truth or dare: the blogroll challenge

ok, it's not really truth or dare but I thought it sounded good. anyway, here's the challenge: give a short review (25 words or less) for each site on your current blogroll - when and why you added them, what you think of them, how often do you read them.

here's mine:

The Cutting Edge: anti-liberal blather. not worthy of my blogroll.
Dr. Helen: Mrs. Instapundit is a psych and raises good issues on this very popular blog. I rarely read it.
Kevin M.D. - Medical Weblog: interesting research but I don't have time to read. too busy with the comedy elsewhere...
Bring It On: conservative political stuff. fodder for arguement if you need it. I don't, really.
thinking blog: Ilkerry has a good popular blog I recall. He/she sends mybloglog messages now and again but I'm not really up on it. thinking too hard is not fun.
Balkinization: another political blog (I think) which I don't read. I should delete, huh?
Eugene Volokh: the famous UCLA expert on constitutional law. his dad is a character who kinda offered me a job once.
useless advice from useless men: title says it all. fun stuff.
worldchanging: another one I don't read. it's all about building a better future. ok, I'll read it dammit!
Wonderland or Not: Cooper has many adoring fans and is one of my few regular readers. I think she has a secret crush on me. I actually read this blog.
MoxieGrrrl: a good read if you need a daily WTF from an angry young woman. sometimes I do :)
wandering the ether: another like minded individual. good writing. I should visit more.
Nicholas Carr: more of a traditional media kind of guy - I guess that means profesionally respected. don't recall why I linked to him.
someday satori: literary oriented and thus, well written :) Shannon actually has a good blog and few people read it. please do. we like the same authors.
riding the astral plane: Titania Starlight is dreamy. I do go here for inspiration.
Educational Whisper: nice political tidbits by Windspike. I usually don't have time to visit;, but I've had this link a long time.
the autonomist: it's political and I may be against it. see how the other side thinks.
a big dooz: dooz is funny and I'm a fan, but she's quit on us. apparently her new blog is by invite only.
emma sometimes: hilarious. one of my favorites. she could make money as a comedian. maybe someday she will...
chaotica: as I recall, this is an interesting well written blog. I visit sometimes.
goodnessgraciousness: Jen is another of my favorites. she writes about a lot of interesting stuff and is always spreading love. she even reads my blog!
heidi of hollywood: a thoughtful young filmaker who blogs occasionally. I read her blog even though she cares not.
EclecticBlogs: another one which I don't read and it's been here forever.
Scary Personals: cheap humor. we all need that sometimes.
fugetaboutit!!!: funny guy. I've had this link forever and rarely visit his site. hmm, must have just forgotten about it.
Realistic Paintings: amazing work. for when I feel artsy and in need of ideas or new technique. not read too often.
grow-a-brain: as I recall, a quirky real estate oriented blog. check it out I should.
things they won't tell you in film school: Julie's been on hiatus and it's not because of the writers' strike. she's related some good stories but it's time to drop her from the roll.
uncommon sense: business and all kinds of other important stuff which I admire but never get around to reading.
Treat Me With Respect: rantings from inside the medical field. good viewpoint but hasn't been updated since 5/06. that's how often I read it. I know, delete from blogroll!
idiolect.org: business and economics ideas. read it 'cause it's good for you. or don't -- yes , I don't much.
alarmclockcatastrophe (emma agin): she's funny and prodigous (yes, that emma). must be all that coffee.
plain jayne: fashion and celebrities. it's like people magazine. just added. 'cause I'm into that :)
more stuff about things: just added. poetry I like. discovered via someday satori's blogroll.

word of the day: poignant

I've never used the word "poignant" in a sentence before. I thought about it and how it could be used. I wrote it down on a piece of paper at my nightstand and went to sleep. I then had this dream:

I've entered and sat down in a movie theater or small concert hall. on the screen a movie starts and I see that the quality is lacking; for what has been filmed is a large flat screen television. playing on the television is a older concert of some famous band doing a famous song - led zeppelin, rolling stones or the who; someone like that, but I don't remember who or what. anyway, they are playing in a burned out building. everything is charred black. an interesting effect. now my point of view changes; no longer watching a film, now I'm in the burnt building, offstage to the side, while the band keeps playing that familiar song. I'm there and walking away. I go down some burnt stairs and see that I'm on the top floor and it is the only floor burnt. apparently someone set fire to this floor and it was put out before spreading. coming up the stairs as I go down is a woman with a small child - a toddler. as he climbs the steps with her he pulls a piece of charcoal from the stair and starts chewing on it. "stop that", she tells him. "that's bad!". she looks to have had some hard times, could be a drug abuser. then I realize - the burnt out place is a hangout and she wants to party. or at least it's a familiar haunt and now she needs a place to stay... flashback to her home the day before. with a probably abusive boyfriend (the father?), she is on the verge of leaving him. some sort of event (4th of July?) is going on and the guy is concerned about his dog - a big furry chow, st. bernard, or sheepdog type mutt. he's concerned that the noises will give the dog a heart attack. sure enough, something happens and the huge dog keels over, dead. problem is it lands on the baby. he's ok, but could have been practically smothered and crushed by the animal. and the guy is screaming about his dead dog. that's why they left...

did I do it? was there some poignancy in my little story? did you feel something reading it or was it just a fleeting sensory description?

words, words, words...

thought I should say a few words :)
actually, I've been reading Shakespeare and you might recognize the title line from Hamlet (when Polonius asks "What do you read, my lord?").

rich material to digest...it takes much time for me. and so, not much time for writing here. don't ask why, for I shan't explain.

fare thee well and havest thou a thanks-giving day!

caliper assessment test redux

over a year ago now I did a post on what might be a "caliper profile personality assessment" question and ever since, on almost a daily basis, someone (~them~ I think), has been pinging my blog as a google search result of the phrase "caliper assessment test". I've had no other contact from them but they are probably checking up on me to make sure I don't reveal any of their intellectual property. so hard ain't it, to keep secrets when knowledge wants to be free. anyway, I thought I'd do them a favor (and maybe mess with their minds some more) by offering a new puzzler question that calipercorp is free to use as they deem fit. heck, they can even claim ownership of it. 'cause that's the kinda guy I am :). anyway, here's a tomawesome original:

a deceptively simple logical math question, pick the best answer:

what comes next in the sequence? x,y,z,a,b,c,__
1. e
2. i
3. n
4. r
5. t

feel free to explain your answer.