This post is not password protected

I was wondering if you'd be willing to share some of your vast store of knowledge and wisdom with me? Please? I have encountered a situation here in bloggyland that I don't know how to handle. If someone password protects a post, how am I supposed to respond?

Do I email them and ask for the password? That seems a little presumptuous to me. If they wanted me to have the password, wouldn't they have sent it to me? Of course, that seems a bit egotistical as well. Assuming that everyone I read would think to send me the password. Hell, half the people I read don't even know I read them.

Do I assume that they're writing about me and that everyone in the world has the password except me and you're all talking about it? (j/k on that one. Even I'm not that narcissistic)

What if I email and ask for it (which I did once) and they don't respond (which she didn't). I took this to assume that she didn't want me to read the post. duh But an email saying "hey, it's personal, no offense, quit stalking me you freak" would have been appreciated.

So, what is the universally accepted, correct, courteous and proper way to handle password protected posts? Please do share before I embarrass myself further.

I have arrived

Finally, after over a year of blogging, I have been truly accepted by the community. I, my friend, have my very own troll. Yes, it's true. A lovely anonymous troll using the pseudonym 'snoop' (ironic, no?) left a message on my last post about my lovely little bulldog puppy. He suggested that she deserved to be abandoned because of her stench, and then should be 'finished off with a gun'. As far as trolls go, fairly benign I guess.

But none the less, I am honored to be inducted into the club and appreciative of the sentiment.

ps: THE Bossy commented on the same post, which totally negates the whole troll thing, but I'm keeping my membership card anyway.

Seven things

My main gal from Michigan, Ree (wait, does that make her a Michiganian?) has tagged me for a meme. Thank gah. I've got an excuse to share more random stuff about myself. This makes me happy! Alas, first I must adhere to the rules. They are as follows:

List seven things about yourself.

Pass the award on to seven friends whose blogs you love.

Easy peasy.

7 things about moi

1. I have a daughter graduating from film school next month. I'm so proud, my head may asplode.

2. Calvin and Hobbes is my all time favorite comic of forever. Hobbes is the wisest soul ever and I am currently raising Calvin.

3. I am considering dipping my toe into the job market after 10 years as a business owner. Really, didn't I pick a great time?

4. I despise telephones and the intrusion they represent. I refuse to subscribe to call waiting and very rarely answer the phone. Your email? I will break my fingers rushing to answer.

5. I have no idea how to copy the badge or button or whatever it's called that goes with this meme. I have been given awards that I would love to put on the blog, but have no idea how. In the time it's taken me to type this, I could've figured out how to do it.

6. I used my camera in manual mode last week and I could tell what the pictures were supposed to be of!

7. I just want it to be quiet.

Now to pass on the joy. I want to know more about each of these lovelies:

Sweetly Single

Ms. Batman

Pamajama

Jennifer

Slyde

Tink

Jocelyn

Some weekend miscellany and a question

This is my 99th post. Isn't there something I'm supposed to do on the 100th? Or did you guys have a big surprise planned? The champagne really isn't necessary, although I appreciate the thought. But if someone could enlighten me as to the protocol for the 100th, I'd be forever grateful.

I shall await your wisdom.

It's all about ME!

I've been interviewed, poppets! I'm really feeling quite important and full of myself. The lovely Jennifer at Spaghetti Harvest was kind enough to relent to my begging to be included and sent me some questions. A funny thing happened on the way to the interview though. Now, we've been commenting on each other's blogs for, oh, about a million years now. I recently joined facebook (as most of you know from my incessant pleas to please be my friend). Well facebook apparently goes into your email account (honestly, I felt a bit violated!) and invites peoples to be your friends. Which is wonderful except for when you don't know those peoples real names, only their blog names. So Jennifer's all "and how do I know you?" and I'm all "Pfft, I have no idea". (I should've been tipped off by the 'pastafarian' religious notation.) But we figured out who we are and lived happily ever after. On to the interview!

1) What is your favourite smell and why?

I have two equally favorite smells. Woodsmoke in the winter and sawdust.

2) If you could live in any other country in the world, where would it be and why?

I answered that one here. It's England and I honestly couldn't tell you why. I have always, for as long as I can remember, wanted to live in the english countryside. Perhaps on the moors, maybe inland, who knows? Should the British wise up and ban me, Scotland will do.

3) What would your focus be if you went into politics?

I would have several. In no particular order:

No one should have to be hungry in a world that produces enough food to feed ALL of it's inhabitants several times over.

No one should have more than they need while others have less. (to excess. I'm mostly referring to the excessively rich and exceedingly poor. We that are comfortably in the middle are safe.)

No one would be punished for who or what they choose to worship.

I could go on and on. I'll stop here before I get all riled up and go out and run for office.


4) What is it that you love the most about yourself?

This one shouldn't be as hard as it is, should it? I have to say my ability to feel for others. I am able to have some sort of empathy for just about anyone or anything.

5) If you were to reincarnate into an animal, which would it be?

Normally, I'd say a dog, since they are my favorites. But I think my personality would be more suited to being a cat. Since they have staffs and all. and don't get bothered by people unless they want to be bothered. Works for me.

Now, if you want to join in on the fun, do the following:

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. I'm giddy with the power of it.

3. You then update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

So come on folks! Who wants to open themselves up to the nosiest, most invasion questions I can think of? Actually, I think I'm going to switch this one up a bit. If you'd like to be interviewed, I'll base my questions on things I've learned about you through reading your blog that I would like you to expound on. I can't wait!

Please send help, the wabbids got me

Poppets!! Oh how I've missed you! Santa brought me a Wii. And the wabbids game and I've been protecting you from their nefarious forces since.

Ever vigilant in my quest to save us all, I've barely dropped the remote for a week. You're quite welcome. I consider it a privilege to serve you. I'm purposefully leaving out the part about the game being for Silas and it being set to "easy" and my still being on the first level. He's also stomped me at bowling.

I hope you had a lovely holiday. We here at Casa de Silence made it through relatively intact, save for a minor skirmish with the plague. While rendered prone with my suffering I finished reading Wally Lamb's lastest doorstop novel. While I found it quite enjoyable as a whole, one thing in particular grated on my nerves. This style of writing? where you ask a question? in the middle of the sentence? and then answer it? Me? I promise I will never everevereverever use it again. Pinky swear. I'm not sure what he was trying to accomplish but it felt forced and out of place in an otherwise extremely well written novel. Thus ends my literary critique of The Hour I First Believed.

In other news, I got an award! I did! My first one. As soon as I figure out what to do with it, or how to get it and pass it on, I'll let you know. I also have an interview to do (I'm so important) and several memes, one of which involves a photo. Where will I find the time? I may even post more than twice this month. If I can drop the wii remote, that is.

I should've thought this through

The luscious BonBon has declared today to be Out your Tivo Day. After agreeing to do it and then coming in here and turning on my Tivo, I'm having second thoughts. Whatever will you think of me? How will I hold my head up in polite company? Oh well, here goes: Oh wait, you should know that this is MY tivo. Mine only. I have put a password on it after the great Lost deletion debacle of aught 7, so no one has access to it but moi. I do occasionally record something for Silas, although grudgingly. Behold:

Dr. Phil, 10 episodes (will probably watch 3 of them)
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, 5 (haven't watched at all this season)
House 3 (What?? How did I forget House? I'll finish this after I watch them)
Desperate Housewives 1 (Good Lord, my mind is a sieve. I didn't know I'd missed this either!)
The Graham Norton Show, 25 episodes (Shut up. He makes me laugh every time I watch. And the American stars he has on are always shocked at how different European tv is, esp. when he asks really crude questions)
Survivor, 1 (kinda meh on this season so far, although Ace is hawt)
Star Stories, 2 (hilarious spoof of stars on BBC)
Eddie Izzard
George Carlin's last 5 HBO specials
and the last 5 episodes of Lost from last season.

There you have it. For someone who claims not to watch much tv, I believe my delusions have been shattered. Be kind.

Have I mentioned?

That I currently despise blogger? For both those of you who have me in a reader, how many times did the last entry post? After trying to get it edited at least ten times, I gave up and left it alone. Then it ate my title! And my changes, so if it doesn't make any sense or flow well, let's just blame blogger and call it a day.

And my pictures! They are falling out of their frames again, only this time up. Sigh. I need more coffee.

Beware the curse, me mateys!

Apparently, I carry a curse. I don't mean to curse anyone. In the last week, whilst traipsing around the blogosphere, I found five new blogs that I really liked and I added them to my reader. Within the last three days, all five of them have decided to quit blogging. All FIVE of them. I mean, good grief, do I offend? *sniffs armpits*

Getting added to my reader is the kiss of bloggy death. If I've added you recently, run, don't walk, for the door. Not you, I've subscribed to you forever. It's only new adds that are cursed. In the interest of not shutting down the interwebs, I think I'll refrain from new subscriptions for a bit.

I feel pretty..Oh so pretty

Well hello! Please, do come in. Have a seat. Coffee? Tea? Why yes, I have spruced up a bit! Thanks for noticing. The lovely Sam has coded her little fingers to the bone. Isn't it amazing what these designers do for us? Is designer the right word?

I went to an image site (LuckyOliver.com) which sadly, has since shut down. I purchased a bunch of images, threw them at Sam and said "can this one be the background?" "can this mark the archives?" canyou, canyou, canyou?????

You know what? She DID. I mean, look at this place. Gorgeous. It's like having Vern Kip come into your house. So please, have a look around. Stay as long as you like. The coffee's fresh and there may be some scones in the kitchen.

For my peeps

I must admit poppets, I had a bit of posters remorse after THIS. I mean, I had never uttered those words aloud before. Molested, raped. Never. Not to anyone. And I told. Do you know how huge that is? I told. And guess what? The world? It did not end. The skies did not darken to purple and rain fire upon the land. Actually, the world marched on just like normal, except for a bit of post publish panic.
Except, and this is a big except, I feel free. Unburdened. And for that I thank YOU. For listening, for not judging, for supporting. You are awesome and awe inspiring and I will be forever grateful that I had you to tell my story to. Thank you.

The Sound of Silence

Listen....Do you hear it? Me neither! It's quiet and I rejoice. Silas is gone to his grandparents for the day. SweetieDarling is out doing things I'd probably rather not know about. Sam is working. Moi? I am lounging. Relaxing, resting and recuperating. Which I intend to continue ad infinitum. Or until someone gets home.

I believe the cycle just may have broken. I've had one entire drama free day. The fates tried their best but I persevered. I may not be standing, but that's by choice. And now I shall shut up and not boast lest I tempt them to try again.

That sound you hear now? That's the sound of the biggest time suck ever invented eagerly inhaling all of my day. I have discovered (dun dun dun DUH) ...the statcounter. How cool is this thing? Did you know people come and read your blog and don't comment? Me neither! Whoda thunk? And that you can find out where these people are from? I haven't figured out how to see who they are yet, but I know where they're coming from. Much coolness.

AND, someone came to me from a weird search term! It was "22 year old hairy Christine". I wrote a post on my gray hair and Watch Me Christine commented on it, but I don't think that's what the hairy Christine searcher had in mind because they only stayed 5 seconds. Ooh, that reminds me. I need to do a "growing out the gray update". You've been dying to ask, but have just been too polite, it that it? Didn't want to be pushy? You are too sweet. Well, don't worry. Pictures tomorrow. (awkward return to original subject follows)

My bloggy mother , who took me under her wing as a newly hatched bloglet, taught me that it's good manners to respond to your commenters. So I'm hoping to use this miracle of technology to find email addresses for those who comment and don't have one listed on their blog. Of course, if commenters don't have an email listed on their blog, could that be a hint that perhaps they don't want an email? Hmmm, perhaps some advice is in order for this. What do you prefer, not as a blogger, but as a commenter? An email response? A response in the comments? To be left alone to comment in peace? Please let me know. Meanwhile I'll be hunting down the Romanian who stayed two and a half hours and still didn't have anything to say.

Aaaaaannnd.....we're back!

Isn't if funny how the fates conspire to overtake our schedules? I had every intention of posting the second part of my wrathful vengeance story last week. Now? I'm glad I didn't. Do I really want you to know that I was shitful to a perfectly nice woman who asked me if I'd been saved? That I berated her for asking a question that I perceived to be too personal and none of her business? That because "I have a degree in philosophy and religion, I can debate the veracity of King James' version of the christian bible till next week"? No. No, I don't. So we'll be moving right along to other, more pleasant things.

I've decided that my cast of characters needs new monikers. Piglet and the husband just aren't doing it for me anymore. So, after three seconds hours of contemplation, we have a winner! Piglet will now be referred to by the name I wanted to give him at birth. The husband and I had a deal that he would name a boy and I would name a girl. I lobbied hard to name him Silas. I just love that name. Of course, he would have none of it. Suffice it to say that my son now walks through life with a dogs name. Literally. We have both had dogs in the past with the name that my son now has. It's a perfectly fine human name, it just works equally as well for dogs. So Silas it is, here in my computer, where everything is how I want it.

The Husband, in the interest of alliteration, is Sam. See? Shania, Silas, Sam? All esses. Even SweetieDarlin fits in. My work here is done.