Time goes to Ascot

Andrew Winning/Reuters

Time.com runs a photoessay of those crazy hats that are traditional for the Royal Ascot horseraces. This is my favorite.


Link

The Hero IQ test

I got 19 out of 20!

You take the test.

What am I like?

Your answers suggest you are a Mastermind

The four aspects that make up this personality type are:

Summary of Masterminds

• Visionaries who put energy into achieving their goals
• Prefer to work independently and dislike inefficiency
• Think of themselves as logical, thorough, and bright
• Values practicality and common sense above ideas and theories

More about Masterminds

Masterminds create a vision for the future by gathering and organising information. They then develop strategies to achieve their goals. They have a rare gift for looking at almost anything and seeing how it can be improved. These skills and the Masterminds' high standards often allow them to reach leadership positions at work.

Mastermind is the least common personality type in the UK, according to a nationwide survey.

Masterminds value independence and prefer to work on their own. Once they have decided on a course of action, Masterminds rarely change their minds, although they can be persuaded by clear reasoning by someone they respect.

In situations where they can't use their talents or are unappreciated, Masterminds may cut themselves off from a group and criticize people who don't understand their plans. Under extreme stress, Masterminds may overindulge in sensory experiences like eating, shopping or watching television.

Masterminds often have an unusual sense of humour, which arises from their ability to spot surprising links between seemingly unconnected facts.

Mastermind Careers

Masterminds are drawn to jobs requiring logical analysis or abstract thinking common in science or technical fields.

It's important to remember that no survey can predict personality type with 100 percent accuracy. Experts say that we should use personality type to better understand ourselves and others, but shouldn't feel restricted by our results.

Shamelessly swiped from Kwizgiver.

You take the test.

Watch and smile

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 286

1. Flicker :: photosharing (Flickr)
2. Styling :: "in my create-a-van"
3. Episode :: V (my favorite Star Wars episode.)
4. Sexier :: than?
5. Studious :: student
6. Mushroom :: omelette
7. 8 minutes :: LOST (actually, that's 108 minutes, but it's the first thing I thought of)
8. Bald :: as an egg
9. Immunity :: from prosecution
10. Sectioned :: grapefruit
    

see more mutterings here.

Cute kitties from National Geographic

White lion cubs

National Geographic's The Week in Pictures features these adorable kitties. White African lion cubs, so rare there are only 30 in captivity. Adorable.

Friday night humor

A little something for my office

Yeah, I gotta get me one of these:

Assassins at Company One

I read about Assassins, the musical by Stephen Sondheim, in the book Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. I don't think it had quite the depth of meaning for me that it did for her, but I enjoyed the play when I saw it last night.

The play itself is an interesting series of historical slices. Presidential assassins and would-be assassins account for themselves through soliloquy and song. If you don't know your presidential assassins, you'll at least have a general idea of their names and their intended targets when you walk out of the theater.

John Wilkes Booth: Lincoln
Charles Guiteau: Garfield
Leon Czolgosz: McKinley
Guiseppe Zangara: F. D. Roosevelt
Lee Harvey Oswald: Kennedy
Samuel Byck: Nixon
Lynette Fromme: Ford
Sara Jane Moore: Ford
John Hinckley, Jr.: Reagan

There's a lot of dark humor and shrill, discordant notes, as is typical for a Sondheim work. There's also clever dialog and good storytelling.

Company One in Boston performed the play. It was my first experience with Boston theater (growing up in New York, I saw most of my plays on or near Broadway). It was very good. The theater is a small and intimate semicircle. Like theater in the half-round. The stage is the floor, and I had a front-row seat. The actors were arm's-length away.

They did a great job. I especially liked Mason Sand as Samuel Byck. He gave a chillingly amusing soliloquy, a rambling explanation of his plot via audiotape to Leonard Bernstein. McCaela Donovan as Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was charmingly airheaded, so it was a pleasant surprise when she let loose with her powerhouse singing voice. All the cast were very good. Nathanael Shea had a couple of moments as John Hinckley that raised goosebumps.

I'd give it a solid recommend.

Welcome to Rhode Island

From the ProJo alert service:

"The state Public Utilities Commission has approved a 21.7-percent increase in the price National Grid charges its customers for electricity."

21.7%? Because the economy's doing so well, everyone can afford to pay an additional 1/5, on top of their existing electric bill?

Gawd.

Monday night at the memes

Still with the catch-up...

You Are a Citizen of the World

Whenever possible, you try to pay attention to what's going on in the world. You are truly interested in all people and countries, no matter how far away from you they are. You try to learn, travel, and understand. Being a part of the whole world is important to you, and you're always working to be more internationally focused.

Are You a Citizen of the World?

I'll buy that.

You Are 70% "Average American"

You are average because you wouldn't pay to go in space. You are not average since you do make New Year's resolutions.

How "Average American" Are You?

Have to take their word on that one.

What Your These Fireworks Say About You

You are jubilant and easily excited. While you aren't very intense or passionate, your happiness is abundant. You can always find cause to celebrate, laugh, or even just smile to yourself. You find that life is full of things to be happy about!

The Fireworks Test

I'd call that a miss.

You Are 58% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

How American Are You?

Oh...dear.

You Are a Vanilla Shake

Vanilla, yes, but definitely not boring. You are subtly complex and deeply sophisticated. You're the type of person who has always been ahead of their time. You don't fall for gimmicks or tricks. You are drawn to what's true.

What Flavor Shake Are You?

Huh.

What the House Test Says About You

You are happy with who you are, and you don't have an inflated sense of self importance. You do your own thing quietly. You don't take up a lot of space. You are a fairly community oriented person. You like to get to know your neighbors, but you also like your privacy. You get attached to neighborhoods and cities. You are a playful, charming, and seductive person. People feel instantly close to you. You take good care of your physical appearance. You dress well, stay in shape, and do your best to look great. You are moved by the most simple of things. You can find pleasure from a small, perfect moment.

The House Test

I like to think so.

All co-opted shamelessly from Kwizgiver.

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 284

1. Notification :: mail
2. Cheat :: test
3. Top Ten:: list
4. Draft :: letter
5. Unbelievable :: crazy
6. Cheap :: trick
7. Spontaneous :: combustion
8. Harass :: bother
9. Lipstick :: mark
10. Transpire :: happen

see more Mutterings here.

Lolnotcats

I lol'd over this one. Hedgehogs are so cute!


The kind of job I'm looking for


and now I'm all caught up on lolcats

A little lolcat catch-up for ya

I just love this one.


politicat


Eeeeville kitteh

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 283

Behind, but catching up....

1. Loneliness :: Sadness
2. Traffic :: jam
3. Chaos :: Control (Get Smart!)
4. Burp :: 'scuse me
5. 500 :: Indianapolis
6. Movie :: theater
7. Coma :: hospital
8. Bark :: Dog
9. Stare :: Decisis (it's a legal term)
10. Angelina :: Jolie

see more mutterings here.