Fact-o-Vision and Hemlock Mojitos

Socrates said an unexamined life isn’t worth living, but I believe too much self-examination can lead to a nasty rash, plus a crick in your neck from all that belly-button staring. But, since Amy at Mind Over Mullis has so graciously bestowed this Versatile Blogger award on me and hightailed it for the nearest exit, I’ll share some randomness and make Socrates regret those words as much as that last hemlock mojito.

First, the ground rules (which would have been an awesome name for Newton’s garage band):Thank the blogger who passed this award on. Thanks, Amy!

List seven things about myself? Good grief, even I can’t take that much of me. How about four? Done.

Pass this award to five other bloggers.I choose Jen at Creatif, Marguerite at Marguerite Says, and Michele at Writing the Cyber Highway, because I'd love to see her post there again. If Amy gets a pass on counting, so do I. So there. Nyah.

Fact in the Crowd: I have one of those faces. If I’m not smiling, people think I’m mad. If I am smiling, they think I’m up to something. I also give off an assistant manager vibe: plop me down in any grocery or discount store, and strangers will wander up to me, asking about directions, specials, or the bathroom. On a bad day, I’ll send all three requests to the same spot.

Factoid Celluoid: I love cartoons. I’ve seen ‘The Incredibles’ more times than I can count, and I can quote from nearly any original Scooby-Doo episode. When I discovered that the artist who drew the new Darkwing Duck comic was on Twitter, I squeed out loud. My faves are a mix of new and old: Hong Kong Phooey, Spongebob, I.M. Weasel (oh, that deep Michael Dorn voice!), the Penguins of Madagascar and, of course, Scooby Doo.

The Fact-Word: There is a time and place for blue language, but I’m far more impressed when comedians exercise some brain cells instead. A dirty thought said in a clean way can be very funny, and the sly wordplay required is wonderful to watch; a ballet of double entendres never bores me. That’s why I still watch old ‘Match Game’ reruns.

Fact d’Art: Last week, I tripped over something in the living room while Ovation TV was on; I looked closer, and it was a little piece of twentysomething artistic soul that I thought had been cleared away years ago. After running it through my home CSI kit, I realized there is still a tiny part of that young me who read plays, dreamed of seeing the Louvre and thought seriously about attending the Kansas City Art Institute. Instead of crushing it under the heel of reality, I popped that little fragment into a terrarium, and read art appreciation books to it whenever I can.

Holding Back the Years

I Googled myself the other day (hey, now, I was fully-dressed) and discovered a piece of myself I had completely forgotten: my LiveJournal blog. I went through the entries, from 2002 to 2005, and was amazed at how damned optimistic I was then. I also listened to a lot of music, because the sountrack from 'Chicago' was featured heavily for a couple of months. Deb Ng says that 'Online is Forever,' and it's very true, but this time I was thankful. I was always looking forward to something back then, and it nearly feels like reading someone else's words. How did I become so sarcastic, cynical and old in just a few years? Maybe it's too much life experience, or too few movie soundtracks in my life. In any case, it points out to me that this new digital generation won't be looking through yearbooks and photo albums in the years ahead, but old blogs and social media sites. It's only a matter of time before someone starts up a business searching and archiving all your online moments, condensing your life into one convenient DVD. When that business pops up, give this jaded ol' broad a cut of the profits, will ya?