Trivia is just another form of random shit, so you know I love it.  Useless knowledge can help you impress people, or win shots at a bar.  It’s win-win all around.  So try your hand at these questions… NO GOOGLING!!!  I’ll post the answers in the comments section later today…

1) What famous document begins “when in the course of human events…?”

2) What is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature?

3) What is the least popular month for U.S. weddings?

4) What former TV anchorman made headlines by attending two Grateful Dead concerts?

5) What is the most popular karaoke song at Brando’s in Chicago on Wednesday night? Bonus points: who is the most popular band to perform?

Things I Live For: Procrastinating; Christmas breaks are back for me!

Quote of the Day: “People who believe they are strong-willed and the master’s of their destiny can only continue to believe this by becoming specialists in self-deception.” –James Baldwin

Trivia is just another form of random shit, so you know I love it.  Useless knowledge can help you impress people, or win shots at a bar.  It’s win-win all around.  So try your hand at these questions… NO GOOGLING!!!  I’ll post the answers in the comments section later today…

1) What was Malcolm X’s real last name?

2) What physicist’s last words were not understood because his nurse didn’t speak German?

3) What’s the only U.S. state that serves all of its residents with water systems that have violated the Safe Drinking Water Act?

4) What was the only language Jack Kerouac spoke until the age of 6?

5) What letter begins the moniker of most AFC teams in the NFL?

Things I Live For: Scotch; boots

Quote of the Day: “Standing on the moon with nothing left to do - a lovely view of Heaven but I’d rather be with you.” –Grateful Dead

I loathe white socks.  Why would you choose to wear a boring sock when so many awesome options exist?  I have a beyond extensive collection of fun socks; so much that I never have to wear white socks unless I’m at the gym (which isn’t that often these days anyway WHAT UP!)  My favorite kind of sock is the Halloween sock (obviously since it is my fave holiday) but Santa adorned socks are a very close second.  Cats, BBQ ribs, skull & crossbones, dice, Grateful Dead bears, ghosts, hearts, leprechauns, and various patterns all adorn a pair of my socks. 

The most unfortunate part of this collection is that socks wear out over time; especially the favorite ones I wear every chance I get.  So I am constantly looking to add to my collection, and this time of year is when I’m especially aggressive in my search as Halloween socks are plentiful. 

You may be wondering, does she coordinate her socks according to holidays (i.e. only wear my Christmas socks at Christmas) and the answer is hell no.  Why would I only want to bring out my various smiley Santa socks but once a year??  It would be like only using my Christmas glasses as Christmas– crazy!  I do however retire a few pairs from the rotation every once in awhile just to give every pair a chance at equal foot time.  I’d say I have around 100 or so pairs of socks so that can get pretty difficult.  The other thing is the laundry factor… when I wash all my socks I will be “folding” them for a good 15 minutes.  But when I look down during the day and see a splash of color or a frosty snowman peeking out from my pants, it’s all worth it. 

Pet Peeve of the Day: When people ask me how my blog will help them be awesome.  NOT awesome.

Quote of the Day: “I want to be strong, I want to laugh along, I want to belong to the living – Alive, alive, I wanna get up and jive, wanna wreck my stockings in some jukebox dive.” –Joni Mitchell

I was probably 9 or 10 the first time I made a mix  tape — a practice passed down from my dad.  Mix tapes are the greatest things known to man.  A mix CD or iTunes playlist simply does not compare.  There is an art to creating a mix tape; it is a skill you don’t just acquire overnight. 

Every song counts, as you can’t easily skip to the next song like on a CD.  The songs need to flow with a purpose.  There is also the issue of spacing your songs throughout the length of a tape.  You certainly don’t want to make the rookie mistake of having a song cut off at the end of side A.  Also, the name of the tape determines its awesomeness.  My collection probably stands at close to 75, and it is still expanding; I made my first tape of 2009 about a month ago.

Listening to a particular tape is like looking at a picture book from a certain time in your life.  A tape can remind you of a specific event, or just a general time period.  I think it is a great way to document your life– every picture tells a story… well, every tape tells a story! 

Making a tape is a fun, relaxing activity.  I like to list every song I want on the tape, and then go through and arrange them accordingly.  The toughest call is what will lead off Side A, as it sets the tone for the tape.  Do not mess this one up!!!  The rest of the order comes pretty easy if you know what you’re doing. 

Once, I wrote a narrative to go along with a tape I had made entitled “Vagabond Music.”  I think I was under some sort of influence when I wrote this, but it is legendary nonetheless.  Tapes are a great source of creativity!

You get to know your tapes after awhile and subconsciously memorize the song order so you know what comes next.  You know it’s really one of your fave tapes when you expect “L.A. Woman” to come after “Brain Damage” even when you hear it on the radio or elsewhere!

It warms my heart when friends tell me they still have such-and-such tape that I made for them.  (I assume ex-lovers have since burned theirs…)  I appreciate that these friends realize that they possess a unique gift that is priceless. 

Some things that make each tape special/unique:

• The tape cover (or jacket if you will)– it has the name of the tape (unique in its own right).  Also, a certain identifiable pen could have been used, the author of the tape should be distinguishable by the handwriting, there may be various stickers or other decorations, the cover may be faded by the sun, etc. etc.
• Blips in the tape– is a song cut off  too soon?  Does it skip at a certain spot? 
• Is it timeless, or easily put into a time frame?  For example, “Dylan;s Mix” (see below) is timeless.  But there are tapes with telling songs of when it was made, i.e. if it has “How Bizarre” by OMC on it.  (Not that these tapes are bad, it’s just another way to characterize them.  I love me some How Bizarre!)
• If you include artists such as the Dead, Phish or DMB, the chances are you used live versions of the songs, so finding which one you used would not be easy for a copy cat if they wanted to remake the tape based on the song listings

One of the greatest mix tapes out there is one my brother made.  I feel comfortable sharing the list because, for the reasons listed above, you will never be able to replicate it completely.  It is very innocently named “Dylan’s Mix 6/10/00″:

You know this tape is good if I’m willing  to overlook the disastrous addition of a Santana song!!

Yes, I realize it is 2009, but cassette tapes will never be out of style for me!

Pet Peeve of the Day: People who use lighter fluid to start bonfires

Quote of the Day: “Yeah the world would swing, oh if I were king.” –Tom Petty

Shock me shock me shock me…  The Honorable Judge Zagel denied  dishonorable ex-Govenor Rod Blagojevich the opportunity to go to Costa Rica to film a reality show.  G-Rod is so far gone I truly believe he is the only one that did not see this coming.  The Honorable Zagel, in probably the most DUH statement of the year so far, said: “I don’t think this defendant, in all honesty… fully understands the position he finds himself in.”

I will say I was a bit intriguied by the show and, had G-Rod been allowed to participate, I probably would have watched.  Hell, we’ve been watching this train wreck all along in Chicago, why not watch the part just before he finally falls off the cliff?  Plus, my girl Janice Dickinson is scheduled to participate and if anyone could have put G-Rod in his place, she could have.  But now that task will now be up to Patrick Fitzgerald…  call me G.W. but is it too early to put up a “Mission Accomplished” sign??

Blago says that he desperately needed to be on this reality show in order to make money and “support his family.”  G-Rod, ever the “I’m one of you” Govenors said, upon being impeached, something along the lines of “I’m just like everyone else in this economy laid off from their jobs.”  If that were true, shouldn’t Blago be trying to get whatever job he can (read: McDonalds) instead of queuing up a reality show?  The saddest part of it all is that this guy is truly so delusional, he does consider himself as unfortunate as someone laid off their job of 30 years.  He will never see the connection in his actions to the current position he finds himself in…  Well, all I can say at this point is, at least the trial won’t be boring…

Pet Peeve of the Day: Wicker Park

Quote of the Day: “The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down – You can’t let go and you can’t hold on – You can’t go back and you can’t stand still – If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will” –Grateful Dead