Nobody Knows Anything

Welcome to Diane Patterson's eclectic blog about what strikes her fancy

End of the year quizzes

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In case you were still under the impression that the Brits are way, way more staid than are we, check out The Guardian’s end of the year quiz. Mind you, The Guardian ain’t The Sun, you know what I’m saying? They’re not the kind of paper that sets everything in 36-point type and has a Page Three Girl. But boy — you sure can get racier things into a serious British paper than you can into any paper over here (right on down to The Enquirer).

Check out, say, Question 9. It’s about Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears and an aspect of their relationship I didn’t need to know about. Learning the term “bumjob” was interesting though.

Or Question 10. You can say that in the papers? (Over here you can say “fuck” in Vanity Fair, but not in the “family” newspapers.

The Guardian quiz is difficult but a great deal more fun than the King William’s General Knowledge Paper, which is also an end of the year tradition. The KWGKP is just difficult.

Another quiz you might enjoy is Jon Carroll’s Christmas quiz. The answers can be found in the next day’s column, so you won’t go crazy looking for them.

Long time no see

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Hey there.

Yes, I’ve decided to start doing this again. For one thing, I’ve discovered that I just don’t keep a journal on paper any more.

In case you’re wondering what I’ve been up to:

family.jpg

The one on the left (the small one on the left, at any rate) is Sophia, Queen Of All She Surveys. What she surveys most of the time is her number one fan, the small one on the right and the newest addition to our family: Simon. He’s seven months old now (so this picture is a little old), but we are all doing very, very well. Sophia really likes having a “baby bruddah.” Of course, just wait until he starts taking her toys.

The reason I decided to start keeping a web journal again is that I discovered a solution to most of my objections to keeping one — you know, figuring out a design, maintaining the archives, doing neat little tricks here and there.

I went to Journalcon in San Francisco last October. It was pretty much a whirlwind trip, bordered on one side by a preschool picnic (yes, I have a life that includes “preschool picnics” now) and family stuff on the other. I tucked Simon under my arm, kissed Fia and Daddy farewell, got on a plane, and stayed in SF less than 24 hours. I came to my panel (“Life After Journaling” — irony, thou art harsh), I spoke, I dashed off again. But while I was there, I looked at the schedule and asked someone, “What’s this Movable Type?”

Oooo. Shiny.

And there it was. I had no further excuses. Here was a system that was going to make my life a lot easier. So if I wanted to do it, I should do it.

And now here I am. Somewhere to post those silly links I find, somewhere to post those rants that keep going through my mind, and maybe once in a while post something about what’s going on with me. Whee.

Oh yes. Merry Happy Whatever!