Terza Rima

Am I feeling lazy today? Yes. I was going to post something theological and ask a crazy question, but I'll save that for another day. So for now, take this quiz to find out which poetry form you are. The link is in this post. Here's my result. I've never even heard of this form before in my life.

I'm terza rima, and I talk and smile. Where others lock their rhymes and thoughts away I let mine out, and chatter all the while. I'm rarely on my own - a wasted day Is any day that's spent without a friend, With nothing much to do or hear or say. I like to be with people, and depend On company for being entertained; Which seems a good solution, in the end.

And apparently if I weren't this terza rima thing, I'd be "blank verse." And I do know what blank verse means.
Enjoy, and please post your results (just copy/paste the text that here appears in the pink box, and then tell us what it said you'd be if you weren't what it claled you. If that sounds too complicated, just post what it said you were, and what it said you would be if you weren't the first thing. (So if I were posting abbreviated I'd say "terza rima - or blank verse."

Good day and God bless.

10 Fun Facts from Wikipedia

The following crazy facts come from Wikipedia, an open-source encyclopedia. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/ for the encyclopedia itself and that free documentation license thing I'm supposed to link to. Any "links" within these facts have been deleted (the http://en.wikipedia.org links still work, though.)

1. "The American Dialect Society chose the verb to google as the 'most useful word of 2002.'" (Italics mine)

2. The fictional Glass family appears in many of J.D. Salinger's short stories.

3. The American version, at least, of role-playing game Chrono Trigger has three characters named Ozzie, Flea, and Slash. Each name references a rock star.

4. "Four can be used as an obscenity in some technologically adept circles, replacing the common word for fornication."

5. The game name Final Fantasy came about because the author believed he would be retiring once the game was completed.

6. The hip-hop song "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang samples the classic Chic tune "Good Times," and the "Good Times" bassline helped inspire Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust."

7. Mohandas Gandhi is said to have been influenced by Catholic author G.K. Chesterton.

8. "The odor of sweat is actually caused by bacteria thriving in hot, humid environments."

9. The name [of Urban-Legend Website] snopes comes from the name of a family in the works of writer William Faulkner.

10. Catholic Author J.R.R. Tolkein contributed to the Jerusalem Bible.

Post-Thanksgiving-Break Blog

Thanksgiving Break is drawing rapidly to a close, and I will go back to UP. Things I hope to work on in the next couple of weeks:

Study habits.
Study habits.
Study habits.

I've made some progress in the area, but overall I think I could use a bit more. Hopefully I'll have some good habits established by next semester, will set higher goals and reach them, etc.

Thanksgiving Break was good. I got to see Chris, Trisha and Rachel back from college this week. They all seem to be doing pretty well at their places, and they've got a lot of the same stresses I do. The day after I got to go to Thanksgiving at my Grandma's (as in Nana-Grandma's) house, which was fun. Much of the family was there for fun and games and food and stuff.

Good day / God bless.

BHC Tonight, and Wow I'm Excited

I get to back to De La Salle North Catholic tonight for Beverage House Catastrophe, an event I feel a special connection to because I helped to start the thing. I seriously trust the people in charge of it (although the one I've actually worked with on it before is sick) and am looking foward to a great event. And now, on to comments on the last post. For purposes of context I'll re-quote Irving's passage in neat Courier font, then proceed to commentage.

“And always the prettiest girl got to play [the Virgin] Mary. “WHAT DOES PRETTY HAVE TO DO WITH IT?” Owen asked. “WHO SAYS MARY WAS PRETTY?”

nana said: what is the matter with you, Daniel? Too much studying? Of course Mary was the prettiest girl in Nazarath. She was also blonde and blue eyed. She was the head cheerleader for Nazareth High and was of course Homecoming Queen. Oh yes. She was born in the USA.

p.s. her dad was a CEO of a major corporation.

That made me laugh. Out loud, even, I think.

k-po said: it is irony because she probably wasn't a virgin

In the actual book, the character probably is (they're about middle-school aged then, as I recall.) However it is still a funny thing to note that the girls who wind up playing Mary probably often end up not being virgins, or becoming not-virgins before they become not-unmarrieds...Wow, that was an odd sentence.

k-po said: when will we see you again? you are not going to the soccer game on friday? what kind of school spirit do you have? can i go to beverage house with you? oh i forgot i have children. good luck with your papers etc.

I am not going to the soccer game on Friday. I will be missing a school playoff game, but my logic is thus: I've been planning on BHC for at least a month. This game was just scheduled a week or so ago. I'm going to BHC, because it was there first. And because I actually want to be there more. Papers are either in or getting turned in today.

l-po said: Ah, yes, THE VOICE! We have an adage that tells us "pretty is as pretty does." Studies have shown that people tend to think that pretty people are nice and unattractive people not so nice. Be glad you're handsome.

(For those of you who haven't read Owen Meany, "the voice" refers to the way Owen's dialogue is--always capitalized, to emphasize his strange voice.) Studies really show that? I should be glad rather that the people I hang with don't judge others like that, or at least don't do it so much. I can't think of myself as handsome, sorry...it'd be too weird.

Anyway, on to turning in my paper and then the Philosophy Table! I will blog again later! Until then, good day and God bless.

3/4ths of the Way to Post 100!

Yo, everybody. I'm posting because I haven't in a couple of days just to say how stuff's going. Academically this is my worst week of the semester, sans possibly finals week, because this week I have two major papers due. Thankfully the Spanish paper is finished, and the English paper has been looked at in the writing lab. Now I basically have to make some corrections on English, revise it a bit, and turn it in by 5:00 PM Friday. Then I get to celebrate by visiting De La Salle North Catholic High School for Beverage House Catastrophe. Sweet stuff.

Also, a Physics test on Friday. That's the worst part. Hmm. I should talk to my parents about the possibility of staying out a ridiculous amount of time in Beaverton, for mud football and Pastor Matt's college group. (I hope you're all listening--this could be the one none-break Sunday this semester I can afford to do mud football, and there is none of that on Thanksgiving break.)

Now back to my Physics homework. Bye, y'all, and God bless. I leave you with a quotation from John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany. I encourage the discussion thereof:

“And always the prettiest girl got to play [the Virgin] Mary. “WHAT DOES PRETTY HAVE TO DO WITH IT?” Owen asked. “WHO SAYS MARY WAS PRETTY?”

D.Lo Responds to Post Comments (Part 53)

nana said: thanks for the quiz. i love quizzes.

i am an O53 / C89 / E9 / A71 / N76

At least now you know where you get your neuroticism.Did you notice that spells ocean? I wonder what that means? [...] by the way. your 52 blog. the person who responded that if you didn't write so often.....makes me think maybe you are practicing to be an oregonian columnist who HAS to write every day.just a thought.

I think it's just an acronym to represent the five right-spectrum traits. As for the thought on practicing to be an Oregonian columnist...I don't think I could do that, really. I wouldn't have enough to write about.

l-po said: Okay, here you go ...O - 93 / C - 64 / E - 1 / A - 17 / N - 71
Does it sound like your mother?

Yes. You're much more open to new stuff than I am, in the least, and the level of neuroticism's...about right. Not sure if it's -quite- that high.

k-po: I'm a O7-C79-E22-A10-N55 Big Five!!
Auntie K.

I'm not sure if you're quite as closed-minded as the thing says...The other ones seem fairly accurate, though.

llgp: McGee, that was rather fun, if not especially surprising. I ended up with O12-C89-E42-A44-N22. I think the first and the last one might both be a little exaggerated than is true when I think about them. Otherwise, though, it seems fairly accurate.Like the Joker asked regarding Batman, "Where does he get all those wonderful toys?"

If by wonderful toys you mean polls, this one I heard about some peeps having to take for Sociology/Psychology, or osmething. I'm not sure you're quite so relaxed as the thing says, either...the accuracy of that O depends on which experience.

I'll also be linking to one (probably tomorrow) regarding morality...There's also a personality test there, the exact same one, -but- the morality test itself is different and seems fairly spot-on when I look at myself.

Takin' a Poll

I'm" a O47-C3-E74-A10-N76 Big Five!!

Take the quiz. It was fairly accurate with me. I'm not sure if I'm quite as disagreeable as I rated, but I do sometimes find it too easy to criticize people. And I do have a fair measure of neurosis (not clinical I'm sure, but in general.)

Enjoy, and please post your results in comments!