Super-mega-mega-survey response

If you’re a member of Facebook, you’ve probably been tagged by one of your friends on some survey-type thing.  In the interest of playing along, I’m responding here … to all of them.  I’m going to lump them all together in one big, surveytastic blog entry.

 

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Album Cover (tagged by Ed) – This game requires instructions.  First, you go to Wikipedia and pick a random article; that’s the name of your band.  Second, you go to the Quotations Page and take the last few words of the last quote as the name of the album.  Then, you go to Flickr and click on Explore, taking the third photo as the album cover.  (Note that I will deviate from that, as copyright restrictions are important.  Maybe it’s the photographer in me.  I’ll use the third image that comes up from a Google search for my Flickr user name.)  Then, you merge it all and … poof.

 

Band name:  Broomfield Rowhouse

Album name:  If They Can’t Find Them, Make Them

 

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Bucket List (tagged by Ceré and Nancy) – In this game, you check off the things you’ve done.

( )  Gone on a blind date

(X)  Skipped school

( )  Watched someone die

(X)  Been to Canada

( )  Been to Jamaica

(X)  Been to Florida

(X)  Been on a plane

( )  Been on a helicopter

(X)  Been lost

(X)  Gone to Washington, DC

( )  Swam in the ocean

( )  Cried yourself to sleep

( )  Played cops and robbers

( )  Recently coloured with crayons

(X)  Sang karaoke

( )  Paid for a meal with coins only

( )  Been to the top of the Gateway Arch in St Louis

(X)  Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t

( )  Made prank phone calls

(X)  Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans

(X)  Laughed until some kind beverage came out of your nose and/or elsewhere

(X)  Been to the top of a building with 100+ storeys

( )  Caught a snowflake on your tongue

( )  Danced in the rain

( )  Been skinny-dipping

( )  Written a letter to Santa Claus

( )  Been kissed under the mistletoe

( )  Watched the sunrise with someone

(X)  Blown bubbles

( )  Gone ice skating

(X)  Gone to the movies

( )  Been deep-sea fishing

( )  Been in a hot air balloon

( )  Been sky diving

( )  Gone snowmobiling

( )  Lived in more than one country

( )  Lay down at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets

( )  Seen a falling star and made a wish

( )  Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful geyser

(X)  Seen the statue of Liberty

( )  Gone to the top of the Space Needle in Seattle

(X)  Been on a cruise

(X)  Travelled by train

( )  Travelled by motorcycle

( )  Been horseback riding

( )  Ridden on a cable car in San Francisco

( )  Been to Disney World

(X)  Truly believed in the power of prayer

( )  Been in a rain forest

( )  Seen whales in the ocean

( )  Been to Niagara Falls

( )  Ridden on an elephant

( )  Swam with dolphins

( )  Been to the Olympics

( )  Walked on the Great Wall of China

( )  Saw and heard a glacier calf

( )  Been spinnaker flying

( )  Been water skiing

( )  Been snow skiing

( )  Been to Westminster Abbey

( )  Been to the Louvre

( )  Swam in the Mediterranean Sea

(X)  Been to a Major League Baseball game

(X)  Been to a National Football League game

( )  Been to the Super Bowl

(X)  Been on television

(X)  Stayed in a hotel by yourself

(X)  Had your name in the newspaper

(X)  Gone to a restaurant and eaten by yourself

(X)  Gone to the movies by yourself

(X)  Kissed someone in another country

( )  Spoken fluently a language other than English

( )  Had cosmetic surgery

( )  Run a marathon

( )  Been to Graceland

( )  Been to the Grand Canyon

( )  Been to a Detroit Red Wings playoff game

(X)  Been on the radio

 

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High School (tagged by Jeanne, Jenn, and Julie) – It’s time to relive those fantastic (?) high-school years.

 

01.  Did you date someone from your school?  No

02.  Did you marry someone from your high school?  No

03.  Did you car pool to school?  No

04.  What kind of car did you have?  None

05.  What kind of car do you have now?  Saturn Ion

06.  Friday night activity then?  Home

07.  Friday night activity now?  Prepping for a long run

08.  High-school job?  Helped the Alabama Christian Education Association run its fine arts competitions

09.  Current job?  Transportation planner for the Michigan Department of Transportation

10.  Were you a party animal?  LOL

11.  Were you considered a flirt?  LOL

12.  Were you in the band, orchestra, or choir?  No, no, no

13.  Were you a nerd?  I won three national championships in English grammar testing.  You tell me.

14.  Did you get suspended or expelled?  No

15.  Can you sing the fight song?  I think they penned words to our fight song while I was there, but it was an awful little song.  Then again, given that the school mascot is the Tigers, they could have made it worse and adopted “War Eagle” or something like that.  *shiver*

16.  Who was your favourite teacher?  Randy Topping

17.  Where did you sit during lunch?  In the cafeteria.  In a chair.  That question is stupid.

18.  What was your school’s full name?  Trinity Christian Academy

19.  When did you graduate?  1994

20.  What was your school’s mascot?  Weren’t you paying attention?

21.  If you could go back and do it again, would you?  Why on earth would I do that?

22.  Did you have fun at the prom?  First, we had a banquet instead of a prom because dancing is a sin.  Second, I totally didn’t want to go.  You can figure it out from there, can’t you?

23.  Do you still talk to the person with whom you went to prom?  This quiz discriminates against single people.  May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the arm pits of whoever originally authored it.

24.  Are you planning on going to your next reunion?  I didn’t attend the first one.  It was scheduled on a weekend a couple of folks indicated wouldn’t work for them, and I was one of those who couldn’t attend.  I live fourteen hours away from the school.  My weekends tend to involve a road race or a long training run.

25.  Do you still talk to people from school?  Some of them.

 

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How Much Have You Changed in 15 Years? (tagged by Jenn) – Read question.  Type answer.

 

15 years ago…

01.  How old were you?  18

02.  Who were you dating?  I told you already.

03.  Where did you work?  Weren’t you paying attention?

04.  Where did you live?  Oxford, AL

05.  Where did you hang out?  Nowhere, really

06.  Did you wear contacts and/or glasses?  Glasses

07.  How many piercings did you have?  None

08.  What kind of car did you drive?  I’ve already answered this question.

09.  Had you been to a real party?  Yes; I’m not sure what makes it a real party versus an imaginary party, but I’m not getting into semantics.

10.  Had you had your heart broken?  No

11.  Were you single/taken/married/divorced?  See #2

12.  Any kids?  No

 

10 years ago…

01.  How old were you?  18+5

02.  Who were you dating?  No one

03.  Where did you work?  Western Michigan University

04.  Where did you live?  Kalamazoo, MI

05.  Where did you hang out?  Nowhere, really

06.  Did you wear contacts and/or glasses?  Glasses

07.  How many piercings did you have?  None

08.  What kind of car did you drive?  Mazda 626

09.  Had you been to a real party?  Yes; I’m not sure what makes it a real party versus an imaginary party, but I’m not getting into semantics.

10.  Had you had your heart broken?  No

11.  Were you single/taken/married/divorced?  See #2

12.  Any kids?  No

 

Now…

01.  Age?  18+15

02.  Where do you work?  Go back and find it.

03.  Where do you live?  Schoolcraft, MI

04.  Do you talk to your old friends?  Some of them

05.  How many piercings do you have?  None

06.  What kind of car do you have?  I’ve already told you once.

07.  Have you had your heart broken?  Yes

08.  How may kids?  None

09.  Are you single/taken/married/divorced?  Single

 

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My Life According to Google (tagged by Ceré) – In this game, you copy and paste each phrase, then fill it in with the first Google search result.

01.  Darrell needs … to stop putting all that crap on these forums.  (This is probably true.)

02.  Darrell looks like … a hillbilly-gone-horror film.  (I’m trying to picture this….)

03.  Darrell hates … software.  (Software, it’s just a game.  You know I love you.)

04.  Darrell goes … !  (Seriously.  The result was Darrell goes!)

05.  Darrell loves … Melissa.  (I know a couple of Melissas.  You’re all amazing.)

06.  Darrell eats … .  (Again, the result is just that.)

07.  Darrell has … more scandalous photos.  (This is talking about someone who has ‘Darrell’ as a last name.)

08.  Darrell works … in eHealth as a Senior Web Developer and has been with All Children’s since 1993.

09.  Darrell lives … on!

10.  Darrell died … 4 years, 1 day ago.

11.  Darrell does … the NYIP Pro Photography course.

12.  Darrell will … return to the Ft Myers area with a show at Lakes Regional Library at 2:00 p.m.  (Someday, I’ll play bigger venues.)

 

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One Word (tagged by Anita) – One-word answers.  Be concise.

 

01.  Where is your wireless phone?  table

02.  Your hair?  brown

03.  Your father?  Dad

04.  Your favourite thing?  running

05.  Your dream last night?  none

06.  Your favourite drink?  tea

07.  Your dream/goal?  marathon

08.  The room in which you are?  den

09.  Your fear?  bees

10.  Where do you want to be in 6 years?  somewhere

11.  Muffins?  infrequently

12.  One of your wish list items?  jersey

13.  Where you grew up?  Alabama

14.  The last thing you did?  type

15.  What are you wearing?  clothing

16.  Your TV?  small

17.  Your pets?  none

18.  Your computer?  foldable

19.  Your life?  boring

20.  Your mood?  neutral

21.  Your car?  efficient

22.  Favourite store?  Gazelle

23.  Your summer?  warm

24.  Your favourite colour?  crimson

 

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Threes about Me (tagged by Marcy) – It’s pretty obvious what to do here.

 

Three names by which I go:

01.  Darrell

02.  D

03.  Da-Rell

 

Three jobs I’ve had in my life:

01.  Transportation planner

02.  Village manager

03.  Referee

 

Three places I’ve lived:

01.  Schoolcraft, MI

02.  Kalamazoo, MI

03.  Tuscaloosa, AL

 

Three shows I watch:

01.  SportsCenter

02.  House

03.  NCIS

 

Three places I’ve been:

01.  Toronto, ON

02.  Ottawa, ON

03.  Mackinaw City, MI

 

Three people who e-mail me regularly:

01.  Jen

02.  Jodi

03.  Michael

 

Three of my favourite foods:

01.  Macaroni and cheese

02.  Mashed potatoes

03.  Dark chocolate

 

Things to which I’m looking forward:

01.  Borgess Run for the Health of It half marathon

02.  Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K

03.  Toronto Marathon

 

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Your Life:  The Musical (tagged by Jenn) – In this game, you open your music library, put it on shuffle, then press play.  For the first item, list the first song that plays.  For each of the next categories, you jump two songs ahead (not in line, but by clicking on the >> button, such that it changes songs).

 

Opening Credits:  “Rich Girl”, Gwen Stefani

Waking Up:  “Go Alabama”, University of Alabama Million Dollar Band

First Day of School:  “Comin’ to Your City”, Big and Rich

Falling in Love:  “Crush”, Dave Matthews Band

First Time:  “Like a Surgeon”, “Weird Al” Yankovic

Fight Song:  “Yea Alabama”, University of Alabama Million Dollar Band (Sorry, folks.  I have but one fight song.  I will not claim another, even for a silly game.)

Breaking Up:  “I Will Follow You into the Dark”, Death Cab for Cutie

Prom:  “The Beautiful Side of Somewhere”, The Wallflowers

Life:  “Chasing Cars”, Snow Patrol

Mental Breakdown:  “Breathless”, The Corrs

Driving:  “Polkarama!”, “Weird Al” Yankovic

Flashback:  “Reflections”, Diana Ross and the Supremes

Getting Back Together:  “Somebody’s Me”, Enrique Iglesias

Wedding:  “California Love”, 2Pac featuring Dr Dre and Roger Troutman

Birth of a Child:  “The Rose”, Bette Midler

Final Battle:  “Where I Stood”, Missy Higgins

Death Scene:  “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, John Denver

Funeral:  “Loser”, Beck

End Credits:  “Shotgun”, Junior Walker and the All-Stars

 

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48 Questions (tagged by Christine) – Just answer ‘em.

 

01.  Were you named after anyone?  My father

02.  When was the last time you cried?  I don’t remember.

03.  Do you like your handwriting?  Very much

04.  What is your favourite lunch meat?  Oven-roasted chicken

05.  Do you have kids?  No

06.  If you were another person, would you be friends with you?  I’m not sure I would have even met me.

07.  Do you use sarcasm?  Keep reading.

08.  Do you still have your tonsils?  Last time I checked….

09.  Would you bungee jump?  Uncertain

10.  What is your favourite cereal?  Cheerios

11.  Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?  It’s sort of a necessity.

12.  Is your second toe longer than your big toe?  Yes

13.  What is your favourite ice cream?  Mint chocolate chip

14.  What is the first thing you notice about people?  Their presence

15.  Red or pink?  Crimson

16.  What is your least-favourite thing about yourself?  My craptastic (thanks for coining that term, Ceré) right shin

17.  Who do you miss the most?  No clue

18.  Do you want everyone to complete this list?  No; that would seriously hamper global productivity in a time of economic slowdown.

19.  What colour pants and shoes are you wearing?  Grey shorts, no shoes

20.  (This item wasn’t included in the list of questions, so I’m making up one.)  What do they say in Alabama?  Go ‘Bama; Roll Tide!

21.  What are you listening to right now?  “The Safety Dance”, Men without Hats

22.  If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?  Crimson

23.  Favourite smells?  Mocha caramel

24.  Who was the last person to whom you spoke on the phone?  Anna

25.  Do you like the person who sent this to you?  She’s pretty rockin’.

26.  Favourite sports to watch?  College football; football (soccer); college basketball

27.  Hair colour?  Brown

28.  Eye colour?  Brown

29.  Do you wear contacts?  Sometimes

30.  Favourite food?  Sorry.  I’ve already typed that somewhere else.

31.  Scary movies or happy endings?  Scary movie with unhappy ending

32.  Last movie you watched?  Star Wars

33.  What colour shirt are you wearing?  Blue (*chanting* Rock chalk, Jayhawk … KU)

34.  Summer or winter?  Fall

35.  Hugs or kisses?  Context is everything

36.  (This item wasn’t on the list, either, so I’m making up another question.)  Where is the best place you’ve gone running?  Mackinaw City, MI

37.  Most likely to respond?  The folks who do

38.  Least likely to respond?  The folks who don’t

39.  What book are you reading now?  I’m typing.  I can’t read a book at the same time.

40.  What is on your mouse pad?  Nothing

41.  What did you watch on TV last night?  College basketball

42.  Favourite sounds?  University of Alabama Million Dollar Band, starting gun at a race, the preparation of my mocha caramel

43.  Rolling Stones or Beatles?  Ditty Bops

44.  What is the farthest you have been from home?  Salt Lake City, UT

45.  Do you have a special talent?  Yes.  I’m able to run long distances at slow paces.

46.  Where were you born?  A hospital

47.  Whose answers are you looking forward to getting back?  Oh, that would take way too much thought.

48.  How did you meet your spouse/significant other?  On an island in the sun.  No, wait, that’s just the song that’s now playing.  If I have one, I’ve apparently been very neglectful and not very sentimental.