The Syndicate

A Person wrote: I remember reading Logan's posts on PA.

What did they say?

A Person wrote:
thellama73 wrote:If you could live in any period of history, when would you live?
I am unoriginal and have to say the present, modern technology makes life a lot easier than it used to be.

If technology is so great, why not say something like the year 3009? Technology will probably be even better then.

If you could live in any period of history, when would you live?

Alrught, let's go with MattMatt.

Everyone interrogate MattMatt!

MattMatt, what is your favorite type of soup?
Do you have any desire to climb a mountain, and if so, which one?
Would you rather be a really amazing blues singer, but from a time before recoding devices so no one in future generations would know, or a mediocre modern singer whose work will be preserved forever?

I need a new volunteer for this room please!

It's time to interrogate MetalMarsh, so do that now, please.

To anyone who has made it thirty years without learning who the Beatles are, let me take this opportunity to say "you have wasted your life, and it is too late for you to ever catch up."

Roxy wrote: Do you know who the Beatles are?

Have you ever seen the color red? Have you ever tasted food? Are you aware of your own existence?

What a question, Roxy!

BoatsBoatsBoats wrote:Have you heard of a band called The Magmas?

They are just called Magma.

If you like the Mars Volta, you are not transsexual (female). Girls hate prog. Fact.

What is your favorite word that rhymes with "boats?"

Oh, I almost forgot.

It's now the turn of BoatsBoatsBoats!

Let me know if you want to be next.

FZ. wrote:If an alien came to visit earth, and you were his host, where would you take him?

I hope he answers "to the government for prompt vivisection."

Turnip Head wrote: I've not watched much anime. I want to get into it, but have no idea which types of anime I would enjoy, and no idea where to start.
Adobe Reader
Husky

Someone mentioned Sailor Moon to me today and it caused such a bizarre flashback. Just twenty years ago, anime was virtually unknown in America and Sailor Moon was most people of my generation's first exposure to it. That seems so strange now that it has become so commonplace.

Lizzy wrote::O I missed Llama.

I missed you too, Lizzy.

Why don't you like turnips?
What is your favorite root vegetable?
What's your starsign?
Rank the following statements in order of most plausible to least plausible:
- Martial arts are an effective form of self-defense
- Nutritionists know what the hell they are talking about
- Chiropractic is a legitimate branch of medicine
- We're all going to perish due to catastrophic anthropogenic climate change sometime in the indeterminate future. But soon. Definitely soon.
- We can all be made richer by simply printing and distributing little slips of paper with numbers written on them.

What's your favorite short story?
At what age do you expect to die?
If we were at a bar and I said I would get the first round, what would you order?
Which is the best ocean?
How long is a piece of string?

Turnip Head wrote:Novels allow for the author to meander through meaningless subplots and pointless description, it's easy to lose sight of the true story.

Hey now, I LIKE meaningless subplots and pointless description!

The long nightmare of me having to debate a bunch of women's libber hippies (

) is over.

It is now the turn of:

Turnip Head.

Ask him questions.

If you would like to be next in the interrogation room or to nominate someone else, please send me a PM.

FZ. wrote: Really? Why? Where would you choose?

The United States is currently the lesser of 196 evils, but I wouldn't mind staying a while in Wales either.

FZ. wrote:
thellama73 wrote:
FZ. wrote:Glad to know that you're doing things you believe in, but don't forget you and I live in democratic regimes.
I know. It's a real shame.
I know. If I had the choice, I'd want to live in North Korea.

That's an odd preference. I have to say I disagree with you there.

FZ. wrote:Glad to know that you're doing things you believe in, but don't forget you and I live in democratic regimes.

I know. It's a real shame.

bea wrote: Also - I enjoyed the spirited debate and hope I wasn't too off putting. :o

YOu could never be off-putting, bea.

Elohcin wrote:Logan, did you go to college, which one? As you were homeschooled, what documentation did you use to get yourself into a college? I'm sure you took the SAT. Did you have an official diploma somehow? If not, did you find that made it difficult when applying to college? Sorry for all the technical questions I just thought it would be a good time to ask you this as you know we homeschool. We do not/will not pay for an accredited homeschool program (SO CRAZY EXPENSIVE) that will track grades and offer an official diploma.

My parents were required to keep curriculum records and assign grades for everything me and my sister did that could have counted as education. I then took the SAT, and I guess those things were enough. I don't remember an official diploma, just submitting a portfolio of work I had done. I only applied for one school (early application) and got in, so I guess it wasn't too difficult. Things have probably changed a lot since thene though. It was 13 years ago.

I got a bachelors degree in Russian and East European Studies from Oberlin College, then a bachelor's in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music, then a master's in Economics from Georgia State University.

juliets wrote: Anyway, lol this thread has really made a turn though its been fun reading.

Don't worry. My turn is over tomorrow and we can return to less inflammatory topics.

FZ. wrote: And I don't know if it was on purpose or not, but you missed my questions

Oh sorry, I meant to get to those and forgot.

FZ. wrote: If you'd been in a position where everyone around you engaged in"crimes against humanity" (Nazi Germany for example), do you think you would act differently? When you're being honest with yourself, would you actively take part, do what you had to to keep yourself out of trouble, or actively go against it no matter the risk to yourself?

If the situation wasn't one that had you involved in a crime, but rather witness one, like the Genovese case in the sixties, do you think you would have "suffered" from the bystander syndrome, or would you have been the one that actually did something about it?

It's really hard to put myself in that position and predict what I would do. I don't think I would participate in crimes against humanity, and I think I would fight against them. In a small way, that's what I think I am doing in my career: standing up to a government that claims the right to kill its citizens without trial, to spy on them without warrants, and to rob them of the fruits of their labor.

Regarding the bystander situation, I kind of doubt I would do that much, if I am being totally honest.

Oh, and I don't agree that nothing is black or white. :P

bea wrote: how does it not have to do with rights?

Because you don't have a right to a certain wage. People always forget that employment is nothing more than a voluntary exchange for mutual benefit. An employer buys your labor because it benefits them, you sell your labor because it benefits you. A company hiring you to perform a service in an office is no different than you hiring someone to cut your hair.

Suppose two barbers open up shop on the same street at the same time, a man and a woman, and that they charge the same price. Suppose further that for whatever reason, most people choose to hire the man. Maybe they like him better, maybe they think he does a better job, maybe they are sexist. Maybe some other reason. The woman knows that she could get more customers by lowering her prices, but does she have a right to earn the same as the man? In other words, does she have the right to force customers to patronize her business, at a price dictated by her, against their wills? To me, such a proposition is absurd, and yet this is exactly what is proposed in the case of office jobs.

bea wrote:re bolded part 1 I don't under stand how this is a bogus statisic? the fact that women make less per hour than men do per hour for each job they do is WELL documented. If I'm missing studies that prove that wrong over the past 20 plus yeasrs PLEASE give me links. I'd LOVE to hear that women are getting a bit more in paychecks than men are for the same job.

The "women make 70% of men" statistic that is trotted out on cable news shows comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and is calculated by simply comparing the average age of ALL women who work to that of ALL men who work. You are making all kinds of unwarranted assumptions about the types of jobs these people have, the amount of experience, the amount of education, and myriad other factors that determine wages. You could do the same analysis by comparing the average wage of 18-year-olds to 40-year-olds, and conclude that there is widespread, institutionalized ageism. Of course, it is easy to see why that would be wrong.

Think about what you are alleging for a minute. If it were really possible to pay women 70% of what men make for doing the same job, then you are claiming that every company in America is willfully passing up vast savings on payroll by hiring so many men. You are claiming that every company in America cares more about being sexist than about making profits. You are claiming that every business that goes bankrupt because they couldn't meet payroll COULD have saved themselves by replacing their male employees with females at a fraction of the cost, but didn't because they just hate women that much. Do you really believe that?

bea wrote:re bold the second. I'm flat out not kosher with what you just said. It implies that every woman that says she is raped is not kosher. It also implies that every woman who's ever said she was raped was awarded every bit of court findings she should be awarded AND OR/MAY have been given those findings because SOLEY they were women. . When you and I BOTH know "she asked for it." is just as much a defense that men make that's bullshitty as anything a woman does.

It doesn't imply any of those things. In any case, I merely gave those examples to show that the caricature of men as unilateral oppressors of women is not fair, and that all people are at times the subject of injustice.

I hope you are not offended by anything I posted, FZ. I really do like and respect you, and I simply enjoy spirited debate.

FZ. wrote: A. I disagree on the numbers being wrong, but I see no point in arguing about this any further, because we won't settle it.
Why do you disagree about the numbers? Is it because you have researched it and know how the number is calculated? Because I have and I do.

B. All men that make more than women, are just better at their jobs. Sure.
That is not remotely what I said, and you know it.

C. While I agree that if a men asks for a raise and gets it and a women who doesn't, doesn't get it, it's not prejudice, I think the deeper, culturally important question is why do more men ask for a raise and women don't. If it's because they fear the consequences, that's a problem. Moreover, just because women didn't ask to have the right to vote back when they couldn't, didn't make it right, just as it wasn't right for minorities to not have the same opportunities as whites.
I agree with your last sentence. The rest of your post is speculation. Why would you assume that women are afraid to ask for a raise? (or more importantly, legitimately afraid. If they are afraid for no reason, that is not discrimination.)

D. Since men can't get pregnant yet, it will always be the women who will be the more "risky" investment. But if we expect human kind to have continuity and families to grow, we have to give women the same opportunities and benefits we give men, more so, since women are already paying a higher personal price in their careers for being those who give birth.
I completely agree that women should have the same opportunities and benefits as men. I am not disputing that. I am disputing bad math and bad statistics that casts women in the role of perpetual victims when we don't actually have much evidence for that being the case.

FZ. wrote: 1. Were you home schooled? Would you do that again if you had the choice (assuming you didn't, back then)?
Yep! I did have the choice, and would absolutely do it again. It was awesome.

2. Skeptical of empiricism? hmm, so what would you use instead?
Logic. Observation is of course necessary as well, but the way statistical models are used are very easily manipulated to get the result you want.

3. Haha, to my typo. Sorry. Why would you eat something you hate?
So that he would not be around any more to spread his ideas.

4. But basically, if you have a man and a woman in the same position and one makes 2/3 of the other, I'd say that qualifies as injustice and prejudice.
But that 2/3rds number isn't true, and even if it were, it depends on what you mean by "the same position." There are many factors that influence pay. If the man asks for a raise and gets it because he asked, and the woman doesn't ask for a raise and doesn't receive one, is that prejudice? I don't think so. If the woman and the man have the same job title, but one does a better job than the other, is it unjust to pay them differently? I don't think so. If they have the same job title, but one has expressed the desire to quit work and raise a family, is it unjust for the employer to pay less for an investment that won't be as likely to pay off? I don't think so. The truth is we don't know the specifics of these situations, and we don't know the reasons behind pay differences.

FZ. wrote: What type of group would you say you associated yourself with in high school? Were you an outsider or a part of the popular circles?
I didn't go to high school, but I was a pretty introverted kid. I had a few friends but mostly kept to myself or hung out with my sister.

If you weren't a writer, what would you do? or like to do even if you're not skilled for it?
I tried to be a composer for a while. I would have liked to do that, because music is great.

what would you like to learn that you haven't yet?
God, everything. Chemistry, about fifty languages, architecture, painting, botany, medicine, and on and on.

Is there a research question that you'd like to study or explore?
Not really. As an economist, I have done a lot of this sort of thing and the conclusion it has led me to is to be skeptical of empiricism.

Who would you rather meat for lunch: Karl Marx, or Bill Gates?
I am going to take your typo literally and say I would eat Karl Marx, because Communism is my most hated thing in the whole world.

Oh, and a comment about an answer you gave Bea earlier: I think women, even though they've come a long way in terms of rights, still make less money compared to men in the same position, are far less likely to be in high ranks and management positions in almost all fields, even though they constitute at least 50% of the population, so saying there's been progress is one thing, but saying we've reached equality in opportunities and rights is another, and is sadly wrong.
Just wanted to throw my two cents.
That's fine. I disagree. There are still people who discriminate against women, true, but there are also people who discriminate against men, or white people, or Americans. No one is ever going to be totally free from prejudice. The "women make less than men for doing the same job" is a bogus statistic, just drawn from comparing the average wages of men and women, which says nothing about "the same job." There may be reasons other than discrimination that fewer women are in management positions. I think it is wrong to assume discrimination without evidence.

It's important to acknowledge that there are areas where women have vast institutional advantages over men as well. Women are given child custody by default, even if they are the worse parent. Women are able to falsely accuse men of rape, ruining the man's life, often without consequence to themselves. Women are able to terminate men's children without consulting them. Women host panel discussions called "Are Men Necessary" to everyone's amusement (can you imagine "Are Women Necessary?" "Are Jews Necessary?" "Are Blacks Necessary?") So equal treatment goes both ways.

None of this has anything to do with "rights," by the way.

Epignosis wrote:If I put out an album of progressive electronic music, would you listen to it and tell me what you think?

Yep.

Mongoose wrote:Why do birds suddenly appear, every time that you're near? (Is it because you walk around with birdseed in your pocket?)

As far as I know, this does not happen.

Epignosis wrote:I want to read On Lethean Shore.

Do you like progressive electronic music?

Very much. Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jean Michel-Jarre, Kraftwerk, you name it!

Mongoose wrote: Historically, what was your favorite cult to learn about?

I am fascinated by suicide cults like Heaven's Gate, because it is such a hard mindset for me to understand.

Mongoose wrote: L, can you make me a pun using the word "ocelot"?

I won't just make one, I'll make ocelot of them!

insertnamehere wrote:Pitch each of your books to me in 140 characters or less.

Pandemonium - A science fiction retelling of Paradise Lost.

Errant Heirs: a Character Study in Five Parts - Five distantly related strangers discover the are the potential heirs to a vast fortune.

On Lethean Shore - A young man discovers he is the reincarnation of a powerful wizard and is being pursued by a fanatical cult.

Yuletide Tales - A short anthology of tales for Christmastime.

The Light Fantastic - Two friends rise to wealth and power as gas-lighting entrepreneurs, but love, lies, and fame test their relationship over the years.

Mongoose wrote:What is your favorite big cat?
Ocelot (look at his tufted ears!)

who is your favorite musical diva?
Yma Sumac

PBS or NPR?
Both are horrible violations of liberty, but I guess I'll take NPR.

Who is your favorite scientist (living)
I was going to say Neil DeGrasse Tyson, but he just said that the private sector can't handle scientific research, so I am off him. This is really hard for me because I am not a science guy. Is economics a science?

Who is your favorite scientist (dead)
I have been reading a ton of Thomas Szasz lately, and while he was not strictly a scientist, he exposed the lack of science in what is widely regarded as a scientific discipline (psychiatry) so I will choose him if you will allow me.

I would like to say thank you to FZ for very difficult and thought provoking questions, and to Mongoose for very numerous questions.

Epignosis wrote:Why is Calvin Coolidge the best president?

He's not. Grover Cleveland is.

FZ. wrote: So you're a writer. How did that happen? Was it something you always wanted to do
Not really. I was always sort of good at it, and I just sort of fell into it because people kept offering to pay me for it. I started writing novels when someone pointed me in the direction of National Novel Writing Month and I thought it would be fun to try. I've done one every year since.

Were you the type that always had to write something, or were you a late bloomer?
Definitely a late bloomer. My mom once assigned me a creative writing project as a kid, because she was worried I wouldn't know how to do it, and I plagiarized the first page of Shogun. I only started writing voluntarily in my late teens, and only started writing novels in my late twenties.

What do you like most about doing it?
I like coming up with ideas. Ideas are fun. Making those ideas into coherent books is hard, though.

Are you happy?
I have always been a generally happy person. I have my down periods, but yes, I would say that in general I am quite happy.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would like freedom to be more highly valued than it is.

What do you think is the greatest invention of the last 200 years?
The greatest invention of all time is undeniably the printing press, but in the last 200 years, I guess it would have to be the internet.

Name something that is overrated, and something that is underestimated.
I think parades and fireworks displays are vastly overrated. Yodeling is underestimated. Have you ever heard such sounds of pure joy as yodeling?

If you could have any trait that you lack, which would you choose?
Why are you implying that I lack traits? Do you think so lowly of me? I guess tact would be the answer, but I think the most important trait is perspective, and I like to think I have it, at least in a small way.

bea wrote:that distinction does make LOTS of sense.

I still think A Prayer for Owen Meany - is a good read for you.

It is hands down, my personal "Greatest Novel of the 20th Century"

Please do me this one favor - promise me you will read it.

Okay. It may take me a while to get to it though. I have a lot of half finished books lying around I need to get through.

bea wrote:
1) you should check it out. It's like live action South Park. But still even more awesome. Somehow. (I'm also surely over hyping it.)

Ok!

2) I assume with lots of sausage? I'm just taking notes for when we meet. Because when it happens I WILL cook for you.

There is a delicate balance. Too much sausage and the gravy loses its essential gravy-ness. Too little and it becomes watery.

3) The inspiration is more than interesting.

4) there should be more purpose to your writing. I loved the story, but also - I wanted to know - in the end - what I was supposed to take away from it. I want your writing to do for me what "A Prayer for Owen Meany" did for me. I think you have the talent to do that btw.

The book I am working on now has a theme of personal choice over destiny. In other words, we are responsible for our own happiness by our approach to life, not our circumstances. I think to a certain extent that theme runs through all my books, including the Light Fantastic.

5) I'm not asking about who you hope to be (though that is important) - I'm asking who is a modern writer you admire - and if you don't have one - find one. soon.

I admire Neal Stephenson for his world-building abilities. That is something I wish I was better at. I admire Neil Gaiman, but more as a storyteller than as a writer. (if that distinction makes sense)

also - linkie!!!!!!

bea wrote:
37: What is this "ban on bossy?" I think I already hate it for the name alone.

I have an extremely long rant on this that I don't have time to get into now. Basically, a group of celebrity women are saying the word "bossy" should be banned because it is used to belittle women and prevent them from becoming leaders. This annoys me for many reasons (the irony of bossily telling people not to call them bossy, for one) but particularly because my experience in the workplace is that women do extremely well, have an easier time finding jobs (I don't know any unemployed women) get promoted, make lots of money, and are treated with nothing but respect, and yet they still complain about oppression. When a man fails at something, it is because of a character flaw. When a woman fails at something, it is always the fault of a man.

54 - why is lo mein better than chow mein?

Because of the taste.

57 - favorite music from 1973?

Jethro Tull - A Passion Play, Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans, Queen's debut, Bruce Springsteen's debut, etc.

66 - are you Ron Swanson?

I am not as manly as him, but politically we are on the same page.

68 - as in Flowers for? Also - what is your middle name?

As in Algernon Blackwood, and my middle name is Michael.

106 - Translate please?

It's stupid pun thta doesn't actually mean anything, but could be translated "Always where under where."

110 - sweet! Did you get to smooze?

Nah, I am not really into their music and they didn't look all that friendly.

Thank you for all the questions, everyone! This is fun!

bea wrote: What do you think of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

I actually haven't seen it yet.

What is your favorite comfort food?

Biscuits and gravy. Lots of gravy.

What was your inspiration for The Light Fantastic?

An article I read about the history, friendship and eventual feud between Cato Institute co-founders Ed Crane and Charles Koch.

What do you hope readers take away from that book?

I don't know if there is really a message to take away. I just hope they enjoy it and find it a good story.

Which writers most influence your work?

My favorite writers are Victor Hugo, Herman Melville and G. K. Chesterton. I don't know how much direct influence there is there, but they are the bar I measure myself against (and then get very depressed at how short I fall).

insertnamehere wrote:
thellama73 wrote:
bea wrote:Why do you think South Park has been so steadily declining? Sorry, couldn't resist. I love a good rant.
The creators got too rich and too lazy. They insist on sticking to their one-week production schedule, which worked great in the early days, but now they are not even trying anymore. Go through and count up the number of episodes that are parodies of reality shows/specialty channels. It is astounding. The writing method has become just turning on the TV and parodying whatever happens to be on. Also, they have increasingly relied on one joke to carry a whole episode, which gets really tedious really fast (shake weight is like masturbating, haha, over and over again).

Also, they ruined Cartman, the best character, by transforming him from an obnoxious, racist fat kid who could nevertheless sell a million albums, build his own Shakey's Pizza and win the Civil War, into a pathetic sociopath who is no longer likeable or competent.

Also, they feel the need to be topical to the point of parodying movies they haven't seen, resulting in plagiarism. If you haven't seen a movie, don't parody it. The hyper-topical nature of the shows also means that they don't age well at all.

The reason I get so worked up over this is because of how much I used to love the show. It was once the smartest, funniest show on television and it has devolved into garbage. I feel betrayed.
As someone considering watching the show, what the fuck am I in for here? What seasons should I watch, and which should I skip?

Seasons 1 and 2 are a little rough and amateurish, but good for establishing the characters. In my opinion the show hit its stride in Season 3 and stayed there until season 10 or so.

Mongoose wrote: 81. What is objectively the best temperature? For winter? For summer?

27 degrees Fahrenheit.

82. Have you ever stained a shirt so badly you had to throw it away?

Often.

83. Favorite fish? (ha)

Swordfish. Delicious.

84. Do you think it’s practically a vegetable?

No, I like fish. (but I do get the reference)

85. Number of Mumblecore films you have seen?

Zero?

86. What is something that you think I should know about you but you are pretty sure I don’t?

When I was a kid I was stung by a whole nest of yellow-jackets and was allergic to stings for a while, but I am okay now.

87. Have you ever tried cat food or treats?

When I was very young.

88. Has you ice cream ever fallen off your cone?

Yes, but only after I was mostly done with it.

89. Do you think Myrna Loy has been reincarnated in any modern-day actresses?

Absolutely not. No modern actress has a fraction of her class.

90. Is Neo-Noir worth your time?

Probably not.

91. Did I tell you about the dream I had where James and I fended off cannibalistic band of marauders using only baseball bats for you while you were passed out drunk? Then you ate cherry pie with my grandpa and asked why we were so sweaty.

No.

92. What was the last dream you had?

I was trying to get across the river with my parents, but they kept breaking bones, so it was difficult. Then we went to a Chinese food restaurant where the menu was only in Chinese, and it was hard to order.

93. Do you think you’ll ever accidentally join a cult?

Probably not. I would only do it on purpose.

94. Least favorite musical?

Jeckyll and Hyde pissed me off.

95. Favorite topping/flavor for popcorn?

Lemon pepper.

96. Why haven’t you seen more Ingmar Bergman films?

Because the Seventh Seal was depressing and weird.

97. Are you going to see the documentary about the late great Roger Ebert’s life called Life Itself?

No, I don't care for him.

98. How much does pester power REALLY work on you?

I have a pretty high tollerance for annoyance.

99. Why are you contrarian?

I'm not. I don't know why you would assert such a thing.

100. How long did it take you do to this?

A thousand hours.

101. How much would someone have to pay you for you to take an aromatherapy class?

Just one class not a whole course? $50, plus the cost of the class itself.

102. Your leg gets broken in a freak meat-procuring accident. What do you do?

Walk it off.

103. If it meant ensuring world peace for 100 years, would you attend a yoga class?

Yes, but only if it were real yoga, not stretching for white women.

104. Favorite character in The Oddysey?

Menelaus.

105. Favorite character in The Peanuts?

You mean Peanuts? There is no "the" in Peanuts. Linus, I guess.

106. What is your favorite latin phrase?

Semper ubi sub ubi.

107. Why don’t you eat breakfast on weekdays?

1) not hungry. 2) less time for sleep if I did.

108. What’s the highest you’ve ever climbed in a tree?

High enough that I started to get nervous. Maybe fifty feet?

109. How do you think evolution will improve humans in the next 1000s of years? Will we finally lose our appendix? Lose our flight or flight response? Lose sensitivity to grains?

We don't have sensitivity to grains now, we are just being a baby. Judging by the people who are most successful at having kids, I would say that men will become meaner and more prone to infidelity and women will become stupider.

110. What’s the smallest plane you’ve ever been on?

The one that took me fro Amsterdam to Trondheim. The band Public Enemy was on it.

111. Have you been on a helicopter?

No.

112. What was the most haunted place you’ve ever been to like?

I have not had the fortune to be in very haunted places. Our house in California had a shower that would randomly turn itself on and off all the time though.

113. Why are you drawn to the Occult?

Because there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

114. Are we there yet?

Amazingly, no.

115. Please put the following in order of your preference with 1 being the best. If you haven’t tried a selection, just mark it as 0
a. German Potato Salad
b. Greek Potato Salad
c. Russian Potato Salad
d. New York Potato Salad
e. Southern Potato Salad

1. a. 2. d. 3. e. 4. c. 5. b.

116. Please put the following in order of your preference with 1 being the best. If you haven’t tried a selection, just mark it as 0
a. Honey BBQ Sauce
b. Spicy BBQ Sauce
c. Hickory BBQ Sauce
d. Mustard BBQ Sauce
e. Tangy (Vinegar-based) BBQ Sauce
f. White (Mayo-based) BBQ sauce

1. e. 2. b. 3. d. 4. a. 5. c. 6. f.

117. Who is your favorite female bassist? (Not counting anyone on this site that is female and plays bass).

Joan Jett played bass for the Runaways for a while, so I pick her.

118. Which is your favorite Olympic sport to not watch?

Curling.

119. Do you think either of us could ever accidentally join a cult?

I think you already have.

120. What is the best way to eat an Oreo?

Pull it apart, lick the icing off, discard the rest.

121. Pipecleaner is sitting on your opera books. How do you feel about that? Don’t blame me, James let him get in the box.

As far as I am concerned, Pipecleaner can sit wherever he wants.

122. Is facial hair ever wrong?

No, not even on women.

123. What’s the worst way you’ve ever spent a Friday night?

I'm going to say the hospital, even though I have no memory of which night in the week that was. Let's say Friday.

124. What’s the earliest you’ve ever woken up? (Not counting nights you stayed up all night).

Woken up, or got up for the day? I have woken up as early as midnight, but I think 3:30 is about the earliest I have ever got up.

125. Why don’t you wear more green?

It's hard to find good green clothes for men.

126. the holy grail, the shroud of turin, the sword of peter, the cross of whomever, the ark of the covenant, Noah's Ark, Nicholas Flamel's philosopher's stone -- do you believe these exist?

The shroud of Turin demonstrably exists, or at least something called that does. The Ark of the Covenant probably existed at one point. No to the rest. The philosopher's stone is more of a metaphor for enlightenment than a physical object anyway.

bonus: Are we still friends? Hhah.

Yup.

fingersplints wrote:
thellama73 wrote:
Mongoose wrote: 51. Which classic authors do you feel are overrated?

Dickens, Austen, both Brontes, Tolstoy.

Is the third not overrated?

Is red your favorite color or did you just pick it because it is easy?

No one has heard of the third, so no.

In answer to your second question: yes.

Mongoose wrote: 41. What about when MJ died?

I don't know where I was. I don't care about him.

42. Last time you laughed?

Like, thirty seconds ago. (it involved someone saying the phrase "jerk store")

43. Do you ever drink cider?

Yes, but it is not my favorite.

44. Do you wear an eye mask or ear plugs to bed?

What am I, a rich yuppie woman?

45. What is the creepiest thing that ever bit you?

A skunk. No wait, that was you. A squirrel I guess. I do not get many bites.

46. What made you get out of your goth phase?

I was never really in a goth phase. I just liked the music for a while and went to a few clubs. It left me with college, although I still have some affection for it.

47. A friendly dog comes up to you while you’re at the park. Do you pet it?

Of course.

48. A feral cat is laying on your house stoop. Do you pet it?

Of course.

49. There’s a snake in your bedroom. What do you do?

Cook it and eat it.

50. When was the last time you listened to NPR?

The last time I was forced to because someone else in the car had it on.

51. Which classic authors do you feel are overrated?

Dickens, Austen, both Brontes, Tolstoy.

52. Food trend that is driving you nuts?

Nutrition.

53. Expressions that you abhor?

"Not so much."

54. Why always Lo Mein and never Chow Mein?

Because Lo Mein is better.

55. Brown rice, fried rice, white rice, egg noodles or rice noodles?

Usually white rice, egg noodles.

56. Do you find any boy bands to have talent?

Nope.

57. Music from 1973 that you don’t like / hate?

I'm not really into Selling England By The Pound by Genesis, because Phil Collins.

58. What did you do with those leftover sugar-free gummy bears?

I ate them and it was horrible.

59. Do you eat the nuts offered at bars?

Yes.

60. have you ever been to ab ar or speakeasy that requires a password?

I have not.

61. What was your best birthday ever like?

Scotch party and 8-s movies!

62. Have you ever mistakenly walked into the girls’ restroom?

Once or twice, but quickly discovered my error.

63. Who was the last person who made you mad? Was it Rachel Maddow?

Probably you, actually.

64. Would you ever go to Antarctica?

Absolutely.

65. What happened the last time you ate yogurt?

Nothing happened. I just ate it without incident.

66. Did we have you eat Meat Tornado?

I think that is only from P&R, but if it were real I would want one.

67. Will you please make an acrostic with your name?

Letches ogle girls all night.

68. Do you like your (real) middle name?

It is fine. Algerenon would be better.

69. What is something you wish you had less fear of even though you are fearless?

Dying alone.

70. Most number of flights of stairs you’ve ever climbed?

I don't no, probably 20 ish.

71. The most number of times you’ve ever seen a film and what was it? (Topsy Turvy?)

Probably the Shining, which I watch at least once a year.

72. Have you ever baked a cake? Was it good?

Yes.

73. Do you believe in past lives? If so, what do you think you did or who were you?

Yeah, I was probably a silk merchant.

74. What is the best thing you’ve ever cooked?

Fish chowder!

75. In a crazy dystopian universe, where you could only eat one cheese for the rest of your life, what would you pick and why?

Gouda. Perfect for all occasions

76. Your top ten favorite cheeses in order?

Gouda, wensleydale, red leicester, double gloucester, sage derby, Roquefort, Danish Bleu, Chedder, White Stilton, Muenster

77. Have you ever accidentally fallen into water?

Many times.

78. What happened the last time you were dehydrated?

Hangover city.

79. Why haven’t you updated your webpage in a billion years?

It is an insane pain to do and I don't care.

80. Who would win a pogostick-off?

I would. I am amazing at pogo.

Mongoose wrote: 31. Who is your favorite Greco-Roman god or goddess?

I am fond of Pan, for his playful/evil nature.

32. Who is your favorite Norse god?

Loki because see above and his name is like my name (sort of).

33. Which Native American tribe (including those in present-day South America) do you feel most drawn towards?

I don't know any of them and I don't care about any of them. It's time to quit whining, if you ask me.

34. Are you going to watch the Oscars this year?

They are already over, old questions, and I did not watch them.

35. What is your favorite Russian-language film?

Prisoner of the Caucusus

36. Who was the band you last saw live?

It has been a long time. Hm, probably Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.

37. Why do you never call me out on being bossy?

You are not that bossy. That being said, I think this whole "ban bossy" campaign is idiotic and ironic, given that a bunch of girls are telling me what to do.

38. Who is your favorite celebrity judge?

Judge Bork!

39. What is the most exotic animal you’d consider having as a pet?

A Fox.

40. Where were you when they announced the OJ Simpson verdict? (I was in gym class)

No idea, but I was disappointed.

bea wrote:Why do you think South Park has been so steadily declining? Sorry, couldn't resist. I love a good rant.

The creators got too rich and too lazy. They insist on sticking to their one-week production schedule, which worked great in the early days, but now they are not even trying anymore. Go through and count up the number of episodes that are parodies of reality shows/specialty channels. It is astounding. The writing method has become just turning on the TV and parodying whatever happens to be on. Also, they have increasingly relied on one joke to carry a whole episode, which gets really tedious really fast (shake weight is like masturbating, haha, over and over again).

Also, they ruined Cartman, the best character, by transforming him from an obnoxious, racist fat kid who could nevertheless sell a million albums, build his own Shakey's Pizza and win the Civil War, into a pathetic sociopath who is no longer likeable or competent.

Also, they feel the need to be topical to the point of parodying movies they haven't seen, resulting in plagiarism. If you haven't seen a movie, don't parody it. The hyper-topical nature of the shows also means that they don't age well at all.

The reason I get so worked up over this is because of how much I used to love the show. It was once the smartest, funniest show on television and it has devolved into garbage. I feel betrayed.

Mongoose wrote: 21. What was the last thing you took a photo of?

My lunch. It was a quesadilla.

22. Please place in order of preference: Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast, Crepes, Blintzes

Crepes, waffles, pancakes, french toast, blintzes.

23. How do you feel about Michael Bay?

Do you need to ask? He is to movies what the Eagles are to music.

24. What was the last DIY science experiment you did?

I made my own beer. Science!

25. What is your favorite scar?

The missing tip of my thumb resulting from a Star Wars drinking game gone horribly wrong.

26. What is your favorite bakery in DC?

Spring Mill Bread, although I haven't been in a long time.

27. Favorite bakery iIn Atlanta?

I honestly don't know. I don't go to a lot of bakeries there.

28. Why won’t you go to Sticky Fingers?

I don't know or care what that is.

29. When are you going to procure some RS albums (see what I did there?)

When they are not $18.99 each! (yes)

30. Have you ever walked out of a movie theatre and why? What was the film, and do you regret it?

I am sure I have, but I cannot remember the circumstances. I walked out of Thor because the film caught on fire. I don't regret leaving, but I regret going back and seeing the rest of it.

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