Monday, August 28, 2006

Absynthe Absence

Firstly, I always suspected we I.T. people were special. Now the world knows. Heroic. Who would have thought? I like it.

Anyway, was having trouble as to what to blog about in August. I toyed with the idea of writing about blogging tools, how I've started using Sage, a RSS reader plugin for Firefox. It is soooo cool and makes reading blogs and newspapers so easy. Try it. Really easy to install. Once you install it, you can use a sample OPML file I made up, ie. a file which contains a list of RSS feeds. You need to download the OPML file onto your computer, then from your FF browser, when you enable Sage (Tool->Sage), under Options, there is a OPML Import/Export feature. Import this file which you've just saved. I've added all the current reviewers (active and otherwise) from WDCOF, for lack of anything better. Sorry, no adult material. I think. Let me double check. Yup, none. But thought better of it than to blog about this.

Then I thought of something really really amazing and incredibly funny, at which point I fell asleep and now I cannot remember what it was that was so amazing and funny which I should blog about.

So resorting to that last bastion of the infrequent (but regular, at least monthly) blogger, I'm now doing my second MeMe, courtesy of the tattooed Ukulele, she of the Piadana slowfood review fame.


1. Three things that scare me:
Heights (a newly discovered phenomena)
The melting ice shelves
The PM not giving a shit.



2. Three people that make me laugh.
G.O.B. from Arrested Development.
Seinfeld
My smart-ass kid

3. Three things I hate the most
Ignorance
Stupidity
Greed

4. Three things I don't understand
How some people can get re-employed
How can every single one of Howards ministers lack something, compassion, brains, heart. Sort of like the cast of Wizard of Oz.
Israel (I wasnt even tempted to write down 'Women').


5. Three things I'm doing right now
Lying in bed, noting lateness of night.
Making mental note of things I still need to do.
Procrastinating.



6. Three things I want to do before I die.
See the Barrier Reef (I wonder which one will die first)
Go to Legoland.
See my daughter grow up to be a balanced individual (unlike her mother, ok, joke.)


7. Three things I can do
Play racquet sports well.
Flip a coin and catch it behind my back.
Burn food.


8. Three ways to describe my personality
Modesty will not allow me to complete this one.


9. Three things I can't do
Swim
Look more than 3 moves ahead in chess.
Draw legibly.


10. Three things I think you should listen to
Fiona Apple. I am sure subl will agree with me on this one.
Peter Singer
Me


11. Three things you should never listen to
People/Organisations voicing inciting hate/intolerance (Bolt? Zemanek? Jones?).
Newscorp.
The other voices in your head.


12. Three things I'd like to learn
To speak Mandarin
Meditate (and with that the ability to really concentrate)
To swim.

13. Three favourite foods
Sweet and sour pork (childhood affliction)
Indian Dhal curry.
Iranian chicken kebabs.

14. Three beverages I drink regularly
Water
Fruit Juice
Milo


15. Three shows I watched as a kid
Sapphire and Steel
Banana Splits (Siiiiiiiiize of an elephant)
M.A.S.H.

16. Three people I'm tagging (to do this)
Anyone who sees this. OK. Maybe pomgirl, maybe Camera, maybe Husky, maybe Bekk, maybe Bevis, maybe Steph, maybe CB, maybe Justine, maybe Mel, maybe Susanne, maybe YOU!

23 comments:

Pomgirl said...

Does this mean you can think two moves ahead in chess? I'm jealous.

ChickyBabe said...

The only thing I don't like about Sage is that it doesn't update automatically.

And this CB has done that meme (too lazy to link)!

Chai said...

pg : no, no, no... it says I cant see 3 moves ahead. Actually, I cant do 2 either, but the above statement still holds true :-) I didnt want to seem like a complete dork by putting down '2'. Image is everything.

cb : good point. I sometimes use RSSOwl but prefer the Sage layout.

Susanne said...

Ok, that's two people that have tagged me to do this now!

I'll do it at work tomoz Chai.

P.S. Hope you are well :)

Steph said...

Jebus. Tagged again! Tis like an arrow to the heart ;)

Nicely memed Chai, I feel like i know you a little better. Just a little mind you. You're a mystery wrapped in an enigma....or maybe that's the other way around...?

Chai said...

Suss : 2 people? Who? Who? Who is this other interloper? Let me at 'em.

Steph : Know me better? Not possible seeing that I dont know myself. Well, kind of. Sort of.

Travis Cotton said...

a nice insight. i too share the true talent of burning food.

susanna said...

precisely chai! we might as well have written the same meme - bolt, jones, laws, zemanek et al should never be listened to. rock on.

Chai said...

Cool... a millionaire dropped in! Welcome to my world, new bestie friend.

And susanna, these people need to be controversial. Otherwise, it is professional death. I guess some people are comfortable living with the idea that they generate discord and tension. B*stards. I'd place a curse of unhappiness on them, if I could do such a thing. But they're probably unhappy as it is, I reckon.

obtuse-a said...

tried, couldn't do it

i prefer to watch

Melba said...

8. you could have put down NEGATIVE characteristics.

like i did. for some reason.

nice list.

the banana splits were ace.

Chai said...

Thanks for the effort, obtusa. You are probably not narcissistic enough.

mg, I leave the put-downs to others.

Susanne said...

Chai- I hope you learn to swim. It's fun and good exercise, and doing laps can be quite medatative.

And once you swim you can go surfing which is also really, really fun.

BEVIS said...

I've done this meme already, too. But thank you. :)

Chai said...

suss : awww mannnnn... my resolve to swim is weakening....

debs : I did mean to tag you. Regd the gobbledeegook, apologies. I make too many assumptions.

Basically, I am saying you should use the firefox browser (instead of M$ Internet Explorer). And if you do do that, and you read blogs, you should install Sage, a RSS reader for the blogs. ie. it will show you when there is a new post so you dont have to keep polling the blog. Finally, I'd included a sample list of blog URLS in the sample OPML file, which import into Sage. Of course you can change the list but I put one up just as a leg up. Hope this was more coherent.

Jay said...

Legoland? Really?

Hope you're well and not staying away for too much longer!

Chai said...

Legoland? Yes, Legoland. I have been visiting. Just incognito, that's all. Maybe I lose some blogging mojo.

Autumn Storm said...

No popping by Legoland without coming to see me!
It's a lovely place, haven't been for a while myself.

Mel said...

I'll do it ... dang you and your crafty 'maybe'! :)

meva said...

I am a big fan of Peter Singer. I'd really like to be able to construct an argument to it's logical conclusion. Instead, I usually start crying.

Chai said...

a.s. : For sure!!

mel, I dont see anything! :-)

meva : P.S. brain is like Spock, I think.

gigglewick said...

When I was 2 my mother told me after we moved to the country that "The Banana Splits isn't on television anymore".

She was lying.

Lucky for me I tumbled her game and irritated her daily with the charming la la la, la la la la, la la la, la la la la etc.

Chai said...

Lying to a 2 year old? Your mummy is cruel. And that melody is timeless.
Sha-la-la, sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la, sha-la-la-la....one banana, two banana, three banana, four...

Look what you've started.