Icebox Borky Tag

The Songbird was nice last week, seeing that my brain was full of porridge and figured I needed some blogging help. So, she reached out and tagged me with the 6 boring/quirky things about me meme. What a fine desert friend! So, this feathery blogger obliged, even though it was later then need be.

) Link to the person who tagged me.

2) Mention the rules.

3) Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about myself.

4) Tag 6 other bloggers by linking to them.

5) Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged.

And now, I am sure, more then you ever wanted to know...

1-I feel a little bit guilty when I am playing my Xbox 360. Not because it is childish or immature, but because it is set up in the living room and it bores the heck out of Mrs Duck. So I feel like I am kicking her out of her relaxation zone.

2-I twirl my hair when I am tired or bored. Not exactly something that odd, except for the fact that I find myself doing it at work.

3-I collect horse racing glasses. Now there is nothing wrong with the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness, plenty of people collect those. But I have searched EBay for glasses from the Blue Grass Stakes and the Travers. Not exactly big name races. Mrs Duck is not amused.

4-I love to cook, but hate to grill. I have a fear that the propane will somehow get loose and I will explode in a firey blast of gas and hamburger.

5-I just do not get the appeal of the TV Show, Lost.

6-I used to feel bad for stuffed animals, especially the last ones on a shelf, so I would buy them so they did not feel all alone.

6a-I still do #6 occasionally now if my mood is just right.

There, six more reasons why yours truly should probably be committed. And now, who to tag, who to tag.

a-Dragon
b-Sognatrice
c-SaS
d-Ali
e-Jeff
f-One Gal

Sunday Randomness #1

Its 11:58 and still Sunday

randomness...feed your mind and your blog



1. Who are your favorite authors? Non-fiction:David Beschloss; Fiction: Kim Harrison, Robert Parker and Christine D'Abo

2. What are your favorite books? Seabiscuit, Dead Witch Walking, To Kill a Mockingbird


3. What kind of books do you tend to read?Paranormal, biographies, politics

4. Do you prefer to borrow books from the library or buy them? Buy them. Half.com is my friend

5. Do you prefer hardcover or paperback? Paperback

6. What was the last book you read? What are you reading now? Wicked, though I just could not finish it. Currently its Audacity of Hope

7. Do you read everyday? Everyday, no, 5 out of 7 days yes

8. On average how many books do you read per year? 15 books or so, it depends on what I am reading

9. Do you belong to any book clubs? Nope.

10. Recommend a good book. My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Thought provoking and emotional, reads like a movie.

An Ice Box meme

Desert Songbird was up to her old tricks, so I figured I would play along. If anyone joins in, let me know and I will pop by.

1. Where is your cell phone?.....coffee table

2. Your significant other?.....Laying on the couch

3. Your hair? ..............................on my head?

4. Your mother?.........................Texas

5. Your father? .......................Texas

6. Your favorite thing? .................Ipod

7. Your dream last night?............none

8. Your favorite drink?..................Gatorade/Martinis

9. Your dream/goal?...................Warmth, a job that makes me happy, both

10. The room you're in?................living

11. Your hobby?...........................cooking

12. Your fear?...............................mice

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?...South Carolina

14. Where were you last night?.....bed

15. What you're not?.....................satisfied

16. Muffins?..................................corn

17. One of your wish list items?.......a house

18. Where you grew up?................ Jersey

19. The last thing you did?...............smoked

20. What are you wearing?..............sleepy shorts

21. Your TV? ........................oldish

22. Your pets?............................2 favorite cats

23. Your computer?....................2

24. Your life?......................like waves, up & down

25. Your mood?.......................ehh

26. Missing someone?...............not presently

27.Your car.................Scion Xd

28. Something you're not wearing?...tie

29. Favorite store?.................New Balance

30. Your summer?.....................staycation

31. Like someone?.........................yes

32. Your favorite color..................purple

33, When is the last time you laughed....afternoon

34. Last time you cried?................2 weeks ago

Friday Feast #7/171

Man lotta sevens in this one. But, anyway, I am back to the Friday Feast.

Appetizer
What was the last game you purchased?
I purchase alot of computer games and Sid Maier's Pirates is the last one of those I bought, though I have not cranked it up yet. As for board games, its Canasta.

Soup
Name something in which you don’t believe.
The Easter Bunny, probably because its a scary thought

Salad
If you could choose a celebrity to be your boss, who would you pick?
George Clooney. He would get alot of hot chicks coming into the office and its always healthy to look. Plus I am sure he would cover Happy Hour.

Main Course
What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?
That one decision or another could affect your whole life, good and bad.

Dessert
Describe your idea of the perfect relaxation room.
A nice recliner, a big screen plasma TV, a fireplace and a hot tub all in the same room. Plus, a recliner right next to mine for Mrs Duck.

Don't Forget to join the Friday Feast

A Weekend In Philly Tag

Last week, though perhaps it was two weeks ago by now, Kailani over at an Island Life tagged me for a weekend in your city meme. I loved it because she did Honolulu and dangnabit when I hit the Lottery I am getting a house there, right next to Keanu's. Unfortunately, no power ball numbers this week, so I guess I just get to do this meme. And of course, I am gonna tag some folks, so look at below.

Of course there are rules, answer the questions, tag 5 people and then go off on your travels to there hometowns. The hardest part is that you can only give one answer for each of the questions. No ties, which sucks.

Best Place to Eat: You would think this would be a hard one, hell, Philadelphia is a major metropolitian city. However, in most places the drinks are great and the food is eh. Chains are popular. So while Mrs Duck and I are Carraba kinda people, I will nominate Roy's on 15th Street in Center City. Its our anniversary place, its the place we usually take out of towners who wont be around again for a while and it transports you back to the Islands. Roy's pulls off a tough trick, transporting you out of Center City, at least with your tastebuds.

Best Shopping Mall-Ok we are only going to sort of cheat here, since the mall at King of Prussia is not really in Philadelphia, but it is within a good driving distance. This mall is actually two malls connected to each other, and is on 2 levels.




By the way, the map only shows one half of the mall, there is a whole other half. Which is why there is always one holiday shopping trip up here.

Famous Landmark:Okay, do not tell me that you do not know that the Liberty Bell is here. Good gravy its the Liberty Bell!

Best Tourism Attraction:Well, once you are done with the Liberty Bell, which will honestly take you 10 minutes, you could mosy on down to the Constitution Center. Its one of the best historical things in the City proper. Not only are there life like models of all the signers of the Constitution, there is also one of 5 original copies and usually a changing display in another museum section. In fact, we went to see the First Ladies exhibit a few weeks back because Mrs Duck just loves Jackie O.

Best Place for the Kids:Yep, another Museum, but this time one that they will probably like. The Franklin Institute is also in Center City Philadelphia and is a cool museum because they really want the guests to touch things. Its one of those scientific museums, with all about the heart and electricity and wind, etc etc etc. The just had the King Tut exhibit close and trust me, when we went, it was overrun with school kids.

Popular Outdoor Activity: Hmm tough one, though I can say that the rowing down the Schuykyll seems to be very popular. You wont catch me doing it, but it does seem popular.

Breathtaking Views:The Pyramid Club in the Mellon Bank building. Ok, I have never seen it, but Mrs Duck has and raves about it everytime we go past the old Mellon Bank Building. Its a private club, so you and me will just have to guess on how good it looks, but Mrs Duck did get to collect some perks for working for a big time corporation.

Only found in Philadelphia: One word my friends, Tastykake.

Thanks for visiting and now 5 suckers that get tagged:

1.Bond's Big Leather Couch (how often will we read the word Elvis)
2.Rhian, the Creative Goddess
3.Amy Ruttan
4.One Gals Musings
5.Interstellar Adventures

Wait? That Many Posts??

Yep, trust me, the old duck was a tad surprised as well. But this humble little blog past 1000 posts last week, with very little fanfare at that. Though I do think it is fitting that it was a jab politically, since when I started this little trip, that is kind of how I envisioned this blog would be. But, going on, I realized it is much more fun to include like then to be all liberal all the time.

I had planned a big celebration, at least when I realized at 750 that I was going to be reaching 1000 sooner rather then later. Unfortunately, that is really not fiscally responsible at this point, so it will have to wait for another milestone. The Duck thanks you for your patience.

But, in a small form of celebration, I am going to post the archive meme, which I think was started by The 108 and I was tagged for way way back by either Starrlight, Matt-Man or Bond, the three of them usually argue over who they will tag, so I can't keep it straight. By the way, as I was linking them, Bond and The108 have some great posts today that you may wanna wander into.

Ok, here are the official rules:

You must list five links to posts you have written then tag five other people. At least two of the people you tag must be newer acquaintances so that you get to know each other better . . . and don’t forget to read the archive posts and leave comments

I think I will forego the tagging part, but I do hope others of you do this and let me know that you did, going back can be fun sometimes.

Link 1 must involve Family

1.A little recap of the first time my parents visited the Future Mrs Duck and I.

Link 2 must involve Friends

2.Back to the Old Stomping grounds of Sparky Duck

Link 3 should be about you and what you are all about:

3.My Guilty Pleasures

Link 4 Must be about Something you love:

4.Easiest one to pick

And finally link 5 can be about whatever you want:

5.I had written posts before this one, but this was one of the first ones where I felt I was getting my voice.

So there it is, post #1008. Thanks to all the readers and commenters that now make this whole blogging experiment alot more fun then it used to be.

Thursday Thirteen #52-The Recipezaar One

Wow, I can not believe this is the 52nd week. Well I actually can believe it, Im just saying.

Thirteen Favorite Recipes From Recipezaar Now, while these recipes are no where near as good as what is being cranked out by Dragon's Kitchen, when there are over 244,000 recipes, something has to be good. So, from Recipezaar, here are my Thirteen Favorite Recipes. 1.Chicago Style Hotdogs-Though I did not use Vienna Franks, they have always kinda skeeved me out. 2.Emeril's Lobster Cheesecake-Filling as all get out, even if you use imitation Lobster. 3.Fannie Farmers Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese-Want Creamy, Use Velveeta 4.McDonald's Shamrock Shake-Get Passed the green color and its great. 5.Tangier Island Baked Crab-I liked it, tasted like a big crabcake, Mrs Duck did not like the consistency. Use 2 eggs not 1. 6.Crab Rangoons-Delicious and easy. 7.Kung Pao Chicken-Anything with peanuts, I am all over! 8.Moroccan Chicken-I mentioned this one in Twitter, so I just had to share. 9.Shrimpin Dippin Broth-This was a great recipe for when Mrs Duck was just eating clears. 10.Smoky Mountain Chicken-Fantastic 11.PF Changs Chicken Lettuce Wraps-This is one of Mrs Duck's Favorites and also it can be like a salad, just serve over shredded lettuce. 12.Garlic Beef Enchiladas-When the recipe reviews say they take forever, they are not kidding, but it is one of my favorite recipes on this site. 13.Singapore Street Noodles-When Mrs Duck took her leftovers to work, I got 6 requests for the recipe. One Bonus-A few weeks ago I mention Jack in The Box and I got some questions about there tacos, and this is what I found. Hungry yet? Damn Im starving! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen #51-The Blue Ducks One

Thirteen Players on Sparky's Fantasy Football Team Last week, I had our fantasy football draft. Its an auction draft, which means we have a one hundred dollar limit and have to pick 15 players out of that 100 dollars. I liked my team a lot better last year, but I might have a shot at the playoffs again this year. Yes, its a sports Thursday 13, I apologize ahead of time. So here are the 2007 Blue Ducks 1. Carson Palmer, QB-Cincinnati-Recovered fully now from a knee injury from 2 years ago and I am not really concerned about him being arrested. 2.Cedric Benson, RB-Chicago-Thomas Jones is gone to the Jets, so Cedric is the main man. Now, hopefully, he stays healthy. 3.DeAngelo Williams, RB-Carolina-Still sharing time with DeShaun Foster, I am hoping that all the talk is right and that he will take over for him by the end of the year. 4.Reggie Wayne, WR-Indianapolis-Peyton Manning does not have enough footballs to throw around, but he seems to like to send a good majority Wayne's way. We find out with the opening game tonight. 5.Roy Williams, WR-Detroit-Still a stud and with the Martz offense intact now, he should be even more of a stud. Or he better be. 6.Calvin Johnson, WR-Detroit-Rookie, but he was a man amongst boys last year in college, so he should be a pretty good man amongst men this year. 7.Marshawn Lynch, RB-Buffalo-The rookie running back who as soon as he was drafted became the top back for the Bills. Of course, he plays for the Buffalo Bills, so thats not good. 8.Chester Taylor, RB-Minnesota-Chester the Cheetah, sharing time with rookie Adrian Peterson in the Viking backfield. I figure by the end of the year I will have another reason to hate the ex Sooner Peterson, because he will outplay the Cheetah. 9.Greg Jennings, WR-Green Bay-Um, I have no idea why I have him besides the fact that Wayne, Williams and Johnson all have the same day off, so I need someone to fill in for them. 10.Marcedes Lewis, TE-Jacksonville-Admit it, he has a really cool name. 11.Neil Rackers, K-Arizona-I had to have at least one ,Phoenix Arizona Cardinal on my team so I don't just watch there games because I am a closet Cardinal fan. 12.Ted Ginn, JR, WR-Miami-I just have the feeling that he is going to have an explosive year once he gets used to the pros. Or, he will break his ankle again and I will just cut him. 13.Brian Leonard, RB-St Louis-He is a Rutgers guy and since I am a Jerseyan, we always pull for Rutgers guys. Plus Steven Jackson almost always misses a game or two. Ok, I realize that this is a lot of gobbly goop to many people. Heck, its gobbly goop to me to, but since Football season starts tonight, it just fit as a Thursday Thirteen. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

5 Best Nights So Far Meme

way way way way way way way back, Twyla tagged me for the 5 best nights meme. In fact, so far back that Desert Songbird came through and tagged me for the same meme. So I guess its time to get to it, right?

The rules, list the 5 best nights that you can recall and then tag four other people and see if the meme can continue. So without much further ado. though looking it over, it seems to have shrunk to 4 nights, oh well

1.My First U2 concert 2005-It was just something that I had wanted to do ever since I had cranked up Bono and the Boys in the 1980's Then they had that Zooropa thing and I just could not get my head around it, so I waited until Vertigo in 2005. And it was so worth the wait, I was able to sing along to every damned song, and felt like the whole audience had a connection to everyone else. I am sure the next time won't live up to it, but it will be great to find out if it does.

2.Knights vs Braves Wrestling Match, Feb 1998-Ever since I was 6 years old, I have been going to different high school sporting events with my dad. Most times it was games or events involving the High School he worked at, so I had become a huge fan. In February, 1998 there was a state playoff match between my Dad's school and another school just further south which was actually one of the rivals for the HS I graduated from as well. So, when the Knights came back to beat the Braves on 3 straight pins to erase a 17 point deficit, the small crowd we were in was apopolectic. And my dad was the one doing the most screaming. By then I was in my 20's and this was the last event we went to together before Dad retired, but it was a great way to end it.

3.The First Night I had real ID and could go out to the Delaware Bars-I was always a bit of a chicken, so I never got myself a fake ID. And the college bars in Newark, De were always some of the toughest ones to get into. So, when I finally turned 21 in October and was able to get into the Stone Balloon without any fear, I was ready to rock and roll. And when Love Seed Mama Jump took the stage and I did not pay for a drink the entire night, how bad could the night have been. Well, it would have been better if I had hooked up with a chick, but you can't have perfection.

4.The Second Night Mrs Duck and I were Husband and Wife-Now, it would have been way to easy for me to list our wedding as one of the best nights of my life, though it really was, I don't like going the easy way. Plus the wedding was a Day and Night thing, so Disqualification, no? Anyway, the second night was so great because we were just so giddy. We went out to dinner at The Melting Pot and both got nice and buzzed because we were staying in the city. Mrs Duck was telling anyone that would listen that we were newlyweds and it just seemed so comfortable and easy to me.

5.The First Night in Maui-Now, the whole honeymoon was terrific, not one bad night, well except for the one night in Seattle when they lost our hotel reservation at 2 am, but I digress. But the first night in Maui was just spectacular and we had the whole great week in front of us still. We were able to have a great dinner at the Caffe Ciao and just wander along the beach in the moonlight, no fear of anyone ruining the moment, or asking us for a quarter or anything. Plus, the view from the room, with the moon off the ocean and the sound of waves flowing into the room, it was just the perfect beginning.


=============

So who to tag?

-One Gals Musings
-Lisa Andel
-RennRatt
-Empress Bee

Thursday Thirteen #50-The P!nk One

Thirteen Questions From P!nk See, I am even being technically correct, since that is the way the singer, Pink, spells her name on her Albums? CD's? Downloads? Eh, no matter. I have enjoyed a few songs by her immensely, though as time goes on, two seem to stick with me, Who Knew and this one I am sharing now. So, here are 13 Questions from Dear Mr President. Dear Mr. President, Come take a walk with me. Let's pretend we're just two people and You're not better than me. I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly. 1.What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street? 2.Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep? 3.What do you feel when you look in the mirror? 4.Are you proud? 5.How do you sleep while the rest of us cry? 6.How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye? 7.How do you walk with your head held high? Can you even look me in the eye And tell me why? Dear Mr. President, 8.Were you a lonely boy? Are you a lonely boy? Are you a lonely boy? 9.How can you say No child is left behind? We're not dumb and we're not blind. They're all sitting in your cells While you pave the road to hell. 10.What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away? 11.And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay? I can only imagine what the first lady has to say You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine. How do you sleep while the rest of us cry? How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye? How do you walk with your head held high? 12.Can you even look me in the eye? Let me tell you 'bout hard work Minimum wage with a baby on the way Let me tell you 'bout hard work Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away Let me tell you 'bout hard work Building a bed out of a cardboard box Let me tell you 'bout hard work Hard work Hard work You don't know nothing 'bout hard work Hard work Hard work Oh How do you sleep at night? How do you walk with your head held high? Dear Mr. President, 13.You'd never take a walk with me. Would you? I probably should have mentioned that when I get stressed, I get cranky. And when I get cranky, I hate smugness and arrogance. But, even if you don't agree, I would still love to hear what you have to say. Its all about discussion. Ill try to visit when I can peoples ;p Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

The 50K Meme

I know I was tagged for this meme, but for the life of me I can not remember who actually did the tagging. It could have been here, or here, or possibly here, or hell even this blogger, but its so old, and im a so late, I'll just give credit plenty of places.

Anyway, another day, another meme.

A philanthropist awards you $50,000 with the stipulation that you may use half of it for yourself and the other half you must use for the benefit of others. By "benefit of others" it can mean anything really, buying a gift for a family member or donating to a charity.

a. How do you spend the money on yourself?
Not even close, pay off most of my credit card debt. I would save a little bit for a rainy day and then I would take Mrs Duck to the Jersey Shore for a fun weekend, since we have not seen a beach this summer.

b. How do you use the money for others. Please be detailed, so if you say "give X dollars to charity, let us know what charity and why you select that one.
I have my favorite charities already, so it would be pretty easy. I would give 10,000 to Action Aids out of Philadelphia, since I still think HIV and Aids is a problem that has not be correctly taken care of. I would give $10,000 to Shriners Childrens hospital, which i talked about a lot within the blogathon. I would give $5000 to Nothing But Nets, which raises money to buy insect nets for people in 3rd world countries. These Nets help prevent malaria by just keeping the bugs away in the first place.

c. If you were to spend part of your money to have a performer do a show for you, who would it be and why?
While I think spending the money would sort of be a waste, since its not something that would stay with me, beyond my memories and bootlegs of it, but I would of course have to pick U2. Social Conscious and also kick ass musicians

d. If you were to use it on a new vehicle for yourself, what kind?
A hybrid vehicle of some kind, possibly a Volvo or a Honda. I'm not a car guy, it gets me from point A to Point B

e. If you spent part of it to go to a "fantasy" camp, what type would you choose?
Its not technically a fantasy camp, but every year, Disney and ESPN team up for a long weekend where ESPN takes over Disney World. One of the most fun places in the world, jammed with athletes and sports. Yep Im there.

f. If you were to use it to buy season tickets for a sports team, what team would it be?
In a total fantasy land world, I would get season tickets to Autzen Stadium for the University of Oregon football team. But, logically, since its only 50K and I have to get to the games, I would spend that dough on Eagles tickets.

g. If you were to use it to go on a cruise (assuming you like cruises) where would you cruise to?
Alaska, because I think it looks gorgeous and man the pictures would be sweet and plus most Alaska cruises start in Vancouver and I have always wanted to visit there.

h. If you were to use it to go to NYC to see a show (or shows) what would you see?
Les Miserables (again) and Wicked as well. Plus Phantom, yea, Phantom would be cool too.

I will only tag:
Lady Jane
&
Sea Hag

since I know that there is no way they tagged me for this meme.

The Grown Up Meme

I have all these memes that I have gotten tagged for and what do I do? I do one that has no tags at all. When Yoshi talks about being a procrastinator, I am right on the top of his list.

One Gal's Musings had this meme on her blog this week and it is back to school season here in Philadelphia, at least in the colleges here. And that of course makes me very nostalgic. So, the Grown Up meme seemed to be perfection. No tags, but if you do it, please let me know and I will point some eyes that way.

1. Do you have a college degree?
Yes, a bachelor of arts in history. Alot of good thats done me

2.What was the amount of your last electric bill?
$142

3. Do you have life insurance?
Yes, for now at least

4. How many hours per week do you work?
and get paid for it 0; the cooking cleaning etc stuff around the house, 15 or so

5. Have you ever attended a Toastmasters event?
No, but I think those are like roasts right? Those always look fun on TV

6. Favorite place to attend Happy Hour?
In the old days, the Stone Balloon in Newark, De. Nowadays, if not my kitchen, 2021 in the city.

7. How many miles is your commute to work each day (one way)?
Down the stairs. Though the wife has an hour commute everyday by train. My old commute was almost an hour and a half one way.

8. What time do you get up every morning for work?
7:15 AM

9. What is your definition of sleeping in late?
10:00. If I sleep any later then that, my whole morning is all screwed up, like I am in a fog or something.

10. Do you check your cholesterol on a yearly basis?
Oh hell no

11. How large was your first cell phone bill?
$49 or so

12. Does your employer provide good health insurance?
Eh, I am on Mrs Ducks plan, it was better then mine but the co pays still suck

13. Did you use the internet to write a research paper?
No, the internet was still just something that you could just check email with when I was in college. It was a novelty, not a tool.

14. Have you attended a High School reunion?
Nope, I actually just missed my 15th anniversary last year.

15. How many jobs have you held in your professional career?
3 different companies, with one company I had 3 different jobs, so I guess thats about 6

16. Have you ever been fired or laid off from a job?
Yes, problem with being in banking was that mergers mean layoffs. I am on layoff duty as we speak, though no one wants to listen to me when I internally scream, no more BANKING

17. What is your favorite drink?
Mountain Dew and in the alcohol variety, it would be a Stoli Martini with olives, Up

18. What is the most expensive bottle of wine that you have in your refrigerator?
Now, this bottle of Riesling was a gift, heck from the wedding last year, but I am sure its a $18 bottle of wine. The cheapest one on the wine rack is $6. Gotta love the Aussies.

19. Have you been divorced?
Yep, boy that was fun ;p

20. How old were you when you stopped getting ID-ed for Alcohol?
I got ID'd last month at one of those TGIF, Ruby Tuesday places. Hell, I got ID'd for smokes last week.

21. Favorite casino?
I have never been to Vegas, so I guess it would be the Taj in AC. Though the Resorts was a favorite because I actually won money for the weekend.

22. Are you happier now than you were in high school?
Yes, I get laid now ;)

23. Did you ever have Hypercolor shirts?
No, but my brother had one. So I know what they are, its just that it seems I am always to old for new trends.

24. Do you remember when Michael Jackson was black and was attracted to older people?
Yes, he was still black in Thriller and that was a great album. The change was happening though.

25. Do you remember when MTV actually played music videos?
Yes, which is why I like Fuse now, because they still play videos. Videos were my summer soundtrack when I was a teen.

26. Have you had a will made?
Sort of. There is no will now, but before I got married, my boss had a if I die in a plane crash will, which said who would take the cat and where the small pittance of money would go. Now, Mrs Duck knows I want to be cremated, but thats it.

27. What music was in your cd / cassette player when you were 16?
Guns N Roses, Living Colour, U2-Rattle & Hum, INXS, Bobby McFerrin, Troop, Keith Sweat. So much more.

28. Favorite fancy / upscale restaurant?
Roy's, asian fusion cooking, a nice little taste of Hawaii in Center City

29. How long has it been since you attended a kegger?
Ok, technically it was 1996. But, few weeks back, the Senator had a birthday party with a keg and I had to go back on Sunday to help him kick it.

30. Where were you when you found out about 9-11?
Work. I was listening to Imus in the Morning on the radio in my office and Chuck McCord the news guy said that a plane had hit one of the towers. They thought it was just one of those piper cubs. When they said a 2nd plane hit, we scrambled to get the old TV set up at the branch. Its amazing how fast 2 guys can get a 30 pound TV up when its really important. The whole branch just stared agast. Being in Central Jersey at the time, you could see the smoke from where we were. Still give me shivers.

Like I said, if you do the meme, let me know, I would love to see it.

Thursday Thirteen #48 The Bookshelf One

Thirteen Books on Sparky's shelf I seem to be very popular with memes and tags for them. Actually I love that I get tagged all the time, because it means people are interested in my thoughts. Or they run out of people to ask and since I am around a lot, I am an easy target. I am going to go with idea number 1. Anyway, Wylie of Wylie's Words did not officially tag me for this one, she did offer it to me to do if I needed something during the blogathon. I did not get to it then, but I will share it with everyone now. Its the bookshelf meme, an attempt to learn something about the blogger (that would be me) from the books that they have read. Official Rules: "The rules are to provide a list of books that you have on your shelves to see if anyone can learn about you from them - but not just any books. They have to be books that you've actually paid for, nothing given, borrowed, stolen, or whatever." I think I paid for almost all of these, but they are all books that I have read and if I did not pay for them, I asked for them as a gift and everyone knows as you get older, the amount of gifts you get at your birthday is less, so its like buying. (Wow, long explanation for an easy list) 1.Sammy's Hill by Kristen Gore 2.See Jane Date by Melissa Senate. Actually read it right when I was about to get back into the dating scene, not exactly a confidence builder, but funny. 3.Every Witch way but Dead-Kim Harrison-currently my favorite paranormal witch series 4.My Sisters Keeper-Jodi Picoult-ok Mrs Duck bought this one, sue me. GREAT 5.Girls on Film by Zoey Dean-Its like a off shoot of the Gossip Girl series, certainly not as bad as it sounds. 6.Its Not You Its Me-Alison Rushby. Its a fiction book, from Red Dress Ink, not the dating guide for women. I am not that in touch with my feminine side, sheesh. 7.Nothing's Sacred by Lewis Black 8.Bragging Rights:A season inside the SEC by Richard Ensberger-hey, my first mention of a sports book! 9.God in Concord, a Homer Kelly Mystery by Jane Langton-I could read it again because I can not remember one thing about this book besides the fact I have read it. 10.Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand-Favorite Book Evah! 11.Worst Person in the World, Vol 1-Keith Olbermann I will behave and make absolutely no comments 12.Five Against One by Kim Neely-The story of the rise of Pearl Jam and Grunge. Yep, Im a grunge duck. 13.From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell-Slight problem with this book, its based on the books before it and I think I only read one of the 3, so the plot was gripping but not Oh wow gripping Any of them books you have read? Any books I should read?? Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

No, Its not Clarence

I have had meme tags all over the place that have just been slipping by the wayside. Now, of course, I should not be ashamed of this, because it means that I am truly popular, but it also means that I am slow as molasses. The Gal at One Gals Musings tagged me for this one, with the little tidbit that she thought I was Sparky Clarence Duck.

I debated, I stalled, I hemed and I hawed. Could a duck really be Clarence? No, the imagination could not come up with something, at least with that many letters in it. Oh wait, you are wondering why I would care about letters? well read on folks read on.


1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.

4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So, that means 4, folks will get tagged. Of course, thats after we talk some more about me.

J-Joker. I don't think I am exactly a joker, I am more a sarcastic joker. So, sometimes people just don't find me that funny. But, there is no accounting for there lack of intellect. See, sarcastic joker.

O-Olives. The best thing in a martini is Vodka, Olive Juice and of course Olives. I used to be just a beer kind of guy, but as this duck has gotten older, I have refined my tastes. Its ok to sip a cosmo and it is certainly OK to have a dirty martini with olives.

H-Heart. Apparently I wear my heart on my sleeve, or so the wife tells me. She can tell when I am trying to be fake happy because something is bothering me, or when I can't even fake it and I just get depressed. But she also loves the joy she can see in my face when something really great happens or surprises me. Its not macho to be emotional, so the heart on the sleeve thing I try to reserve for the house. I am not always successful.

N-Nosy. I like to get the dirt on things. I like to have secrets, because I am so good at keeping them. So, I have become a professional eavesdropper and a shoulder to cry on. Part of reason I am good at it is because of the H, but also I because I like to be in the know.

Yep, so this duck has a lame middle name like John. Quaint really.

But, now the tags:

Tiff-Because she is like my tag go to girl.
EC-Because there has to be something cool between the E and the C
Local Girl-Hell, her first name is Kailani, enuff said.
Momish-Maybe she can plug her new blog as well.

Though a caveat, I would have tagged Bleeding Espresso, because I bet the meme would have been cool, but she is taking a blogging siesta. And, I would have tagged Tiggerprr, especially since its her blogging anniversary. But then I saw she tagged Kailani too when she did this meme recently, so now its just a race!

Thursday Thirteen #47-Fast Food One

Thirteen Fast Food Places Sparky wishes were closer I do enjoy my Fast Food. The last few Wednesdays or so, Mrs Duck has been going out to spend time with friends, leaving me on my own for dinner. I have been using that opportunity to get my Fast Food fix. But, the choices around here kinda suck. Here's 13 Fast Food joints I wish were in my area. 1.Whataburger-I had these on my first trip to Arizona, and there was just something different about them. Maybe bigger, or a different make up, but they were tasty, though not as tasty as... 2.In N Out-The Best damn burgers, hands down end of discussion. A West Coast institution. If they ever moved this way, we would both probably be there every week. 3.Sonic-No Sonic here either, I think the closest is out by Penn State. There food does not look overally appetizing on the commercials, but there drinks and shakes just make the mouth sort of water. 4.Hardees/Carl Jrs-Any place with this kind of commercial will get my business at least once! And Hardees always had some excellent biscuits. 5.Geno's-One of my first memories is stopping on the way to the house that I would grow up in and getting a bucket of Geno's chicken the night we moved in. It was the first meal in the new house at it was at like 10:30 at night, a treat for an 8 year old. 6.Jake's Burgers-A University of Delaware institution. Not exactly a fast food because the burgers would need to be called in for ahead of time to be fast, but what great burgers, especially for a college student budget. 7.White Castle-Mmmm sliders. So good, so cheap, so filling. So quick to get through the digestive system. 8.Chipolte-Another discovery when the folks lived in Arizona. A giant dinner for under $5. I mean huge burritos! I would have trouble finishing one, and that says a lot for a healthy eater like myself. 9.Jack in the Box-We used to have them out here on the East Coast, until they had that whole E Coli scare that nearly put em out of business. But, now we don't get to eat Clown Burgers, nor see the funny commercials. 10.Roy Rogers-We used to have one of the last Roy Rogers in existence at my local New Jersey mall. It survived because the mall did not have a food court and needed to have a burger place for its patrons. Who didn't love the fixings bar, BBQ on there fries and some fine fried chicken. Well, i do know the Senior Citizens did since they always seemed to fill the place. 11.Baja Fresh-sometimes you are in the mood for some Mexican, but without all the fat fried taste of Taco Bell. Ok, that does not happen for me much, since I love Taco Bell, but sometimes you wanna think you were eating healthy. For that, Baja Fresh was one of the best options. 12.Pei Wei-Fast Food of the asian variety that did not taste like fast food at all. Another favorite stop of Tex's when they lived in Arizona, because he could feed 4 and not break the bank. Love there noodles. 13.Coffee People-An old Oregon hippy institution, that served some of the best coffee. And it was one of the first coffee drive ups that I could recall being around, at least before Dunkin Donuts had a drive up. Its since been bought out by Starbucks and I think most of the Portland chains are gone. I am glad I missed the demise, because they had some fine coffee. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Blogathon 41.48 Yep another meme

First, Tiff did this meme. Then Rennratt did this meme. It seemed like it might have been some sort of sign. Or its the fact that I need some more stuff to talk about and who doesnt love talking about themselves?

If you need stuff to blog about, feel free to steal it, er use it.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Nope, heck the saint I was named after may not be a Saint

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

Last week, I think. I think it was the Leo episode of my West Wing DVD

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I can read it, so yea I like it. Dont ask anyone else

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

salami (oh thats gonna lead to remarks)

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

nope, two furry feline friends are enough trouble right now.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I think so, I hid alot of myself when I am in the outside world, so most of my bad habits don't exist to you.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?

Does water roll off a ducks back?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS

Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

No, if I did not do it drunk in college in the Bahamas, I am not gonna do it drunk in my old age.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Frosted Cheerios

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

nope, except for my sandals, they have to be un velcroed

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?

Mentally, yes, physically, eh

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

American Dreamcone by Ben and Jerrys

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

eyes.

15. RED OR PINK?
Red

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

i have no confidence

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?

Kittie

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?

Nah, its just for the blogathon

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

no shoes, tan shorts

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Meatball stromboli, which was a big mistake

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

Thursday's One Life to Live

.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

Purple, I would be the new pink

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
The ocean, cookie dough ice cream, fresh sheets, Mrs Ducks hair

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Cat Wrangler

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

Hell Yea

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Football, though the only sport I will pass on, on TV is hockey

27. HAIR COLOR?
brown with sprinkles of ugh grey

28. EYE COLOR?
brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

nope.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?

enchiladas! or In N Out Burgers

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Happy Endings. Real life is scary enough

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
This Ray Romano Documentary on HBO, but I cant recall the name. Hell i dont know my own name.

33. FAVORITE FLOWER?
Sunflowers

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summers!!!.



35. HUGS OR KISSES?

Kisses, though Hugs are great when your Eeyore like

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?

Blondies

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?

who knows

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND

who cares

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

Jodi Picoult-My Sisters Keeper


40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

Lame old Dell mousepad

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
HGTV, lots of HGTV

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
The Ocean, someone special snoring cutely

43. FAVORITE CANDYBAR?

Reeces

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

Hawaii

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I am close to a world class chef, at least in my own mind

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

New Brunswick, NJ

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
ones that let me get to sleep?

Bthon 18.48 Career Meme

My buddy and one of my sponsors One Gal at One Gals Musings tagged me for a meme the other day. This is the first meme of the blogathon, at least for me. But, come on, you knew someone was going to pull out a meme sometime.

Its called the Career meme.

Here is how to play:
If you had the opportunity to do a 1-year internship in a company or field completely unrelated to your current career or specialty, what would be your top 5 choices?

1.ESPN-This was an idea that was much more idealogical when ESPN was not just a station that schilled for the rest of Disney's channels and also made sure to suck up to the athletes. But the hustle and bustle of trying to hit a deadline and covering some major stories has to be something.

2.The White House:If you ever watched the West Wing, I would have loved to have had Charlies job. Of course I would love it for a president I actually liked, but it still seems like it would be a great job just to see all that power.

3.The Washington Post:The newspaper of Woodward and Bernstein. That should be enough said shouldn't it?

4.Teaching:I was actually on track to be a teacher at graduation from college, but I made other choices and got out of school after 4 years instead of 5. I often wonder what the difference would have been.

5.Nike:They develop the cutting edge of sport products. They get to meet alot of great athletes and they probably have great seats at University of Oregon games since Phil Knight, founder of Nike, is an alumni with a big checkbook. What could be bad about that?

I tag anyone that wants to try it.

Thursday Thirteen #44-The Fear One

Thirteen Things Sparky is Afraid of Some of these things are things that I am pee my pants afraid of. Some of these are things that Phew, I will never do that again, afraid of. And some of these things are things that I am Oh My Goddess I can't believe that is something that exists afraid of. Now you will know what not to get me for my birthday. 1.Mice-Have a mouse run past your sleeping ahead along a wall and then have it make those squeak squeak noises from your closet in the middle of the night and tell me you aren't a wee bit frightened. 2.Bats-I think of them as just giant flying rats, even though my brain knows they are not even in the mouse family. 3.That Swinging Pirate Ship Ride- My brother and I were on one at the pier at Wildwood when we were wee ducks and the gate was not fully closed. There was a moment where we both thought we would fall out. I still avoid that right now. 4.Snakes-I have gotten over my fear of gardner snakes because they are so tiny, they are like giant worms, but anything else snake wise still skeeves me out. 5.That Blonde Columnist-Sometimes you just can not believe that someone that says things so vile and hateful, still has a contract to write books and columns in newspapers. Her name shall still not be typed here. 6.Flying/Landing-I used to be afraid of flying, but as the rest of the Duck family began to spread themselves across the country, I got more practice flying. I do not like the fact that I can not wear my Ipod during landings, because that is still the time I feel the hyperventilation sneaking up on me. 7.Making a Wrong turn in Trenton-It happened only once, and it is probably just something born out of growing up in NJ and hearing stories about how scary Trenton is, but I was taking a leisurely drive after work and ended up some how in the middle of what seemed to me to be a whole bunch of crack dens. Suffice it to say I did not stay at the red light long and my dress shirt was soaked. 8.Those folks on the movie Jesus Camp-I'm all for teaching young children religion, whatever religion there parents belong to, it is a good way to start to teach a child right and wrong. But, watch the movie sometime and tell me whether they maybe taking the religion thing a wee bit too far. 9.Frogs-I think they maybe be plotting to get me, because my father Tex was a biology teacher and the final project was dissecting frogs. They will get me to get even with him. 10.Big Dogs-as evidenced by the mention yesterday, I do not like some dog breeds. Dobermans and Pit Bulls are tops on my list. I think it is because I was a paper boy for 10 years and the areas I delivered in did not have the biggest houses, which means Fido lived outside and was none to happy about it and seeing me collecting. 11.Horror Movies-Not like Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street, they are lame now adays. Im talking Hostel and the Saw series. Talk about Nightmare in my mind after those gross things. I never watch em. 12.Professional Mixed Martial Arts-To me, it looks like Dog fighting with humans and you dont expect someone to die. Tell me why anyone would want to fight someone else in a metal cage type structure? Unless of course its Fight Club, THE MOVIE. 13.Drowning-In my nightmares, this is my scariest way to go. I think you know its happening which is even worse then something out of the blue. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants



Wiki Meme

Way back, well sorta way back, the ever talented Wylie tagged me for a meme, the Wikipedia, birthday meme. I waited until Wyles came back to do it. But, this is helpful though because it means you will all know when my birthday is.

The rules, go to Wikipedia.org, type in your birthday in the search box, then list 3 events, two births and one holidy. Then tag some other folks.

My Birthday is October 5!



3 Events

1.1789 - French Revolution: Parisian women march to Versailles in the March on Versailles to confront Louis XVI about his refusal to promulgate the decrees on the abolition of feudalism, demand bread, and have the King and his court moved to Paris.

2.1953 - Earl Warren is sworn in as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States

3.2001 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants set a new mark for home runs in a single season, hitting his 71st and 72nd in a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.


2 Births


1.1902 - Ray Kroc, American fast food entrepreneur (d. 1984) Yep, the McDonalds Guy

2.1951 - Bob Geldof, Irish singer (The Boomtown Rats)

1 Holiday

1.Portugal - Republic Day, celebrates overthrow of the Monarchy in 1910, also on this day of 1143 Portugal was recognized as a country by the King of Spain Afonso IV.

And now I get to tag a few peoples, lucky you.

1.Tiff, because she always likes to get tagged.
2.Anthony because I think he will find this interesting.
3.ChristieO because she just tagged me.
4.Anyone else who hasn't been tagged by this one yet.

My First Manic Monday-Seven

First, I freely and happily admit I am not a Yankee fan. In fact, I am a Yankee Hater, but when I got the topic for the Manic Monday this week, I had to go with the first thing that popped into my head.

Manic Monday-7

Mickey Mantle was the Number 7 for the New York Yankees. Even people that were not Yankee fans appreciated how he would play through multiple injuries and hangovers to still be one of the greatest New York Yankees ever. He was involved in the Home Run chase of 1961 to break Babe Ruth's single season record with Roger Maris and is the last ballplayer to win the Major League Triple Crown, which means he lead all players in both leagues in Batting Average, Home Runs and RBI's. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974 in his first year of eligibility.





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