Stolen Inspired by Shakesville's question du jour: If you could live for one day in the imaginary world of any TV show, which would you choose?

There are some pretty good choices in the comment thread, starting off with my gut reaction (lol, at first I typed "git reaction." Seems appropriate) of DOCTOR WHO. I also liked the commenter who said the Rachel Maddow Show because in her mind Rachel Maddow is her bff.

So? Bonus points if your choice *isn't* because you want to make out with a character. More bonus points if it *is* about making out with a character, but I agree with you.

After Doctor Who (come on, TARDIS! Also, you could seriously stretch the definition of "one day." And I claim my bonus points since the Doctor is infamous for NOT making out with his companions!) I'd probably go with Bones, since that stuff is cool and the banter is unmatched (and because there's actual science on the show.) Also Kim Posible or Justice League because I want to be a superhero. Or Star Trek: Voyager, because (and I'm sure this will make some of you never speak to me again) Janeway is teh roxor (also Seven of Nine, but everyone likes her!) Oh! and Wishbone! Definitely wouldn't go for a Jossverse series though, he'd kill me off in three seconds flat.

Also X-Men so I can smack Gambit around and then make out with him. Hey, I don't have to play by my own rules.

find out how dull your life actually is! copy the list and bold the things you've done.
( memes awaaaaay )

i heard about this research this morning on 60-second science. basically they're trying to determine whether people's implicit beliefs are different from their stated beliefs. their test pool is a bit self-selecting, in the sense that if you want to you can go to the project website and take the tests yourself. it's actually pretty fun, each one takes 10-15 minutes which is about right for a break for me. and it turns out i have no implicit association of math or language with a particular gender, so that's good ;)

anyway, it's kinda nifty, kinda fun, and it helps someone with their research! what more could you ask for?

you are lightseagreen #20B2AA

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is higher than average - You know what you want, but sometimes know not to tell everyone. You value accomplishments and know you can get the job done, so don't be afraid to run out and make things happen. Your outlook on life is brighter than most people's. You like the idea of influencing things for the better and find hope in situations where others might give up. You're not exactly a bouncy sunshine but things in your world generally look up.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

creepy mostly because lightseagreen was the color of my original editthispage!

via i_knowkungfu

What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03) created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Existentialism Your life is guided by the concept of Existentialism: You choose the meaning and purpose of your life. “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.” “It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” --Jean-Paul Sartre “It is man's natural sickness to believe that he possesses the Truth.” --Blaise Pascal More info at Arocoun's Wikipedia User Page... Existentialism 90% Utilitarianism 70% Justice (Fairness) 60% Hedonism 55% Strong Egoism 55% Kantianism 55% Apathy 35% Nihilism 15% Divine Command 0%

sophomore year of college i took a class in modern european fiction (sorry jon!) in which we read nausea by sartre. i didn't wholly understand existentialism as explained either by the book or the prof. it seemed like an unnecessarily depressing philosophy-- the world is meaningless, all things are contingent blah blah blah. i quipped, at the time, that things matter because i say they matter (picture me stamping my foot here), and thus i'm too much of a bitch to be an existentialist.

well, thanks to a combination of the intervening 6 years, joss whedon, and more time spent thinking about such things than i had to spare in college, i think i get it. we come to the same philosophy from two different directions, sartre and i. he comes from that depressing meaningless place that turned me off-- the place where you look at objects, realize that their only meaning to you comes from your own experience, further realize that this is due to the universe not caring about you. sartre sees this as the source of individual autonomy and free will, and it terrifies him-- the pressure of that much decision-making seems intolerable.

really, it's the overall negativity of the existentialists i've been exposed to (with the noted exception of the illustrious mr. whedon) that's so off-putting to me. in general i don't see the point of philosophies that make one miserable (i guess that's the 70% utilitarian talking). i certainly don't feel "condemned" to freedom (well, most of the time)-- i've always thought of free will as something to be grateful for. these days, i seem to have a nebulous idea of "meaning" kind of like... i don't know, mass. objects have meaning, but it is up to us individually to define that for themselves. it seems a bit odd now that i try to articulate it. it's as if sartre demands the building of meaning from the ground up, but i see it more as a big chunk of play-dough that you get to shape for yourself. i wonder if that's either a cause or an effect of my vague feelings about religion-- maybe i'm predisposed to think there's meaning since g_d put it there. hm. time to sort out some strings in my head, apparently.

sorry for yet another "robin rambles for three paragraphs and then just stops without a conclusion because she doesn't have one and doesn't exactly outline her blog posts before she starts them."

ETA from AIM theater this afternoon:

me: i enjoy that apathy is a philosophy
jon: meh

Which sci-fi crew would you best fit in with? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Serenity (Firefly) You like to live your own way and don't enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you. Serenity (Firefly) 81% Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica) 75% Moya (Farscape) 56% Heart of Gold (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) 56% Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) 56% Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) 56% Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) 56% Enterprise D (Star Trek) 50% SG-1 (Stargate) 44% Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix) 38% Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda) 38% FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files) 25% Bebop (Cowboy Bebop) 25%

on a related note: this? badass. (possible spoilers for bsg season 4-- i dont know if they're spoilers because i havent watched any of s4 yet!)

just listened to a really interesting piece on an npr podcast about a project by smith magazine: six word memoirs. it's based on a challenge once given to ernest hemmingway to write an entire story in six words (he wrote: "for sale: baby shoes, never worn." in the rain.)

it's interesting what you can get across in six words. the editors of the compilation talked about how six seems to be a magic number-- three pairs, two sets of three, six-word sentences. the results are a little hypnotic, almost haiku-like. it's kind of zen to try to distill one's existence into six words, really. a lot of the examples on the site and in the book are quite emotional, but my favorite so far is: "Planned world domination. Not there yet."

i've come up with several (does it count if i write forty-seven six-word memoirs?), below the cut. i encourage you all to try it-- you don't have to post anything, but it's an interesting exercise regardless. kind of like my continued (failed) attempts to come up with a "this i believe" essay.

( anyway, away we go.... )

working feverishly on making pretty figures (after more or less chucking all the ones i made back in april/may) and trying to get together an abstract and title to submit for m&i retreat. paused briefly after sending off my most recent figure drafts to take yet another silly quiz. but i thought a lot of youalls might enjoy taking it as well, so here 'tis:

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader   You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

stolen from metalcrowe, a funny but difficult meme:

Go to IMDb.com and look up 5 of your favorite movies. Post three interesting IMDb "Plot Keywords" for these 5 picks. Have your friends guess the movies.

1. beautician, ice, p**** enlarger [editted to avoid search engines, you know what it is] real genius, jonandandrea

2. midlife crisis, robot as menace, manic laughter the incredibles, jonandandrea

3. horse, marbles, spanking also: ladder animal house, jonandandrea

4. shot in the butt, overprotective parent, dancing on table 10 things i hate about you, jonandandrea

5. serial killer, communal dining hall, presumed dead harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban, therockdiva

because i can never play by the rules,

6. cake, diction lessons, squeaky voice singin' in the rain, seeinginmenow

7. wheel, moaning, batting cage when harry met sally, therockdiva

maybe not my 7 most favorite movies of all time (i can't think hard enough to narrow that down) so just 7 i thought of off the top of my head. ready go!

whoopsies, forgot to follow through with my part of the deal on the penguin's meme....

-----comment and i will------
1 - Tell you why I friended you.
2 - Associate you with something. A fandom, a song, a colour, a piece of fruit. SOMETHING.
3 - Tell you something I like about you.
4 - Tell you a memory I have of you.
5 - Associate you with a character/pairing.
6 - Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
7 - Tell you my favorite user pic of yours.
8 - In return, you must spread this disease in your LJ.

heroes (nbc) personality test (since i can't resist a quiz, or anything relating to heroes...). my result below, a little surprising at first, but i think it makes sense upon consideration...

( clickie to find out who i am! )

but i actually feel worse today than i have for the last 2-3 weeks. i can barely move without significant effort, yet i have a to-do list a mile long. i got up at 9, went to the house brunch thing at 10 (free bagels and donuts? i'm THERE), came home at 10:30, went to sleep, and got roused at 1:30 since i originally planned to go to work and set up overnight cultures, but realized i can just push that back one day. i feel guilty, but i'm kind of using it as a test case.

anyway, before i make an attempt to pay attention long enough to finish this week's cs homework, quick meme (i think megan posted a similar one, but you all know i'm incapable of passing up one of these things), from carol via trish:

Four jobs I have had in my life: medical specimen sorter, house waiter, theater usher, grad student
Four Movies I would watch over and over: the incredibles, pirates of the caribbean, romy and michelle's high school reunion, singin' in the rain
Four places I have lived: livermore, pasadena and stanford, ca; duncanville, tx
Four TV shows I like to watch: (going with currently-airing tv shows, since if i included the ones on dvd i couldnt hold myself to 4) heroes, smallville (though if it doesnt get better soon i'm going to pretend it ended after season 5), ugly betty, 30 rock
Four places I have been on vacation: seattle, new york city (twice), looooong driving trip to ohio (visited basically everything between there and california), hawaii (mostly maui)
Four of my favorite foods: special spaghetti, round table or real new york pizza (dammit, jon!), peppermint ice cream, sal's chile (or chicken enchiladas, same ingredients, different arrangement)
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. eating bagels with friends on the little grassy knoll outside the noahs at lake and california in pasadena, the weekend before classes start
2. on the early morning tram from the parking lot to disneyland
3. livermore high auditorium either during dress rehearsal or just before a ballet show
4. teaching sal how to snorkel in maui

it's been a while and jon suggested i post the answers to the songs that werent guessed. and im bored and sleepy but not ready for bed, so here we go.

13. Yo when I hit it I hit L shift O to the quote and then dollar, if you know the dir of the nerdcore rhyme you holler - "penny arcade theme" - mc frontalot (nerd ho!)

23. Where are we? What the hell is going on? - "hide and seek" - imogen heap (one of my current favorites)

24. Don't want to be second best, don't want to stand in line, don't want to fall behind - "miniature disasters" - kt tunstall (one of my current themesongs)

33. I'll fake it through the day with some help from Johnny Walker Red - "miss misery" (from good will hunting) - elliot smith

35. Missed the last train home - "eyes" (from heroes) - rogue wave (peter got partial credit for identifying where he'd heard it!)

so there. yay woo.

blatantly stolen from poor, innocent metalcrowe, whose list humbled me greatly.

Me: Take the first lines of the first twenty non-repeating-artist non-instrumental songs off iTunes (or whatever you've got) that don't have their title in the first line.

You: Guess the song title (and if you're feeling ambitious, the artist)

[ive made two lists because i had such fun going through my library. also, ricky, be nice and give everyone else a head start!]

( easier list )

( harder list )