Mini-digits

So the second truth about me that I'm revealing is that I have very short fingers.



I discovered this when I was in high school and for about the next ten years I would often compare the size of my hands to people I met. And there was only once that I found someone other than a family member who had shorter fingers. She was a girlfriend and a foot shorter than myself. The two family members are my mother and my sister who are about six inches shorter than me.

So I must be a freak of nature. Well not really. I'm talking about the distance from the skin in between the fingers up to the tips. I have what can be best described as bear claws or webbed hands. The skin between my digits rides higher up than normal, but that doesn't mean I look like a duck. When you compare from the base of the hand to the tips of the fingers, the difference is not as dramatic.

Has this been a handicap at all? Well, I'm not good at the piano or basketball but I am better than average at skill sports like darts and pitching. I can't say I've ever felt at a disadvantage. You would think it would make me a great swimmer, but since my arms are shorter than average (not noticably) they must offset.

So that's it. Nothing big, but still true.

Update: There's one thing that the post by Jonas reminded me of. I have a heck of a time finding gloves that fit. The fingers are always to short. Sometimes I can squeeze myself (and stretch out) womens size gloves, but it's pretty rare. Although the fingers are the right length, my palms are way to big for them. So when I find a pair that fit well like my current winter gloves, I repair them as often as possible to get as much use out of them as possible.

And I just checked out my wingspan. It's 68 1/4". An 1 1/2" short of my height. And I my proper shoe size is 9 1/2. So although we are the same height (which I find hard to believe) I seem to be the physical polar opposite of JP.

Five things you don't know about me.

I have been officially tagged by the honorable Jonas Parker with a meme. So here are my five things and you have to guess which one is not true.

1. I flashed the audience during a school play.

2. I ran 1000 miles over a summer.

3. I have only found three people with shorter fingers that I have.

4. I have done illegal drugs.

5. I used to frequent a gay bar.

So which one is false? Regardless, all will be revealed in a future post. Let me know if there is one in particular you would like me to elaborate on.

Another Sucker

After her... I like my results. Makes me wonder if subconsciencely I have a huge ego. I'm just happy I wasn't deemed Superwoman.

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 90% Spider-Man 70% The Flash 65% Supergirl 62% Robin 62% Iron Man 60% Wonder Woman 57% Hulk 45% Green Lantern 45% Batman 35% Catwoman 25%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Have You Ever...?

Jumping off the same cliff as blork and Rachel, I've given in and completed this meme that I saw a while back. Though I didn't get as many as each of them.

How it works is you answer the question "Have you ever..?" followed by the points below.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins (Got there too late.)
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree (literally)
10. Bungee jumped (not yet. Once I do that I can add 'crap my pants' to the list too.)
11. Visited Paris (lived near there actually)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise (Biked all night actually)
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa (It was closed and in the process of leaning)
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower (I'd like to do this more often)
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse (I'm assuming other competitive sports count)
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse (Spring '94)
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run (Even an inside-the-park'r)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (Alcohol can do that)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states (Missing 8, only been to two provinces. Missed NB by a couple hundred feet.)
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends (Present tense also)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving (Not yet)
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan (If we ever get enough moohla)
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving (Snorkeling, yes)
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (Does making and selling your own t-shirts count)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest (If memory serves)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice (Saved the money for an engagement ring)
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason (As in bought and given?)
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas (not yet)
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone (Does travelling the Paris métro during the 1995 bombings count?)
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children. (Present tense)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (Not really)
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (Ran it actually, out and back)
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray (Tampa Zoo)
110. Broken someone’s heart (Not proud of)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced (Maybe one day my ear lobes will hang that low)
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (Does a BB gun count?)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild (Those crazy French)
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours (After being awake for 70)
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states (16 ain't bad)
124. Visited all 7 continents (Just two)
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school (not yet, I may have to)
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes (Bitter tomatoes in marinara sauce didn't do it for me)
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read (not yet)
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Same as Blork: Do fish count?)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair (Don't have to)
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head (After enough of them leave voluntarily)
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life

I'll gladly elaborate on any of these if anyone cares to hear one in particular. The four I'd really like to do (again) are: see more meteor showers, learn how to fly a plane, visit Japan, and return to Paris.

40 Questions

Forty is a number of cleansing and renewal. Hence the references of rain for forty days and forty nights. Or that guy wandering in the desert for forty years. Actually, I think he just put forty on his taxes, it was really thirty-seven. But none of this has anything to do with what follows.

Recently I encountered two sets of 40 questions, one via email and another posted on another blog. The teenage girl in me yearned to play along and answer the questions, but the wise-cracking teenage boy won out. So I took assorted questions from each and the result is as follows:

Participate with me on this. It's excurciatingly interesting. I only sent this to folks whose answers were sent to me first! This is what you are supposed to do if you have trouble figuring out the obvious, and try not to do more meaningful ways of sharing with others who you are and spoil the fun! Just give in, follow the other sheep, and do it. Copy, do not forward (repeat DO NOT FORWARD), this entire e-mail and paste it into new email. Change all the answers so that they apply to you (and only to you) then send this to a whole bunch of freakin' people you know *including* (repeat INCLUDING) the person who sent it to you. Now this one is difficult, put your name in the subject (repeat PUT YOUR NAME IN THE SUBJECT). The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known useless facts about your friends. It is a fun and easy 40 questions to answer. ;-P

1. First Name: Frank, but I also go by Hot Stuff. Hot Stuff Hashimoto at your service.
2. Were you named after anyone? I was never told that I was, but since my father and grandfather have the same name, I have a fairly good guess.
3. Can you handle the truth? You don't want the truth because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.
4. Have you ever eaten dog food? No. But I'm stocking up on cat food for my retirement.
5. How often do you drink? At every meal with occasional sips between. I should probably drink more.
6. Do you talk in your sleep? Nope. Don't snore either. I stayed up all night one night to see and it didn't happen.
7. Have you ever been stung by a bee? Yes, it doesn't hurt much, but I hate all the bloating.
8. When did you last cry? Real men don't cry. American Idol or Meet the Press, I can't remember.
9. What is your favorite lunch meat? Bologna with a splash of oregano and garlic mayo.
10. Kids? Children! Is the word association section?
11. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? If I was another person I would be totally disoriented. I think I would be busy trying to figure out who I am, this other person. Then I would fall madly in love with myself. Just like I am now.
12. Do you have a journal? Nowadays they're called blogs. Get with it people.
13. Do you use sarcasm? No, I gave it up for lent.
14. What are you looking forward to? A computer monitor.
15. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No! But I do unite them afterward!
16. Do you think you are strong? Physically or mentally?!? The other day I couldn't find the underwear at the store. I was afraid to ask so I just left. But I couldn't push open the door so I spent the night. Does that answer your question?
17. Shoe size? 9.5, 10 If I'm feeling lucky!
18. Red or pink? Pink! No really, PINK! Warning everyone, I'm coming out!!! WOO HOO!!!
19. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? Like I'm gonna tell you. Or I could give you a lame answer. How about my enormous ego?
20. Who do you miss the most? Bill Clinton!!!
21. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Black and blue. This should give you deep insight into who I am! Obviously a filler question.
22. Last thing you ate? Four cups of coffee and an Austrian goat milk Cappacino with Madagascar cinnamon.
23. What are you listening to right now? My inner dialogue telling me to get back to work.
24. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I'll agree with my sister, Cornflower blue. That way I would live forever!
25. What is your favorite smell? Gasoline. No really, gasoline!
26. The first thing you notice about people you are attracted to? You realize you are asking a very superficial question based on purely visual qualities since your very first things you notice are before the other person has openned their mouth. I would say that they look "hot".
27. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Social decorum requires that I say "Yes".
28. Hair color? Salt and Cayenne Pepper by L'Oreal.
29. Eye color? Same as Lake Michigan on any given day.
30. Do you wear contacts? I'm trying to cut back, but the reduced functionallity has been hard to get used to. My toes are screaming in pain.
31. Favorite food? The most expensive thing on the menu. I'm shallow like that.
32. What color shirt are you wearing? White! Fascinating, isn't it!
33. Summer or winter? Spring and fall. I prefer seasons that are also verbs.
34. Favorite dessert? The Sahara
35. Who is most likely to respond? The police. Try it. Dial 911.
36. Least likely to respond? My brother.
37. What is on your mouse pad? That is so old school. Get with the times and get one of those laser pointer mouse thingys.
38. What did you watch last night on TV? Survivor - Extreme Makeover Edition.
39. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Franz Ferdinand or Interpol. Don't look now, but your age is showing.
40. Do you have a special talent? NO! I am a Loser!

Movie Literate

There is a list of movies outlined by Jim Emerson on Roger Ebert's website that he considers a sampling needed for someone to be movie literate.

...they [are] the movies you just kind of figure everybody ought to have seen in order to have any sort of informed discussion about movies. They're the common cultural currency of our time, the basic cinematic texts that everyone should know, at minimum, to be somewhat "movie-literate."

AJ and Patrick have both shared which movies they have seen. I'm into pop culture so I thought I'd share my list also. The ones with the astericks (*) are ones I have seen. I was going to include commentary, but this is going to be long already.

* 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Stanley Kubrick
The 400 Blows (1959) Francois Truffaut
8 1/2 (1963) Federico Fellini
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) Werner Herzog
* Alien (1979) Ridley Scott
All About Eve (1950) Joseph L. Mankiewicz
* Annie Hall (1977) Woody Allen
Apocalypse Now (1979) Francis Ford Coppola
* Bambi (1942) Disney
The Battleship Potemkin (1925) Sergei Eisenstein
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) William Wyler
The Big Red One (1980) Samuel Fuller
The Bicycle Thief (1949) Vittorio De Sica
The Big Sleep (1946) Howard Hawks
* Blade Runner (1982) Ridley Scott
Blowup (1966) Michelangelo Antonioni
* Blue Velvet (1986) David Lynch
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Arthur Penn
Breathless (1959) Jean-Luc Godard
Bringing Up Baby (1938) Howard Hawks
* Carrie (1975) Brian DePalma
* Casablanca (1942) Michael Curtiz
Un Chien Andalou (1928) Luis Bunuel & Salvador Dali
Children of Paradise / Les Enfants du Paradis (1945) Marcel Carne
* Chinatown (1974) Roman Polanski
* Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles
* A Clockwork Orange (1971) Stanley Kubrick
* The Crying Game (1992) Neil Jordan
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Robert Wise
Days of Heaven (1978) Terence Malick
Dirty Harry (1971) Don Siegel
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) Luis Bunuel
* Do the Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee
La Dolce Vita (1960) Federico Fellini
Double Indemnity (1944) Billy Wilder
* Dr. Strangelove (1964) Stanley Kubrick
* Duck Soup (1933) Leo McCarey
* E.T. -- The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Steven Spielberg
Easy Rider (1969) Dennis Hopper
* The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Irvin Kershner
* The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin
* Fargo (1995) Joel & Ethan Coen
* Fight Club (1999) David Fincher
Frankenstein (1931) James Whale
The General (1927) Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman
* The Godfather, The Godfather, Part II (1972, 1974) Francis Ford Coppola
* Gone With the Wind (1939) Victor Fleming
* GoodFellas (1990) Martin Scorsese
* The Graduate (1967) Mike Nichols
* Halloween (1978) John Carpenter
* A Hard Day's Night (1964) Richard Lester
Intolerance (1916) D.W. Griffith
It's a Gift (1934) Norman Z. McLeod
* It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Frank Capra
* Jaws (1975) Steven Spielberg
The Lady Eve (1941) Preston Sturges
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) David Lean
M (1931) Fritz Lang
Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior (1981) George Miller
The Maltese Falcon (1941) John Huston
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) John Frankenheimer
Metropolis (1926) Fritz Lang
Modern Times (1936) Charles Chaplin
* Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
Nashville (1975) Robert Altman
The Night of the Hunter (1955) Charles Laughton
Night of the Living Dead (1968) George Romero
* North by Northwest (1959) Alfred Hitchcock
Nosferatu (1922) F.W. Murnau
On the Waterfront (1954) Elia Kazan
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Sergio Leone
Out of the Past (1947) Jacques Tournier
Persona (1966) Ingmar Bergman
Pink Flamingos (1972) John Waters
* Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock
* Pulp Fiction (1994) Quentin Tarantino
Rashomon (1950) Akira Kurosawa
* Rear Window (1954) Alfred Hitchcock
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Nicholas Ray
Red River (1948) Howard Hawks
Repulsion (1965) Roman Polanski
The Rules of the Game (1939) Jean Renoir
Scarface (1932) Howard Hawks
The Scarlet Empress (1934) Josef von Sternberg
* Schindler's List (1993) Steven Spielberg
The Searchers (1956) John Ford
The Seven Samurai (1954) Akira Kurosawa
Singin' in the Rain (1952) Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly
Some Like It Hot (1959) Billy Wilder
A Star Is Born (1954) George Cukor
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) Elia Kazan
Sunset Boulevard (1950) Billy Wilder
Taxi Driver (1976) Martin Scorsese
The Third Man (1949) Carol Reed
Tokyo Story (1953) Yasujiro Ozu
Touch of Evil (1958) Orson Welles
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) John Huston
Trouble in Paradise (1932) Ernst Lubitsch
* Vertigo (1958) Alfred Hitchcock
* West Side Story (1961) Jerome Robbins/Robert Wise
The Wild Bunch (1969) Sam Peckinpah
* The Wizard of Oz (1939) Victor Fleming

Wow! Only 37. That's pretty sad. I thought I'd do much better. Well in order to try to correct that. Here are the ten movies I'll try my best to see. Taxi Driver, A Streetcar Named Desire, Singin in the Rain, The Seven Samurai, On the Waterfront, The Manchurian Candidate, The Maltese Falcon, La Dolce Vita, Lawrence of Arabia, and Rebel Without a Cause. Pretty much all movies from the fifties. So how do you score?