bored at work and answering another survey

Was the last person you kissed younger or older than you?
Older.

How do you feel?
Meh.

What was the last movie you saw in theaters?
I honestly can't remember, though I'm sure it was some summer blockbuster.  Which is odd in retrospect, I used to be so into going to movies.  Now I can't be bothered and just wait for DVD.

Have your parents ever caught you drinking?
Caught?  Not when I was too young to be drinking.   But I've had drinks with 'em since.

Do you hate the last boy/girl you were talking to?
If she were reading over my shoulder YES!   But she's not so no.  

What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Sitting here at my desk, kinda working.

Last restaurant you went to?
Endolyne Joe's.  If you don't count the cafe at work.

What's the first thing you would do with 5 million dollars?
Pay off my credit debt.   Or quit my job.

Exciting weekend?
Not really.   Bad food, bad movies ... the usual "bachelor" routine.

Have you ever crawled through a window?
Yes.  Let's not say whether these windows were my own or not.

What do you spend most of your money on?
Rent and bills.   After that, food and drink.

Where were you at 1 AM sunday morning?
In bed watching "In the Mouth of Madness".

Ever kissed someone over 18?
It's questions like this that remind me I'm probably too old to be bothering with these things. 

To answer ... yes. 

Do you like yourself?
Eh, I'm ok.

Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yep.  Black.  Tres goth.

Do you miss someone?
Yep.  The missus while I'm work, the friends on the other side of the country, the mother who died ... plenty of folks to miss.

Are you wearing a shirt?
No.  Rawr.  Kidding.   Of course I am.  Shockingly enough, plain black T.

Who is someone you wish you could fix things with?
No one really.    If things broke, they broke for a reason, and I'm ok with leaving it broke.

Is there anything in your past that you'd like to try again?
Oh hells yeah.  Travelling to Iceland primarily.

Are you an emotional person?
Eh, in my way.

What's something that can always make you feel better?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.   It should be music, but that's not really why I make music, and it's often a source of the frustration that needs fixing. 

Did your parents spoil you as a child?
No.  I was taken care of, but not spoiled.

Do you think anyone in general out there loves you?
Yeah, I think so.  Unless they're big liers or bad parents ;)

How's your heart lately?
Working too hard.  That's a literal assesment.  Figuratively speaking, it's just fine.

Will this weekend be a good one?
Hope so.  I get paid Friday and plan on eating well.

Do people talk crap about you?
I'm sure.  I'm kind of a jerk.

Where did you last sleep?
At home in my bed.  Though it was touch at go at my desk here for a bit.

Do you have a best friend?
Yep. 

Do you remember what you were like a year ago?
Pretty much just like I am now.   But on fewer medications.

Who was the last person you cried in front of?
Probably Anne, probably because of something on TV.  I'm a chump.

Can you vote next election?
What in the next what?

What are you listening to?
Richard Youngs - The Naive Shaman.

When will your next kiss be?
Tonight.

Where do you keep your money?
I'm so not answering this.   Because I don't trust you.  Not a one of you. 

Do you love someone right now?
Yep.  

Do you like someone right now?
Yep. 

Last place you took a plane to?
East Coast, RDU if you want specifics.

Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot?
In informal communication, yes.  As much as I don't like them, I've long ago realized my penchant for sarcasm is prone to misunderstanding without a wink.  Because you people are dumb.

Who did you last go out to eat with?
The missus.  See the above restaruant questions.

When is the last time you took a nap?
I passed out for a few yesterday afternoon.

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Some stranger who misdialed me.  Who I should add is different than the person in the previous question regarding hating the last person you were talking too.  This is a longish survey and the call came after that question, but before this one.

Do you talk about your feelings or hide them?
Neither really.  I don't talk about 'em much, but I don't hide them either.  I just leave them be.

What are you looking forward to in the next month?
Anne doing the grilling.   Getting a new humidor because I think mine's failing to hold the humidity well enough anymore. 

The way to win your heart?
Gladiatorial death match.  You kill me, it's yours.

The last person you fought with?
Evander Holyfield.   He kicked my ass.

How long is your hair?
Too.

3:08 PM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Polar Bears and Porn Stars

I'm a lazy man.  Not a lot of 'goals' per se.  But I have two that I really think I should get to working on.

1 - Joining the Polar Bear club.  That's right, the guys who swim in icey water.   I don't know why, but for a very long time I've wanted that badge of not-so-much-honor.  

2 - Joining Mensa.   Obviously this one's trickier.  And not just a matter of 'doing' but 'doing well'.   Every quick and dirty IQ test I've taken has put me right at the 98th percentile, which is what you need to get in.  But my score is always so close, it could be one of those bad-day-keeps-you-out things.   Again, I don't really know why I feel the compulsion, but I do.  Thankfully it's an actual badge of honor.    Not only so I can say "no really, I'm smart, look (points to certificate)", but to join the ranks of such Mensans as sci-fi novelist Isaac Asimov, actress Ellen Muth, pro-wrestler Raven, Desert Storm big-wig Norman Schwarzkopf, and porn star Asia Carrera ... I mean seriously ... imagine that dinner party! 

So yeah ... shouldn't be too tough.  Right?

1:50 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

shortest, most revealing survey EVAR!!!

This was taken from someone's LiveJournal but with two questions edited out because they didn't apply to us MySpace folks.

1. My username is _____ because ____

My username is 'transient mark' for a few reasons.  1) I wanted some seperation from my eponymous music related page.  2) I didn't want to use my full name to avoid popping up in searches if possible 3) the 'transient' thing has been a part of my public identity for years now, starting with my inexplicable halloween couch standing proclomation that I was 'transient gear man' which then lead to my recording studio being called the 'transient gear werks' and label being called 'all the transients'.   4) mark is my name.

2. My name is _____ because ______.

My name is Mark Thomas Schlipper because my parents apparently agreed on the astoundingly dull and biblical name of Mark to go with the astoundingly messupable German surname of my fathers family Schlipper.  The middle bit was in tribute to my maternal grandfather Thomas Edison Bohannan.  Guess where his name came from.

3. My default userpic is ____ because ____.

Me and a light bulb because ... well ... it kinda sums me up well.   The sense of humor in the writing on the bulb itself, and the self deprication of the implication that in fact, I'm out of ideas.  Plus it's less revealing than most photos that invariably make me uncomfortable. 

4. My quote is________ because _________.

My quote is "making bad art, saying stupid things" because I believe it to be entirely true about myself.   For the record, it was taken from Ben Foster's character in an episode of Six Feet Under when he tells someone what he's been up to.  "Making bad art, saying stupid things, implimenting my master plan to be forgotten when I'm gone and forgettable while I'm here."

I would like to add to anyone reading this, feel free to add more similar questions.  I like the format and would be interested to see more angles.

Currently listening : Radiance of Shadows By Nadja Release date: 2007-10-09

3:09 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

"god damn the sun" - Michael Gira
Current mood: crappy

It's been a while, and I only have one thing to say ...

Fuck the sun, right in the ear.  

Only a few hours this morning/afternoon and now tonight my brain is trying to work its way out of my temples and I feel ready to boot any second.  

So yeah.   Just enough to get some seratonin boosting vitamin D, but anything more ... right in the ear.

9:22 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Firsts

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Jessica Aarons.  I was a sophmore and she asked me.

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
No.   Though I'm sure we could without drama, we parted amicably enough.

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Today?   (kidding)  Beefeater Gin.  

4. What was your FIRST job?
First REAL job (as opposed to paper route kinda stuff) was at a True Value hardware store.

5. What was your FIRST car?
Hand me down '83 Honda Civic Wagon.

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
No one yet, but if anyone, it'll be Anne.

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Anne.  I thought it was her alarm going off. 

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Peebles ... I think.

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
Probably my dad's in California.

10. Who was the FIRST person you snuck out of the house with?
I don't think I ever snuck out.  

11. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
I don't recall specifically ... there was Eric, Seiku, Mike, John-Michael, Andy ... one of them probably.

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
Not a clue.

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Not counting "bye" to Anne ... ex-coworker Derek on the bus.

14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
Haven't been in one ... thank god.

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Pee.   Seriously, who doesn't pee before doing anything else in the morning?

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
I went to lots when I was a kid, but the first that was really MY idea was probably The Who in '89.

17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
Piercing - ears.  Non-ear piercing - nipple.  Tattoo - left shoulder.   All around '91.

18. FIRST foreign country you went to?
Canada.   First actually foreign country?   Iceland.

20. When was your FIRST detention?
Not a clue.

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Texas.

22. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart?
Lisa McCabe.   We never actually dated or anything.  But in elementary school I had such a wicked crush on her, that not dating or anything was heart breaking :)

23. Who was your FIRST roommate?
Besides my brother?  Deanna.

24. Who will be the FIRST to repost this?
Probably Anne.   She's as much a geek for these things as I am.

9:04 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

51 (supposedly) Odd Things About Me

1. Do you like blue cheese?
Yes indeedy. 

2. Have you ever smoked heroin?
No.  Opium, yes.

3. Do you own a gun?
Nerf Maverick.  Yeah, that's right.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic?
If there's a Sonic here, I've never been.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
No.  Though I probably should.

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
Sometimes they're the perfect food.  And this Seattle thing w/ putting cream cheese on 'em?   FANTASTIC.

7. Favorite Christmas song?
None.  I LOATHE x-mas music.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Coffee.  Like right now.   *silurp*

9. Can you do push ups?
A few. 

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
My earrings.  I can ignore them.   But I seem to insist on their presence.

12. do u drink?
Werd to the mothership.  I try not to at work but ... ;)

14. Do you have A.D.D.?
Acute Dork Disorder?  Yes. 

15. What's one genetic trait that you hate about yourself?
Inability to grow a proper beard, hair loss, hypertension, predeliction for colon cancer ... oh ... just one? 

16. Middle name?
Danger.    Well, actually Thomas.  

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment...
1) Which is funnier, Danger or Trouble;  2) mmm, coffee; 3) I want a bacon, egg, & cheese biscuit.

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday...
Ghurka Regent cigar, pork burrito, Mai Tai ... not all at the same time mind you.

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
Coffee, Diet or Zero Coke, water.   I used to drink more whiskey than water.  I still drink plenty of whiskey, but I'm glad I'm putting down more water now.

20. Current worry right now?
Music, work, life, you name it.  I've been on an unprovoked anxiety bender laterly.   Probably the lack of whiskey.

21. Current hate right now?
My commute.   Good lord do I hate my commute.

22. Favorite place to be?
Home.

23. How did you bring in the New Year?
Uncomfortably.  Until we came home.

24. Where would you like to go?
Iceland tops the list.  And in no particular order: Bucharest, Prague, Edinborough, Dublin, Amsterdam, Gdansk, Helsinki, Tokyo, Anchorage, Richmond ...

25. Name three people who will complete this?
Joe ... as evidenced by his completion already ... Me, and Anne.

26. Do you own slippers?
Yep.  But I don't know where they've gotten to.

27. What shirt are you wearing?
Plain black T.  Shocking.

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
No.  Nice medium thread count cotton for me thanks.

29. Can you whistle?
Yep.  But not while I work.

30. Favorite color?(s)
Black.  Easy on the eyes.

31. Would you be a pirate?
I already am.   Arr.

32.What songs do you sing in the shower?
I don't.

33. Favorite girl's name?
Well, the name of my favorite girl is Anne.  How's that?

34. Favorite boy's name?
Despite the predeliction for shoe shopping I don't have a favorite boy.

35. What's in your pocket right now?
Wallet.  Work ID.

36. Last thing that made you laugh?
I don't recall ... but it was probably someone else's pain.

37. best bed sheets as a child?
Star Wars.  Duh.

38. Worst injury you've ever had?
Scissors in the eye.  Since I've had to wear glasses ever since, I'm pretty much constantly reminded of it.  woot.

39. Do you love where you live?
Yep.   Well, it's a love / hate thing.  I love Seattle, and love the West Side, but hate the cost of living here.  

40. Do you think phone sex is cheating?
If it's not with your partner, yes.

41. How many TVs do you have in your house?
Two.

42. Who is your loudest friend?
Me.

43. How many dogs do you have?
None ... sadly.

44. Does someone have a crush on you?
I should hope so.

45. Do u like meaningless sex?
Eh.

46. What is your favorite book?
The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon ... probably ...

47. What is your favorite candy?
Red Vines.

48. What is your favorite sports team?
I don't even like the Huey Lewis album Sports.

49. What song do you want played at your funeral?
Dánarfregnir og jardafarir (News of Death and Funerals) by Sigur Ros & Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson

51. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
"Turn off your alarm Anne ... oh, that's my alarm.  Damn it."

8:34 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Bachelor Chow

So I'm having this dream ... I'm with a couple folks at Whole Foods or something.  Apparently the whole trip is about some friend of mine, and hooking him up with this girl he likes. And I have this little take-out container of Fruit Loops eatin' away.  

I wake up with a ridiculous urge for Fruit Loops.   And fortunately, the convenience store across the street can hook me up.   And I'm reminded of "Bachelor Chow" from Futurama.  

8:55 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Right rain and music, Tom Cruise, and cigariphinalia.

Fleeting near perfect moment 1:
11:45ish pm, east bound on the West Seattle Bridge - It's dark (duh), quiet, and there's just enough rain on the windows of my car that the lights of the city to my left are multiplied four fold, and some glitchy electronica number is shuffling away on the radio.

Fleeting near perfect moment 2:
6:00ish am, bus stop on California ave. - Some rain in the air but not enough to merit the hood up.  And the opening strains of Arbouretum's Signposts & Instruments starts up.

Odd thought 1:
8:00ish pm, the living room - I don't care what people say or think, I like Tom Cruise as an actor.  I'm thoroughly enjoying The Last Samurai.  Not to mention a few of his films comfortable place in my collection already.

Announcement 1:
http://www.allthetransients.com/subdomains/cigar/
I'm starting a cigar band museum.   Being the geek I am, I've been collecting mine since I started smoking them.  And being the geek I am, a website was inevitable.   So I'm building an online cigar band museum.   The link above is it's current home.  Obviously it's just in the founding stages right now.  But I've got 70ish of my own that I'll be adding soon.  And after that I'll be taking contributions from outside sources as well.   I'm fairly certain I'm a lone smoker amongst my myspace friends but if you know someone who'd care, share the love.

8:38 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

It’s been a while ...

This was supposed to be a "pre-christmas" survey, so we'll see how well it holds up ;)

1. What's the color of the soap in your bathroom?
Green.

2. Do you like cola?
Yes.  I stick to diet, but still ... the pause that refreshes

3. What's the 20th contact in your phone?
Drummer Kenny.

4. Are you on IM right now?
Yes, but it's work IM.   I don't personal IM anymore.

5. Whats your opinion on Alvin & the Chipmunks?
Annoying.  Back in the day, annoying, now, annoying.

6. Ever said the n-word to a black person?
If the n-word is "nativity" (see? an xmas referance ;) ) than yes.  I've called my friend Darrel a negro before, but it wasn't meant to be anymore offensive than him calling me cracker.  We have our own fun :)

7. What're you doing tomorrow around 10:00 a.m.?
Watching tv, getting dressed ... if Anne actually wakes up.

8. Do you like writing in cursive or print, better?
Print.  I've forgotten all my cursive.

9. Favourite reality TV Show?
Battlestar Galactica.  Hey, you go into the future and prove to me it's not a reality show sent back in time!    

10. What's the most annoying noise in the world?
The voice of the guy that sings for Offspring.   Any sound a child makes.  People with learned bad grammar.

11. Do the speakers on your computer work?
Yes.  (Seriously?  One of the lamest survey questions yet)

12. Have you ever written in wet cement?
Yes.  Just don't ask what. 

13. Ever worn your underwear backwards?
No, they just don't sit right that way.

15. Anyone in your family died from lung cancer?
No. Lots of colon cancer, but not lung.

16. Favorite Jelly Belly flavour?
No clue, probably lime.   I like limes.

17. Ever shopped for shoes online?
Hells yeah.  Zappos all the way baby. 

18. How are your grades?
Lets say "were" not "are".  They were fine.  I averaged a 3.5ish.

19. What's always on your mind?
Nothing.  It's like that scene from Clockwork Orange in there.  Just constant flickering between everything I've ever known.

20. Don't you just HATE George Bush?
Nope.  I'm not inclined to hate much of anything.  Except the guy that sings for Offspring.  

21. Do you follow your horoscope religiously?
Nope.  I read it, fear for my life, and then forget it within the hour.

22. How often do you go running?
Whenever the 55 bus is at one end of the block and I'm at the other.

23. Are you thirsty?
Pretty much always.

24. Ever played Grand Theft Auto?
The original.  It was rad, but not for me.  I'm a sci-fi rpg fan. 

25. Do you like the person you copied this survey from?
Yep.  Hence the whole hooking up thing.

26. Do you get an allowance?
I allow myself to drink heavily only about twice a week.

27. Are you a bitch...be truthful?
Oh yeah.  I definitely can be.   Mee-ow! 

28. 50 Cent shows up at your door, what do you do?
Ask him if he's looking for money for some charity or his own advancement as I wouldn't recognize him from any of the door to door folks. 

29. Last time you killed a bug?
Probably just now.  I mean they live in your eyebrows and whatnot. 

31. Where is your pet?
At home sleeping/drugging off a migraine ;)

32. Favorite childhood game?
Watching Cinemax.

34. When's the last time you had a slurpee?
Slurpee?  Long time.  But I had a Slush Puppy a few months ago.

35. Do you look through your old yearbooks a lot?
No, they confuse me.  I only dig into 'em now when someone from high school creeps out of the woodwork.

36. What are you dreading right now??
Bills.  It's always bills.

37. Have you ever painted a room in your house?
Yeah.   Not in a while though.  Stupid rentals.

38. Keeping any secrets right now?
Always.  Like the one where I'm actually a CIA agent investigating communists in the graphic design world (there are lots). 

Oh damn. 

39. What CD's in your stereo right now?
I believe the Wired All Wrong disc is in my car.  But Mum is playing on the computer.

40. Who comments you the most?
Anne or Levi.  Just the blogs, not the comments comments.

41. Is your basement dusty?
Yes.  (ok, maybe that's the lamest survey question) 

42. Ever witnessed a hit & run?
Nope.  Not a car hit anyway.

43. What do you do when you're bored at school?
If school = work, then I do myspace surveys.

44. What's the last household object you broke?
No idea.  Anne's the clumsy one.

45. Does whatever happens in Vegas... really stay in Vegas?
No idea.  But what happens in Reno definitely leaves Reno.

46. Ever been to a football game?
I don't think so.

47. What's your most played band in iTunes?
According to my Zune software, Sigur Ros. 

48. Like mother like daughter?
Let's gender flip that ... and no.

49. Are you a sexual person?
Sometimes.

50. When's the last time you looked in the dictionary?
I use the online dictionary all the time.

Currently listening : Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy By Múm Release date: 25 September, 2007

11:14 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Rant two-fer
Current mood: aggravated

two for one deal today ...

1 - Sure, I may be a bit of a fanboy when it comes to the Zune, but still ... it drives me nuts when people rant about how inferior it is to the iPod because of the DRM they put on files bought in their store when iTunes does the exact same thing!  Or they rant about how lame the file sharing between devices is because of the DRM, when iPod/iTunes doesn't allow ANY sharing AT ALL!   It's just dumb.  

2 - NEVER buy a Kia.  In case you were considering it.   They're cheap because they use cheap parts and skimp on labor.  Why, at 5 years, 75,000 miles, is my drivers door handle broken?  Why did the clutch blow out after 1 year?  Why does the entire engine tear itself apart when the timing belt blows?    Fuck Kia.   When I can justify payments again, I'm going back to Toyota.

1:15 PM - 3 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment