How evil am I?

Well, that depends who you ask. According to this site, I am 40% evil:

You Are 40% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

However, according to another site, I'm good, whatever that means:


How evil are you?

So which is right? Who really cares?? Good point.

Shuffle Part 3

Time for a shuffle post. I don't know why; it just is. I'm exhausted, have been working ridiculous hours for too many days and nights, am too tired to go out to dance, and am contemplating the earliest night I've had in years. So, here are the last ten songs, artists, the album they're from, and their rating out of five played on my iPod via shuffle:

1. It Had To Be You - Vic Damone [Swing!] 3/5 - this is a neat compilation of older-style lounge music and some newer artists getting in on the act. A couple of great versions: George Michael's My Baby Just Cares For Me and Natalie Cole's It's Crazy (except for that double note at the end - unnecessary!). Also love Louis Jordan's upbeat Saturday Night Fish Fry.
2. I'd Love You To Want Me - Lobo [no album] 4/5 - a very nostalgic sound. Don't know anything about this group, and actually prefer Me And You And A Dog Named Boo, but nice acoustic rhythm guitar in this song.
3. Girl From Ipanema - Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz [Sunshine - The Cool Sound of Summer] 3/5 - I've got this song on so many different compilations. I don't particularly like it, but enjoy Stan Getz's unique guitar sound. Reminds me of my guitarist friend Gerry who, unsurprisingly, has several of his albums.
4. Sing For The Moment - Eminem [The Eminem Show] 4/5 - one of my few attempts at hip hop. Some of the lyrics ring true. For me, this song is more a reminder of the time it was released than any particular fondness for it.
5. Boy From New York City - Ad Libs [no album] 4/5 - what a follow-up from Eminem! This is the original do wop version and very reflective of 50s-style vocal music.
6. Listen To Your Heart - Roxette [no album] 3/5 - Roxette were all the rage in the late 80s when I was at secondary school. They were my friend's favourite band. She had a weird dream about this song and Johnny Depp wanting her. That was while he was still Tom Hanson in 21 Jump Street. *sigh*
7. Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers [Californication] 3/5 - great band. Average song. Under The Bridge still takes a lot of beating.
8. You'll Never Get To Heaven If You Break My Heart - The Stylistics [Burt Bacharach Collection] 4/5 - probably one of the longest musical stints sung in falsetto and not by Leo Sayer. Not one of Bacharach's best arrangements, but some lovely vocal work and orchestration.
9. Home On A Monday - Little River Band [LRB Classic Collection] 4/5 - I always loved the "echo on the line" and "calling from [from]" bits. It impressed me as a kid.
10. Chuck E's In Love - Rickie Lee Jones [no album] 4/5 - I went through a stage of being into Rickie Lee when, as a teenager, I discovered one of her albums in my father's studio. I loved Danny's All Star Joint, but can now recognise Night Train, The Last Chance Texaco, and Coolsville as glorified whinging, ie drawn out country offerings which help pad out an average album which contains a couple of true gems.
    

Black Silk

There are good music compilations, average music compilations, bad music compilations with one or two good songs hidden amongst plenty of crap, and then there is Black Silk Volume 1. Despite searching for years for Black Silk Volume 2, I have come to the conclusion that this was optimistic thinking on their part, and the intention was to produce more, but they never quite got off the ground. I'm kind of glad, in a way; I shudder every time I think of another Now That's What I Call Music! release.

Black Silk is just that: silky smooth, and the ultimate pick of some of the best R&B songs of the time. While each song is found in abundance on other compilations, there is something about this one which reeks of perfection (and not cheese). I don't know why; it just does.

Here's what I love about the individual tracks on this album:

1. How 'Bout Us (Champaign) - our band played the short version of this for several years, but I never tire of listening to it even today. Guaranteed to be well received by a crowd at any time of the night.
2. Kiss & Say Goodbye (The Manhattans) - apart from the tiny celesta error at the start (which still works), this song is utter perfection. I'd love for our band to be able to pull this off. Beautiful sax work.
   
3. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams) - the usually annoying, floaty sound of Deniece Williams is grounded by the sincere, soulful Johnny Mathis. I shudder at the thought of a breakup in the latter years, but if it had to happen, it should be dignified like this.
4. Just the Two of Us (Bill Withers) - wow, what a bass line. I'd be happy to just listen to this song with every other track switched off (but, of course, prefer the whole package).
5. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine (Lou Rawls) - the man with the silkiest chops (voice); no denying it.
   
6. Me & Mrs Jones (Billy Paul) - another beautiful love song, this time telling of forbidden love. Magic.
   
7. After the Love Has Gone (Earth, Wind & Fire) - already blogged about this one.
8. Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers) - the original. Simple, understated, and the "I know" section is done in one long breath.
9. Summer Breeze (The Isley Brothers) - I love both versions of this song, although it took me a while to warm to this one. The incredibly harsh guitar solo and outro don't fit with the tone of the song at all, yet somehow seems to make perfect sense.
10. Love Train (The O'Jays) - a bit of light relief on the album.
11. Shining Star (The Manhattans) - again, wonderful vocal work.
12. Lady Love (Lou Rawls) - this song somehow seems to come across as sincere, even over a Vegas-style lounge backdrop. Glad to hear Lou having the last say on this album.
    

Music to make you move

I went to a concert with a whole bunch of dead people, once. No, really, I did! Dionne Warwick came to town last year as a replacement for Burt Bacharach, who had broken his collar bone and couldn't travel. This beautiful lady with the most soulful voice entertained us for two hours, along with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and all was blissful and right with the world.

Dionne now lives in Brazil, and said if anyone happens to find themselves in Brasilia, go into town ask for Dionne and she would come get you, because everyone was welcome to stay. I am sooooo tempted to try that one day! Anyway, one thing Dionne particularly loves about Brazil is the music. As she said, accompanied by a background of delightful Brazilian music, you can't help but move your body as it takes over your soul, and if you aren't moving something, then "surely you must be dead". Well, I looked around us, and discovered that most people in our section were dead! How could that be? Don't worry, there were living people up in the gods and further back in the cheaper seats. Just as well for that.

I thought about Dionne's monologue as I sat listening to my latest CD purchase, The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire (2002). This is definitely going to be a 'comfort' album for me, when I'm in need of something warm, cosy, and smooth to listen to. Earth, Wind & Fire are one of these band with a familiar sound, and you just can't help but move something when listening to their music. Usually it's feet and hips; at the very least, mouths formed into smiling shapes. Their sound fuses together several styles and comes together in a mix of R&B that could only be achieved with such a big band (9 core members on the cover).

A few highlights for me:

• Let's Groove Tonight - the ultimate in funky disco. Can't help want to dance to this one.
  
• Fantasy - shows off their tight vocal work and even tighter jump suits.
  
• September - conjures up images of dance floors with coloured lit floor tiles.
• Boogie Wonderland - the opening song in any dance compilation. Awesome bass line (as with all their songs).
  
• Got to Get You Into My Life - wasn't sure I liked this first few times, as I'm a purist, but concede that it offers a different spin on the original (Lennon/McCartney) and creates a whole new sound. Magic.
• After the Love Has Gone - ohhh.
  

Screaming Turtle

I love the name of the Screaming Turtle Café in Petone. It has some cute little turtle accessories inside and a courtyard setting which is lovely in summer. This place goes up and down like a yoyo. The food is generally good, but the service is never much to write home about. Popping in for brunch a few months ago, the place was about 2/3 full, yet we were told that it would be a 40 minute wait for food. Another time, we were told around midday that the breakfast menu was no longer available. So it's really pot luck.

Today, we dropped in for coffee on a cold, wintry afternoon. My raspberry and white chocolate muffin was sweet but dry (needs to be baked with yoghurt), and my sweetie's Oreo cookie slice was incredibly decadent. We had almost finished our food by the time our drinks arrived, but our hot chocolates were still yummy.

Great to see they've finally got a coffee card (another one to add to my collection). The Entertainment Book offers a main for a main, up to $25 value, so we'll use it for brunch one day. Who knows ... maybe we'll be lucky enough to find staff who look don't look perpetually annoyed that there are customers present? Worth a try.

Who's a clever boy then?

Who indeed?

I love this story. Gone are the days of parrots saying "pretty Polly". (Or, in the case of my two, simply "pretty pretty".) This Japanese fellow knows how to greet people, and sing popular children's songs .. .but that's not all. He also managed to recite his name and address and earn himself a safe return trip home after flying away ten days earlier!

Hmm, I wonder if it's too late to teach Luca and Enrico a few more phrases?

Tinakori Bistro

We went to the Tinakori Bistro last night for a big group dinner. Someone had brought me there years ago with the aim to impress; the food did, but unfortunately he didn’t, so it wasn’t really worth his while in the end. ;-)

Last night’s meal was one of their set menus. I think I chose well, as all three of my courses were really delicious and the portion sizes just right. It all seemed a bit random, as some ended up with entreés the size of a main meal, and other mains were decidedly thin on the ground.

My entrée of seared fresh scallops, on risotto cake, vermouth cream sauce was a great way to start the meal. For my main course, the chargrilled salmon, roasted baby potatoes, beans and dill hollandaise sauce practically fell off my fork, as the salmon was so fresh and tenderly cooked.

The pièce de résistance, though, was dessert. Some chose unwisely and were wooed by the thought of crème brûlée or cheesecake. I was almost tempted myself by the sticky date pudding, which was seductively calling my name, but reverted to my usual choice: anything with lots of chocolate in it. My bitter chocolate cake with orange anglaise and raspberry sorbet was to die for. Don’t let the description of ‘bitter’ put you off; it simply meant that it was made of incredibly dark chocolate, rather than being rich or sweet. It certainly seemed the best choice, as bits of cheesecake were left behind on the plate while envious eyes watched the chocolate melt in my mouth. Oh Chocolate, I shall never doubt you again!

Goodnight Kiwi

Try talking about the Goodnight Kiwi to kids today and you'll get a puzzled look. Their questions go like this:

• What do you mean 'when tv closed for the night'?
• What was on after that?
• How could there be no tv until 11am (or 2pm??)? What was there instead?
• What's a 'test pattern'?
• Oh, you mean it was played before the infomercials start?

No, no, and oh no.

My dad used to get in trouble with my mum for waking me up occasionally to watch the television closedown late at night. All kiwis of a certain age will know the tune (Hine e Hine), and smile nostalgically as they remember Goodnight Kiwi closing up for the night before going to sleep in his satellite dish. Watching it again this morning, for the first time in years, I chuckled at Kiwi putting out his milk bottle, and wondered again how the cat could have made it up the tower faster than Kiwi, who took the lift.

*contented sigh*

Identify theft

A friend emailed me today with a warning about identify theft. Apparently it is an increasingly common problem and the perpetrators are becoming ingenious in their subterfuge. However, some suspects' true identities have been successfully revealed recently and photos distributed so the public to ensure that they will not become repeat offenders. Take a look for yourself, and be safe out there.

Don't say you weren't warned!

From Malaysia to France

Last night, it was getting late, we were hungry, and after rummaging through the Entertainment Book, we found a few places in Lower Hutt which would give us 25% off the total bill. A Taste of Malaysia, it was, then. This place has had mixed reviews. We tried popping in a few weeks ago on a Thursday night but it was fully booked, which we took to be a good sign. We enjoyed our meal and continued our quest to find the best roti in town. We judged this second place, with Ayudtthaya Thai in Petone still holding first place. We'll probably be back to both restaurants at some stage.

Today, a group of us had a late lunch at Simply Paris. This place used to be one of my absolute favourite cafés, with exquisitely prepared pastries and tasty treats. I loved the décor, with its pale green interior and French memorabilia adorning its walls. Now it's been repainted white and has huge gilded mirrors (which used to have the menu written on them) decorating the walls. Still very French, but not as quaint as it used to be.

I enjoyed my salmon and spinach quiche, followed by strawberry millefeuille, which was absolutely delicious. I really like the heavy cocoa taste of their hot chocolate, rather than the excessive sweetness which is often served up at other cafés. This wasn't to everyone's liking, though, although there was general agreement that the chocolate almond served in the side was yummy.

What really let today's experience down was the service. It took ages to clear up the previous group's dishes. Orders placed well before others were served first. That's fine when you are in a group and everyone gets their meals at similar times. However, having to ask for two more hot chocolates (part of different orders), and another strawberry millefeuille (when two had already served been to the same table) well after everybody else had finished their meals is not a good look. The same goes for desserts served way before the main meals arrive.

I'm not sure when things started to decline at Simply Paris, as I hadn't been there for a while. On the surface, it looks great and there are so many good things about it, but they need to lift their game in the service department. Their website sums it up perfectly for me; the home page looks great, but several others are blank or incomplete. A shame, really.

Songs that remind you of ...

Songs bring back memories for most people, and these memories can vary greatly. One song at my music quiz last night was Craig David's Walking Away. A team member remarked that he loved the song and remembered hearing it while he was living in London and it was a great stage in his life. I commented that my memories of it were quite the opposite; he did walk away, and it took a long time to get over him. Oh well.

There are three songs permanently etched in my memory from my childhood. I remember hearing them while waiting in the van for my father while he was inside at Mitre 10, behind Wellington Airport. (It was just called plain old Edward's in those days.) I had nothing for company but whatever I could find in the glovebox, the roar of planes taking off and landing, and an AM radio. Nowadays, Dad would be branded a negligent father and hauled in front of the media and goodness knows who else, for leaving a 7(ish)-year-old in a vehicle for what seemed like forever at the time, but in reality was probably about 10 minutes. Going by the years the songs were released, I think I might have been about 7, but can't be sure. So what did I listen to?

• Baker Street (1978) - Gerry Rafferty: Gotta love that intro and sax riff. It haunts me to this day. Little bit of trivia here: the sax player lives near Wellington now. Many years later at university, it was playing on the radio and someone said "get that old crap off". I wasn't about to admit that I have fond memories of it keeping me company in the van, but someone else (who was older than us) said "well, you might think that now, but it was all the rage once". I've never forgotten that, lol.
  

• The Other Guy (1982) - Little River Band: I didn't understand anything about what this song meant, but liked the vocal work in it. I grew up with a soft spot for LRB; they're one of my musical guilty pleasures (along with Dr Hook).
  

• Sometimes When We Touch (1978) - Dan Hill: soppy and sentimental, but I have always remembered that piano riff and enjoyed playing it myself when I stumbled across the sheet music as a pianist in my teens. It's still part of my solo repertoire today.
  

Ah, memories are made of this. :-)

Road to Paradise - Paullina Simons

I've just finished reading Road to Paradise by Paullina Simons. I'm strangely reminded of the song that never ends. You know, it just goes on and on, my friend? Same with this novel. It just went on and on, and when it finally got towards the end, a whole heap of action was thrown into the last 50 pages, and then it jumped ahead 27 years and left me wondering, what on earth was that all about??

I love the intensity of Paullina Simons' characters (The Girl in Times Square, Tully, The Summer Garden trilogy). I always end up feeling emotionally drained at the end of one of her novels, and feel like I've known the characters for all my life, so strongly is their identity built up. Road to Paradise just went nowhere for me, though. I can see how carefully it was researched, in terms of geography, popular music from the late 70s/early 80s, and religion. I just felt that the research was all plotted together around the setting, and the cleverness of the journey (aiming to reach Paradise, but realising it's not really where they want to be) could have been wrapped in with 200 fewer pages.

I persisted because I have this funny hangup about finishing books I start, and also because I was optimistic that this would turn out to be a typical Paullina Simons tale, ie emotionally intense, with gripping character development and entirely worth the investment it in the end. Sadly, it wasn't. Next time, maybe?

Felix The Cat

I don't know about you, but I can't help hearing the name Felix and thinking about a cat. ;-)

I had dinner with a friend tonight at Felix Café. This place has had its ups and downs over the years. Tonight was a great night. Our starter of bread and mixed dips (sundried tomato and pesto) was served quickly, along with our drinks orders. I had a yummy Moroccan-style lamb salad and my friend had a stack of huge corn fritters with salad. We finished it off by sharing a piece of the most divine chocolate cake in history - decadent, and unbelievably delicious when washed down with hot chocolate. With 25% off the bill thanks to our Entertainment Book voucher, it made for a great meal.

One thing I really enjoy about Felix Café is its location (corner of Cuba and Wakefield Streets in Wellington), along with its floor to ceiling windows. Sure, it gets cold and draughty, but it's a great venue for people watching. You never know who is going to walk past, what they will be wearing, what they'll be doing, and what they might be carrying on their way to wherever they're going. I was amazed to find several links to people watching cafés when I Googled the term. I'm not sure where they all are, or whether someone's thought to compile a New Zealand list, but I'd certainly add almost anywhere which has a good view of upper Cuba Street or Courtenay Place. There are enough colourful characters strolling by to guarantee hours of free entertainment each day. Watch this space ...

Biographies

I love reading biographies and enjoy movies and documentaries based around people's lives. It doesn't matter to me whether they are 'famous' or not, or have changed the world. Sometimes it's the 'little' people whose stories touch you most. However, being trapped in a corner in a party while some drunken sod regales their life story is another matter entirely. ;-)

Biography.com is an interesting site, which I came across while I was looking for some information on Lena Horne. It has lots of search functions and you can also find out about people born on this day, see whose deathiversary it is, and see who is featured each day.

I got thinking about whose biographies (or autobiographies) have been most memorable for me, and these are the ones who first come to mind.

Books:

• Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom
• Jung Chang - Wild Swans
• Frank McCourt - Angela's Ashes
• E R Braithwaite - To Sir, With Love
• Henri Charrière - Papillon
• Adeline Yen Mah - Falling Leaves
• Li Cunxin - Mao's Last Dancer
• Helga Tiscenko - Strawberries With the Fuhrer

Movies:

• To Sir, With Love
• Ray
• Walk the Line
• La Bamba
• The Aviator
• A Beautiful Mind

Curry Heaven

Last year, my sweetie and I had a "non-date" at Curry Heaven in Petone. What started out as a group dinner ended up with a guest list of two, so we decided to go anyway. All went well (very well, actually), and the next night, the rest was history. ;-)

We were back again tonight, on a real date this time. I had a craving for red meat, so we shared two lamb dishes: lamb madras, and lamb malabari, which is apparently unique to Curry Heaven. The madras was great, but someone was omitting to telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on the menu as the was no mention of capsicums (euw!) in the description for malabari, yet there were colossal chunks of green capsicum floating in the sauce. (The prices in the online menu vary greatly, too.) The good news is, we got 25% off our bill by using our Entertainment Book voucher.

We are on a quest to find the best roti in town. This one was pretty good, but we're still preferring the Thai roti we had a few months ago at a little place across the road. The search continues ...

Coffee in Christchurch

I’m in Christchurch for work this week. I last worked here in summer, and now the city is covered in gorgeous autumn leaves. On my flight down, one of the pilots welcomed passengers aboard and announced that the captain would not be able to update with flight details until he had his third cup of coffee. Now, I thought, here’s a man I’d get on well with. Half an hour later, as we began our descent, the captain informed us that he had now had his third cup of coffee, so he was finally permitted to talk to us. ;-)

He brought up a good point. I knew I had two full-on work days (and a late night) coming up, so coffee sounded good to me. So it was back to my Christchurch regular, Café Metro. The coffee here is usually pretty consistent; it’s strong, but even if the beans taste slightly scorched, their milky drinks (cappuccino, latte) are good. The food is great, though; I had a tasty Caesar salad, very stylishly presented, and even my colleague’s humble chicken pie looked tarted up and not a bit out of place.

Instead of going out to one of our usual Colombo St places for dinner, we decided to go for cheap and cheerful and bring takeaway Thai Star back to our apartment. The wine flowed and ‘intelligent’ discussion began: company policy was elaborated upon and presented with increasingly colourful language, personalities were explored and examined, and a plot to overthrow a government (or two) were discussed. All in a day’s work, really.

Divas

I love the jazz divas of yester-year. These aren't the pompous wannabe divas of today, who can barely hold and tune and can't spit out their own gum without an assistant to dispose of it for them. These are ladies of true elegance and style, who often defeated the odds to carve out their place in musical history, and who ooze talent and class beyond belief.

I've been building up my jazz collection recently and came across this 5-CD set featuring Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Dinah Washington, Carol Sloane, and Carmen McRae. I would have thought it'd have made sense for Sarah Vaughan to be part of this collection, but she's missing in action. I was surprised at the inclusion of Carol Sloane, and also raised an eyebrow at some of Lena Horne's arrangements, but really enjoy the rich, mellow sound of these ladies at their best.

I've smiled at Ella's and Billie's versions of "Tenderly", having first become acquainted with this piece via Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, the resident Muppet Show band. To give these artists their due, all three versions are certainly played tenderly. ;-)

Good Wife's Guide

Hot on the heels of the Guide to hiring women, this quickly made its way around the female staff of our company. Rumoured to have been published in Housekeeping Monthly on 13 may 1955, the Good wife's guide has done the rounds via email for several years now, yet I never tire of reading it and chuckling; it is hilarious!

• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
• Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.
• Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
• Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
• Be happy to see him.
  
• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
  
• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
• Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
• Your goal: try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
• Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.
• Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
• Make him comfortable. Make him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
• Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
• Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
• A good wife always knows her place.

Guide to hiring women

My company is very much into professional reading and articles are often distributed for comment and discussion. This one from Savvy & Sage magazine did the rounds a couple of weeks ago. It came with a disclaimer that it's not strictly company policy. I love it!

As a "husky" girl (according to #3), I'm thrilled to discover that I'm more even tempered and efficient than my underweight sisters and therefore a more suited employee in 1943. (Except, of course, I'm not a young married women - see #1.) I also realise that I don't tidy my hair and apply fresh lipstick during the day because I'm not given adequate rest periods (#8). However, I totally agree with #11: the secret to a happy female workforce is well-fitting uniforms. What more could we want? :-D

How many of me?

My name is relatively common. I know of at least one other in New Zealand with the same first, middle and last name as me. We are in the same profession, are six weeks apart in age, and have similar interests (apparently). I've never met her but feel I know her, as I've been declined a credit card due to her bad debt, had random people claim to have been my flatmate in various small towns and saying "hi" to me through others they know, and had my salary deducted to pay for her court fines!

How's this for self-indulgent? You can find out how many other people in the US have the same name as you via this website. It only works for first and last names, and I had thought there would be more than this:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 242 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

So, now you know!

An offer you can't refuse ...

Yesterday, I received an offer I couldn't refuse. No, really - I did. And this wasn't just any old offer, oh no. It was potentially better than any other offer I had ever received. Truly. I didn't even have to do anything special to receive this offer. It came right to my door, and all I had to do was answer the doorbell. So how could I possibly turn it down?

Yes, how could I? ;-)

Two rotund 40-ish women introduced themselves and, with big smiles, proclaimed they were promoting the Bible and wanted to talk to me about what it could do for my life. I politely told them I was not interested, thank you, and made to step away from the door when one breathlessly called out (after climbing up just one flight of stairs) "don't you want help in solving the problems of the world?". Well, why didn't you say so before, lady?

Unfortunately, I turned down this offer of a lifetime and quite boldly stated that no thanks, I was working on that myself. (Not entirely true, but they have no way of knowing that.) No doubt they're praying for my soul this very minute and will smirk at me piously as they play harps on their big fluffy clouds while I spend eternity falling into an endless pit ... but seriously, these people need to get over themselves and trust that others will make the right choices in their lives before judging them or offering to 'help'.

Geez!