Bleeding Fiction

Found this on Neil Gaiman's Journal today. Seeing what a frequent traveller I am, I figured I'd give it a go. So, I present to you my personal World Travel Map.

(For the record, I've only been to 6% of the countries in the world. Looking at this thing gives me a travel bug in a big way...)

(Create Your Own Map)

The host site, World66, is pretty cool, too. Basically, it's an Open Content resource, something like a Wiki that any reader can contribute to. The concept, in general, is interesting, but I think it's even cooler for me as it relates to travel sites. So much of the joy of travelling is the personal experience, finding the places that are a bit off the beaten path and don't commonly show up in travel guides. With communities like World66, you can post a bit about those places and clue other travellers in to them. I'll have to remember the site when I start travelling again.

What Type of Villain are You?

Well... That just makes perfect sense now, doesn't it? But, of course, I make use of the list. I'm especially a fan of being compared to Moriarty.

This quiz comes via Jon

I figure by now most of you have seen the Geek Hierarchy; it's been around for a while. A valuable public service, I figure; lets you know exactly where you stand. I fit into no fewer than seven of the categories on the full chart. It's nice to have established my geek-dom.

Of similar interest is the Pagan Hierarchy. Despite not being a pagan as the word is commonly used (though, in fact, being one by a strict dictionary definition), I manage to hit in on two separate entries on the chart due to my academic background.

Of course, since both of these hierarchies are based on a "who looks down on who" formula, being high up on the chart doesn't show anything but that I've got a lot of people to look down on. In other words, it means I'm arrogant. As if we didn't all know that already...

After I grumbled to Bekah yesterday that she never takes any dumb online quizes that I, too, can take, I managed to find one on my own, quite by accident this morning. So, here we are. My results to the Ferris Bueller Trivia Test:

You are Ferris

You are larger then life. Blessed with a magical sense of serendipity. A model for all those who take themselves too seriously. You know the value of a day off. You are Bueller, Ferris Bueller!

Technically, I'm supposed to copy and forward this on. Fuck that shit. My friends don't need to get that crap in their emails from me. Instead, it goes up on the blog. Potentially a wider audience, sure, but this way if you don't want to read it, you can just close the browser. Also, it means I get to be lazy and not think of a post on my own.

(As a side-note, I generally hate these things. They're usually stupid and uncreative. This one is no exception. Yet I post it anyway. Tell you what; if anyone sends me one of these quizes that I don't find generally demeaning, that asks some genuinely funny and actually insightful questions, I'll buy them a sandwhich. Or a beer. Or ice cream. Or whatever.)

1.WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME?

Jason Nole Kalivas

2. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?

Jeans and a T-shirt. Duh.

3. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

Jill Sobule's Cinnamon Park. She's a musician I heard for the first time on WFUV while in the car yesterday. I downloaded 10 of her songs from her website. I'll be buying her albums soon.

4. FAVORITE SUNDAY MORNING INCLUDE?

Nothing I can really speak of publicly.

5. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

A not-very-good meatball sandwhich.

6. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

This is a stupid question. The answer is peach. But it's a stupid question.

7. WEATHER RIGHT NOW?

Warmer than I was expecting.

8. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

The Ogre. He's doing well.

9. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?

Depends on the girl. Generally, breasts and hips. There's nothing wrong with admitting that; I'm culturally and evolutionarily hard-wired to think that way.

10. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

Aside from spam, I don't get email from people I don't like. And when I do, I delete it instead of put it up on my blog.

11. HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

This is likewise a stupid question. But thank you for asking. I'm doing quite well.

12. FAVORITE DRINK?

Orange Juice

13. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS?

Guinness

15. HAIR COLOR?

Brown

17. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

Nope.

18. SIBLINGS AND THEIR AGES?

Elissa, my sister, 21.

19. FAVORITE FOOD?

I pretty much just like food in general.

20. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Fun fun!

21. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?

Thanksgiving. No question about it.

22. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT?

Depends on the someone. If it's someone I really care about or someone I don't care about at all, no. It's the middle-ground I have trouble with.

23. SUMMER OR WINTER?

Spring. (Accursed dualistic thinking)

24. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?

Banana. (Again, accursed dualistic thinking)

25. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO WRITE BACK?

If I didn't, why would I be friends with them? Honestly, who comes up with this shit? This is really stupid.

26. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?

Most frequent blog commenters: Erik, Jon, Gus.

27. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?

Ogre. He doesn't read the blog. I wish the rest of you lot would comment more.

28. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT?

Spent entirely too long at my parents' house.

29. FAVORITE SMELLS?

I have a very, very poor sense of smell. This means I can mostly only smell things that are overwhelmingly strong (i.e. bad). I have one favorite smell but, like my favorite Sunday morning, I can't speak of it here.

31. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS?

For this night, the apartment I share with Erik. After that, I have no idea.

32. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING?

Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics.

33. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

My mouse? No, really, I don't use a mousepad. I have one, designed to look like a Turkish carpet, that Dave and Bekah gave me a while back. It sits on my desk, but I don't use it as a mousepad.

34. POLITICAL TENDENCY?

Grumbly.

35. CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR NOSE WITH YOUR TONGUE?

No.

36. WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Life.

37. FAVORITE CAR?

Mostly classics, 50's or 60's cars, like the Thunderbirds or the Cobras. These days, the car I'd most like to own is a Miata.

38. FAVORITE FLOWER.

Roses, for the symbolism. Orchids, for reasons tying in with my favorite smell and Sunday mornings. Beyond that, well, I can't really smell them, remember?

39.HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING?

One. The key to my car.

40. CAN YOU JUGGLE?

Yes. Just not with pins or knives. Balls and scarves, I do fine.

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

I found this at Bruce Baugh's Livejournal, which I've been known to read from time to time.

Congradulations you are Snoopy! Snoopy is an extroverted beagle with a Walter Mitty complex. He is a virtuoso at every endeavor- at least in his daydreams atop his doghouse. He regards his master, Charlie Brown, as "that round-headed kid" who brings him his supper dish. He is fearless though prudently cautious about "the cat next door." He never speaks- that would be one human trait too many- but he manages to convey everything necessary in facial expressions and thought balloons. A one-man show with superior intelligence and vivid imagination, he has created such multiple personalities as: Joe Cool, World War I Flying Ace, Literary Ace, Flashbeagle, Vulture, Foreign Legionnaire, etc.

Which Peanuts character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Oh, HELL yeah!

Now, who's Walter Mitty? Let's see.

And the story he was in.

Hhm. Interesting...

Because I steall all of the gimmicks Bekah puts up on her Live Journal:

1. Reply to this post if you want me to tell you how cool you are.

2. Watch my journal over the next few days for a post just about you and why you rock my socks.

3. Post these instructions in your journal and give your friends a much needed dose of love and adoration!

For the record, my answer to question 2 is properly "goosie night" and my answer to question 10 is actually "a flake class." Those, however, were not options, so I went with the thing I was next most likely to say.

Bekah hit me with this one, though I'm pretty sure she only did it 'cause I teased her so much about making me an afterthought.

I like this particular quiz because it uses the word "film" a lot and that's a word with a lot of baggage. Nevertheless, it's a short questionairre, so I'll try to keep from being cheeky.

1. The last film I bought:

It's been quite a few months, so my memory isn't at 100%, but I think it was Saved!. That reminds me, though, that I really need to get around to buying The Incredibles sometime soon...

2. The last film I watched:

Unleashed. It was pretty fun, both on its own merits and also because I really never, ever expected to see a mix of Snatch and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in the theater.

3. Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:

Limiting this to just five is hard. Anyway, in no particular order:

The Last Unicorn (Also: The Last Unicorn. So cool!)

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Mallrats

Swingers

4. Finally, tag five people to do this meme (let's hope they don't skim this one!):

Marc

The Bard

Jon

Gus

Brian

Captain Caveman

Hhm. Ok, I know I said I'd go write, but I forgot I wanted to do this first. I caught it from both The Corpuscle and Patrick, though neither person actually sent it my way or, you know, really knows who I am.

Total number of books owned:

Whee! Fun with counting! On my shelves at the moment or loaned out I've got 622, but that doesn't something probably pretty close to another 200 books sitting in boxes at my parents' house. For the record, though, I was counting comics in trade form, what with them being "graphic novels" and all, but not individual issues.

Last book bought:

I just listed six, all bought at once, in my last post, but that feels like cheating. The last book I bought before that was Neil Gaiman's The Wolves in the Walls, which was going for seriously cheap from some Canadian online bookseller. By the time I factored in the shipping, though, it ended up being only like two dollars cheaper than buying it from Amazon would've been. I should've gotten The Bard to order it and hold onto it for me, or something. Ah well.

Last book read:

I just finished, for my paper, a book called Hiding, by Mark C. Taylor. It's more accessable than the last book of his that I read, but it's still fairly weighty. It's basically a deconstruction, and partial refution, of the postmodern condition. He goes through body modification, fashion, architecture and virtual reality, talking about the substance that skims the surface. I'm not sure I could explain what he's talking about without rewriting part of my paper for all of you, which I'm not doing, but the crux of it is that there's no dichotomy between style and substance, as postmodern theorists (and pretty much everyone before them, too) would have you believe, but that, rather, style has a substance of its own, style is substance and isn't void of meaning but rather has a special meaning that builds upon the meaning of substance to create something more real than possible alone.

It is, to put not so fine a point on it, the sort of book that Warren Ellis would grind into a very fine powder and snort or, more likely, freebase and inject into his eyeball.

Five books that mean a lot to you:

This is always so tough... I mean limiting it to just five... Yeesh...

The Last Unicorn. For the reasons why, as well as a view of me demonstrating exactly how big of a Peter S. Beagle fan I am, read my comments in this fable.

The Princess Bride. Along with the aforementioned unicorn book and some randomly chosen Neil Gaiman book it's one of the three books I read once a year. I have since I was a freshman in college and Eric pointed out to me that it actually was a book and loaned me his copy. It's great fun.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Actually, it takes up the space of nine books on my shelves, since I have two different editions, at four and five volumes respectively, but it's all one book, really. If you haven't figured out that I love this book by now, you haven't been paying attention.

Les Miserables. By the word. That's how Victor Hugo must have been paid when he wrote this thing. It's the only way to explain the first 80 fucking pages being about a character who does not show up again in the book. For all of the long-windedness, though, it really is a great book. It's tremendously... human. Also one of the few things French that I like. Also I personally know only one person besides myself who has read the whole damn thing and he is an inestimably cool human being.

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. I had a lot of choices for what to put in the number five slot. I almost picked the Yale Complete Shakespeare, because it was a touching gift from a good friend and is the heaviest book I own. I almost picked The Perseids, because Robert Charles Wilson is the only author aside from Beagle who I wish I wrote more like, I almost picked Kavalier and Clay, because even though I only just read it this year it's probably the first book I ever read that I felt was written just for me, I almost picked Bullfinch's Mythology, because... yeah. I picked the Tough Guide because not only is it hilarious, but it's also useful and it makes fun of all of those bastards who bore me to tears because they do little more than rehash what that other guy who bores me to tears and whose name starts with "T" and ends with "olkien" wrote.

Tag five people to continue this meme:

Ideally, I'd like everyone I know to answer this. I loves me some books. But I'm particularly interested in hearing answers from:

Lukas

Bekah

Gus

Jon

The Bard

I stole this from Bekah, who stole it from someone else:

"This is the problem with [blogs], we all think we are so close, and we know nothing about each other. I'm going to rectify it. I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me. Something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about. Then post this in your [blog] and find out what people don't know about you."

It's been a long while since I played Truth or Dare. I'm hitting a funny point right now where I'm having trouble remember things; not so good, when my summer is all about memorization. Maybe this'll help me remember. Ask whatever you want.

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished me to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how I matched up against all the levels:

I don't know why no one told me about this before now, but the first season of Fraggle Rock is being released on DVD on September 6. If anyone's been thinking about getting me a gift, well, you could do worse than Fraggle Rock.

Twenty Four episodes, a behind the scenes documentary narrated by Jim Henson, interviews with cast and creators, and a digital replica of Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock notepad.

This is going to be awesome.

In honor of that, this quiz result:

You scored as Gobo. Gobo is the leader of the clan. He is always devising plans to help his freinds get out of trouble, he also enjoys exploring the caves of fraggle rock with his freinds. Gobo 88% Mokey 83% Uncle Matt 75% Wembley 54% Red 34% Sprocket 33% Boober 29% Trash Heap 21% Doc 13% Junior Gorg 4% The Doozers 0% Which Fraggle Rock Charactor Are You Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

I figured it was a toss-up between Gobo and Mokey. I didn't realize how right I was...

Of course, I'm not sure who I did expect, so...

Stolen from Jon.

NIGHTCRAWLER!!! Holy crap! You are:

If you had the power to teleport ANYWHERE at ANYTIME, where would YOU go? Actually, you are more rational and spiritual than the average X-Men, Night Crawler is always out to do the right thing. In real life, you're probably the "perfect" man or woman that everyone looks for, but you're too good a friend too see like that. Wow, can't ever get a break, eh?

Those of you who don't read the comments section around here might not have caught that Sarah, Who is Awesome, put a link there to a quiz asking what may well be the most important question of this or any age: "Which Dynasty Warrior are you?"

My answer is as follows:

I don't really feel that that's accurate. That is to say I'm pretty sure that the earth does not begin to rumble when I set foot on a battlefield, nor do I think that my awesome pressence strikes fear into the hearts of all who stand before me. At the same time I don't live in fourth century China, so I guess it's all relative.

I'm happy to report that I bought Dynasty Warriors 5 yesterday. There's a certain mix of satisfaction and tension that the little Koei sound effect brings to my heart. It's a good thing I didn't really have anything planned for today...

This comes via Brian. Or Sheira. Or possibly Maddy. They all sign the blog! I just can't tell them apart anymore!

You are Kermit the Frog.

You are reliable, responsible and caring. And you
have a habit of waving your arms about
maniacally.

FAVORITE EXPRESSIONS:

"Hi ho!" "Yaaay!" and
"Sheesh!"

FAVORITE MOVIE:

"How Green Was My Mother"

LAST BOOK READ:

"Surfin' the Webfoot: A Frog's Guide to the
Internet"

HOBBIES:

Sitting in the swamp playing banjo.

QUOTE:

"Hmm, my banjo is wet."

What Muppet are you?
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From Bekah

You are a Social Liberal (80% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (15% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Gimme some sugar baby.

Which B-Movie Badass Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I took a crack at Bekah over on her livejournal a week ago over her failure to fully complete a meme she'd picked up, where you get assigned a letter and have to post 10 words that start with that letter and talk about why those words are important to you. At the same time, I volunteered to carry the meme on. So naturally Bekah hit me with the letter "Q" as her revenge.

Stupid fucking revenge.

It took me a week, a whole fucking week, but I finally came up with my 10. I spent a week thinking it over, but the best I could do, while being honest and not resorting to picking a word out of the dictionary, was 9. I'm okay with that. That Here you go:

1. Queen: One of the first two bands I ever considered myself a fan of (the other being Pink Floyd). Also, one of the awesomest bands ever, very influential, and (by all accounts) still huge in Japan. I own all of their studio albums.

2. Q: The dude that makes all of Bond's gadgets. I want a pen grenade and a garotte wristwatch and a car with an ejector seat, dammit!

3. Quantity: One of the variables I'm using a lot in my stats class and my cost-benefit analysis class this quarter. Yay!

4. Q*Bert: Early 80's video game which I was never any good at, no matter how much I tried. Video games were much more difficult when I was young than they are today. I miss that challenge.

5. Qin: First dynasty of a unified China. Up-sides included standardization of laws, coins, bureaucracies, roads and (most importantly) writing systems. Down-sides included banishment and death of dissenting scholars. The first emperor, Shi Huangdi, is one of the main characters in the awesome movie Hero. Also, he was buried with a killer terracotta army.

6. Qin: A major race of aliens in the old White Wolf science fiction game Trinity, which is my third favorite rpg ever (after Adventure! and Mage). Props to The Ogre™ for introducing me to the game.

7. Quixote: Titular hero of one of the first novels written in Europe. I like the book, the musical and the attitude. Tilting at windmills is definitely for me.

8. Quentin Tarantino: Writer/Director of Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill (vol. 1 &2) and other films. I like him for his dialogue, for his pacing, for his serious homage to movies that are mostly silly and for bringing Samuel L. Jackson to the attention of a wider world. I dislike him for (temporarily) reviving the career of John Travolta.

9. The Question: DC superhero/detective. He wears a mask that looks like flesh with no face and is a conspiracy theorist. Conspiracy theories are cool. The Question's particularly hilarious on the JLU cartoon.

10. Questionable Content: Relationship-based, music-loving webcomic. It's my favoritist webcomic out there. I consistently read it last among my picks to heighten anticipation, I almost always find it funny, I marvel at the improvements in the art, I sometimes find about new music from it and I own two of the t-shirts.

There you go. 10. I am teh winnar!

If anyone else wants to play this game, I promise to give you an easier letter than Q. Unless I hate you.

Location.

Location.

Location.