CrankyBuddhist   the learning never ends …

Here is a meme. I love memes. They help me come up with ideas. This Name Meme was borrowed from Return to Rural.

1. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: [your mother's & father's middle names]

June Arthur

2. NASCAR NAME: [the first name of your mother's dad, father's dad]

Vaclav Harry

3. STAR WARS NAME: [the first 2 letters of your last name, first 4 letters of your first name]

Krkimb

4. DETECTIVE NAME: [your favorite color, favorite animal]

Red Dog

5. SOAP OPERA NAME: [your middle name, city where you live]

Ann Berkeley

6. SUPERHERO NAME: [your 2nd favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink, optionally add "THE" to the beginning]

Blue Lemon Drop

7. FLY NAME: [the first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name]

Kiel

8. GANGSTA NAME: [your favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie]

Chocolate Chocolate Chip

9. ROCK STAR NAME: [your current pet's name, current street name]

Deeq Regent

10. PORN NAME: [your 1st pet's name, street/s you grew up on]

Cuddles Miller-North

Bonus: Your Mystery Writing Pseudonym: [First name or nickname backwards, your last name backwards]

Mik Ledark

Tag you’re it! Post on your own blog or in the comments below.

I found this over on 3:40am, a blog I enjoy checking in on from time to time because he is just so matter-of-fact about his observations and the things that go on in his life.

1) Where did you begin 2007?
I began 2007 at a housesit in Mill Valley, with very scarey 75 mph winds blowing down the hill through the redwood trees over the house. Have you ever seen a redwood tree bend in the wind? Then went back to the house in Berkeley soon after the New Year.

2) What was your status by Valentine’s Day?
Single. Unemployed, or Self-employed, depending on your perspective.

3) Were you in school (anytime this year)?
No.

4) How did you earn your money?
I didn’t earn very much. House and pet sitting mostly, some freelance web development, google AdSense.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Yes, for the first time since I was nine years old. Emergency gall bladder surgery.

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
Not that I remember. I almost hit a few Berkeley parking traffic control ticket writing people out of anger though.

7) Where did you go on holidays?
No holidays (vacations) this year. I watched everyone’s homes while they went away. So I was in San Francisco, Mill Valley, and Berkeley.

8) What did you purchase that was over $1000?
Not one thing.

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
No.

10) Did you know anybody who passed away?
Yes. The patriarch of my Family B. (My genetic family is Family A. Family B is the family of my once best friend.) He was a really good friend who shared his home with me on holidays for twenty years.

12) Did you move anywhere?
I move every few days and weeks over the four summer months (May – September). It gets really tiring.

14) What concerts/shows did you go to?
I saw a play at the Berkeley Rep – After the Quake. It gave me inspiration to write a novel, but also by comparison made me realize I shouldn’t try to write fiction.

15) Are you registered to vote?
I have to check on that.

16) Who did you want to win American Idol?
I’ve never seen American Idol.

17) Where do you live now?
Out of my car at a client’s house in Berkeley.

18) Describe your birthday.
I always have high hopes for my birthday, but I usually end up being alone. This year was my fiftieth, so I popped open a bottle of Champagne that I had bought in France a few years before and watched TV.

19) What’s one thing you thought you’d never do but did in 2007?
I never ever thought I would be in the hospital, especially with emergency surgery. I thought I would resign to die first. Funny how my mind changed once I was confronted with the possibility.

20) What has been your favorite moment?
Waking up each morning and seeing the dog watching me sleep.

21) What’s something you learned about yourself?
I can finally write numerous grant applications and sound like a grounded, well-deserving individual.

22) Any new additions to your family?
Not that I know of, although I’m usually the last to know.

23.) What was your best month?
They were all pretty much the same, except for December. December was definitely not my best month. But there is still a week and two holidays left, so maybe I shouldn’t rush to judgment.

24.) What song will remind you of 2007?
I don’t think of songs and years as going together. Music is more fluid than that.

25.) Looking forward to a New Year?
Absolutely! My horoscope says I’ll be traveling a lot which I really need to do and I always look forward to.

Tag You’re It: Anyone who reads this (post and link back on your own blog or in the comments area).

Over on blogher.org, Mata H. started a Christmas and Hannukah meme. The lovely thing about Buddhism is that all religious holidays are fair game for celebrating, and Christmas is my absolute favorite (right up there with Halloween and the Solstices!). Most of my Christmas celebrations are memories of Christmas past, since most of the people I used to celebrate with are either dead or not talking to me. During my young adult life, I didn’t have the cash flow to go home for the holidays for many years and a phone call on Christmas Eve was my only connection with the group. I’ll talk more about Christmas (maybe) as the day draws closer, but for now here is the meme:

CHRISTMAS MEME

1.Real tree or artificial or treeless? Any special traditions with the tree?

Currently treeless. But I love Christmas trees, live ones. The tradition with my immediate family tree while I was growing up was in the process of decorating it. Lights on the inside of the tree, then the bulbs, some deep inside and some on the edge, then icicles delicately and purposefully placed all over the tree. Most of our bulbs were family bulbs, I don’t know if they still exist somewhere or not. We put the tree up fairly soon after Thanksgiving and it stayed up until January 2nd.

One year Grandma decided to no longer have a tree at her house for the holiday. She decided this when she realized that the Christmas tree had nothing to do with Christmas and everything to do with that pagan holiday of the Winter Solstice.

2. Eggnog or Cider or Mulled Wine?

For me – mulled wine. Or just wine. I love good wine.

3. Spiritual or Secular celebration?

Growing up it was both. Now it’s just a quiet day of contemplation.

4. Favorite Christmas music?

All of the classics.

5. One special holiday memory.

In my family there are so many good Christmas memories, but in general, it was the Christmas Eve celebrations at my Great-Grandparents’ house. I probably had about ten or eleven of those before the celebration moved to my Grandparents’. This night was full of extended family, food and drink, Grandma’s cookies, a lot of laughter, and presents for everyone.

Tag: Anyone who reads this! (On your own blog or in the comments!)