than wear shoes, but I hate to have dirty feet.

Ahem. That’s enough of that. I think my neuroses are coming out (notice the pluraling of that word). :-)

Ok, seven random people. Ugh. I’ll give it a try. I’ll use blog365, too, since those people need things to write about anyway. :-)

  1. blogjem
  2. Chez MRhé
  3. Random Ramblings
  4. Gothic Peach
  5. From Talbots to Target
  6. Fookityfook
  7. Cardiogirl

Whew. That’s done.

Wait! I want you to tell me about a famous or infamous person you’ve met or a weird thing about you in reply to this (I’d prefer the weird but I’ll let you off with meetings). I’m all about sharing the love. Heh.

passages

I saw this at daisies’ site and thought it would be fun to do today (and takes my mind off of things I should be doing).

do you own a gun?
Not really my thang.

what do you think of hot dogs?
Blech. Yuck. Gag. Ummm…in case that didn’t come through, I can’t stand them.

What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
hot tea with cream or vanilla chai or green tea latte

Can you do push-ups?
what are push-ups? heh

What’s your favorite piece of jewelery?
it’s either my watch or my plastic bracelet for the Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona organization

What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex?
are we at war?

Middle name?
maurie

Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:
1. I’m tired to my bones.
2. I need to fast forward the Tivo
3. Dakota isn’t snoring — what’s wrong with this picture?

Name 3 drinks you regularly drink:
1. water
2. tea (hot and cold)
3. diet coke

What time did you wake up today?
The first time? 3am. The second time? 5:04 (yes, I remember the minute)

Current hate?
not really a hater. dislike: I can’t seem to learn the lessons I’m supposed to be learning in life

Favorite place to be?
my home — it’s my sanctuary

Least favourite place to be?
crowded places

Where would you like to go?
I think the better question would be: where wouldn’t I like to go?

Do you own slippers?
Yes, but I never wear them

What shirt are you wearing?
black turtle-neck sweater

Do you burn or tan?
burn, burn, burn

Favorite color(s)?
greens and purples, I think…but I like shades of all colors

Would you be a pirate?
I’m not sure I could be ruthless enough

What is your favorite holiday?
thanksgiving

What songs do you sing in the shower?
whatever is in my head — I’m not partial to any one song

What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
I didn’t really. I had an imaginary friend who guarded me so there was no fear

What’s in your pockets right now?
no pockets — wearing a skirt

Last thing that made you laugh?
My niece making a funny face when she kissed grandpa after dinner tonight

Best bed sheets as a child?
the ones on my bed

Worst injury you’ve ever had?
I’ve never broken anything. I’ve had stitches several times. does my cancer count?

Are your parents still together?
yes — 41 years

Do you wish on shooting stars?
don’t you?

What is your favorite book(s)?
The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker

What is your favourite candy?
dark, dark chocolate

How is the weather outside right now?
dark and cold with a biting wind

What was your first thought this morning when you woke up?
does Dakota need to go out?

How about you?

graphic design tools

In the world of graphic design, nothing can beat Microsoft Paint. Hah, you say? Really? This is the best tool ever made. Forget Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. MS Paint is IT.

It says so right here.

This made me laugh so hard that I just had to share it. I love how the actors pull it off and have such serious demeanors. Or…maybe they really believe it. Heh heh.

a little bit of fun

I’m worn out from driving down and returning from Phoenix, where I spent Thanksgiving with my brother and the fire station he was working at today.

I’ll be writing a bit more on it tomorrow, when I’m not so tired, but two funny things came out of the day.

Tom, one of my brother’s fellow firefighters, showed me some of the Jeff Dunham videos. A bunch of us sat there laughing so hard. This guy is GOOD.

When we went out on a call, four police officers were there. One turns to me and says, “Ma’am, do you know the one thing the police and firefighters have in common?” I say I don’t. He pauses for a moment. The other police officers and the three firefighters that I’m with all look over at us. He replies, “We all want to be firefighters.” It was so funny because of the way he said it (and there was some good-natured ribbing going on between the PFD and the PPD.

More tomorrow.

vrroooom

Better late than never (and if I had this car, it might have been sooner!).

Don’t have much time to write today but wanted to share this. I’m not typically a sports car aficionado. It’s just not my thing. But this car…whew…it makes my heart go pitter-patter. Must be the greenie in me.

Isn’t she sweet?

friday fun, #9

Before I get started on the usual Friday Fun entries, I wanted to share this little article that I found via SF Girl living in the UK that she found in The Guardian. With Dakota getting on in years and the ways that I’m thinking about a future that may not include him because of that, this made me want to love each and every tail wag, lick, and howl all the more.

Are you happy?
Stan Rawlinson, dog behaviourist
Saturday August 25, 2007

I have this habit of breaking bones. I broke my leg in 18 places and partly ripped off my ankle after falling down a collapsed rabbit warren. I ended up in a wheelchair for a while and began studying dog behaviour. Over the years I had been in the armed forces, a musician and worked in sales, but I was never happy. Since working with dogs my wife said I’ve changed completely.

Dogs can feel the stress of owners. The lead is like an aerial and the dog can sense what’s happening through it. Dogs are affected by their owner’s reactions.

I’ve lost my father, my mother, but I was really affected when I lost a young springer spaniel. Next to my desk I have a little coffin-shaped box with a model of him on it and his ashes inside. We had to put him down at five because of bone cancer. I was devastated. I cancelled everything for a week. Before he died I had him with me 48 hours straight. I’m over William but I still get upset thinking about him.

My dogs are an extension of me. When I watch them work and see the pleasure on their faces I feel a sense of reflected happiness.

Humans hold grudges more than any animal. We allow unhappiness because we can’t be like dogs. You can tell a dog off one minute and the next minute you smile and it wags its tail. If we could give absolute love and loyalty to other humans we’d be happier.

Today’s Friday Fun is full of sex (and I’m not so sure it’s all about fun this time) and animals (but not together, thank goodness). Don’t ask me how that happened (and if you think that it is a continuance from last week’s Plant Porn, you didn’t watch that video (which wasn’t really porn anyway but really interesting)). Sex was popping up (pun intended) all over the Internet this week.

making connections
Wouldn’t it suck if you went online to find a connection and found your soulmate? No? It wouldn’t, would it? But what if that soulmate happened to be your in-person partner and you both were out on the ‘Net looking for someone else? That would definitely suck. Or maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe you’d realize that you always had exactly what you had been looking for.

smell me and .com (NSFW)
This is NOT safe for work. I’m not quite sure if Vulva is funny, sad, or disgusting. Is it a parody or the real thing? And how would they get the right scent for each person? I mean, really. We all smell different and what appeals to you may not appeal to me (not that this would be my cup of tea anyway but I’m just sayin’…).

sex sells (NSFW)
We’ve seen women’s bodies used to sell cars, tools, magazines, food, clothing, shoes, and everything in-between. This, however, is more than a little offensive to me. Tom Ford uses sections of a woman to sell his cologne. As if that (or any) cologne would be the only thing needed to get any man between the legs of a woman.

impotence
We’re done talking sex — unless you consider proofreading sexual (and for some of us, that could entirely be the case). The Impotence of Proofreading is one of the funniest videos I’ve watched on YouTube. I think you’ll enjoy it, too.

hooked up pooch
I love Dakota and I love my electronics. But, do I love my dog enough to hook him up with his own cell phone? Maybe. Next on the list: barking ringtones. Oh, oops…the iPhone beat us to that. Darn.

i can meets secret
I’m not a huge fan of the i can has cheezburger movement. I am a big fan of PostSecret and have written about them previously. What happens when you mix silly kittens with super salacious secrets? lolsecretz is what happens. And it is funny.

That is it for fun for this week. I’m on a plane to North Carolina on Sunday to check out two schools.

I’m sorry I’m not a great communicator lately. There is a lot going on. Between trips to schools, finishing my thesis, working, teaching, working on application packets, and trying to spend as much time with my family before I move away in the next year, it has been hard making it all work. I will try to be better at it. Really.

friday fun, #8

Yay!  It’s that time again.  You know you love these.  They make you smile (and darlene, if you made a glitter banner, I may have to … well…I dunno…do something!)  I don’t know how this happened but this week is mostly about video programming.  Huh.

the race
ICTV16 (Ithaca College Television) has been airing a weekly television show called “The Race” that is similar to “The Amazing Race, only taking place only in New York.  Can’t get enough reality?  This is for you.

plant porn
No, I’m not talking about Robert Plant (eeewww…I don’t even want that visual).  Oops.  Did I just date myself?  Reuter’s explains artist Jonathan Keats (ok, that is just a cool name…really) and his plant porn.  You’re curious now, aren’t you?  Here’s a teaser (heh).

sober companion
Just can’t stay away from the uppers, downers, booze, and whatever else ails you?  You may need a sober companion. When a therapist, spa, and AA meeting just aren’t enough, a sober companion can cater to your 24/7 needs.  (If it’s good enough for Owen Wilson, then who am I to judge?)

open-toed
I’m training for a 1/2 marathon that takes place in Phoenix in January.  This is difficult — not because of the walking (because I’m not running but am walking it).  It’s difficult because I don’t really like closed shoes.  Given a choice, my shoes will always be open-toed or open-heeled.  I feel like my feet are in bondage when they are enclosed in shoes (no, I don’t know what foot bondage is like, but that’s what I imagine).  So, imagine my delight when I find Bite Running’s Xtension 3.  It’s a walk made in heaven.

your reads?
There are lots of social networks out there — and more than a few that deal with what you are reading.  Goodreads is a nice one to look into.  Share and recommend what you are reading.

here we go again
A while back  I tweeted about the quarter-life crisis.  Now, the creators of “My So-Called Life,” “Legends of the Fall,” and “Blood Diamond” have created an online television series called…wait…wait…yep, you guessed it, “Quarterlife.”  Girl is told to write what she feels (in her blog) and it causes problems.  Uhhhh…hmmm…blogs are public.  Your friends will see it.  What part of the Internet doesn’t she understand?

That’s it for this week.  Have a good one!